Ongoing Complications (1000+)

  • Avatar

    i had my surgery in 2002 and i havent really had any problems but i am curious to know how your bowels are suppose to work and upon reading the above comment i can kinda relate. most foods do not bother me my weight has been up and down since the surgery. but i do notice i cannot digest flax seed whether its ground up or whole. i do notice i rarely have a solid bowel movement and i have had severe gas pain on occation to the point of it lasting days and days. i also have heartburn if i do eat things that are high in fat ie donuts and chips( reason why i usually stay away from it) or very creamy dairy ie icecream sometimes coffee and sometiimes yogurt. just wondering if its related to not having a gal bladder.

    Avatar

    I had my gall bladder removed 2 1/2 years ago. About 6 months ago, I developed a terrible pain in my upper right side, behind my rib cage, which radiates around to my back. Digestive problems are also an issue – I am always full and cannot eat without getting heartburn. A CAT scan showed that I have scar tissue that has attached to my intestine since the gall bladder surgery. The doctor says that this is the cause of the digestive problems. He says that removal of this tissue may result in more scar tissue and I would have the same problem. I am 29 years old and need to know what can be done to help. The constant pain prevents me from doing alot of things that I did before. Please help!!! I would like to be able to go about the day without pain AND be able to eat without feeling full or sick all of the time. I am interested to know what you have to say

    Avatar

    I had my gb out on October 18th and even though my incisions look great I feel like I still have incisional pain in those same four places. Is this normal? And for how long? I’m happy to have no pain from eating but a month later I’m still afraid to bend over or pick my baby girl up for fear of ripping something!

    Avatar

    Has anyone out there felt worse, never quite the same, since gallbladder surgery? Our daughter has not been the same since her laproscopic surgery. She’s been nothing but tired, low energy, never been the same. She feels like something is really wrong, but can’t identify it. She has a friend who eats right and is very fit who had the same surgery and is experiencing the same feeling that something is not right, she’s tired and not herself. Without the gall bladder, the bile goes directly to the liver, could this be a reason for them to not feel right? Both girls are in their late 30’s. We would appreciate any input. Thanks!

    Avatar

    I had my gallbladder removed back on 14 Feb. 2000 and I’m still having loose bowels and some nausea. The last few days though I have noticed my bowels are turning black still loose. I left a message with my doctor concerning this and still waiting for his response. Does anyone who had recent gallbladder surgery go through this? Is this normal after this type of surgery? Does it really take years for your body to feel normal again (no more loose bowels,etc.)? Any advice or comments greatly appreciated. I will be glad to hear the response I get back from my surgeon

    Avatar

    I have had the pain under my right ribe cage for years and was given Previcd which made the pain go again but then they took Previcd off market. I started back having the pain so they took my gallbladder out which there was nothing wrong with. The doctor put me on Reglan which did the trick the only thing now is the side effects of my hands shaking. So I had to stop the Reglan and go to a compound med which is not working. Now I am back where I started from with the pain.

    Avatar

    I had my gallbladder removed 3so months ago and immediately started with the weight gain which I’ve never been able to put on! After reading and reading and trying what I thought was everything. I went back to my probiotics that I’ve always used for my ibs, within days I noticed a difference! And after gaining about 15 lbs in just my gut, Im very small framed, my tummy is flat and lean again. Its the only thing that helps!! I use the nature made triple probiotic, its about 20 dollars per month but so worth it and I don’t feel nearly as bloated all the time either

    Avatar

    “hey guys im lookin for some advice please…

    ive been suffering for just over 3 years with my gall blader, im booked for the end of august to get my op but this week my pain has got really really bad its disrupting my day to day life big time and my stomach is rock solid im going on holidays in 2weeks and im scared something might happen when im away, whats the worst can happen?????”

    Avatar

    It should be mandatory for Dr’s to tell you about this issue BEFORE you have your gallbladder removed. I had heartburn symptoms long before I got my gallbladder out in 06, but man… did I EVER suffer with it after the surgery! I tried every single OTC medicine, then went through all the presciption strength medicines too until I got Nexium. That was the best medication for me, and I took it twice a day up until a few months ago, when my husband got a different job and this health plan won’t cover the majority of the costs, and we can’t afford to pay $100 a month for this med, so I”m back to suffering with it, even while taking Prilosec. Nexium was what worked for me, I wish I could take it again.

    Avatar

    “I am 29 years old and 140 lbs/5’8″” tall, I had my gallbladder removed February 98 in London, Ontario (where I lived).

    I first noticed pain one day in August/97, it came on so fast I fell to the floor…it felt like very bad hunger…just below my breast bone…this continued for about a half hour and then I got another one. The next day I went to the Doctor and she said it was an ulcer…without doing a blood test first! She wanted to start me on medication…but I wanted to wait for the test. It came back negative.

    In September/97 I had another 5 attacks, I went back to the Doctor and she said it was stress….hmmm, I thought…ok…it could be. So I took anti-stress seminars…didn’t help! Then the attacks started to last several hours at a time. They were very intense, no highs or lows, and it was difficult to breathe, walking made it worse, so I sat at the kitchen table for hours, praying for it to go away. Stress???

