Ongoing Complications (1000+)

[DataCurator]

“I had my gallbladder removed about 5 years ago. I had been misdiagnosed for over 7 years because I didn’t fit into the typical profile. I was 22, in great shape, and ate very healthy, just had this bubble sticking out from under my rib. I went to webmd.com and cross-referenced my symptoms, walked back into the ER that had just told me (again) that it was gas. No one has localized gas for over 7 years in the same exact swollen spot, and the pain was unreal. I would love to hear a doctor just say “”I don’t know.”” instead of going for the standby of “”it must be gas.””
Aftet my laproscopic surgery, it took my body a loooong time to get back to biz as usual. The best way I can describe my year to follow is a nasty visual, but you’ll get the point. When I would have a BM, which were very frequent, it would be brown water, a variety of shades, and would feel as though it was high octane acid with shards of glass in it. Every BM was a new experience in pain. My butt was raw for over a year. To this day I can not eat anything spicy, which I love. I also have acid reflux often, a new joy since the surgery.

I am someone who believes and lives the practice that your diet can heal you, or take you down. If not for the healthy way I ate before and after the surgery, I am certain that my pain would have been much more severe. I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but can tell you that having those philosophies a part of my daily life and eating habits has helped me immeasurably. Before people turn to prescriptions and surgeries, incorporating a live food diet would be beneficial, on so many levels.

If you haven’t heard of it, or read it, read the entire book “”Eat to Live”” by Dr. Fuhrman. Put it into practice and you will reap many rewards.

Best of luck to everyone.”

[DataCurator]

“Does anyone have a food list on what you can or can not eat? that is all i want to know! PLEASE HELP ME I too an afraid to put anything in my mouth and have lost 11 pounds since palm sunday.

Thank you so much in advance
Denise”

[DataCurator]

I also have left side pain after gall bladder surgery and had the left side pain before gall bladder surgery. My surgeon says the pain now probably has to do with muscles being stretched during surgery. Did you ever find out what was causing your left side pain? I have the right side pain too, and it has been nine weeks since my surgery. Did your left side pain ever go away?

[DataCurator]

I had my gallbladder removed back in 1995,and I remember the doctor telling my to stay off the fatty foods like hamburgers and fries and stay away from spicy foods like jalapenos. If this does not help maybe just maybe something was left inside of you. It has been known that surgens do make mistakes by leaving things behind. I had my surgery done with that t.v. video three little incisions technique. Hope this helps

[DataCurator]

I had my gallbladder removed 2004, the doctor nicked the bile duct & pancreas after surgery I went home I could not walk or eat . Went back to the hospital twice because they didn’t beleive I was that sick, they finally took some tests found out I was in trouble ready to die if they didn’t do something ..I had a stent put in, six months it was removed. I also have the same problems pain in chest, some days I can’t catch my breath, I have to watch what I eat, I sometimes think I should have never had the surgery. DK

[DataCurator]

As for wight gain. You are singing my song. I am a 43 year old female who had her gallbladder out 2 years ago after the birth of my 3rd baby. I’ve gained almost 20 lbs and NOTHING is different about what I eat. If anything I get more exercise having a toddler. Sorry to say I’m glad to hear other people have this problem I thought I was just deluding myself about what I ate.

[DataCurator]

I had my gallbladder removed 19 years ago. over the past few years i have had a pain when bending streching or straining that feels like a charly horse under the scar from the gallbladder being removed. Over the past month i have had a pain that starts in the right flank area of my back and in by belly yet again under the scar from the removal. in the past week the pain has been so bad that i have gone to the doctor about it. They did a CT Scan blood work and urine test. I see that a lot of you have like pains but has anyone ever experienced the burning / charly horse type pain along with your other symptoms ?

