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Gallbladder removed 5 years ago - Now i'm having chest pain w/ stomach discomfort

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Darius3311
Darius3311

When i was 23 years old i started to have stomach issues overnight it seemed. I could not digest anything without bloating, and had a lot of pain in my chest and back. I also was having breathing issues. After seeing up to 6 doctors they finally tested my gallbladder and said i had "gallbladder disease" and that i had to have it removed. (I never had any gall stones). After the surgery i still had the same problems for about two months, but thankfully it faded away and i felt normal again. The only issues i had was dumping syndrome. If i eat anything fatty i would have extreme stomach cramps and i would have to go to the bathroom to relieve the pain with diarrhea. Even though this was annoying it was tolerable, and i was told this was normal. 

I'm now 29 years old, and i'm having a ton of issues now. A lot of the symptoms feel like the same symptoms i had during my gallbladder problems five years ago. I've been sick for about 7 months now and no doctor can figure out what's wrong with me. I have chest pain every day and sometimes i have acid reflex. Doctors have assumed it was GERD and prescribed me on PPI's, Sadly after being on a double dosage of PPI for four months nothing went away. The symptoms fluctuate in severity day-to-day. The only thing that seems to always be constant is the chest pain. Sometimes i have the normal acid re-flux feeling of burning, but it's not very often. It's mostly the chest pain that feels like pressure and a weak stabbing pain that can become more severe some days. It can also change locations in my chest and be closed to my rib cage, or under my armpits on the left side. I've been to the E.R. five times now thinking i was having a heart attack. Each time they tell me it's not my heart. I've also seen a cardiologist, and he did a stress test on me and the results came out good for any heart problems. I feel lost, and stuck. It's starting to affect my job because some days i don't know how severe the pain will be, and every day i wake up it's like rolling a dice. 

I had a few endoscopic procedures and they just said everything looks fine, but i have some inflammation in my stomach. I recently changed insurances from an HMO to a PPO and im going this week to see a new gastro doctor at UCLA medical. I'm hoping they will have more information on these types of problems. One doctor mentioned having a Fundoplication but he was a Kaiser doctor, and i did not want to rush into having another surgery without knowing what the issue could be.

Does anybody have an experience with this kind of pain or heard of anything like this before? 

Symptoms:

1. Chest discomfort like pressure, or stabbing pains

2. Acid indigestion and sometime traditional heart burn

3. Dumping diarrhea randomly even in the morning when i haven't eat yet.

1 like, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Beenthruit
    Beenthruit Darius3311

    Posted

    The diarrhoea issue is probably due to the production of excess bile. The liver goes on producing bile after your gallbladder is removed, but there’s no longer anywhere to store it, so it drips constantly into your intestines causing diarrhoea. It can also backflow into the stomach and be the cause of your digestive problems. There are meds that you can take that help soak the bile up (ask your doctor) and also gradually increase your fibre intake (uk recommendation is 30g a day). Additionally I would reduce intake of fat: switch to skimmed milk, 0% fat yogurt, reduced fat spreads and dressings and avoid fried and spicy foods, though I’m sure you probably are already doing this.
  • viv15674
    viv15674 Darius3311

    Posted

    To answer your question, yes, I have had very similar symptoms.  My gallbladder was removed 7 years ago and I have that same chest discomfort quite frequently.  My GI doctor has diagnosed both IBS and GERD and my other symptoms definitely seem to confirm that.  I saw a ENT doctor because I'd had a sore throat for weeks, and she did a scope that determined that my throat was irritated from reflux.  When I have chest pain, I'm also burping and feeling bloated, sometimes gassy as well.  In fact, I'm having pressure in my chest at this moment, but also can feel the gas moving around and have burped several times.  A PPI didn't do anything for me, either--in fact, it gave me horrible abdominal pain, which the GI doctor said does sometimes happen with some patients.

    I've had heart scans and EKGs and my heart is fine.  I can do a half hour cardio workout without feeling any distress, so I know it's not my heart.  

    I've been doing pretty well sticking to a GERD diet as much as possible and that helps.  I take Tums when the pain and discomfort gets to be too much and it's usually helps, even if it doesn't get rid of it completely.  Definitely lay off fatty, greasy foods.  I can't eat broccoli, tomatoes, or cauliflower without getting heartburn.  I would recommend keeping a food diary and noting how you feel after each meal and that will help you to figure out your trigger foods.  

    Best of luck.

  • biliarydyskines
    biliarydyskines Darius3311

    Posted

    I too have your symptoms and understand the pain and discomfort that you go through.It seems you might have gastritis.It takes 6 months to be under control if you follow a good diet.For me some times is left side and sometimes on right.Only burping relieves the discomfort.

    It seems you have more bile coming up and that needs to be obsorbed. If you are having diarahiea and nausea the colestipol bile absorption agent is good thing.

    you need to completely change the diet habits.

    Moderate preotein/fatty/oil foods should be taken 

    less amount of found and spread out 5 to 6 meals a day

    Take b12 vitamins has whoever has stomach issues will have b12 deficiency .

  • jill_38536
    jill_38536 Darius3311

    Posted

    I don't know whether i can help but i had the exact same symptons so much so i went to A&E. It so happens I've got a hiatus hernia. They found it by doing an endoscopy. The pains in chest were so bad i thought i was having a heart attack also stabbing pains between shoulder blades. Hope you find an answer. Jill

  • judy13495
    judy13495 Darius3311

    Posted

    I had my gallbladder removed 15 years ago and have had intermittent pain in my right side and under my ribs which radiated all over and I would think I was having a heart attack.   Also have bouts of diarrhea from time to time.  Last November and December, the pain was 24/7 so finally had scope and the gastro doctor removed 50 cc's of bile from my stomach!   I was shocked because I had convinced myself that they must have left a tube from the gallbladder or something because the pain was exactly where my gallbladder had been.   Long story short, the doctor put me on Omeprazole 40 time-released capsule, twice a day, to heal the inflammation in my stomach!   You can buy it over-the-counter in 10 and 20 mg, I believe, but would have to take 4 or 8 pills a day and they are not time-released, but still would probably help.   Also, he game me prescription for Cholysteramine, which is a powder you mix with water or juice to absorb the bile that causes diarrhea.   Neither has COMPLETELY eliminated the pain, but have only been on it a week.   The Cholysteramine causes constipation, but of course, that's what you want if you have lots of diarrhea...it is a game-changer, honestly.   Wishing you luck.   

  • ramas_59734
    ramas_59734 Darius3311

    Posted

    All the scary things with that gallbladder surgery sadhad removed 3 weeks ago still feeling tenderness in my belly, still can't sit properly. Has anyone recovered in 2 weeks cause every article I read says two weeks recover???!!

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