Ongoing Complications (1000+)

[DataCurator]

After reading cranistans post it was a breath of fresh air. I am so sick of doctors having no clue on how to help and other users saying “just eat right, you will be fine”. I had never been over 200 lbs until after my gall bladder surgery. Mysteriously it shot up to EXACTLY 30 lbs more. The doc threw his hands up and said he didn’t know. When I asked him why he didn’t gain any weight after his surgery he replied “everyone is different”. Here it is 2 years after my surgery and no one had any answers. So far cranistan has been the most helpful. I decided to take his suggestions and so far it seems to help about 80%. Here is what I have done and currently modifying as needed: (some of the things below I didn’t do beforehand but thought it would be helpful to others if it’s listed) Things I can’t eat — – bread – fast food – processed frozen ready made meals – fried foods – carbonated drinks(includes ginger ale or other clear carbonated drinks) – milk – cheese – chocolate The list goes on for those but you get the idea. What can I eat? These are things that don’t really bother me or may give a small tinge on my right side afterwards. *keep in mind that I don’t have issues with dumping or constipation since changing my diet. – lean red meat (sparingly) – chicken(not fried) – vegetables(I juice during the day, usually 2 cups max of fresh vegetable juice) real ginger root cut into a small sliver juiced with the rest is great. – beets – juice these after skinning them, your liver and body will love you for it. – supplement shake – I use these to bump my calorie count up. Currently I am using muscle milk collegiate because it has less fat. 4 scoops give me 540 calories, something very vital for weight loss and tissue repair. – filtered water – get a brita pitcher and drink away! I also bought aquasana glass bottles and carry water with me everywhere. – fruits with no skin – this can be tough but doable. I have however been able to eat apples with the skin lately after changing my supplements( see below), but you will have to try it out. There are other things I can/cannot eat, your mileage may vary. Just try it out and keep a log of what gives you issues. Because I have GERD with really bad acid reflux, I take prescription strength omprezol. Once in the morning and I’m good all day. Supplements – some of these may work for you, some may not. For example there is a well known gall bladder site that tells you to take “betatine HCL”. It did nothing but give me constipation, even eating super clean and drinking tons of water. Anyhow here are a few things I take… – omprezol for heartburn – this is for the rest of my life – fish oil – every since cranistan mentioned it, I take it with every meal. My system is more regular and I feel like I’m losing weight again! – bile salts – whatever you do, take these AFTER your meal and not before. I made the mistake and felt like I was having a heart attack from the acid that it built up. One after every meal and I am golden. – choline – the well known gall bladder site I mentioned above suggested it and it hasn’t given me any problems. Read up on it and see if it will be helpful. There may be something I missed but that’s mostly it. The food selection may seem small now, but in reality it’s wide open when you eat quality over the $1 burger c**p at fast food places. People get their gall bladders removed for whatever reasons, now it’s time to recover and live life. I can’t and WON’T say “you will be fine” because real life doesn’t go like that. Can you minimize the pain and other problems? I’m pretty sure simply cutting out sodas and fried foods is a great start! Oh, I also eat a few teaspoons of honey a day. But please remember this honey has to made by local bees in your area. Not something from food lion. Find a local farmer on google and enjoy! This might help you or even inspire you like cranistans post did for me. It’s been a week and a half since I changed and honestly feel better. I can’t say it’s 100%, we all know that’s BS when people say it. Life, stress, foods etc will always play havoc with us. But we can minimize those things and take care of ourself FIRST! Go get a nice juicer and grab those veggies! I have a local farmer who grows killer beets. This year my wife and I started our own small garden. As much as I hate visiting Walmart, they do carry a wide selection of vegetables. Let me know what you guys change and come up with. I would rather see positive solutions to our problem!!

[DataCurator]

I had my gallbladder removed 18 yrs ago now. Everyone once in a while you can get minor discomfort if you eat certain foods but it is nothing at all like it was way back then, no worries time heals all things![:D]

[DataCurator]

