Ongoing Complications (1000+)

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    hi there all. i had gallbladder removed july 2006, it went well and i recovered quickly. i would say about 4 months later i started to have pain again in the back area and some in front right quadrant too. nothing bad. 1or 2 on a 1-10 scale. the doc told me it could be a number of things , got a liver test and that was ok., she thought it might be a stone that formed after the surgery, but once i started eating right, being really careful about my choices food and drink , the pain went away – completely. its been about 2 months now and the pain came back that other day. same as before.. but i have been eating poorly again, making bad decisions etc.. greasy fatty stuff… so i feel i brought this on my self.. i was doing really well being careful etc and when i let my guard down and reverted back to my bad eating it came back. the liver produces tons of bile and i think that causes the nausea and also is needed more for really fatty foods. when i stick to healthy foods, veggies , fruit, subway sandwiches,etc… im fine. I still may go in to dr to see what she thinks and who knows may have some tests just to rule out anything serious. but please eat healthy. i know its a small thing in a world where we rely on drugs to cure everything, but it works. your system will start to recover and you will feel so much better, there is also natural things you can take, papaya ive heard is excellent. take care of yourselves . john

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    I had my gall bladder taken out when I was 18. Im 22 now and STILL have the problems I was having before. The final Gall bladder attack I had before I had mine out lasted for 9 hours! After I had the surgery I my belly button was finally starting to go down because it had been so swollen so of course like any 18 year old I played with my belly button, upon doing that I found 2 staples that his nurses had left in my belly button and by then the other staples had been out for almost 2 weeks! Even now 4 years later I still get severe attacks. This morning I had one so bad that it hurts to breath in, but whenever I go to the doctors and ER (which I’ve been to about 12 times since the surgery) They always say it’s some sort of “arthritis” that women get… Right….. Anyways I would definitely go have it checked out because maybe some doctors out there actually have some common sense.

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    “I should research online earlier. The “”sickness”” is not the result of alcoholism; it is from the gallbladder removal.

    My husband was a good drinker 3 years before. After the surgery, if he drinks more than two glasses of wine, beer, “”white”” drink, then he will SICK for the next 4 days. For example, he will sleep in the bathroom and talk/walk funny, just like a disability person. At the time, I thought it was the result of too much alcohol. Now, I know.

    Is there anything he can do to go back and drink? he did not want to stop drinking.”

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    “Ercp
    My gastro doc is against the ercp too… Said most of the time it causes pancreatitis… He said the mri one is better which is similar… ???? I think my yiggy gb caused pancreatitis in me… Sure felt yiggy that’s for sure… But don’t know if it did actually or not…. I’m over 3 mo post op now from the gb surg and i’m way better….Am faithfully taking my nexium… Hope I can stop it in a few months… Spensive stuff! I’m the opposite of you I believe… No loose bowels at all… I’m stopped up! 😡 have to take daily fiber capsules….”

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    “It’s good to know I’m not alone, before having my gallbladder removed in Aug of 2008 alcohol really didn’t effect me, unless I consumed a large quantity of it, now one small drink and I’m drunk, get the blackout feeling, and feel like death warmed over for a few days after ONE DRINK.
    I’m only 35 & have since decided that it’s just easier to not drink at all. Along w/no longer being able to tolerate alcohol, I also discovered I do not digest red meat like I used to. I have since given up red meat too.”

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    I had my surgery about 6 years ago, and still have some of the pain from time to time. It took me about a year before I had much less and the first 3-4 months, I still experienced the cramping and severe pain. Give yourself time to heal and stay away from greasy foods seems to help, particularly in the first months

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    I had my gallblader removed approx. 19 years ago now and shortly afterwards, I also was diagnosed with GERD. I’ve also had an endoscopy done and was told to continue taking the medication. I have noticed that not taking the meds for approximately two days–I start vomiting, having stomach pains, etc. I’m considering now having the surgery so I won’t have to continue to paying for meds that sometimes work and sometimes don’t. I never experienced any GERD complaints until after I had the gallbladder surgery also. From my experience so far–this is something to deal with for the rest of your life. I hope this helps!!

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    I’m a month out of surgery. I generally feel better but my abdomen does still have a bit of tenderness, especially after lifting. I only just now am able to wear button up pants. I’ve talked to other people about this and they say everyone is different and recovery can take a very long time. Has anyone thought of sphincter of odi syndrom? I hear that that can cause really bad pain after surgery.

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    “Hi, I had my gb removed in 2008. I never needed help with going to the bathroom and after removal definitely worse. Went to stomach specialist after my Dr prescribed cholestyramine just to make sure there were no problems. The specialist took 24 vials of blood and ran every test in the world. Everything was good but did say will probably use cholestyramine for rest of my life. He was not surprised. Also find acid is worse for me than fat to cause an attack. Feels like a gall bladder attack. Also found if I am empty or too dehydrated I will get an “”attack”” and I found dairy (milk or yogurt) helps until I get something to eat. Water may help for 15-20 minutes but a glass of milk can hold it off for a good hour. I just figured out the milk thing last week. Sigh.

