Nausea 12 weeks after gallbladder removal

That's a fair point Angela but haven't you chronic diarrhea as a result of the surgery and nausea too? I would have preferred to try something to get rid of that stone than suffer the way I've been suffering the last 5 months. A lot of people have had success with alternative remedies for breaking up stones and the alternative of a life of misery with diarrhea and not being able to eat what you want is far worse in my opinion. Doctors are too quick to remove gallbladders due to stones without trying to break them up.There needs to be another way of getting rid of the stones without removing this vital organ. X

Oh paddy girl I'm so so sorry your going through this too. It's horrendous isn't it? Nobody can understand it unless they've experienced it. You poor thing. I get so angry when I see so many people with side effects after this operation and not being able to eat is absolutely terrible. But it's early days for you. I would be hopeful you will recover quickly. Are you finding that the nausea is worse in the morning and can settle down by the evening? Or do you have it all the time? Is it waking you up at night? I have lived on crackers for months and even had a packet beside my bed at all times. But thankfully I'm finally starting to feel better. Now first thing you need to do is sleep high up on a couple of pillows. It's annoying but you will get used to it. My gp advised me to do this as it will stop you from vomiting. Also try and eat every two hours just plain crackers if you can even manage that or dry toast. It's too soak up the bile which is the cause of the nausea. I know a few people who lived on liga and farleys rusks when they had the nausea so try them too. Also plain mash, potato, plain boiled rice, bananas to fill you up for now. Peppermint and chamomile tea and also ginger tea are good too and rich tea biscuits. It's terrible we are not told any of this prior to the op and so many experience side effects. But you will get better. This is just and adjustment period. Do you have the diarrhea? Big hugs. Xx

I spent about 1 week constipated. But my stools are definately looser than normal and i have to be quick getting to the loo.

Im going to buy some chicken slices and low fat mayo so i can at least try and eat a sandwich.

Its making me quite depressed. But thanks for your kind words. I hope it improves for you xx

I'm so sorry your going through this and totally understand how you feel. It would make anyone feel depressed. I was always a very strong person always laughing and joking but this has rocked me to my core. When you don't expect this to happen it makes it even worse. You will recover from this. We all will. Unfortunately it just takes time. Some recover quicker than others. You could try caltrate calcium 600 d for the loose stools. You start by taking half a tablet 3 times a day with food and see does it work. If there's no difference after a week you can try 1 tablet 3 times a day with food. It works by soaking up the bile and therefore solidifying the stools. I hope you manage to eat the chicken sandwich. I hope you feel better soon. Let me know how your getting on. Take care. Xx

Just wanted to check in with you. Glad to hear that you are improving. I think if we can gradually keep improving there is hope.  You have really suffered both physically and emotionally and I empathize and send good thoughts for a complete recovery.  Even though my recovery has been lengthy, it does not compare to yours in severity.  You and this list were a big help to me, thank you for being there.  As for my recovery I am approaching week 9 and, finally, feel some real relief from the discomfort, pain and gas.  Why we weren´t informed as to the possibility of a longer recovery, I do not know.  I am not sure if it is time or what I have done, but these are some of the things I have used which I believe helped me:

Regular small doses of milk of magnesia, calcium antacids 3 times per day, excersize as soon as you are able, digestive enzymes (thanks Ace), perserverance, hope.  To all who go through this, I wish the best. It is not easy and one can fall into despair easily.  Keep in touch with your surgeon is also advice I would throw out there. 

Best of luck, Ace.  Keep us posted.

Phil

Phil thank you so much for your lovely mail and your kind words. I am so glad to hear your on the road to recovery. Another few weeks and you won't know yourself. I'm sure so many people read my posts and don't know what to say or like me 6 months ago said that won't happen to me! Unfortunately There are so many people out there suffering after this operation and like you and I weren't told of the side effects. It is total negligence on the behalf of the medical profession. I will keep sharing my story in the hope of helping others out there know their not alone. I have posted my story on my Facebook page in the hope of helping others and so many have already told me they had gallstones and were waiting to have surgery but are going to try alternatives first. I seriously doubt the percentages thrown at us by the medical profession about the success of this operation as I have spoken to so many who firstly suffered like me for 6-9 months and then recovered although some not fully and then so many who developed ibs or indigestion, reflux disease or gastritis after this operation. It's only when you start asking the right questions do you realise the extent of long term problems associated with this operation. The most frightening thing of all is that so many are told it's just ibs and told their depressed and put on medication when the reality is that they are suffering from a side effect of this operation. What really needs to happen is a alternative needs to be found to removing this vital organ. The only way this will happen is if the medical profession recognise the damage removing this organ does to so many people. I have mailed my surgeon whom I've known and trusted for 23 years and have told him of my concerns and how this has destroyed my life. I also intend to write to a well known radio show here and see if they will tell my story. I live in a small village and my doctor has numerous patients that this has happened too. My mother also lives here and was getting her hair done the other day and guess what her hairdresser had hers removed 2 years ago and also suffered horrendous side effects afterwards as did her close friend! The list goes on!! I'm still taking the psyllium for my bowel and feel that I will have to take this long term to soak up the bile and stop the loose stools. All I can hope is that over the next few weeks/months the horrendous nausea will go and I can return to some sort of normal life. I wish you well my friend. Keep me posted. Take care of yourself. Xx

