Post Operative pain and discomfort
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi everyone
So I had my gallblader removed today. Pain isnt bad at all from the wounds but I do still have pain in my back on right shoulder area.
Its early days of course as I only came out of theater 6 hours ago.
But im wondering if anyone else still had the back pain after the op and how long for? I didnt have gallstones and all of my scans and bloods were nomal leading up to this operation. The consultant done an investigative laparoscomy and said if he saw anything unusal that he would address it, which included removal of the gallbladder should he see anything unusual. The recover nurse told me everything was normal and gallbladder removed which i found odd as the surgeon was reluctant to remove the organ in the first place. When my wife called to check on me the nurse had said my gallbladder was abnormal, which im guessing is more accurate. However I have not spoje to the consultant or doctor yet as it was late after my op so im guessing i will be informed in the morning.
Would the surgeon be able to see sludge or tiny stones in the duct work with this procedure as i still have the same feeling in my back. Im guessing i had biliary micro lithiasia but i could be wrong.
Would sphincter of oddi dysfunction cause back pain also.
Im starting to worry that the op hasnt helped me and if removal of the gallbladder didnt remove symptons even the consultant said he didnt know where to go from here.
0 likes, 5 replies
stef42968 stephen17840
Posted
Back and shoulder pain can be caused by the gases the use during the operation still inside you and they work there way up and out. Best thing is to get up and move as much as you can.
The next 6 months will be a learning curve
Everyone seems to have different experience so don't read to much into it and stress out only make things worse.
You can keep getting better up to a year after surgery so keep that in mind. I had 3 months of hell after and only up to month 5 post op and each week is a bit better.
Hold in there.
stephen17840 stef42968
Posted
did you ever get a funny feeling in your throat either before of after surgery?
I know it will take a while, i guess i just thought when the gallbladder was removed that those symptoms would dissappear immediately.
Oh well slowly but surely.
cmross1108 stephen17840
Posted
That's one more thing I should've added to my post below - I had a terrible sore throat for 3 days afterwards from the intubation. I also ended up having a weird feeling in my throat like there was a flap that they cut by accident or something. I've read it's common and for me it lasted almost 10 days before it went away. Suck on some ice and try not to talk - it will help your throat heal.
cmross1108 stephen17840
Posted
YES!!! I had terrible upper back/shoulder, neck and head pain for 2 days after my operation. That was the only reason I took any pain medication. All I can say is WALK!!! Very slowly and for a little bit every hour/couple hours. It will help move it around and dissipate out of your body. I was freaking out after my removal too!! I got it done 2.5 weeks ago.
As far as what was wrong with/inside your gallbladder, in about 7-10 days you should be able to call your surgeons office and get a pathology report.
I panicked the first few days after my surgery from the pain, and it took almost 3 days to poop after the surgery. And it was bile diarrhea so I thought I was stuck with that forever. It took a few days for the bowels to get back to somewhat normal so don't panic about that either!
Not that I was fit before the surgery, but I was surprised at how tired I got and how fast I got tired. They really mean it when they say watch your diet and ease back into things.
To give you some positive thoughts, I got better every single day after my surgery. Once the operation discomfort started dying off, I noticed that there was no more pain. No more nausea in the morning. No more indigestion. I'm not sure what your symptoms were but I sure noticed them all go away and it made me feel so much better day to day. It's a journey - that's for sure. I'm jealous of the people that bounced right back.
Since you are not even 24 hours out of surgery, you're going to need to wait a week or so before you can really tell that your body has evened out and what still hurts and what doesn't. I absolutely would NOT even start thinking of SOD just yet. There is a VERY slim chance that is the case.
Please keep us posted on how you're doing and if we can help you in any way!
Spaced stephen17840
Posted
My consultant has taken the exact same approach with me. He initially gave me 80% chance of symptom relief then at best 50/50 chance and he said if it didn't resolve the issues there would be nothing more he could do.
I had mine removed laparoscopically a week ago. No one discussed anything about the op with me. I was told that the surgeon was too busy to discuss things if there had been nothing remarkable about the procedure. All I was told was that the gallbladder had been sent to histology and that if I did want some sort of feedback on the op I could ask the consultants secretary.
I still have pain in the incision areas and the area of the gallbladder itself. I am hoping this all will pass as the healing process continues.
i fully understand your wish to get some feedback and you should just press them for it to get some reassurance that you made the right decision.
When I asked my consultant what the alternative treatment option was to having my gallbladder out he replied rather unhelpfully don't have it out!
Then he added he could ship me on to an upper GI specialist.
Well if it doesn't work I'll be off to see an upper GI specialist anyway. Just because the gallbladder is gone and you are still in pain doesn't mean they can't now actually resolve the issue in another way.
Just means it's a longer road unfortunately.
My gallbladder was barely functioning according to my HIDA test so my justification to go ahead with the operation in my mind was that it doesn't work so I don't want it inside me where it could deteriorate and cause endless further serious problems. Plus any chance of relief from the constant pain and discomfort is worth the risks associated with the procedure. I would have taken it for a 20% chance.
Stay positive, take it easy, rest your body and let it heal properly and I really hope it works out positively for you.