Still Feeling Sick 5 Weeks After Gallbladder Removal
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi everyone,
I am almost 5 1/2 weeks post op from my GB being taken out. some back story on me. i had been feeling nauseous on and off for the last 3 years. usually it would go away. This past time it wouldnt. i stopped being able to hold anything down.
On September 22 of this year, my husband took me to the ER. they ran tests, and did a CT scan and they found gallstones. they sent me home with Phenagren for the severe nausea i was having and i was told to call a surgeon first thing Monday morning. 2 days later, i still wasnt any better, the Phenagren wasnt working, and the nurse my husband talked to said that we should bypass all of that and go back to the ER. So we go to the downtown branch of the hospital in our city. they ran more tests, did another CT scan and X Rays and then the surgeon came by soon after and said i was gonna have to have my GB taken out. Not only i had stones, one of the walls started thickening. So i had surgery that night on 9/24/18.
I went though surgery easy, i had it done laposcopily. After though my nightmare continued. Still had the constant nausea, and throwing up. They sent me home 2 days later with Zofran which has not helped either. I was out of work for 3 weeks. After 2 weeks i started to have some good days with no nausea, but that was short lived.
Currently i have the constant nausea, throwing up, i go back and forth between diarhera and consipation. Its usually worse in the morning, but now im experiencing 24/7 sickness. I usually throw up bile in the morning, and my D is yellow when i have it. i have tried Zofran, Phenagren, different home remedys like DGL, sea bands, ginger capsules. Nothing helps. When i was at the ER yesterday, the doctor suggested i try vitamin B6 and half a Unisom. He said pregnant women have success with it. Im not pregnant, but im desprate so i tried it. So far it hasnt worked on me. He said he cant prescribe something stronger than Zofran cause there wasnt anything stronger. I am also taking Tagamet for heartburn i get. I used to take prilosec but it stopped working.
Ive been in and out of the ER twice in the last 5 weeks. They have ran tests but my bloodwork comes back normal. i have only worked 1 week in the last 5 weeks. i was supposed to start a new job this friday, but i pushed that back a week. i cant work in this condition.
I have a appointment with a GI doctor in 2 weeks so maybe she can help me. i dont have insurance right now so i dont know how we are gonna pay for everything.
I feel myself trying to get depressed, and im clawing and kicking and scratching to not fall in that hole, but i can feel myself losing ground. My husband is excellent. He is at my side when hes not working. Hes talking about getting a 2nd job if im out of work for awhile. I dont want him to burn out though. If only this nausea would leave me alone! Thank God our 2 kids are older and can take care of themselves. They are 11 and 15.
Right now i am eating a low fat diet like turkey sandwiches, tuna, brown rice, chicken without the skin, pretzels, applesauce, and drinking water, pedilyte, and powerade.
I pray to God everyday to save me from this nightmare. I wouldnt wish this on anyone. i mostly just sit in the living room. i cant focus on anything hardly. I know i must have a positive attituide but its so hard knowing you are gonna wake up still sick.
Ive been reading on this forum so it gives me comfort to know im not alone. Sorry if this turned into a book, but i had a lot bottled up. I pray we all feel better on this forum. I just want to wake up one morning and this all be over. Take care.
Shannon
0 likes, 12 replies
Guest shannon72303
Posted
Hi Shannon58133 I have not had mine removed yet but I do feel for you.
The one thing you need to understand is, that without the Gall Bladder the Bile the Liver would pass to the GB for storage when you eat, is now continually dropping into you intestine. Thus as when you had the Gall Bladder, Diet is still key to your wellness and from what I have seen on YouTube once you have recovered from the surgery you MAY still be limited to what you can eat but keeping in mind, bile is flowing whether you eat or not now. I am not a Dr but Anti Acid meds may help you. Hopefully you will get replies from people in your position and I wish you well, as you say this is not a nice thing to live with.
shannon72303 Guest
Posted
Hi Julian
I pray you do not have to go through this when you have your GB out. I just fell in the percent that is having a lot of problems. I am coming up on 6 weeks post op and everyday is different. I used to take prilosec and at first it helped, then it stopped. I just started taking Nexium yesterday so I pray that it helps. I have a GI appointment in 12 days so im hoping to have more answers.
Shannon
Guest shannon72303
Posted
Hi Shannon, I pray regularly trust me (literally) when at my worst I needed God like at no other time I was that desperate, I still pray.
I can honestly say I was 100% convinced to have mine out but after listening to folks on this site I do wonder. I am lucky (if you can call it lucky) that so far I have no visible stones in my GB. However there is a big discrepancy between what I was shown and told on the Ultrasound test and the final report back to my Drs. This FORCED me to then research the truth about The Gall Bladder and this is where I am at now. If the Gall Bladder has to come out then so be it, that is out of my control but reading the many post in here, it backs up my own research that the body DOES NEED the Gall Bladder, so now I am only 70% sure. As I am at the moment I could carry on living without much of a problem. ALL I want is the HIDA test to prove that the GB is functioning and I believe it is but I cannot be sure. The reasoning for me saying that is whatever is wrong with me I can control by diet at the moment, what scares me is, I have been ill with this longer than what I thought and I'm wondering if this has brought other things into dis function such as the Pancreas and the Liver are both associated.
I know my mother after having hers out is on anti acid treatment and she still cannot eat certain foods! However she also has other issues related to the Gall Bladder even before extraction.
This web site was just a big relief for me to see other people suffer as I did or do. My Drs were of NO help and the Consultant I saw at the Hospital I could have throttled! If I was suffering as I was in Dec/Jan I would be 100% sure I want it out. So I have got to wait until next January before I even get back into the system of care.
