Feeling awful mentally after Gallbladder surgery!
Posted , 30 users are following.
What no one tells you about gallbladder surgery..
My name is Tara. I am a Registered Nurse. I would like to tell you my recent story.
I began having debilitating anxiety attacks in 2000. I would say prior to the attacks, I would be classified as a "worrier", but this was very different. Fight or flight at its finest. I, as so many are, was placed on SSRI's and managed the best I could. I also developed acid reflux around this time and noticed that the two went hand and hand in regards to the severity of my attacks. I led a relatively normal life, getting married, having two children, and achieving an Administrative role in a large Cardiology practice. In October of 2016, the bottom fell out.
In October of 2016 I had one isolated, extremely high blood pressure (210/120). I had eaten high fat foods for the two days prior to the HTN episode. I had no previous history of HTN. I was treated with IV Labetalol and started on a PO Beta Blocker. I failed approximately 5 beta blockers, as I did not have any further instances of HTN. For months I underwent cardiac testing, blood work, CT's, Event and Holter monitors, etc. No significant findings. My only symptoms post the hypertensive crisis was a vibration under my right breast. It was present almost immediately after the one episode of HTN and did not cease. I finally asked for a HIDA scan and found that the EF of my gallbladder was 2%. I thought I had finally found out what had been causing all my trouble. It was approximately 5 months after the initial episode of HTN. I never had a gallbladder attack or any other GI symptoms out of the usually IBS like symptoms I have had for as long as I can remember. Over the years, my fight or flight response became more and more sensitive and I could not explain why.
This is when it all fell apart. At the time of my surgery, I was taking Trintellix 10mg for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It seemed to work up until October of 2016, when my anxiety, once again, became out of control. I underwent a lap choley on 3/24/17 and did fine surgically. About 3 weeks post op, I entered into a CONSTANT state of anxiety. It was debilitating and I was very seriously contemplating an inpatient stay somewhere. I had NEVER had feelings like this and was starting to believe it was my new station in life. I was depressed, extremely anxious, detached, became a hypochondriac regarding what could be wrong with me, and truly believed I was going insane. All for having my gallbladder removed. I often wish I would have never had it removed. I still have some physical response to certain foods: headache, bloating, RUQ pain, right arm pain etc... Despite the physical symptoms, the mental changes have been the most overwhelming and devastating.
I sought advice from my PCP (almost weekly) about my condition. She increased my Trintellix and it made all symptoms exponentially worse. I underwent a Head CT, MRI of the Brain, CT of the abdomen-all negative. I was living on Ativan and wondering if I would make it. I was then taken off Trintellix and placed back on Effexor XR which I had taken for 8yrs and only asked to change because of unwanted side effects. I was very hopeful this would help me. The exact opposite happened. It was as if my body was rejecting this medication which I had depended on for so many years. Severe feelings of detachment, feeling like i was going to lose control, constant anxiety and extreme fear. Absolutely no help and certainly no symptoms I had ever experienced before. I asked my Doctor if I could stop the medication and see what happened as I was unbearably miserable. Very very slowly, the symptoms have started to lift. I would not say I am even 70%, but I feel more hopeful than I have in the 10 weeks since my surgery. I have begun taking Prilosec OTC and that has helped, but is not a long-term fix. It is hard to describe, but I feel more intact to my life and much less anxious about things that would have always been a trigger for me.
I have some questions, but am trying desperately to be at peace that there may be no answer. Just that time passes and some of these things resolve.
My gallbladder did not get to 2% overnight. Could this have been the source of my anxiety all these years?
Does feeling so awful now on SSRI's/SNRI's mean my gut could be healing and keep Serotonin regulated as it should be?
What can I continue to do to help my gut heal and restore my neurotransmitters to the appropriate function? I stay hydrated, take a high quality organic multivitamin, try to get enough sleep, practice relaxation and have been working with a counselor using EMDR therapy. I don't know what is helping, but I certainly know it started in my gut.
I am convinced that we are going about this backwards and I feel the past 10 weeks of my life are proof. Your gut has a brain! I am not looking for a diagnosis. I just want my life back
Tara
2 likes, 44 replies
sass92951 tara80
Edited
Do any of you have any known allergies to metal? The reason I ask is because they use titanium surgical clips typically to close the duct and artery and people that have allergies to one metal can react to another even if they aren't allergic to that metal. I've seen that lots of people with metal surgical implants have had issues with anxiety and depression that improved when they were removed. The FDA just had a meeting about metal devices last week and that was one of the issues that came up.
