normal gallbladder but still have horrible pain.

Sounds horrible.  Sorry to hear you are suffering so much.

Tell me - there is no coedine or opiates in your pain killers is there?

They can cause pain symptoms in some people with gallbladder removed.

Sorry to hear of your troubles and hope you will find some relief. I am on here looking for answers for myself and have learned how complex these issues can be. I have awful symptoms getting worse awaiting gallbladder op but not fully convinced it will be the answer either and the drs are not totally reassuring. There is something called post cholecystectomy syndrome but I guess your drs will have looked into that already in your case. There can be troubles with the bile ducts after gb removal, again I guess these might have been found if you had them. Did you have a hiatal hernia? I have this and although my dr didn't think it should cause severe symptoms, from reading on here, lots of people do and it seems to occur with gb troubles. I am seeing a chiropractor who has identified some muscles and old injuries relating the the areas I have symptoms so it seems worth getting them worked on in case it helps me, but too early to say, only been once. Then I am trying strong probiotics as my digestion is also painful, again early days with this. Also on colpermin although not dx with IBS as such, this helps me a bit. Some ppl swear by castor oil packs on abdo to help with pain - not tried this either but use aromatherapy oil blend on abdo and this does help a bit. Sorry not much help but good luck x

i cant understand why they took out your gallbladder if there was no sludge or stones, didnt they do a scan first?

if you do try the apple cider vinegar. make sure you get the correct one as it has to have the mother in it. and its best to be cold pressed and organic. i get bratts organic apple cider vinegar. a huge bottle costs about £7 from amazon. i put  4 teaspoons in a tall glass of water with some slices of lemon and slices of orange and some chopped ginger. its really very nice if you make it into a tall drink. i just sip it through the day. and if im going to have a meal i take quite a few gulps half and hour before eating. i very seldom take omperazole or anything for indegestion.im so sorry to hear that you have been in pain for 20 years. it must be terrible and with no one finding out whats wrong is worse. i have suffered so much with this gallbladder pain so i can imagine how your feeling. i feel for you. i hope you find an answer soon. keep in touch and let us know how you get on with the vinegar. please give it a try and its good for lots of things as well as digestion. as we are supposed to be acid in the stomach, good luck dear.💐🙏

Hi Caro

I am sorry to hear you are at your wits end. My husband hasn't had his gallbladder out yet, but he's due for surgery shortly. Your current symptoms are similar to symptoms he had in the past - which is why I'm replying to your post. I've noticed a pattern that determines whether my husband gets the symptoms - particularly the pain in the back and shoulder and acid reflux and bloating. He's spent two years making the decision to have his gallbladder removed so for the last two years I've read extensively everything I can get my hands on to try and help him avoid gallbladder attacks. 

One thing I discovered is my husband went for weeks without stomach pain, shoulder pain, back pain and gallbladder attacks by avoiding specific foods -  not just fatty foods like doctors tend to advise people with gallbladder issues - but some non fatty foods as well.

Initially he went on an elimination diet which is suggested for people with food intolerances/ food allergies then gradually reintroducing foods. In his case by elimating soy, and having  virtually no meat, wheat, lactose and corn  he rarely had gallbladder pain - and when he did get it he recovered quickly (until this latest episode at least).

Furthermore some of the food he could eat that didn't cause pain is high in fat - like he had no problem with garlic oil, avocado oil or coconut oil - so I cooked freely with those. He also had no problem with eggs - providing they were boiled or poached (not fried or scrambled). Small quantities of butter were okay - but cream or margarine or any cooking oil or the fat from meat especially lamb or mince set him off. 

Each episode of intense gallbladder pain in the last two years (except for the latest) occured when he "broke the food-intolerance/wrong fat rules".  One time he ate two hamburger patties his mum gave him and had a gallbladder attack requiring treatment at the ER;  another time he ate microwave popcorn in front of tele - same thing;(both foods have fat - but eating corn or meat even steamed or boiled used to make him bloated (indicating a food intolerance). So I I started to realize that the pain wasn't just triggered by fat - but fat in conjunction with the foods he's intolerant to - if that makes sense. 

