Status Post Gallbladder Removal

[Mel61]

I had my gallbladder removed in Mar 2004. I continue to have residual symptoms such as GERD, gastritis with bloating, RUQ pain, nausea after eating certain foods and a burning sensation in the bottom of my stomach. I have learned over the years to take my medication religiously, eat smaller portions and to avoid foods which are more acidic. However, I still feel nauseous and bloated daily. I am beginning to feel bloated even after I eat small portions of food. When I opt to miss diner because I hate the feeling of fullness late in the evening, I suffer from gastritis.

I have had two EGDs which were normal. However, I think something is going in my lower stomach area since I always feel discomfort and bloating in that area. What can I do to help rid myself of these symptoms. I just want to have one day where I am not aware of my indisgestio/stomach problems.

[Linda8888]

I can relate to some of your symptoms. The feeling of heaviness after eating is very uncomfortable. Have you been tested for amylase and lipase blood levels? This may indicate pancreas problems if they are elevated.  Ask you doctor about getting pancreatic enzymes if you find that they are elevated.  This will help with the gastric feeling of fullness and heaviness, since it will help digest your foods.  You might want to modify your diet by avoiding fats and red meats all together.  See if that helps. It does for me.

[Banned1]

I can absolutely relate.   I had my gallbladder removed in May of 2008.  The pain and nausea continued.  I had an attack in June of 2008 and was hospitalized for eight days.  They kept me on pain killers and antibiotics until my liver enzymes straightened out then they cut me loose.  In August of 2008, I had a sphincterotomy which was supposed to help.  It didn't.  I now have excellent pain relief from Oxycontin and nausea relief from Motilium and Gravol but I'm still looking for answers.

There are so many things that could be causing your pain, though.  It could be post-cholecystectomy syndrome, sphincter of oddi dysfunction, pancreatitis or any of dozens of other diseases or disorders.

One thing I've heard that helps A LOT OF PEOPLE is digestive enzymes.  You can get them over the counter at many drug stores or a safer bet is to speak with your doctor about trying them.  Ask your Doc for some samples.  The other suggestions I have are fairly generic but, again, they've helped me.  If you think you may have pancreatitis, pancreatic enzymes might help.

It helps to keep a journal or a blog and your welcome to read mine if you want but I write a lot (can you tell).  :)  It's a great way to review your situation objectively and identify patterns in your symptoms, medications and pain level.  Hindsight is 20/20 and keeping a log might help you look at things more objectively over the longer term.  Also, when you do go into Emergency, you can say, this has been the pattern...

You are not alone!  Try to stay positive and reach out for support when you need it.  Talk to your Doctor, family, friends, co-workers, church or social service volunteers or anyone you feel safe with.  

Search the web for Yahoo! groups.  Once you have the page where you can search the Yahoo! groups, search or "sphincter".  There are about five of them.  Only two of them are really worth joining.  Michele's is by far the best as she is a registered nurse and an uncommonly kind, empathetic and supportive woman.  Maddi's is wonderful, too.  Just put in a request to join and within a day or two, they'll let you know that you've been accepted.  Hopefully, if you join, you'll say "Hi" to me there.

When you do find answers, it would be wonderful if you could let us know the root cause(s) and how you got rid of your pain.  It gives people on this site hope to hear success stories.

Take care of yourself.  Good luck and Godspeed.  All the best,

Sam