DataCurator

[DataCurator]

I had my GB removed 5 years ago after experiencing systematically increasing nausea for about 10 months prior to the operation. Post op, I was nauseated constantly for 2 years and then things finally started to get better. Over the next 2 years the nausea slowly dissipated to a frequency of several times a week for several hours at a time. In the last year, the nausea is much less frequent, but I still have bouts that sometimes last for days. So much for an easy surgery and recovery. I’ve read that about 2% of people suffer from prolonged or permanent symptoms. I’ve been test thoroughly and the test are all normal. I’m hoping that as time goes on it will become less of an issue.

[DataCurator]

“Hi I had my gallbladder and one very large stone in the common bile duct removed in an emergency operation 3 weeks ago and spent 12 days in hospital. I had no episodes of nausea before or after the operation until I had the ‘t’ drainage tube (which had previously been clamped)removed in outpatients and now just have a feeling of nausea in my throat several times a day…is this the usual pattern? I found that I was given no dietary advice but was starving a couple of days after I came home and fancied fish, mashed potatoes and salad for nearly every meal for some obscure reason! I have been putting olive oil and lemon on the salad so am now trying to cut down on the olive oil to see if that helps the nausea.
I also find that when I wake up in the morning or during the night my stomach feels really sore and I still find it hard to take a really deep breath without getting ‘a twinge’ and it’s uncomfortable if I lay on my side. I have also experienced some ‘dumping’ though this is now improved from what it was before the operation when I couldnt eat salads or fruit at all without getting diarrohea. ”

[DataCurator]

“My name is Shirley, I had my gallbladder removed when I was 20 it had apparently for no reason stopped working, it was only working at 2%, I am now turning 30.. The pain has never stopped for me.. I get the very bad hunger pain in the morning mixed with nausea if i cant get to the fridge on time, sometimes i dont even make it through the night, and the same distressing pain if I over eat.. The pain is extremely dibilitating,the only way i can describe it is like the most terrible charlie horse in my diaphram..cant breathe, or answer questions..(people unfamiliar with this pain want to ask a million questions while youre in this pain..) when it comes on if i’m driving I have to pull my car over and pretty much wait it out..I literally have to keep food circulating in my stomach about every four hours or so.I don’t take the trips to the er anymore but i used to ..It is certainly very scary and confusing since there seems to be no doctor who can answer my questions.and i have even had doctors tell me its psychosomatic..not sure if i spelled that right but it basically means im causing the pain myself because they havent found the cause… it is oddly comforting to know i am not alone however it sickens me to hear of SO MANY people with these issues. I had no idea and stumbled on here by accident actually.
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[DataCurator]

I think we may all be experiencing symptoms from unrelated or different problems. I want to be very clear about my own situation so that others can dissect which people have the same problem as them. I had my gall bladder removed, 3 small incisions, about 2.5 years ago. Since then I’ve had two problems with crippling stomach pain. One is morning hunger pain. You wake up hungry, but it inflates into a crippling pain of cramping that is best solved by quickly eating crackers and water. You just have to get something on the stomach and keep it there. After close to 2 years of this every morning I’m happy to say this has faded away to having it just about 0 times in the last 6-8 months. I do believe for me it has fixed itself! Unfortunately there is a second problem with crippling stomach pain that comes after you eat. Similar to symptoms others have expressed, it’s usually after the first meal of the day. I might be starting to notice a correlation with slightly spicy foods. I have noticed increasing bouts with it when I eat at La Casita. But I’ve had problems today for example eating a simple club sandwich with fries. It did have Thousand Island dressing on it though which is slightly spicy I guess. Then again I ate a flamethrower from DQ without any problems. Another time I had a tuna melt. I went to the bathroom, and started feeling that familiar stomach pain starting to come on, so out of hope it was just some gas I popped a couple Multi-Symptom Rolaids. In that case it wasn’t spicy food and I kind of wonder/feel like the rolaids might have actually made it worse. Anyone ever feel like they make pain worse? My pain is crippling. I’m 31 years old. My wife drives me to the emergency room. I’m in the passenger seat with the seat folded back balled up in the fetal position, breathing so heavy that I can’t speak, or it sounds like someone’s pushing quickly and hard on my stomach pushing the air out of me. It’s beyond frightening, and you do think you’re going to die. I’ve had this pain probably 1-2 times a month since my surgery 2.5 years ago. By the time I get to the emergency room the pain subsides, and the only thing that keeps me from going to the ER every time is the comfort in knowing that I have this pain so often that it’s become predictable… knowing that it will pass. You just have to hang in there. Then when it’s all over you can relax and finally cry. But it’s torture. For anyone with those symptoms you’re not alone. I live in Minnesota and my Doctors so far are of little help. I might see if I can get a referral to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. For those who may not know, the Mayo Clinic is a world famous hospital where presidents and kings from other countries go for medical attention. Perhaps one of us could walk in the door and they would have all the answers for us, a simple pill and our lives are back to normal again. If I or anyone stumbles across that experience, please share. Andy