    Glad to hear the lack of energy is part of this as well as the inability to lose weight. I was getting really worried because my dr seems to think it is just diet and lack of exercise. My thyroid went hypo the same year so was not sure if that was it. Had my thyroid meds increased and that helped for a while but I noticed the tiredness is getting worse. Diets dont seem to help at all. Tried Weight Watchers but they really encourage fruits and vegetables and that causes its own problems. I was taking cholestyramine 2 times a day but am able to take it one time a day now. Found out for my it is better to take just before going to bed so it lasts through the night (used to wake up to the pain and would take a while for it to calm down).

    Not sure if this helps anyone but good luck to us all.”

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    I had my gallbladder removed 11 years ago and have had no problems until the last few months, other than the oh so common diarrhea problem. However now I am having the worse time (it comes and goes) with indigestion. What I am experiencing is the lump, feels like its in the middle of my chest and sometimes my throat as it goes down…sometimes it radiates to my back as the pain did before I got my gallbladder ripped out….other times it doesnt. When it acts up It hurts to even swallow saliva ..it feels like I am trying to pass a huge jawbreaker or something and it hurts to no end right in the middle of my chest!!! Sometimes I have to spit out my own saliva because I dont want to swallow!!! I dont know what to think??? I am inclined to think it is bile related too but who knows!!! I usually eat very healthy overall, never really paid too much attention to following a low fat diet because it has never been a problem….apparently it sneaks up on you and I have overdone it somewhere!

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    “So sorry about all you are going through. I had my gb removed 10/8. I must say I haven’t been the same since. I did’t have any trapped stones and hopefully still don’t, but my Dr. feels I have IBS and Reflux, not necessarily from the Sx but possibly contributed to my GB attacks and symptoms. I do experience discomforts such as gas, belching, D and C off and on, stomach or ab pain. I am presently very nauseaus constantly, maybe from the meds I was on. Yes, very depressed. This is not quality of life. So I took antidepressants that made me very sick to my stomach and gave meget as anxiety attacks. Still having them. life has changed for me. Now I need to learn how to cope with this life the best way I can. This forum has a big part in that. Hope you can get as much help as you can from being here.

    Hang in there with the rest of us!

    Carolyn

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    I had my Galbladder removed in January and my doctor advised me to eat regular hospital meals for the initial meals after my surgery. The first evening I could not really eat anything other than broth, (which I had to request) and some bread. This caused severe pain which they treated with morphine. The next day the Doctor released me and said I had no diet restrictions and I managed to consume half of a small sandwich. I was home for less than 5 hours and I had to be taken to the emergency room because I had so much pain it caused shortness of breath. Two emergency room Doctors advised that the surgeon should have had me on a strict liquid diet for at least the first 48 hours after surgery. They gave me two shots within 4 hours of each other that they said was 4 times as strong as morhpine. The surgeon was not available or on call so they said to see him asap the next morning. He prescribed Darvecit instead of the 2 Vicodin every 4 hours as they had no effect. He also said the tests showed I may have had a urinary tract infection and gave me antibiotics. The pain has decreased dramatically since my surgery a little over a month ago. I am still feeling very bloated and suffer from frequent diarrhea, and indigestion. I watch what I eat and it seems to help somewhat but this is a rather frustrating way of life that my Doctor made no mention of. Also, one of the posts mentioned an incision below the belly button. I have one about an inch above that is about 3 times the size of the the other 3. Does anyone have similar incisions or complications? Any remedies for being so bloated etc?

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    also, probiotics have been very helpful to me for maintaining regularity and immune system support

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    hi. i am a 33 year old female and i had my gall bladder removed 3 years ago, 2 years after i found out i had gall stones. life has been pure hell since then. after 6 months of having to have a bathroom close by after i eat anything, it was suddenly replaced by unbearable pain in my stomach every time i ingested anything. i have a 5 year old child. i found out i was pregnant after 3 days after i found out i had gall stone, thus the delay in the surgery. my life since then have been filled with pain, doctors, medications i need and didn’t need, lots of crying and prayers. my heart goes out to everyone that has to deal with this. for a long time, i thought i was the only one and i thought it was just my doctors who actually tried to put me on anti-depression meds. because they told me it was depression and nothing to do with physical pain. i think they called it a functional problem. well, good news to all the years of pain is that i think i’ve finally found a g.i. who really believes me and is ready to get to the bottom of this. first thing he wants to do is to find out it i have more stones blocking my bile ducts by performing MRI. i don’t know what will happen after that but at least he’s doing more than just blood tests and endoscopy after endoscopy. good luck to all of you out there and i’ll post updates if there are any good or bad news after my MRI. thanks.

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    My boyfriend is 22 years old, he had his GB removed last year Feb, ever since he has battled with a pain on his left side of his stomach. He also has been in hospital 3 times after the op with kidney stones- (they keep coming back- especially in his left kidney) It is sore when he eats, when he exercises and if he drinks alcohol. He has changed his diet to help with the digestiion of food. But the pain is getting worse and worse. He has gone for X-Rays, scopes, & CT scans. He is referred from one specilaist to another (Urologists & Gastro), and no one knows what is wrong with him. Please he cant carry on like this- please will someone help or give advice.

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