“Hi !
Been reading all the msgs! I am 67 yrs old,,had my gall bladder removed Feb 2001.
I still have had indigestion,or IBS like symtoms off and on. I went to GNC health store,got Super enzymes in a “”blue cobalt “” bottle,I takeo ne with each meal,and also the white and blue Pro-biotics,Acidphadoplis caps. I take one a day. They work faNTASTIC! i ALSO TAKE MY USUAL nEXIUM 40MG CAPS. i REWALLY HAVE TO WATCH
what I eat! I can’t seem to eat any type beans,broccolli,cabbage,,milk products,.
I do a lot of reading,I will say to everyone,do not drink Diet cola,regular pop! Its terrible for your l liver or kidneys! A natural pathic dr on tv ,said its best to leave all bicarbonated drinks alone. I also found, coffe aggravates my intestines,stomach! So I drink mostly bottled water,ice tea,some juice. I now also have to watch my blood sugar level,so I use Sweet and Low sweetner. The best all natural sweetner,””STEVIA””,which can be gotten at any health food store! I stick to Salmon,fish,chicken. very litltlebeef! Everytime UI eat ground beef,roast,steak,.I get gas problems. Could be the steroids they feed the animals. I suggest if possible,best to go organic!
Best Regards,
SweetGranny11″

[DataCurator]

Since I had my gb out, I’ve had trouble breathing. I noticed no one mentioned that here. I have neither gained or lost weight. I had a gastric bypass 7 years ago and I’m wondering how these two are going to jive together. I don’t know how two things that restrict and don’t process fat are going to do to me. I ate cheese pizza last night w/o any consequences, so, I don’t know. I only ate a little though, and stopped when I felt full, which is normal for me due to the gastric bypass. I have gained weight since I started having the pain for the gb 5 months ago, and am frustrated by this, as I eat very little. Anyway, this forum has given me a lot of info I needed. Thanks.

[DataCurator]

I had a very bad experience! After my gallbladder was removed about 5 days later I woke in extreme pain! I vomited and had a fever.. Went to ER and they just sent me home w/ various meds… The next morning after no sleep no relief and just getting worse I called the surgeon who did my procedure, I was admitted immediately to the hospital. 3 hospitals later they drained 1500 ml of bile from my abdomen cavity… Washed my abdomen out and put a drain tube in… 2 stents including one in my pancreas.. I returned home a week later… 5 days after I was hospitalized again… Beginning stages if pancreatitis!!:/ removed stents and put a larger one in main bile duct…it hurts always!! I now have the drainage tube out, and am in pain always! Can’t work am very unhappy! This was over a month ago.. I just want to feel normal again!! Basically don’t go to ER without consulting your surgeon! I don’t know what would’ve happened if I had not!!! Good luck

[DataCurator]

I had a very bad experience! After my gallbladder was removed about 5 days later I woke in extreme pain! I vomited and had a fever.. Went to ER and they just sent me home w/ various meds… The next morning after no sleep no relief and just getting worse I called the surgeon who did my procedure, I was admitted immediately to the hospital. 3 hospitals later they drained 1500 ml of bile from my abdomen cavity… Washed my abdomen out and put a drain tube in… 2 stents including one in my pancreas.. I returned home a week later… 5 days after I was hospitalized again… Beginning stages if pancreatitis!!:/ removed stents and put a larger one in main bile duct…it hurts always!! I now have the drainage tube out, and am in pain always! Can’t work am very unhappy! This was over a month ago.. I just want to feel normal again!! Basically don’t go to ER without consulting your surgeon! I don’t know what would’ve happened if I had not!!! Good luck

[DataCurator]

“I too am vegan. I’m also a runner ( about 30 miles a week) I went from 112 pounds to 135 pounds since my surgery in March. My diet has not changed since before my surgery. My doctors were actually baffled as to why I had Gallstones considering my diet and continue to be since baffled as to my weight gain.
At least I don’t feel paranoid knowing I’m not the only one.
”

[DataCurator]

Ok, me too. Unbelievable in that they can not figure this out. As for the fibermyalsia- I have done alot of research on allergies and they attribute this to Gluten sensitivity or celiac’s. I have the type 1 diabetes, only two years, Allergies and yes along with all of you I have had my gallbladder removed will be 3 years in Aug. I was tested in fall for rhemtoid and they are retesting me again and given the diagnosis beginning of Feb Fibermyalisa- which I let the physical therapist know- after 10 days off during holidays and sleeping 10 hours a day- I had no complaints- I saw doctor and she said it was this? He examined me and agreed you have to have 23 pain points on your body. I have changed the diet to gluten free and pain is intermittent. Although I am still working on going 100% gluten free and have not worked through everything in my cupboards, I am still getting a little gluten here and there. I also had a hysterectomy 12 years ago- appears my issues started then. I also feel at some times like Hypochondriac and I am ashamed that at my age I have so many issues. They are looking to add occupational asthma- due to issues I am having breathing at work. Help!!!

[DataCurator]

“Everyone’s pain seems to be on the left. Does anyone post-gallbladder have abdominal/side/back pain on the right?