[DataCurator]

“Hi!
I had my Gallbladder out about 8 months ago. Since then I have had chronic diarrhea. I also have a very hard time digesting raw vegetables. This is a double whammy since my Husband and I are trying to lose weight and eating healthy means lots of Veggies! I was put on a medication called Colestid. It helped some but, who wants to take a pill every meal for the rest of their life? I have also tried using a vitamin, Acidophilus. I saw more improvement in taking that once a day over the prescription medication. It’s something to try anyway! ”

[DataCurator]

I too have had all of the symptoms that you have all listed. GB removed in ’06 and still the pain never left. I too have fibromyalgia which was diagnosed after the GB surgery. The one thing that has really really helped me was the removal of ALL gluten from my diet. I tested negative for Celiac Disease but still on the borderline. I removed all gluten at the request of a homeopathic doctor and found tremendous relief after several weeks. More energy, no gut pain, just feeling a LOT healthier all around. I’ve been struggling for 20+ years with these symptoms and finally have found that the elimination of all wheat and gluten from my diet to be the most helpful. I hope that someone else reads this and also finds relief as I did. Nobody can imagine the pain and discomfort and a lack of wanting to eat because of the painful consequences until you actually go through it. I’ve been treated terribly by my GP, Surgeon and GI doctor. I highly suggest a homeopathic/natural doctor because they tend to look at the whole person and the whole picture before making any assumptions or decisions. Good luck to all of you who are currently suffering. It really CAN get better for you.

[DataCurator]

I have the exact same symptoms since having my gallbladder removed. It hurts whenever I eat. Even small amounts. Same spot I hurt when gallbladder was there. It will sometimes hurts to touch it, like the area is bruised or something. It feels sometimes like something is in there being pinched. My doctor referred to it as phantom pains. Other than having a ton of tests which never show anything but kills my bank account I can’t get any answers or relief. I have been living with this for years. When its at it worst only relief is to lay down flat and just not move for awhile. I wish I could find answers and relief. I did not realize so many people had same problems. Also have many digestive issues. After eating most of time it seems to go through fast many times within minutes of meal I have to have bowel movement and its usually loose. I am hoping reading this thread maybe I can find some answers or possible things that will help.

[DataCurator]

Hi , After reading your letter my advice is don’t get your gall bladder out unless you really have too! I had shoulder pain , rib pain, back pain and lots of chest pain, so they checked my gall bladder and say it wasn’t working– so they took it out. I felt good for two months and I have started the pain all over again. Its been 4months and I just don’t want to go back to the doctors again. Just keep looking and asking questions before you do anything. Look Luck

[DataCurator]

Hi im from mcminnville tn. i had my gall bladder removed in 2001 since then my stomach is never right either diarrhah then sometimes regular!!! stomach pain!!! then the dr’s tell me theres no use for a gall bladder bologna theres a use for all organs in your body if i had it to do over it would still be there what can i do for ibs? thanks for your help….

[DataCurator]

Hey WOW this is all really shocking to me as i had my gall bladder out 2 weeks ago and are completely fine aroung alcohol i had a 2 glasses f vodka and lilt I also had a glass of W.K.D and was fine im eatin everything i usually eat also biscuits etc and am fine its like it never happened XD its cool i dnt have the pain attacks anymore i do have stranger stools tho but thts all x

[DataCurator]