Hi Leni I'm so sorry to hear this. I still have the nausea too. It's primarily in the morning and goes by lunchtime most days. I am also getting some pain under my right rib where the gallbladder was and in my back. Haven't vomited in 5 weeks but unfortunately was dry wretching this morning And haven't dry wretched in 2 weeks. Like you I am getting very depressed as I can't see an end in sight. I just want my life back but I really don't think it will ever be the same again. I feel a light has gone out in me. I'm awake since 5 this morning with the nausea. Have you been check for spinchter of oddi? Everyone is telling me it will get better but I'm starting to wonder now. I really hope you start to feel better soon and this nightmare ends for all of us that are suffering. Thinking of you. Take care. Xx

Acejohnston what do you take for the nausea? and Did you find out if the nausea is caused by inflammation in your stomach?  

I think that it's because of excessive bile in the stomach must be destroying my mucosa in stomach and now 7 months after surgery I'm feeling the symptoms of gastritis: severe nausea, burning and a dull pain. Do you also feel all of this? 

My GP prescribed me metaclopramide for the nausea, and actually helps me to sleep during the night but that's it I get it in the early hours of morning again and through out the day. I also have a constant dull pain too with a bit of burning. I'm scared that is bile induced gastritis but until I do some sort of exam to find out , I'm not sure. Are you treating your symptoms at the moment with any meds? What did your surgeon told you? You're the only person I talked to that is going through similar situation x

No I haven't been checked for spinchter of oddi. I'm seeing my surgeon soon and no idea what he's going to do but hopefully send me for more tests to find out what's going on. Have you been checked for that? What is it exactly? If we developed bile gastritis because of not having a GB do you think it will be a persistent problem even after treatment. Did you come across with someone that got worse after 7 months but then recovered?! xxx

Hi Leni so sorry your going through all this too. I had a scope in March and there was a small amount of bile in my stomach but my surgeon wasn't concerned at all and my stomach wasn't inflamed. I was taking zoton for my stomach and motilum and zofran for the nausea but I stopped taking them as they were making me worse and I haven't vomited since u stopped taking them. My gp tells me the nausea is a side effect of the surgery as she has seen this before with other patients and it has settled down in time. The pain I have is under my rib were the gallbladder was and just comes and goes. This only started in the last few weeks. My gp said it will settle down. I'm starting to think my nausea is from a large ovarian cyst I have as its a lot worse when I have my period. I'm going for acupuncture today to see if she can help me. I don't want to take anymore drugs. I am taking psyllium husks for the excess bile in my system and its stopped the diarrhea. You need to get checked for sphincter of oddi dysfunction as burning pain is one of the symptoms. The sphincter of oddi Is a muscular valve that controls the flow of bile. Some people get dysfunction of this after gallbladder removal when the valve isn't Working properly. Ask your surgeon about this when you see him. I hope you get some answers real soon. It's terrible to be suffering so long. Thinking of you. Take care xx

Thank u again for replying to me. I've taken all of those meds in the past except zofran. If you think you feel better without them then that's the best to not taking. I felt with Zoton and many other anti acids I was also worse.

Will it really settle or it could be another problem making it never better?

I hope you find the cause if it's the cyst than at least you know and maybe remove it. I'll ask to surgeon for the sphincter of oddi dysfunction if I have opportunity. I know something is not right and now after almost 8 months post surgery!

Is Metamucil the same as pysillium husks and do they help your stomach?

all the best of luck in the acupuncture. Hope it helps. keep in touch xx

Hi Leni I found all the drugs made me worse as I was drugged and couldn't function. I was on stemetil as well and xanax which is an anti anxiety drug which they told me to take with the stemetil to stop the vomiting. The side effects of the drugs far outwayed their benefits. Yes pysllium husk is metamucil. I'm taking the powder form which has digestive enzymes in it. I'm taking 1 teaspoon 3 times a day before food. It soaks the bile up in my stomach and bowel. A lot of people take it instead of the bile sequestrants that doctors prescribe. They also made we worse! The psyllium is really helping me and is worth a try. The pain I'm getting is under my ribs were the gallbladder was and it seems a lot of people get this pain after this surgery. I know it's hard to keep going with this Especially when you had none of these symptoms before the operation! But my gp had a patient who had vomiting and diarrhea pouring out of them for 8 months before they started to get better. It can take a year for so many to get over this operation. I'm hearing more and more stories every day of people taking 6-12 months to get over this operation. If the antacids are not helping it may be bile and the psyllium husk might help you. I hope we start to feel better soon and can look back on this and think how did we get through this. Take care and keep in touch. Xx