I had my gallbladder out 13 years ago. I had a lap done. At the time I was doing habitat restoration, and was back out in the field a week later working. I was never told to eat a fat free diet for a few weeks, or any alteration at all was needed in my diet. In fact, the next morning in the hospital they gave me pancakes and sausage for breakfast! I never had any problems at all after my surgery.
But now I am in constant pain on the right. It’s a burning pain, from my pelvic area to up under my ribs. This has been going on for a year. I had a CT scan, an ultrasound, and bloodwork. My doctor suggested I take paxil for my pain (basically it’s all in my head). Another doc. said there’s nothing wrong with me and go home and enjoy my life and play with my kids. They did not refer me to a GI doctor or anything like that. ”

[DataCurator]

I had my gall bladder removed through laproscopy,its been 2 months,i often get pain in my abdomen.lately i had a tooth ache the doc gave me some pain killers, my stomach was paining too much.I am very sensitive to pain killers .Is there any food i should avoid or eat .there is also a lot of flatulency.Please help

[DataCurator]

Has anyone experienced digestive problems after gall bladder surgery? (Specifically, chronic diarrhea.) I’ve been told I probably have IBS, which seems like a catch-all term, but I wasn’t experiencing the symptoms until after my surgery five years ago.

[DataCurator]

That is definitely not the case for me as I had my gallbladder removed as it was thought a likely possibility for causing pancreatitis which I had had twice (but now, it is thought it was actually my birth control pills causing the pancreatitis, not the gallbladder which looked perfect once they removed it). I have always eaten healthy and exercised heavily as a ballet dancer my whole life and after the surgery I have gained 20 lbs in a few months with the exact same diet and exercise. Before gallbladder surgery I COULD eat because I did not have mine removed for gallbladder disease, but as a possible cause for the severe pancreatitis, so the weight gain is NOT attributable to not being able to eat, but rather to now not having a gallbladder which is apparently a lot more essential to weight that the doctors told me.

[DataCurator]

I just had my gall bladder removed on 1/15 went through horrible pains in abdomen the next night.. Then on 1/17 was released. By 1/24 I was running a fever of 102.8 and had bad pain in adbomen. Within 2 hours I couldn’t breathe right and my wife called 911. When I got back to the hospital where the surgery was done they put me on a breathing treatment and took blood. The blood tests showed an infection and they said it was pneumonia, they then did a ct scan of my lungs. They came back and said it wasn’t pnuemonia and did a ct scan and ultrasound on my abdomen. They said I had fluid in my abdomen and needed to have a drain put in right away. THey took out over 60cc’s of bile colored fluid and then after every 4-6 hours there was another 60cc’s of fluid. I was put on antibiotics, and morphine for teh next 2 days. I came home on 1/28/13 and have an appointment with the surgeon on 1/31. Before I lewft teh hospital he saw me and said that he would probably remove the tube on 1/31 because the antibiotics should have killed off any infection by then. But I refuse to allow him to remove this drain tube while I’m still producing bile in my abdomen. I was angry that he even suggested that it wouldn’t be problem if all the leakage hadn’t completely stopped by then. I’m at a loss ofr what I should do once I see him. Any suggestions?

[DataCurator]

i am a 34 male and i had my gallbladder removed in 2005. i have developed ibs and bile relux. also just recently started having pains and bad gas/bloating on my right side again. i have also gained alot of weight but i eat normal and excersize frequently. if i would of known this 5 years ago i would of never had them take it out. i think it causes more trouble for us than doing any good.

[DataCurator]

I had my gall bladder taken out in 1998, and since then had serious burning and pains in the same area, I have noticed that it happens more frequent if i try to eat any kind of artificial sweetner, or if i eat any kind of peanuts with the skin still on them, Ijust recently had a chest scan thinking i had something wrong with my lungs, and the other dr noticed i still have the staples left in there from the surgery, in her personal opinion, my body is trying to reject the staples, and that is where the burning and cramps are coming from, does anyone expierence burning in the area of where the gallbladder would have been, and do you still have the staples left inside you? My friend had the same surgery and doesnt have the staples and she never has any of the problems that i do, the pain under my rib cage gets so bad it takes my breath away andi have noticed if i sloch down while typing the burning starts immediately, so now i am wondering if maybe the staples are poking something when i sit some kinda way and then it is a ridiculous ride of nausea, cramps usually throwin up and breaking sweats. We all cant be suffering the same thing after getting the surgery if there isnt some sort of problem causing it. Thanks Theresa