I had my gallbladder out 3 years ago.. I had digestive issues for about 7 years now – but I would have these really bad episodes that lasted 4 hours – always at night – that was my gallbladder – so 3 years ago I went to my dr (by default as my dr left the area so I used the other guy in her office) and told him of my concerns & I thought it might be my gallbladder – he told me no way it was my gallbladder as my complaints of pain were in the wrong area (pain started in bellybutton area and moved outward going up/down & to my sides) and it wasnt occuring after fried food (as I don’t eat it) but after sending me for a ct scan to rule it out – boom multiple gallstones. Then I had the radiation test done and found out my gall bladder was not functioning at all. So out it came and then worse digestion issues.. which doesn’t make sense as my gall bladder was not even working before I had it out. 3 years later and daily digestive issues my gyn is referring me to a gastro – I have taken daily probiotics & enzymes (but have a horrible time digesting pills so if I try to find a liquid – I did good with dr David Williams “pearl” probiotics) which help a little but lately I am getting more pains in my abdomen and more burning. I have found I can’t digest salads at all, chicken or pork – yet a steak causes me no problems (that is crazy to me). I am hoping the gastro can be of help but hearing that I just might get a ibs diagnosis is NOT what I want to hear nor what I think I am suffering from. I will post again if I find anything out. Foods I cannot eat or cannot eat a lot of : fresh veges, chicken, pork, spicey, fried, coffee, half/half or any creamers, anything with whole wheat, crotons, garlic bread,most items with soy ingredients – Things I digest better : mashed potatos, steak, shrimp (grilled), haddock(grilled or baked), tilapia(grilled,baked or pan seared), cooked veges (except carrots), green tea, white bread, italian bread, bagels (cin & raisin), I can have 1 cup of coffee everyother day, so I drink Green tea w/peach (caffinated) everyday – usually 2 cups & then everyother day I treat myself to yummy cup of really good coffee with a dash of 1/2&1/2. My body seems ok with that. I am on a quest to find as many vitamins as possible that come in liquids as pills are incredibly painful to take for me. I do eat chicken – but I plan ahead to be home that evening & the whole next day. AND everything we eat is organic, free range chickens, no antibiotic, no hormones, grass fed beef, organic fruits/veges, I do most of the baking of cookies, waffles, pancakes, and make a lot of my own bread in my bread machine. NO HighFructose Corn Syrup, no corn syrup, no food colorings or artifical sweetners – only real organic raw sugar or honey. And I keep gaining weight – no matter how I try to cut back & increase my activity level – makes no sense to me!

[DataCurator]

“Hi Everyone,

I too have had my Gallbladder removed. I am still having the pain I had prior to the removal. I have since done some research and I think it could be one of two problems. I have acid reflux and I also have a hyatis hurnia (sorry about the spelling) so I thought that was my problem. I suggest to you guys that when you have an attack to try taking “”Divol AF”” (Aluminum Free), it works for me. But I’m wondering if it is my pancreas? The research that I did suggested that gallstones could create pancreas problems…I’m going to be asking my Doctor about this.

Hope this helps and allows people to explore another direction of what the cause of the pain is.”

[DataCurator]

I ALSO HAD MY GALLBLADDER OUT IN DEC. 2008 OH THE WORST PAIN EVER I HAD PANCRINTITIS W/ MINE WHICH HOSPITALIZED ME FOR TWO WEEKS. I HAD THE HARDEST TIME AFTERWARD WITH DIAHHREAH SO I WENT TO A GI DOCTOR AND HE PUT ME ON SOME HIGH COLESTEROL PILLS TO STOP UP THE DIAHREAH ANYWAYS MY STOMACH NOW IS ALWAYS SO SOAR MY LOWER BACK ALWAYS HURTS AND I KEEP THINKIN SOMETHING ELSE IS WRONG WITH ME BUT MY TESTS KEEP COMING BACK NORMAL. ALSO FOR THOSE WHO HAVE THE TIREDNESS I FOUND OUT AFTER MY GB WAS REMOVED I NOW HAVE A LOW B12 SO NOW I HAVE TO HAVE B12 SHOTS ONCE A MONTH FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE SO I WOULD HAVE THAT CHECKED.

[DataCurator]

There is also the problem of gerd when you get your gallbladder removed. Usually taking nexium or something similar can help this.

[DataCurator]

I had my gallbladder out about 9 years ago and still had problems. I found out about a year ago that I have celiac disease, elevated liver enzymes (ALT and AST’s) and still even now following a low fat diet and have the gallbladder disease without the gallbladder. I don’t know if things will improve down the road, but I stay away from gluten, dairy, and barely any fat.