Gallbladder is gone so where is this pain from?
Posted , 555 users are following.
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
Emma1001 happyalien
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bebe33104 Emma1001
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Thanks for the tip about telliing everyone not to do it too soon after surgery. That could get ugly. I reposted that hint above.
Please copy and paste (and edit if needed) to others you find suffering. If this works for everyone I want everyone to feel better.
I had given up on my surgeon who seemed to think I was faking my pain. I don't have time to fake pain dear surgeon, thank you very much.
carol12293 happyalien
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Had surgery there years ago too and like many others have same pain under five.not sure but think it might be caused by tightening of area from scar tissue.luckily I am on tramadol for arthritis so pain isn't as acute.winter of you have noticed that pain is more intense when eating certain foods especially fatty ones.good luck with your problem
bebe33104 carol12293
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Carol, my tennis ball trick (above) seems to fit with your thinking regarding the tightening of the area. I don't know if it's from scar tissue of if its from the small intestine cramping up (almost like a charlie horse in our upper right quadrant. (URQ). Mine is not as intense as a charlie horse but more burning/aching and lasts for hours after I eat the offending food that causes it.
Please try the tennis ball next time you have the pain and let me know if it works. We all need to help each other because our doctors don't seem to know what to do and would never prescribe a tennis ball!
If it does work you have a chance to be a good samaritan and save possibly hundreds of others from this nasty pain if you let them know about the tennis ball.
bebe33104 happyalien
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I think I can help you with the back pain! I had my gallbladder removed (cholecystectomy) two years ago and still have pain after eating foods high in cholesterol and hydrogenated fats and other processed foods. I try to only eat whole foods but sometimes I mess up. When I get my "phantom gallbladder pain" I can get rid of it almost instantly by lying on my stomach on the floor and placing a tennis ball below my right breast (not ON the breast but BELOW it). It will feel like it's on a rib. I gently place some of my body weight on the ball and rib and roll my body around so that the tennis ball massages the crampy area. I came up with this on my own and I know it sounds weird but it works for me instantly! My pain refers to the back and shoulder blade but after I do this massage technique it goes away completely. I also will turn over onto my back and place the tennis ball near my shoulder blade and spine and put a lot of my body weight on it and roll around so the tennis ball loosens up all those muscles. This seems to help too, but not as much as massaging front rib area with the ball. I hope you get this comment and get some instant relief! Please copy and paste this to other people suffering. NO doctor has ever been able to help me. My surgeon was NOT helpful either after he removed my gallbladder and acted like I was imagining it. Go get yourself a tennis ball. Let me know if it works for you too.
jeanne1962 happyalien
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HOPEFULLY this will help you out and any others suffering. Okay, so my older daughter got to the GI doc Thursday, he feels the pain is coming from her pancreas. Ordered her to have an Endoscopy yesterday morning. Also put her on a medication called "CREON." It is a medicine/Enzyme type that she has to take each time she eats any meal. PLUS, he also put her on a "Non Fat" diet. Absolutely no oils of any sort, that includes butter, margarine. non stick cooking sprays, any type of nuts, non fat milk, but absolutely NO CHEESES either. So basically a bland diet, but I have been researching other alternative ingredients to use. Turkey meat, fish, and chicken are good sources of protein since any type of nut has fats. The GI Doc said to do this for 2 weeks, take the CREON pill during each meal or snack, and he feels that if she starts to notice the pain start to subside, then too should the attacks. But the CREON med is by precription ONLY. Will keep you all posted on how she is doing with the med and non fat foods. Oh also, one thing he also mentioned that she should absolutely stay away from fast foods and restaurant food unless it specifies how things are cooked and with exactly what until after the 2 week trial period. But because of how she described the pain running under her right breast towards the back and under her right shoulder blade, the doctor is pretty certain that it is her pancreas.
souk66113 happyalien
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souk66113 happyalien
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hope4cure happyalien
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Once the GB was removed my dr prescribed enzymes. The GB supplies enzymes which help to break down foods. Now that option is not available so RX for enzimes & siplemental probiotics & prebiotics and clean eating made the difference in my case. Lettuce cabbage are hard to digest right after surgery. The dietician will help u with a diet to prevent the pain.
It helped for awhile until I adjusted to eating a better diet. No greasy spoons ever!
mike45468 happyalien
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I had mine removed in 09 and i have pain there off & on since . I think stools cause it but it makes me worry it's. My liver because i take hydrocodone daily for years for spinal stenosis. Its the same pain i had before the surgery.
sally14335 mike45468
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you may receive this twice, if so, I am sorry. I have had a boatload of symptoms. On rare occassions, I can go pain free for two or three weeks. What joy, to experiece what I'd imagine normal people get to have, until, it begins again. I have always worried about liver or pancrease, yet, so far, these tests, checks, if you will, come back normal. I am not a disciplined person, find it fairly impossible not to delve into the sweet stuff, don't drink but, there it is, trouble again. I do have a wonderful gastro man, who, God Bless him, listens to me! Now, after a most embarrasing incident, has decided what I have is 2 different stomach problems. He, recently put me on Cholestyramine. You drink this, every morning and for me, it does control explosive diarrhea. Must be careful it doesn't work "too well" and then you have to cut down on the amount you drink of the cholestyramine. Mike, as long as you are always keeping your doctor informed and reminded of all the meds you take, you should be ok on keeping the liver function tests accurate. I hope you get better. Keep in touch.
Grace2785 happyalien
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mike45468 happyalien
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klove3728 happyalien
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Hello I have the same pain it's been 3 years that I got my gallbladder removed the doctors don't give me answers I do not know what to do is I would like to know if somebody got answer
Ezeh51 klove3728
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Did you go on a low fat / no fat diet for at least six months? Then continue to watch your fatty foods intake? Whole grains can cause some discomfort but I find mainly when my GB is sensitive to red meat, pork and fatty foods. You may want to not eat red meat and pork altogether for a while and see how that works. Pizza cheese is stringy and hard to digest, you may want to cut that out as well and so on...When mine hadn't gotten better after 6 months and then also a year the Drs told I would be on that diet for life. Chicken, Fish and vegetables, Not even all fish, I could only eat certain kinds and definitely not raw oysters!! My only relief to avoid days of torturous pain was that if I accidentally ate the wrong thing I would generally feel it start to bother me pretty quickly and as soon as possible run to a bathroom and force myself to send it back up the way it went down. That's just what worked for me and what kept me out of days of pain. If you follow that method timing is critical because the longer it sits there the more it irritates the GB and the harder it is to get all of the bad food whatever it may be out. Sometimes I would have to force myself to throw up more than once or twice even because stuff seems to get stuck down there and I could feel it bothering me. I would recommend avoiding doing that as much as possible by just avoiding those foods because that can have other side effects potentially on the stomach and throat/esophagus. Obviously this is not be a Dr recommended method and I'm sure it could have other effects on the body, proceed at your own risk and check with your doctor if you have questions since I am not one. I just did what was necessary for me. Finally after years of praying and dealing with that nightmare I feel that the only thing that really fixed me was that I was healed through faith and prayer since nothing else was working to fix the issue and the Drs had told me that I would never be able to eat normally again. I still had issues if I ate steak tips for a while, but all of a sudden while praying I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach which went on for a while and after that I was immediately able to eat normal foods again!!
Marketa Ezeh51
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Ezeh51 Marketa
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I also heard that there are cleansing tea's at health food stores which can help clean out the Gall Bladder (I'm guessing not if you have stones) but have never tried. Wonder if it could also clean out 'sludge' as some have called it to make the GB area better. Just a thought. Maybe we all need to pool out funds together in this group and start a GB research clinic!