[DataCurator]

I had my gallbl. removed back in 94 – 1 r ago my weight started dropping, no appetite, nausea – pain in middle of stom. area and under rig cage on right side, many tests – Dr. said – he thinks there is scar tissue in the bile duct or opening very small (had bile duct stones also many years ago. feel very sick, only can eat 2-3 things – also have a small cyst on my pancreas, aspirated but nothing conclusive – please reply – thank you

[DataCurator]

Have always had some trouble with GERD but had GB removed in 2007 and the GERD has been worse since…..Have tried many different meds and now back to Nexium…..Do you have any suggestions on how to make living with this nightmare easer? Good luck to you..

[DataCurator]

Wow, I had my gallbladder removed in 2000, while I was 6 months pregnant with my daughter. The last 5 months I have had pain in my right upper quad. I have had kidney and bladder tests, liver tests, colonoscopy and endoscopy, blood tests, urine tests, x-rays, ct- scans, MRI’s, and a sonogram. The doctors can’t find anything wrong. My health has went down hill the last 5 years. I have been diagnosised with non-alcoholic liver disease, I get kidney stones all the time, I have ulcertive colitis, high blood pressure, late in life type one diabetes, high choloestrol, and who knows what else. The last 5 months have been horrific. The doctor’s have decided that since my “pain” is not easily explained, wrapped in a box with a bow, I must be a drug attic. OMG I could hurt somebody. Thanks to all of your post I now believe my pain is caused by scar tissue and I am going to follow that up. I have been on pain meds, off and on for over 5 years. I am so scared of the word addiction I suffer longer than necessary before taking stuff for pain. The id**t doctors know this because they went on that new site in Virginia and added up how many pills I have had in the last year, After completing some math skills they realized I have only taken 2 to 3 pills a day (if that). I have had to suffer because of addiction in my family so this really ticks me off. I had a problem with scar tissue two years ago. I had to have my tubes and ovaries removed due to a cyst disease. The pain started 6 months later. This was the first time I had all the previous test and nothing showed anything wrong. After 5 trips to the ER a doctor took pity on me. The blood work was slightly elevated and I had all the symptoms of my appendix rupturing. He went in and was shocked. Scar tissue had “superglued itself” to the bottom of my appendix and had caused a small tear. They took pictures but none of it ever showed on the tests I had done. My question is who do I see if I think I have scar tissue from my gallbladder? Do I go back to the doc who took out my appendix? The other doc no longer works here. This site may have just saved me from fixing my own pain. I was very discouraged and at my wits end. I don’t know how people live with chronic pain, I hate that doctors are so ready to label you a drug addict without any proof. I also how this new site can list our prescription drugs even though we have the hippaa law. This is like being judged quilty without having a trial and somebody needs to do something. I absolutely believe that prejudice has been shown toward me because of that government web site and believe everyone is now in danger of being treated badly due to their past medical problems. Sorry I just had to rant.

[DataCurator]

agreed, i’m not a fan of medication unless absolutely necessary. i tried cholestramine several years ago, and it did not work… in fact, it made the pain attacks worse. Today, I’m off to get a CT w/ barium contrast… after seeing surgeon last week, who came so highly recommended (and I spent countless hours gathering my records for him to use), and he already started with the “hands up in the air” and it couldn’t possibly be anything i think it is, like a biloma, it must be hernia from the incision sites… swear to god, after this, i’m giving up on doctors ever figuring this out, i guess they’ll figure it out on my autopsy when whatever this is finally takes my life.

[DataCurator]

“I know what you mean about those pains, I sometimes too get them in my right hand side and I have no idea why, they are just as you described – stabbing pains. I’m not sure if it had anything to do with me getting my gall bladder out or not, but now that I think of it and after reading your post, I really think it could have something to do with that. I searched for gall bladder removal message boards today because I have been having so many problems after my surgery and was wondering if anyone else has experienced the same.

