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Gallbladder is gone so where is this pain from?

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happyalien
happyalien

HI

Had the dreaded gallbladder removed last June after only 7 months of pain (so I'm pretty lucky).

Everything went well, home the same day - took a good 4 weeks to feel totally better after the op but eating was ok and I don't seem to be affected by bowel issues like some people.

Only problem is I have dull ache in exactly the same place I used to get the gallbladder pain. It's not intense pain but it's in the front RUQ under my ribs and moves round the side and to my back.

It doesn't seem to appear after anything in particular and most of the time it's there constantly. Suppose it's more of an annoyance than anything else because I'm always aware of this ache. I'm quite reluctant to go to my GP because after spending about 7 months constantly in the surgery last year updating painkillers and nausea pills I don't want them to think I'm addicted to medical attention.

Just wondered if anyone had anything similar or if it's just a by-product of surgery that I'll have to get on with?

Thanks

34 likes, 1357 replies

1357 Replies

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  • gloria27258
    gloria27258 happyalien

    Posted

    Sometimes to quiet down the nausau and discomfort, I drink a little glass of aloe vera juice.  It seems to help me.
  • sal79893
    sal79893 happyalien

    Posted

    I have been dealing with it for over 11 years now.  I is mostly from scar tissue that is narrowing the bile ducts so when ever you eat alot or have fatty foods, it has to produce excessive amounts of bile which puts a strain on your ducts and inflames you pancreaus which cuases this pain.  It suck and I am in pain right now and have been on a liquid diet for the past to days until it subsides.
  • sal79893
    sal79893 happyalien

    Posted

    Let me put you at ease.  I had mine taken out 11 years ago and still have that pain you are stating.  You have to eat bland foods and not eat a lot at once.  6-7 small meals a day. Stay away from red meat, fats and all the good fastfood that everybody likes. When I go off my diet I get the pain for a few months.  It is up to you if you want pain or not. Good luck, I feel I am an expert at this since I have been dealing with it for 11 years.  Life goes on. I hope everything goes well for you.
    • hope4cure
      hope4cure sal79893

      Posted

      Try yogurt every day or keifer drinks. It has helped me tremendously!
  • kimberley74082
    kimberley74082 happyalien

    Posted

    Please help I had surgery 6months ago , the pain has nver gone . I'm in worse pain then I ever was with my gallstones , least with my gallstones it stopped this pain has never stopped . it wakes me , if cough or sneeze It makes me cry in pain .

    Went to doctors couple of times with no support at all ... One temp doctor said here's pain killers you will get used to it .

    I could cry myself to sleep every night if I could sleep .

    Please help me

    • flowersgirl72
      flowersgirl72 kimberley74082

      Posted

      Hi there,

      I'm not sure if we have the same problem but I'm now 10 months post op and things are gradually getting better. I had constant flare ups, particularly at night and when lying down along with nausea and various other digestive problems. I had to push for a referral to a gastro specialist and wouldn't accept that I just had to live with these problems.

      Hope things get better for you but go back to your doc if they don't. Not sure if you're issues get worse after food and if so try eating smaller meals that are lower in fat until things settle.

    • kimberley74082
      kimberley74082 flowersgirl72

      Posted

      Flowergirl72

      That's my worse time when trying to sleep , can't sleep in surgery side ,

      Diet is good so nothing to do with that .

      I could cry the lack of sleep getting worse and don't want to live a life on painkillers not right wish never had it done 😢

      Off bk to GP for answers I think

    • flowersgirl72
      flowersgirl72 kimberley74082

      Posted

      I still have more problems lying on that side too. I can also feel my whole abdomen, front and back contracting which is really bizarre! Painkillers tended not to make much difference but I have been prescribed amitriptyline which helps with neuropathic pain and has a slight sedative effect. Castro doc has mentioned SOD but wants to wait a few months to see if things continue to improve. The GP is the way forward I'm afraid!
  • sal79893
    sal79893 happyalien

    Posted

    You are putting strain on your pancreas and that is why you are in so much pain. Stop eating the wrong foods. I only eat veg.,and chicken twice a week. No other meat.  Stop eating sweets, I know you are eating sweets and fatty foods becuase I had to learn the hard way for overr 10 years of your pain. No processed foods. It sucks but the pain is worse. I get attacks once in a while about 3 to4 times a years when I go off my diet.  No sweets, fried foods, low or no fat diet.  No nuts, seeds or raw foods or fruits.  It makes you liver work harder and causes you pancreaus to get inflammed. When you get inflammed and the pain is bad, you have to go on a liquid diet. Just water, water,water and more water. Chicken broth and gatorade.
    • hope4cure
      hope4cure sal79893

      Posted

      Extremely good advice. Also prescription enzymes help. The GB had the enzymes to break up food. Natural you guppy and keifer foods help me tremendoulsy. 
  • pam2323
    pam2323 happyalien

    Posted

    I had my GB out about 19 months ago.  I started experiencing the same nagging, aching pain in my upper right quadrant over a month ago.  I've been close to going to the Emergency Room twice but changed my mind as the pain subsided some.  I figured it couldn't be serious if the worst of it went away.

