Ongoing Complications (1000+)

[DataCurator]

Hi I had my gallbladder out last november and I have lost well over 50+ pounds. But from what I have read I shopuld be gaining weight not that I want to but I am losing so quickly and I don’t know when it will stop. It is true I have a lot of medical issues but is anyone losing weight like this?

[DataCurator]

“I just had my gall bladder out a week ago. I started having pain on my right side going to my back on Monday. I never had any pain at all with my gall bladder unless I ate wheat. Then I had pain on the left side (not usual I guess).
I had my gallbladder out for two reasons. First was due to diarrhea. Second was because my HIDA scan said my ejection fraction time was 18%. After 4 years of this diarrhea and unable to eat wheat, I decided to have it our. Diarrhea was getting worse. The surgery part was fine. I got dehydrated 3 days after sx and had to get IV fluid. This pain had started the day before this though.
This pain takes my breath away. It will wake me up at night. If I move a certain way (not sure which way it is) the pain is so intense I cant breath. Walking makes it worse. When I sit and dont move, Im good. But I do feel like I cant catch my breath sometimes. So I take a deep breath and the pain shoots. I have noticed that I burp more than I did before. I have no pain with touch to the area. Help
Ive had two blood clots in my lungs before and am pretty sure that this is not one.
I work at a Dr’s office and my provider isnt worried about the pain. The surgen that did the sx says it will go away. When? I had to take more time off work due to this pain. I usually dont sit still for this long, but this pain is keeping me still.”

[DataCurator]

“SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME IM IN h#ll

I am in desperate need of help. I have had every known test known to mankind yet no one can figure out what is wrong with me. I was attracted to this site as I found the posts listed below of 2 people that had the exact same problem as myself but no one ever responded, and they drifted away.

This all started about a month ago. All arrows pointed to my gallblatter, but I have since had that removed and the pain still exists….

I have had:

5 blood work ups
2 Hedi Scans (before and after the gallblatter removal)
kidney mri
back mri
colonostrophy
stomache scope
rib xrays/chest/lungs
Pain injections
diabetes test
full STD work up

I have lost 14 pounds.

Pain is under right rib cage, also sometime center of back to under shoulder blade. Hurts to breathe sometimes on right, lots of pressure.

I will send you a nice gift in the mail if you can figure out what is wrong with me or point me in the right direction that leads me to an answer. Please read the below posts:

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I had my GB removed in April, it is now Aug. I have bad back pain that just doesnt want to go away. It started about to two weeks after surgery. Ive had Xrays, CT scan, 2 MRIs done and they cant find anything wrong. IM GOING CRAZY. dont know what to do. I was told that i would be out of work for 2 weeks. WE ARE GOING ON 5 MONTHS. Has anyone seen/heard of anything like this………

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am just past 3 weeks after gall bladder removal. What’s up with this “”mystery back pain””? i thought I was pretty much all fine and about 80% or better. But last few days my upper or maybe middle back on the right side is sore.

i saw 2 doctors today and they think it is just back muscle spasms. NOT A KIDNEY problem. I don’t seem to have any urination problems or anything. no fever, no sickness etc. Maybe it is simply my back, but doesn’t seem like anormal back pain.

meanwhile the surgey areas are a little sore and they were all cool the last week or so. Seems weird to me that the pain is sort of cycling back. I thought i was pretty much over it. I only used pain pills the first 3 days or so and felt improvement up until about 5 days or so ago.

Does it seem like the pain can fluctuate back in? I thought i was over pain.

the back seems the worst. it fgeels like about an inch or so just below my ribs on my right back area. Is this simalar to what you guys feel and the location?

it’s not horrible- not like teh gall bladder was SOOOOOO bad. But this is painful. God i hope it’s not my kidney. Docs…say nope. but man it hurts..”

[DataCurator]

I had choledochoduodenostomy, or Roux-en-Y for short (not because I was heavy) This is almost the same surgery they do for gastric by pass. Mine was for upper quadrant pain. All tests indicating gall bladder. Had an ERCP only to have surgeon nick pancreas 4 times and I ended up with pancreatitus (11days in hospital) No surgery for gall bladder removal until 3-4 months later. (another 11 days because there was a stricture in common bile duct. A few months go by and I’m gaining weight. Start having same pain as before surgery. I’ve had every regulat test done and nothing. Three years later, I’m now 50 lbs more than when I started with this nonsense and I’m still having upper right quadrant pain. But…………it is all in my HEAD. GEE, THANKS DOC”S.

[DataCurator]

“I, too, am a post gallbladder surgery pain sufferer. I had my gallbladder removed on 1 November 2007 via the laprascopic method. For 2 months prior to surgery I suffered severe nausea and right upper quadrant pain. Following my surgery I have experienced tingling in my left leg, pain in my groin, right hip, right thigh, right lower back. These “”pains”” have seemed to “”resolved”” themselves within the first month. Now I have migraines, sore neck, and sore/stiff upper back. Also, I have had nausea almost constantly since the surgery. However, the nausea has begun to wane over the last 2 weeks. Post surgery I have had a CAT scan, ultrasound, blood work etc. All came back normal. The GI Doc basically said you are good to go. To add to this nightmare, I have ringing in my right ear which started during one of my gallbladder attacks. This condition remains to this day.

