Long term difficulty breathing after complication-filled gallbladder surgery

My health has been suffering for about 5 years now. I went through a nightmare experience with my gallbladder removal and my life truly hasn’t been the same since. I would like to thank you in advance for reading the following timeline as it is a long one - I appreciate it!

Listed below is a timeline of my symptoms:

Late 2013: Began to develop severe and debilitating pain on right side, stretching around to my back. Pain occurred shortly after eating and would last for a few hours and eventually subside.

Early 2014: After explaining symptoms to PCP, I was referred for ultrasound. Ultrasound found gallstones, and my severe pain was properly diagnosed as gallstone attacks. I was referred for a consultation with a surgeon, but I had to reschedule due to a blizzard.

Early June 2014: Gallstone attacks became more frequent and more severe to the point that they were occurring daily after most meals. Before I could go to my consultation with the surgeon, during an especially painful gallstone attack, I went to the ER. I was admitted to the hospital and was scheduled for a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal). My gallbladder was removed the next day but as a complication from surgery I had internal bleeding that was not found during the surgery. While staying the night in the hospital I became extremely weak and passed out, but I was able to summon a nurse before losing consciousness. A code blue was enacted, and I was administered IV bolus for resuscitation. I had a massive amount of internal bleeding that was never cleared by the surgeon. Received blood transplant. Shortly thereafter developed infection and was administered antibiotics. Eventually improving, I was released from the hospital 5 days after cholecystectomy.

Late June 2014: About 1-2 weeks after being released from hospital, I had a severe gallstone attack despite no longer having a gallbladder. I simultaneously began showing signs of jaundice (yellowing skin and eyes) and my urine was deep red in color due to bilirubin. I was re-admitted to the hospital. After several tests, it was confirmed that I had “biliary sludge” blockage in my bile duct. An ERCP was performed and the sludge was flushed out. Apparently, the sludge was supposed to have been flushed during gallbladder removal surgery but never was. After another 5-day hospitalization, I eventually improved after the ERCP and was released without symptoms.

Late 2014 – 2016: After my gallbladder was removed, I had difficulty eating some foods and would get occasional stomach ache/diarrhea. These seemed to be a normal result of cholecystectomy and I didn’t think too much about it, and just avoided certain foods that bothered my stomach.

Early-Mid 2017: About 2.5 years after cholecystectomy, I began to experience difficulty breathing that felt like I couldn’t get a full breath. The severity of the breathing difficulty would fluctuate, becoming more severe at times. After it persisted for more than a month, I saw my PCP who scheduled an EKG and chest X-ray, both of which came back normal. Oxygen levels were tested and found to be normal. I was referred to an Ear Nose & Throat Doctor who performed a Laryngoscopy and found esophageal inflammation. ENT diagnosed Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and prescribed a course of Omeprazole and Zantac. These medications did not improve my symptoms and seemed to make them worse. I eventually stopped taking them.

Mid 2018: I began to experience a very large increase in severity of symptoms. Difficulty breathing, inflammation in throat, pain on right side of chest. PCP referred me to Gastroenterologist (the same one who performed ERCP after gallbladder removal complications). Upper endoscopy was performed and found no symptoms of esophagitis, no bile reflux, no acid reflux, and no hiatal hernia. Gastro told me it’s probably anxiety, which I respectfully but wholeheartedly disagree with. I tried several treatments such as improving my diet to eliminate sugar and gluten, taking slippery elm supplements, and sleeping with a wedge pillow. These actions, however, did not lessen severity of my symptoms.

Present (October 2018): My symptoms have been severe for several months now but as of a few months ago I was laid off from my job and can no longer afford diagnostic appointments to get to the bottom of my health problem. I have been treating my case as if it were Costochondritis and doing stretches with the Backpod. These attempts have also proven unsuccessful. My symptoms are more severe than ever, and I can barely walk a short distance without feeling short of breath. I have intermittent chest pain on right side of my chest that feels like it is possibly located more in my chest wall than my lungs.

I’m currently suffering without a real diagnosis. I am currently trying to research medical articles that point to cholecystectomies causing complications with lung function as well as the possibility of gallstone ectopia in the lungs. These articles are filled with complex terminology, so they are difficult to understand. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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