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
donna60484 happyalien
Posted
i finally got fixed!!
so i had the odd gallstone attack for many years and the drs didnt jnow what it was , eventually they removed my gallbladder which made the attacks more frequent
the pain was agonising and it took over my life ( epigastric pain to my back) always in attacks after eating 'hard to digest food' fat was fine bit gooey soft cheese or vegetable skin would bring on an attack (20 years from my first ever attack it took to get fixed!! my attacks were so painful and the agony was so bad id be writhing about begging for an ambulance . it was so bad i discovered (after 18 years of attacks) that if i forced myself to puke the pain stopped! better of two evils that was 😦
anyway after my drs giving up on me i demanded referrals to london and they dod loads of tests.. it turns out it was a gallstone stuck in my bile duct all along!!
the only test that showed the 12mm stone in the 4mm bile duct was an MRCP WITH SECRETIN THE OTHER MRCPS DIDNT show anything!!
if your symptoms sounds similar please ask for that test ! it shows stones other tests dont!
anyway i do hope this helps somebody!
bebe33104 donna60484
Posted
Donna, that is WONDERFUL news! I'm so happy for you!
I wonder if that is my problem too, although I don't have the pain as bad as you did begging for an ambulance. Mine is tolerable but definitely not comfortable.
If you don't mind, I will copy/paste forward your info to other sufferers. I'm on a mission to get as many people out of pain as possible, so I try to keep up with the emails that pop up in my inbox.
Cheers and happy holidays!
donna60484 bebe33104
Posted
feel free to send to anyone
i suffered 20 years with gallstone attacks it got worse after removal of my gallbladder and the ERCP was the best thing ive ever done 😃
it was seriously worrying but yeah my pain was intense and agonising . mrcp with secretin was definitely a life saver.
over that 20 years my poor children had to witness me going through agony a lot of times . i seriously wish everyone all the best and good luck the secretin can see stones that the contrast doesnt. good luck everyone
sal79893 donna60484
Posted
thanks you too.
johnette_68826 donna60484
Posted
Hi. so sorry you went through that and for so many years. Glad someone figured it out and you are better. That would be so hard going through that. Did you have stones in your gallbladder?
johnette_68826 bebe33104
Posted
Hi. What symptoms are you having and how long have you felt them?
johnette_68826 donna60484
Posted
Does the ERCP detect stones?
donna60484 johnette_68826
Posted
oh yes my gallbladder was packed FULL OF STONES ! 😦
one interesting fact.. my attacks started 2 weeks after giving birth to my son it happened every now and then but it stopped for ages then i had a daughter 9 years later and it caused another attack
there has to be a link!
sal79893 johnette_68826
Posted
yes, most of time. You can also have sludge it's like sand that cause the same pain and is not detected. That's why you need to drink a lot of water to make it pass through the bile ducts I'm talking about 10 bottle waters a day
sal79893 happyalien
Posted
iv had an mrap twice, no stones thank god. just have to stay on my diet and I'm good.
donna60484 sal79893
Posted
was it with normal contrast? cos i had two of those first which didnt show the stones secretin was the only thing that showed it! i had loads of tests . 😦
sal79893 happyalien
Posted
yes both. Sometimes you get sand were sludge which clogs up the bile duct. drink plenty of water for a few days only and it goes away.
jodi_55527 happyalien
Posted
it turns out the gastro dr knew my bile duct was blocked before he sent me to the surgeon to gage the gallbladder removed. i guess he didnt tell the dr that bc the dr did many tests before sending me back to the gastro.
i wonder if that caused more problems in the hospital? i had to stay 2 nights due to so much pain. also they had to do something to help me pee. i felt the urge but not much came out so i was in and out of bed until they did that.
sal79893 happyalien
Posted
go on diet, no outside food
Mikenan2 sal79893
Posted
Problem is I'm not eating. I have dumping syndrome so I mostly eat a little hummus with 3 crackers. I've lost 77 pounds so far since February. My pain is the same as before surgery, my right shoulder blade and now I'm having pain under my right armpit and right breast.
sal79893 Mikenan2
Posted
Drink plenty of water always. Eat 6 to 7 small millets or maybe they messed up when they connected your small intestine to your stomach.
Check your liver is the main thing, then check your pancreas make sure you don't have pancreatitis that could be cause by when the bile duct was clogged with your gallbladder it put too much pressure on your pancreas which ceases this problem.
Please let them scanned your pancreas it's a special scam just for your pancreas
johnette_68826 sal79893
Posted
what scab checks your pancreas?
sal79893 johnette_68826
Posted
MRI, mrcp and cat scan. they have to specifically be looking at your pancreas which is hidden behind your stomach.
They can also do it in endoscopy could be and go and take their visual look at your pancreas
Mikenan2 sal79893
Posted
pain is still unbearable. Finally seeing a GI doc to have an ERCP. Hopefully I can have it scheduled soon.
bebe33104 Mikenan2
Posted
I had my gallbladder out in 2014 and still get the same pains I had before I had it taken out. The good news is that you can prevent the pain from happening. I have found my triggers and will share them with you:
Drinking coffee. Coffee gives me that pain. I drink mine always with powdered or liquid creamer. Sometimes with sugar. Sometime I can get awaky with having one cup and it doesn't bother me, but I have learned that it's not worth the risk.
The fats which are used in store-bought cookies like sugar cookies or scottish shortbread. I can't remember the name of the fat right now, but it's hydrogenated...maybe...?
Drinking a lot of alcohol the night before, and then drinking coffee is a SURE way to the RUQ pain fired up.
Other things that affect it for me are fatty meats like pork and beef.
Also the tiniest piece of dark chocolate will trigger it as well. Luckily I'm not a big fan of chocolate. Whatever the fat is that's in dark chocolate is terrible and I think chocolate is also very acidic (like coffee),
As you probably know Ibuprophen won't get rid of the pain. The only thing that helps the pain go away are - this is going to sound strange - taking a tennis ball and placing it where the pain is under my right ribs and lying on the floor on my stomach so that a lot of my weight is on the tennis ball. Then I kind of roll around on it so it hits the main area of pain. I also flip over on my back and place the tennis ball under my shoulder blade and roll around. This seems to ease the pain. ALSO a cold icepack on the RUQ seems to help. Also...again, I put that on my back shoulder blade too. ALSO. It seems that drinking a plain cup of hot water helps. Kind of like you would make a cup of tea, but plain hot water.
If you try this and it helps, please let me know. Also, if it works please feel free to copy and paste this to others in the future. It's such a horrible pain to live with and I'd like as many people as possible not to have to live with it. I will say the coffee, alcohol (beer and wine), and dark chocolate are the worst culprits,.
Good luck!
BeBe