Pain After Gallbladder Removal

Hi Brian,

Im sorry you are going through this too. I had my gallbladder removed over 2 months ago and I havent felt

well since. Like you I have lost a lot of weight. I have the pain most days every now and then I get a good day. When the pain is too bad I am having to go to a & e because I just cant cope! I also get very sweaty, a bad

taste in my mouth, nausea, fatigue, my muscles ache and my IBS gets worse... It is a living nightmare!

Most of my tests since the gallbladder removal have been negative which is so frustrating as there is clearly something wrong for me to feel like this....

Eventually I have now been referred to a specialist at Leicester hospital and he may look at putting in a

stent in my bile duct as it could be Sphincter Oddi Dysfunction (SOD) I think I have type three. It maybe

worth you having a look online and then chatting with the doc. I suggested this to my doc 7 weeks ago he dismissed it at first but after studying my symptoms they are pretty much certain thats what I have....

I really hope you are feeling better

Thanks a lot for your reply Kaylesc, I am so sorry that you are having so much pain after your gallbladder removal. It sounds like the pains you have are worse than mine and I feel for you. I too have IBS and I don't think this helps. I have taken Codeine Phosphate since I was 17 for this and still have to take them, not sure if this affects the current pains I am having or not.

In my post I said I had the operation on 4 April, I meant 4 March. I was hoping to start to put back the weight I lost prior to the operation, but I haven't and are a few pounds less.

Thanks for the suggestion of Sphincter Oddi Dysfunction. I'll look this up and mention it to my GP.

All the best and I hope a solution is found for you soon and you start to feel better.

I had my gallbladder out in July 2014 and ever since have had severe pain, some days easier than others. I feel like someone has put a tie around me under the breasts and pull on it and the pain is unbearable. I have not lost weight like others and feel bloated all the time, and I don't eat much as it makes me more bloated and really severe pain. I have had a fall recently which my doctor said that I had bruised my ribs and muscles but that was over 4 weeks ago. I cannot hardly walk without a walking stick and even then difficult at times, I may have a good day every 3-4 days but otherwise I am stuck at home.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  I think I need to tell the Dr to have it checked out after suck a long time.

I also had severe pain after gallbladder removal - the bile duct was leaking!! Yikes. Two ER visits, a re-admission into the hospital, and nothing was really done about it. In the last few years I have continued to have recurring attacks of debilitating, stop-what-you're-doing-and-writhe-around pain, but just recently I finally got a clear diagnosis: spasms (like charlie horses) in the solar plexus, brought on by 1) stress and 2) not absorbing excess bile correctly, which can happen after gallbladder removal. They recommended taking a powder fiber supplement to help absorb some of the bile and if I did have an attack to take a pill:

DICYCLOMINE!!

It's an anti-spasmatic. I had an attack last night, and took one these pills. I couldn't believe it - the pain was gone within seconds. I have been dealing with this for years, going around on forums just like this, trying to find out what in the world was wrong with me. Now I'm going trying telling everyone I can about this so maybe others can be helpd. I am so happy to have finally found a solution - maybe it'll work for you too. I wish you the best.

Hi Brian my name is Latoya i also had my gallbladder removed not too long ago I'm going through the same issues you are having still in pain I let the doctor know basically I guess he feels that it's normal and overtime I should get better. but I feel like it's not getting better it feels like it's gets worse, but also had other surgeries prior so it's a lot going on with my body the pain is coming from gallbladder removal , intestinal surgery and also he said I had scar tissue in the inside from when I had surgery back in 2008 I had a topic pregnancy so they had to remove my right tube so basically everything is done on the right side and I have back issues also so the fried foods that I have been eating I noticed that it does cause pain so I try to stay away as much as possible but even if I don't eat any greasy food I still have "issues" so it's like where do you go from here.well I hope that one day we both can come up with a solution or a doctor can come up with a solution to help us because this pain it's not fun I wake up every night I don't sleep, I have to take medication to help me sleep and I don't like taking pills so with that being said the only thing we can do is trust in God and believe that he's going to pull us through this I hope that I gave enough information to let you know that you're not the only one going through this alone.

Hello Brian 

  I too have had my gallbladder removed thinking it would remove the all too familiar attacks of being doubled over and agonizing pain well after the removal it helped with some mild discomfort in the beginning which was to be excepted after surgery but the pains I have now are like gallbladder attacks on steroids rite where my incision was below the rib cage I've had X-rays cat scans ultra sounds taken at the local ER to no avail they couldn't find anything and looked at me like I was a pain medicine junkie I had to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist and they scheduled an colonoscopy where they go in with camera after almost 7 months of agonizing pain I wouldn't wish on my enemy I was suppose to have it done on the 24th then they called and pushed it till the 31 I heart broken because if you know how this pain is everyday is a nightmare I just pray it's not my pancreas 

Hello Brian: it's been over a year since you wrote about your symptoms. I'm wondering how you are now.

I had my gall bladder removed November 2016 and felt great for a few days after. Then the abdominal cramps and the diarrhea, after eating, began. I still suffer daiLy. A CT scan with dye shows all is normal. But I will need an ultrasound to show the bile ducts better. I've been put on Cholecystamine, the fiberous bile absorbing drug. Mine is in powder form that I drink twice a day. It seems to help. If I miss a dose, the diarrhea and cramps return with a vengeance. I will be having a colonoscopy soon to rule out other digestive diseases.

It seems other people have this problem as well. I guess it's comforting, in a way, to know I'm not alone in this. It's good to read about what others are doing to solve this problem. 

The frustration comes with the daily fatigue from the diarrhea and having to rest after the bouts of cramps. And finding food to eat is a challenge. I'm on high protein shakes 2-3 times a day and one very small meal. Taking in very little fat. 

The other frustration is this has  affected my daily living. I'm afraid to travel anywhere far for fear of no bathroom nearby. And finding food to eat. I have to carry my protein with me. 

So, I was wondering if your problem has resolved after all this time. Doctors say it takes time. It would be good to hear from those of you that are better now and how long it took to get there. 

 

Hi i had gallbladder removal 1/27/17 and since that day i still get inflamation stabbing pain n cannot eat almost anything i get severe pain in upper rightside of chest/stomach the smell of food also gives me pain if i breathe yawn cough hurts i eat soup n at times i get nauseous why is that if u know

Hi,

I had my GB removed one month ago due to not emptying properly and have since endured bouts of intense burning in my stomach with pain radiating to my back, no fever etc that last for hours. I have been hospitalized twice since the surgery and had CT, ultrasounds and Xray, liver function improving with slightly elevated lipase which is apparently quite normal after GB removal only to be told by surgeon take some pain relief. I've followed a low fat diet and slowly introduced other foods. My local GP looks at me like I'm making it all up. I've asked for referral to GI specialist and hopefully he can help because the pain wasn't anywhere near as bad before the surgery as it is now. Hope we can all find a solution and some relief.