    I finally went to my family dr. today and she wants to do an ultrasound tomorrow.  She said I can get stones even after the gallbladder is removed.  She asked if the pain radiates to my back but that's hard to tell because I have a herniated disk due to a car accident, so I always have back pain.

    While I'd like it to be nothing, I'm hoping they find out something so I can get rid of the pain.

  • pam2323
    pam2323 happyalien

    Posted

    So my ultrasound showed I have a fatty liver...have to follow up with a GI dr. Fun.
  • ellent
    ellent happyalien

    Posted

    Thank you so much for posting this! I am in tears right now because I have been suffering with the same pain for years. i get a dull ache in my RUQ and it travels around to my back. I feel it most when i lay down at night and on my right side. it sometimes travels to my back, my upper back and most recently i get a shooting pain in my right breast.  all tests - 2 ultrasounds, 2 xrays, 1 CT scan and a mammogram and all negative (at which i am happy) but i still would like to know what this is - it scares me that by the time they figure it out it may be too late. but after reading all the posts on this thread i am so relieved to see i am not alone. thank you so much!!!
  • toniii
    toniii happyalien

    Posted

    Hi I had my gallbladder removed 12 years ago and have had the same pain all this time. Gone through every test, with come back answers of it being scare tissue. But 2 months ago I stopped drinking alcohol completely and it went away. Because I worked out the liver gets irritated and swells from drinking and either presses on the clip or something. I haven't quite worked it out but also fatty food  triggers the pain of too, like hot chips. So I hope this helps as I've gone through a lot of pills, stretching exercises that didn't work. I'm just so glad to be pain free, doctors just give you a lot of pills to try, sometimes logic is the best medicine. Good luck. 
  • kim12870
    kim12870 happyalien

    Posted

    I've been dealing with the same pain (gall bladder removed Feb-2010) and have done blood work and other diagnostic testing including hidascan, MRI on pancrease, endoscopy.  Omeprazole didn't relieve the pain at all.  I recently was sent to a special GI doctor that deals with SOD (sphincter of Oddi dysfunction) and this GI doctor said I didn't have the symptoms for SOD; but, it sounded like a nerve issue that was causing the pain based on my symptoms.  I also have nausea with the pain under my right rib cage area.  My husband is a RN and works in the ER and said it sounded like a nerve issue and not so much a digestion issue.  The GI recommend I take a ibuprofen and possibly seek pain management specialist.  This pain has driven me crazy because I wasn't getting answers only that it wasn't this or that and at least now I have a direction to go.  The pain feels more nerve related.
    • cathy_94688
      cathy_94688 kim12870

      Posted

      Hello 1 Kim

      I am so scared. I've had my galbladder surgery three years ago. Since then I've had a small pain in my right side. But three months ago it was it's worse episode. I thought I was going to die because of the pain. I kept going back to my Surgon and to GI doctores none of them has any clue about it. I did many blood works, x-Rays, CT scan and MRIs all of them came back normal. I also did MRCP which came back normal too. They don't have anything to tell me. They think that I'm making it up. sad I want to see 1Kim how did your doctor finds out that its scar tissue or nerver damage and it not SOD?

      My upper right side is in flame most of the time the pain radiates to my back and some times to my both side. The pain goes behind my stomach and up to my shoulders. I can not sleep on my left side just on my right side. Sometimes I can sleep on my back but not always. And when I sleep on my back I feel something vibrating on my right and left side. When I scrach the pain area the pain eases little bit. I can not lift heavy thing or turn and twist at all it gives me pain. I'm telling you all this to see if you have the same experience like mine. Also, I do not throw up or anything I just have pain. I watch what I eat to see if the food causes the pain but I don't think so. because I eat chees and butter today to see if it'll cause the pain but it didn't. Then I ate a medium cup of a soap that makes me feel heavy and caused me pain. Isn't it weird?

      I am so confused and don't know what to do.

      I'm getting crazy because of researchings that I do on this subject. One day I come up with scar tissue another day I come up with pancretites and another day with nerver damage and ......

      Please help me sad

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