Keep in mind the foods you can tolerate Caro might be different to the foods he can tolerate. The whole link between food allergies and gallbladder/digestive issues/bloating is worth the look if you haven't explored it.  

Treating "gallbladder issues" as a "food intolerance problem" rather than a "response to fat" problem has meant our family have eaten a lot of canned and plain baked fish (mostly salmon or trout) with no fancy sauces or breadcrumbs in the last couple of years. Also we've consumed a lot of salad greens, spinach, sweet potatoes, potatoes, eggs, lactose free milk, gluten free products, organic baked beans and black rice. We've discovered that none of these foods have caused bloating or gallstone pain for him - whereas even a hint of foods off the banned list - like cheese, soy, msg or a lot of food additives cause immediate bloating or pain which the ER doctors have diagnosed as "gallstone" pain.

Back in the 1960's "Dr James C. Breneman"   showed that avoiding the foods they were allergic to prevented gallbladder attacks in his patients - and he claimed that's why what they do in hospital to this day works - it works because they take away all your food (including what you're allergic to), you're given IV fluids and not allowed to eat anything until the pain goes away - and  the pain goes awaay once the food you're allergic to has worked its way through your system. His research was overlooked or ignored by doctors - but people still write about it today.

Another thing I stumbled upon was the importance of magnesium - and other minerals - in preventing gallbladder attacks - so perhaps this will help you with your pain caro - or help others on this forum who haven't had their gallbladders out yet and are willing to give it a try.  Basically the gist of the helpful article is - foods like beetroot, spinach, nuts, cocoa and pineapple are supposed to help with gallstone pain. But the author argues this is because they are high in minerals  - in particular they all have magnesium and manganese in them - and the author claims this is why they work on gallbladder pain. So maybe they'll work on your symptoms too.(Extending the author's claims it also means that other nutritious foods like Moringa might also be helpful for preventing or reducing "gallbladder pain".) The article also suggests that if the body is deficient in minerals and nutrients it affects bile production - so this means foods which prevent absorption of minerals e.g. white flour, grains, some legumes and sugar need to be avoided.  You could try easing on sugar and fructose (as though you are allergic to them) and see if it helps with your pain - also ease off or eliminate gluten on a trial basis because gluten damages the lining of the GI tract in celiacs and non-celiacs alike and the inflammation causes pain.

It's disconcerting to know that my husband may be having his gallbladder removed in vain - because like you he has he has been told he has no sludge in  it. An ultrasound showed he has  four +  stones one is 9mm the others are 2-3mm - although the doctor in the ER did another ultrasound and said he couldn't see any stones.This recent much longer attack (we think it was triggered by an omelette someone else prepared) has swayed him over (çoz he's at his wits end too) - and he has decided to follow the doctors' advice after two years and have his gallbladder removed - mostly because they have told him the attacks he is getting will only get worse and his stones might damage other organs. He still intends to keep eating the way we've been eating for the past two years though when he has his gallbladder removed, because he knows how much better he feels when he avoids the foods like soy, milk, wheat, fatty meat and corn. 

May God guide you  in your search for the underlying cause of your pain Caro-

In particular I urge you (and others on this site) to look into food intolerance - and see if you can identify foods that cause inflammation in your body.I used to think people who claimed they had food intolerances/ food sensitivities were hypochondriacs - but now I know from observing my husband's pain attacks that avoiding certain foods can make an amazing difference to someone's overall health and well-being.

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Hey there, I know its been several years since your post. I'm having the same problem. I call it "flare ups". Been dealing with the pain for the last 6 years. I've had all kinds of surgeries (neck, gallbladder) trying to help. Every bloodwork is normal etc. Just recently in E.R. during a flare up they found a cyst on my pancreas. Sent back to G.I. Doctor. Look up Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction. For some reason it hits mainly women in their 40+ and people that have had their gallbladders removed.