    So I went back to the Doctor again in October…she said it was stomache acid! ok…I thought. I avoided chocolate, alcohol, tomatoes, citrus etc. still it didn’t help. She finally sent me for an ultrasound in November/97. It came back positive for multiple gallstones. She said it’s minor surgey and not to worry about it!

    So when I went to see the Surgeon in December/97 he asked me how many attacks I have had so far…I said 19 (I didn’t think anything of it) he was astonded and ordered surgery asap! That didn’t take place until Feb/98!

    I did learn finally at the time of seeing the surgeon, that fat causes the pain….I lost 22 lbs before the surgery. I was terrified of eating anything, as everything gave me pain. I was scared to go out anywhere for having the pain in public.

    After the surgery, when I was at home…I must say that the incisions (4) were REALLY sore! It took me 2-3 months to be able to sleep slightly comfortable. It was very sore to walk, laugh, reach up, down, turn door knobs, sit on the couch…getting up from the bed or couch was a real chore!

    That was nothing, until one day in March when I had my first post-surgery gallbladder attack! Yes it can happen afterwards! The surgeon didn’t believe me…come back when you have had 5 attacks….!!! 5 came and went…he did nothing… I was really mad at this point…I’m not waiting months again for someone to do something….

    He sent me for an ultrasound…but it was negative.

    I ended up visiting the ER MANY times throughout the next 2 months. I had another 16 attacks….these all lasted 4-5 hours each! They finally refered me to a Gastroenterologist, he did an ERCP after many weeks of waiting on the list on May 27/98. It came back negative!

    The Gastro Doctor told me that ultrasounds do not pick up objects that are surrounded by liquid. If a stone is stuck with liquid wrapped around it…it doesn’t show up. He also said that ultrasounds miss 60% of stones that are stuck in the bile ducts.

    Since then it has taken a long time (Aug.99) to be able to eat anything I want to. I have no pain, no attacks, no cramps, and no diarrea. I had several months of heartburn and reflux…but everything seems to be fine now!

    Avatar

    “I had my gallbladder removed 2 days ago, and now I have nose bleeds. I called the surgeon, got his answering service, told the woman, and she replied, “”he is a colon, rectal surgeon””. I could not believe my ears. I said, “”Listen, I did not have a nosebleed before the surgery””. She took my name and numer. The surgeon called me, I told him what was happening. He replied, the air is dry, put ice there. I said, “”could I be bleeding internally? HE REPLIED: ‘I DON’T KNOW’!!!

    He brushed me off and that was the end of the conversation. Please tell me what I should do from here. I am scared.”

    Avatar

    “Gallbladder surgery
    I had my Gallbaldder out on Nov 22nd, one week out I had a fever and they said I just had a viral thing sent me home now its 3 weeks out and I feel worse than I ever have I hurt all the time. I feel sick to my stomach all the time. I don’t know what to do right now I havent sleep in 2 days can someone please help me?”

    Avatar

    “I made the mistake of having 3 1/2 hour emergency laparoscopic gall bladder surgery in 1999. I woke up in the operating room and just 6 weeks later my sutures ripped open. My surgeon claimed that I was fine and that the intense pain and bulge in my right side of my belly button was “”scar”” tissue. I was bent over in pain and couldn’t stand up when I went for my appointment.
    Actually, a CAT Scan confirmed that my intestine came out through a 3 x 4 inch opening and I required hernia repair with a mesh. Less than a year later, the bulge came back and so did 24/7 pain. I went to another surgeon to do the repair.
    I found out that this type of surgery is called “”swiss cheese surgery”” and I have been told by a medical secretary that it requires a repair in 70 to 80 percent of the cases (the percent is not documented by professionals).
    While I was waiting for my hernia operation (in 1999),a nurse told me a patient in the adjacent room was scheduled for the same repair operation following laparoscopic gall bladder surgery.
    I am damaged for life. The hospitals are happy because it is “”repeat business””. There are days I cannot roll over in bed, cannot bend to make a bed and am in worse condition than my 84 year old mother. Gall bladder surgery “”runs in my family”” but I am the only fool who did it laparoscopically. My surgeon stated to me, “”If you think you look bad on the outside, you should look at your insides””. Very sad indeed!”

    Avatar

    I’m a 41 year old male and I just had GB removed January 2nd, 2007. Been experiencing wierd upper back aches between my shoulder blades (primarily of left side). Can’t say I’ve never had pains like these prior to GB surgery but rarely. Ever since GB surgery it seems to be a daily thing. The pain is not dehibilitating or anything but just enough that it lets me know it’s there. Has anyone felt this type of Post Gall Bladder Symptom? If so, what can I expect. And yes, the doctors don’t tell you anything about post GB life but at the same time I really couldn’t live with the GB anyway. Hope this post helps someone if they are experiencing the same thing – at least you will know you are not alone.

    Avatar

    I still have bad pain after I had my gull bladder out 4 years ago.It dosen’t matter what I eat the pain goes across my stomach from right to left.Have any ideals?

The topic ‘Ongoing Complications (1000+)’ is closed to new replies.