AR1210 sass92951
Edited
Hello! Your post gives me so much hope that this is true! I already set up an appointment with a dermatologist to see if I am allergic to metal. Whether I am or not... I am still going to look into getting the clamps removed off my bial ducts! Thank you for sharing this my friend. I hope this works and will update this group if so!!!
sass92951 AR1210
Edited
No problem! There's also a gallbladder clip support group you can join on Facebook for some guidance through the process.
jjdownunder sass92951
Posted
This makes a great deal of sense to me. I have been feeling as though I am losing my mind since gallbladder removal 2 months ago. I just found this thread and am very grateful to find that I am not alone. I am severely electro-hypersensitive and chemically sensitive and so although the surgeon assured me that they used a completely inert metal, I am now seriously wondering if that is at least part of the problem. Thank you all of you for having the courage to write about this. I was seriously concerned - not sure if I could stick around to watch myself go insane. Literally.
joanne23005 tara80
Posted
How are you feeling now Tara?
TerriR83 tara80
Posted
I am so glad I found this thread. I had my gallbladder out in July 2020. I was 36 years old. About a decade before I started developing anxiety. It got worse and worse over the years. My fight or flight response seemed to engage at the smallest things. I was taking buspirone prior to my surgery even though I hated medications because I couldn't function without it. The year before my gallbladder was removed I was particularly bad as far as anxiety was concerned. I chalked it up to COVID though because I was worried about my family, friends, and frankly...the world.
Well, after my surgery my anxiety seemed to resolve or change. My buspirone seemed to no longer work how it used to. After my surgery I developed depression, which I'd never had before in my life. Seriously...the old me was incapable of it. I'd had a lot of hard times in my life too, but never had depression.
I ended up getting bile reflux and had to be put on a PPI and sucralfate. My hair started falling out by the handfuls. The doctor didn't tell me bile reflux was a possibility. I even asked about potential bad outcomes and he said 1% get diarrhea. I've found out that is a lie. A lot of people end up with reflux. I developed horrible brain fog and had zero energy. I felt like I couldn't focus on anything. My memory was shot. I mentally was a different person.
The funny part? I was a writer. I write teen fiction and now I can't write anything. I had a great imagination where I could play out book scenes like a movie as a I was writing. I basically just would record a scene that played out in my head. Now...the scene won't play. It's blank. It's like my brain won't function quick enough. It's just empty.
So it's literally ruined my life. Now for the punch line...I didn't even need my gallbladder out!! I did have gallstones, but no pain. I developed pain one night and went to the ER. They did a CT and took a urinalysis. I told them I thought it was a kidney stone even though I'd never had one before. My brother gets them and said the pain was in a similar place. I used to run 3-5 miles every day and sometimes I know I didn't drink enough water. Well, it was July and I had ran that day. Then I was hit with horrible pain. They saw my gallstones and just assumed it was my gallbladder. I ask them about a kidney stone and they lied and said they didn't find anything. After my surgery I was in horrible pain. The worst pain of my life. Why? Well, I think surgery caused the kidney stone to move more. Then two weeks after my surgery I was still having that stomach pain that I originally went to the ER for. They finally told me the truth...that they had found a kidney stone on that first CT. They also found significant blood in my urine and it was cloudy. So it was the kidney stone causing my issues. I don't think doctors should be allowed to lie when ask direct questions by the patients. I didn't get to make an informed decision on my own body. I they had told me about the kidney stone I would have just went to a urologist and had the kidney stone removed. If I still had the pain after then I could have addressed the gallbladder. You don't do the most invasive procedure first in my opinion!! I'm so angry.
Anyway, the mental fallout from this has been even worse than the physical and the physical is bad. I think I'm literally going to lose my career from this. I don't even know what to do if I can't write anymore. That was who I was. There is definitely a mental component to losing the gallbladder though. It does somehow affect the brain. My anxiety has changed a lot and medications that used to work no longer work.
jennifer0616 tara80
Posted
i can't tell you how relieved i am to have come across your article. i am almost a month post op from a lap chloe myself. and after a week-week& half, surgery pain was gone. like you also mentioned, ive been on antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds for several years. never did i imagine that the 2 things would have anything in common. in the past 4-5 days, I've had the literal worst days of my life. i had trouble concentrating, sleeping, unable eat anything. being in the medical field, i had so many questions and concerns. did i have a small mini stroke?? i hope you continue to feel better.
edward73946 tara80
Posted
hey tara80. i recently had my gallbladder removed and have similar effects as you. i know this is an old topic but curious if you ever figured out much of what was causing your issues. in desperate for positive help in the situation. my biggest issue is like brainfog and kinda like disoriented feeling sometimes. i haven't been taking in many carbs since my surgery only 11-12 days ago. just looking for early help in making sure i can battle my issues. my problem seems to get better with carb consumption and clears up some of my focus and brainfog maybe its too early to tell for me. im kinda afraid to drink or eat too many carbs maybe due to a sugar spike what would you advise. also I used to take b12 before all thie and haven't since do you think this could be a cause. one more question you mentioned ativan. they prescribed me this and i havent taken it yet. would you recommend this as im anxious over all this and things? any help is appreciated thank you.