I have found all of the above symptoms in other post gallbladder surgery patients in other blogs in some combination. If you believe in Chinese medicine, the pain of this type falls along the gallbladder meridian. Acupunture is a method of resolution. I am using acupunture, and it seems to be helping. Another theory I have is that the CO2 inflation stimulates the Phrenic nerve, which plays a key role in the diaphram and digestive system. It originates in the neck at the C3-5 vertibrae. So, it can effect the other nerves originating from these points.

I hope this helps. The common thought that this surgery is a non-event is just not true. For some, it is no big deal. For others the recovery can be long and problematic. ”

[DataCurator]

I had my gall bladder removed the old fashioned way about 20 years ago. I live a normal life in most ways. I can eat just about any food without problems. At first, I had issues with diarrhea but then I started using digestive enzymes and that helped a lot. I buy them from the Vitamin Shoppe. They’re called Multi-Enzymes. One a day helped me at first but now I take them occasionally when I over-eat. I do have issues with fatigue but I suspect its something in my diet that bothers me or maybe the result of loss of my gall bladder. I don’t have a problem with my weight but maybe its because I avoid all processed foods. I eat meat, dairy, veggies, fruit, nuts, etc. No junk food or anything out of a box. Fried foods do not go down well.

[DataCurator]

“I had my gall bladder out 2 years ago. Fortunatly I have not had problems others are afflicted with perhaps because for years fat bothered me so I try to use little. No explosive poop nor bed farts. Some throughout the day but managable. I cook for myself so I can use fat free ingredients instead of full fat or just a little something not offered in a normal meal you eat out. I too am glad My gall bladder was removed as I was so full of infection I would not have lived much longer that and my gall bladder was chock full of stones.

Sometimes I have to sleep elevated but that is a sideeffect of a medication I was on – I think

No diarreah probably because I don’t use lots of fat.

I still have an occational fart I thought it was sad but not anything like everyone else is afflicted with so I guess I am lucky.”

[DataCurator]

hiya to all, i had my gall bladder removed 10 weeks ago and i am still in pain!! The back pain is sometimes so bad i want to cry, on the right side just under my ribcage, sometimes at the front like a stabbing stitch. This never goes away.!! I am also suffering (according to the hospital when i went back cos the pain was so bad) acid reflux, terrible cramping pain in the same place i used to have my gall bladder attacks, lower part of the breastbone, this has me doubled over. I constantly have to keep swallowing as well, my mouth seems to fill with excess saliva! I was told to take gaviscon which i never used before surgery, now i have to take it every day. I cannot blame any particular food for these attacks, it seems to be quite random and can wake me in the night, even drinking a cup of tea will give me pain. I am very depresed dover this, i am back to work in 4 days and still feel quite ill, tired and fed up with the whole thing!!

[DataCurator]

“Hi, I like everyone here have all gal bladder woes. I also had the choking feeling your speaking about.. Waking up in a panic and constant swallowing. They went down my throat with a scope and found a valve in my lower intestine wasn’t dilating correctly. The opened it with a balloon. They also said that would probably have to have it done every couple of years. I hope this helps a bit.
Take care,”

[DataCurator]

I had my surgery in 04 and ever since I’ve had problems with food and scar tissue. I finally saw a digestive specialist who prescribed a medicine that acts as if adding acid to my stomach before I eat so that my stomach doesn’t react to the food poorly. I now have to consume a “not so yummy” packet of powder in a drink 45 minutes before eating. It’s difficult to make work and still messes with me if I don’t take it regularly but it did in fact stop the digestive problems which were caused from my stomach thinking it needed more acid to digest anything at all (except plain chicken and bread). As far as the scaring goes. I’ve felt it primarily when I would lay flat to go to bed but now it’s a problem when laying on either side as well and even sometimes when just sitting down. It’s an uncomfortable feeling in my right side toward the bottom of the rib cage. The best analogy is that if feels like the skin is being pulled through the rib cage toward my core and slightly down. Before it was not hard to deal with but as of late it’s been difficult and even painful.