I’ve been doing pretty good with my diet but for some reason, I’ve gained a lot of weight since I had the GB removed. My stomach is constantly bloated, especially after just eating. I know that sometimes people usually normally feel and get bloated after eating a large meal but this will happen to me even after eating something as small as a poptart or a few crackers. I feel as if my stomach is getting bigger and bigger every 2 weeks and I don’t know what to do to stop it. nothing fits anymore, my pants, shirts, stockings, underwear, everything’s so uncomfortable. This has never happened to me before surgery (which was in June of 06).

Have you (or anyone else) experienced this or symptoms like it? [weight gain]”

[DataCurator]

“So I have spent hours this evening following all of the posts from the first website to here. I was soo excited that by pages twenty-something on that I might of had an answer to my problem, only by the next 20 plus pages to be dissapointed. At least I know I am not crazy, like all the doctors make me feel. They just don’t want to listen.

I too was very sick with my second pregnancy age(35)only to be diagnosed and to be told 5 months later after several attacks that my gall bladder must be removed. I read some of these concerns on the internet and mentioned them to my surgeon only to be told there was no truth to this.

Well throughout the first year I battled with diarreha and constipation and certain foods such as salad and soy made me violently ill. I refused to eat out and was always near a bathroom. I was not overweight prior to the surgery. Actually I was in the best shape in years, since I hit the gym 4x a week after my pregnancy. Stress made it worse. Although I lost weight prior to my surgery, I did not start to notice significant weight gain until about a year later. i have always been a healthy eater and excercized regularly. before I new it I had gained 20 lbs and had bouts of gas and bloating and extremely painful bowel movements. I didn’t go anywhere without gas-x or immodium and took them both daily. Some days I look 6 months pregnant, like most others it happens throughout the day…

Went to my doctor and was told, it was age, and stress, so I was given an antispasm medication for my colon and told by several doctors I have IBS. I continue to gain weight, another 3lbs this week for a total of 30 pounds. I weigh more then I did 9 months pregnant. I have never ever had an issue with my weight in the past. I thank you all for sharing your stories. I cannot believe this is what we have to live with.

GBMAD”

[DataCurator]

“I had my gallbladder removed on 5/16/08. It’s been almost two weeks since the surgery. The surgery went well. The doctor said he thought it wouldnt go as easy as it did. I guess because I am overweight. I stayed one night in the hospital. I had pretty severe pain for the first few days. Now only the belly button keyhole is giving me problems. It didn’t close all the way like the other ones did. I went for a check up today and he said it was ok. The skin was raw.

I am terrified to eat anything. I had a regular diet right after surgery. I could only eat bites the first few days. Anything that touches my mouth hurts my stomach in one way or another. I had some oatmeal the other morning and had my first “”dumping”” attack and was in the bathroom for an hour in the worst pain I have ever had in my life. I was sweating, cold, clammy, and cramped up terribly. It was the worst experience of my life. I do not plan on eating anything outside of my house for fear that I will end up in the bathroom for hours. The cramping I get after I eat is horrible. I have had gallstones for like three years now and didn’t know. Come to find out, my pulmunary doctor found the stones on a chest ct that I had a few years ago and didnt inform me.. I have had horrible attacks, and even chest pain and come to find out it was the gallstones.

The doctor never told me about a low fat diet or anything before or after the surgery, I found that out myself. I guess the diarrhea is better than pain I had all day everyday. I hope it does get better. I was a junk food junkie so eating healthy will actually be good for me. I have lost a few pounds in the last two weeks which is good. But for now I am really picking and choosing what goes in my mouth. No fast food, fried food, I am already lactose intolerant, no nothing lol. I have gotten to where I only eat chicken with nothing else for now. That is the only thing I have found that doesn’t hurt my stomach as much. I am glad I found this site, I’m glad I am not alone. ”

[DataCurator]

I had mine out in April and still have pain in my r-side, along with the diarrhea, and my scars are still very sensitive and itchy at times. all things considering I guess what I am left with is better than what I had :/,I can eat w/out pain and belching. [Right Side Pain]