7 months after gb surgery I am very seriously sick.
Posted , 13 users are following.
Had gb out Jan. 2018. Had some off and on problems which got progressively worse. Gastritis, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation and unbearable gas and bloating. Can barely eat anything now, lost 20 lbs. Now weigh 102 at 5'3".
Mostly now I have air bubbles going out my left side and down but gets trapped and I bloat with so much upper stomach and sometimes lower rib pain.
If I don't eat exactly every 2 hours I get the gurgling, filling up with gas on left side and gnawing bend over type pain. If I eat just before the 2 hour limit I can lessen the gas attacks. My stomach and intestines are so sore from the months of distension. I sometimes feel like I have a tight band around my upper stomach but nothing there.
For the past month I have been yellow colored stools with yellow grease upon wiping (sorry for being graphic).
Blood tests normal, ct scan normal so liver ruled out. Stool calprotectin test shows inflammation in intestines. EGD upper endoscopy good except fir mild hiatal hernia.
I can't help feeling this is bile related but the calprotectin test indicates possible IBD or cancer.
I have lived with severe IBS for 50+ years and all this is not my ibs. Ever since my gb surgery I have more sick than I have ever been in my life. Sorry for the long read. Any thoughts. This bloating is relentless.
2 likes, 32 replies
lester90053 audrey32349
Posted
Have any meds been prescribed? Do they help?
audrey32349 lester90053
Posted
Just Cholestyramine, which I cannot tolerate. It blocked me up so bad for 5 days and I only took 1/8 of packette. Aciphex which I do take. Meds make me very sick for the most part.
jean83358 lester90053
Posted
a have had loads of meds none help am now on day 4 of not eating as soon as it hits stomach am doubled in 2 with pains
audrey32349 jean83358
Posted
Jean I went through that for 2 months and I think it was gastritis from the bile. Now I have chronic bloating. Sorry you are so sick. I can relate. Have you tried a ppi for reflux? That's what got me out of the gastritis for now but I'm petrified of it coming back being that my problem has not been resolved. It is so painful. Is your pain in your upper stomach right under your lower ribs?
jean83358 audrey32349
Posted
yes been on diffrent ones of them the pain is that bad a cant eat feels like something tugging so bery painful 24/7 thank you
heidi40319 jean83358
Posted
Have they ever diagnosed you with acute pancreatitis?
audrey32349 heidi40319
Posted
No...bloodwork and CT scan gives no indication of that. Thanks Heidi.
Canader audrey32349
Posted
I have no gallbladder since one year ago. I eat everything and in big quantities without problem and my apetite is huge. But I lose weight very fast ever since. The reasons are unidentifiable and I have done so many tests.
I guess you may have other problems altar are not linked to your gallbladder. keep searching the digestive system.
audrey32349 Canader
Posted
Has your doctor addressed an absorption problem where nutrients go straight through you?
heidi40319 audrey32349
Edited
Audrey same issues in 2015 when mine was removed as a matter of fact in the hospital as we speak. Have they mentioned your bile ducts at all?
audrey32349 heidi40319
Posted
Can they rule out bile ducts with a ct scan ? They never brought it up.
heidi40319 audrey32349
Posted
Yes they can anything over 2 to 4 mm is concerning for an otherwise healthy person. Mine were 16 and they did an ERCP and it fixed it for 18 months and then came back which is what led to the current hospital stay.
audrey32349 heidi40319
Posted
Oh no I am so sorry you are having this trouble. What are your symptoms and is your stool colored yellow from bile?
Praying all goes well for you.
heidi40319 audrey32349
Edited
Yes it is yellow and there is a film residue on the bottom of the toilet. That's really when you know the pancreas could be involved.
Vish2015 audrey32349
Edited
Sorry to hear about your problem.
Is it possible that you may have a bacterial infection, that you might be confusing with, even before the gb surgery? For example, I found out hpylori infection in my case. And I was facing similar issues you have listed. Is it left side, you always feel uncomfortable. What about right side? What tests have you got performed to rule out bacterial infection?
Vish2015
Edited
Also, do you feel pain in back ( left side) , left shoulder. Do you get chest pain ?
audrey32349 Vish2015
Posted
Had every stool test upper endoscopy.....no hpylori...no ova or parasites.
When gas build up I get high stomach pain under my lower ribs and across ribs
both sides. If bloating gets very bad it can put pressure on my chest and cause labored breathing until I can relieve it which is never enough. Always have trapped gas.
Don't seem to get it in back anymore but it does occasionally travel to both sides of rib cage especially the lowest set of ribs. Main gripping pain is in top of stomach but can radiate farther depending on how much gas is building which seems to corrolate with food, vitamins or meds.
About 90,% of time eating helps but 10% it aggravates especially if I don't eat just at 2hour intervals. If I go over at all the gas builds up so bad that then eating causes terrible gnawing and bloating. Even water will cause discomfort then.
What tests can be used for bacterial infection other than blood, urine, fecal
endoscopy and ct scan which I already had?
Oh I forgot to mention..no matter how bad the pain, bloating and sickness is.....it all stops when I lay down for bed which is very strange.
Vish2015 audrey32349
Posted
When I suffered with Hpylori,
the pain happened 8 hours after food was so precise, that it was like an alarm clock.
One more test is "breath-test", which is specially for Hpylori I think, they do it with urea. However endoscopy, stool and blood test generally confirm it . ( Mine was done by endoscopy), but just in case it may give you better insight, you may try for breath-test.
Vish2015
Posted
One more thing I want to add that made considerable difference for me after the antibiotics. And it was a very high number of strains of healthy bacteria intake, using probiotics. Doctor had given me probiotics tablets with antibiotics. 80% problem was solved. But still I was getting a bit (20%) of problem here and there. So I researched more about probiotics with much higher number of strains of healthy bacteria. I used one called "wow", however there are many others too like "flora". It really helped me. You should try that, research about the reviews about various brands and see.
Janellybean Vish2015
Posted
what could this be related to?