[DataCurator]

“I had my Gallbladder removed in 2008 after 4 months of diarrhea, throwing up and being nauseous. It took them so long to diagnose the problem since I was 110 lbs and 23 years old and not your “”typical”” gallstone patient. My surgery was laproscopic and I had mild discomfort besides feeling bloated (they pumped air in order to see better during my surgery) for about a week. About a week after my surgery I started getting nauseous and having diarrhea constantly. I would wake up and immediately have to use the bathroom. I couldn’t eat any food but was gaining weight instead of loosing it. After visiting a specialist at Northwestern Hospital, she put me on a power substance called cholestyramine which I mixed 2 packets a day. The specialist thought I had bile diarrhea but there was no cure for it. Cholestyramine powder seemed to help a little since I would only get sick daily instead of every 15 minutes but it was still no way to live. I became depressed, gained 10 lbs even though I couldn’t keep ANYTHING down and thought i’d have to drink the powder for the rest of my life. After another series of test, they found out my bile duct had not been properly cleaned out when surgery was performed and as a result, even though I had no gallbladder, my duct was clogged. I went in for surgery again in April 2009 for an outpatient procedure to clean my bile duct. The surgery was a success although the amount of air they pumped in my stomach this time was nearly unbearable – I had to visit the ER twice because I thought my stomach was literally going to burst.

Today, almost a year later, i’m doing a lot better. I no longer drink my Cholestyramine and only have the dreaded diarrhea occasionally – mostly when I don’t eat within an hour of waking up in the morning or when I drink too much caffeine. I also noticed that I have way more bile in my system and sometimes after a fun day or night out drinking with friends, I end up throwing up bile – not fun. I workout 4x a week and try to eat fresh fruit, veggies and lean meats which has really helped my situation.

If you have had the surgery and still feel sick, don’t give up hope! I encourage you to see a GI if you can and check into Cholestyramine – it may not be a permanent solution but it may help you live a more normal life.”

[DataCurator]

“I had my gall bladder out on 12/14, and have had no problems with alcohol (unless I consumed too much, in which case I knew what I was in for).

As others have said, it all depends on the individual’s body. Tread lightly, and if you’re not feeling great the next day – drink plenty of water, have some juice, rest if you can, and if you have “”spinning”” then I’ve heard Benadryl can help that (it’s broken down by your body into the same effective component of motion sickness pills).”

[DataCurator]

“I also had my gall bladder removed, a year ago, since then, i get a lot of pain just above my belly button, and it is so tender to touch, i get very bloated and look like i am 7 months pregnant at times, which is crazy as i am 51 years old and had a hysterectomy 9 years ago. the pain i experience seems to move over to the right further sometimes, i also have terrible indegestion with almost everything i eat, i have days when i just can not go to toilet for number 2’s, and when i finally go its so hard and dry, other days i have extreme diahreah, sorry about the spelling, and i will go about 3 times in a day, i also get reflux which is really awful.

I have had ultra sounds, and an MRI, and both come back clear, i just dont know what to do anymore, i am so fed up with the pain every day, i am tired all the time, and have had to buy a size bigger in all my clothes, which is very depressing too, my husband keeps urging me to go back to my gp, but what is the point? i also can not stand the thought of another MRI, as i am very claustrophobic, and it took all my willpower not to panic during the last one, please any advice or help would be so apreciated, it astounds me on how many people are suffering with the same symptoms i am getting, after all, werent we all told before the surgery that we would all be back to normal after a few weeks, and there were no known side effects to the surgery, what a load of c**p (sorry) but if i had known before hand how much i would be suffering, i am sure i would have thought twice about having the surgery, and suffered the pain and sickness i used to get, because as far as i can see, i really am no better off.

thanks for reading, and my sympathies really go out to you all who are suffering like i am.”

[DataCurator]

“I have been in constant pain since having my gall bladder removed on August 28, 2008. It is a sharp, burning fire in my right side, radiating from just under my ribs. I also have nerve damage on the skin around the incisions (feels like glass cutting into me especially when anything even slightly brushes against my scars or the skins around them). I woke up from surgery in worse pain than when I went under for the surgery.

The two specialist (Neurologist & Pain Management) I’ve seen since have said this appears to be a classic case of nerve damage. I have had one nerve block that gave some relief for a couple of days, and have tried Lyrica (which I couldn’t tolerate) and then Cymbalta, which was giving me some horrible side effects at 30 mg a day. I am now trying a low dose of Topamax. I don’t feel like I am being helped, just being used as a drug tester; and I don’t do well with pharmaceuticals.

I have been taking Meprozine 50/25 mg (night) and Zanaflex 12 mg morning and night just to get through each day. I also use topical Lidocaine ointment on the area around the surgery site. The worst pain is inside my body just under my right ribs. It goes down my abdomen a few inches, and almost to the center of my sternum, and around my right side. Soon I don’t think the doctors will prescribe the pain meds for fear of addiction.

I am searching for some treatment or program that can relieve this constant pain that has taken my life away. My day consists of lying in bed, on pillows, trying to get into the least painful position I can. I also can’t take deep breaths or stretch without intensifying the pain. It is a chore to shower or even go to the bathroom.

I believe this is a bigger problem than the medical profession is willing to admit. I still cannot eat much and have lost over 20 pounds since the surgery. Please post if you have had this problem after gallbladder surgery. Thank you. ”

[DataCurator]

“Hi , My name is suzanne and I had my gallbladder out last July.

I’m gaining weight and I don’t know what to do……..Help”