I do want to say Shannon that 6 weeks post op is not long for recovery you need longer than that. If you read other post in here most say up to 5 months. I think we all want everything to be better like right now but you have had an Organ taken out and your body has got to adjust accordingly.So you are in my thoughts when I pray now to.
shannon72303 Guest
Posted
I have learned more from this forum than i have from regular doctors! i found this forum when i was 2 days post op. i read and read, then decided to sign up for a account. My doctor didnt tell me any of the risks after you have the surgery. The surgeon was puzzled why i still had the nausea and throwing up after at my follow up appointment and they told me they didnt know and maybe i should go back to the ER!
Unfornitly I had to have mine out, and it was emergency surgery. i had stones and one of the walls started thickening. i never had a pain attack, my symptoms were the nausea and throwing up. i should have taken care of it 3 years ago when my symptoms started, but the nausea would come and go so i didnt think anything of it. i would have the nausea for weeks, then it would disappear for months. this last time though was worse and i stopped being able to eat. It was probably God giving me a kick in the pants saying hey you need to get this looked at.
You are right that i still need to rest. ive also read on here that it mostly takes people 3-6 months before they feel better. i was hoping it would take me shorter though. i would give anything to be normal again. I have to keep telling myself that im doing better than i was 6 weeks ago and i have to take it day by day.
i hope you are having a good day.
Shannon
Guest shannon72303
Posted
Well Shannon that's exactly what happened to me but now you have had yours out, you should be on the way to recovery and I hope that is all it is that is wrong. Praying your well soon, Julian
linda282930 shannon72303
Posted
Shannon , you sound like me except mine is stomach cramps and diarhea.
I just sit watching telly most days because I feel exhausted from lack of food.
I find Turkey and chicken too fattyfor me so I mostly eat potato with a tiny amount
Of low fat cheese . Hope we both start getting better soon because
this isn't living !
shannon72303 linda282930
Posted
Hi Linda
It stinks doesnt it? I was healthy before all these problems with my GB. I have definitly learned not to take my health for granted. Did you ever have nausea? If only this nausea would leave me alone! How far are you post op? I am almost 6 weeks. I am hoping that i get answers when i have my GI appointment in 12 days. None of the anti nausea meds are working.
Do you also get a lot of anxiety? I have found myself getting anxiety everyday. It causes me to shake.
I continue to pray everyday that this nausea goes. I cant heal right if i cant eat right.
Its funny i used to want to be a stay at home mom and now i would give anything to be able to go to work.
I hope you continue to heal and God will give us and everyone else having problems their miracle.
Shannon
shannon72303
Posted
update on me:
i am almost 7 weeks post op. Monday will be 7 weeks. The nausea is still coming and going. I usually wake up around 8am before the nausea starts and i have found if i take the Zofran and Phenagren both at the same time, it takes the nausea away. My husband asked the pharmacist and he said it was ok to take both. Then i will go back to sleep for a few hours. Sometimes i have to take another dose, sometimes i dont. For the past few days, i have been having nothing but loose stools when i go. Still have to force myself to eat during the day as i have no appetite. I have a lot of burping still. I take a milk thistle capsule at night along with a nexium.
My biggest thing is i have been having major issues with anxiety and depression. i try to have a positive attitude, but most days that ends up going out the window. i cry everyday, sometimes i dont even know what for. i dont really know how to describe it. Its a heavy feeling that comes over me and settles in my soul. Its worse in the morning, and gradually lessens during the day. I know im not alone, i have family and friends, but i feel alone if that makes any sence. i feel like im a burden on my family because i cant work right now. My husband and other family have told me that im not, im just recovering, and i want to believe them, but somewhere is that disconnect in my brain so i dont. i just lay in bed and watch tv. its gross but tonight was the first night in 2 weeks that i took a bath. Thats how much this depression has a hold on me. i get perinold that something will happen to my husband when hes at work. he calls me when he gets to work, on his lunch, and when he gets off. if he doesnt, then i start texting him. I didnt have any of this before the surgery. i tend to worry, but never this bad.
My husband has been excellent through all this. he tells me that he wont accept this version of me cause he knows deep down the real me will come back soon. He prays daily that it will happen.
I pray that God will take this and settle everything soon. I go to the GI doctor on Wednesday so hopefully i will get answers cause i will eventually run out of the anti nausea meds in a couple of weeks. i need to go back to work. i want my life back, i want the depression gone.
shannon72303
Posted
well i just left the GI doctors office. i had to have bloodwork done that they didnt do at the ER. plus i have to have a MRI done. she said they will probably call me by the end of the week to schedule. she looked at the ultrasound and she said it looks like my duct is dialated so i could still have a stone stuck or sludge. i should have the lab results back in a few days and i go back to the GI doc next month. She also put me on Carafate. So i guess a step in the right direction. hopefully the Carafate can provide relief.
shannon72303
Edited
ok new update on me. i got a call from my GI doctor tonight. she said my lab tests came back and i have C Diff which is a infection of the colon. she believes that is causing all my problems. i did look it up and it can cause flu like symptoms. she called in a antibiotic that i have to pick up tomorrow and take that 3 times a day for the next couple of weeks. i pray that this is the problem and i will be feeling better soon. she did say to hold off on getting the MRI. i will be updating in the next few days.
erica22668 shannon72303
Posted
Just wanted to check up on you and see how you are doing. i am having similar issues and i am 2.5 weeks post op. calling my surgeon today to see what help they can give me.
matt47206 shannon72303
Posted
Hi Shannon. You should look into a functional diagnostic practitioner. I suspect you are dealing with some fat malabsorption and bile issues. They will help in that area. Probably need fiber supplement before bed to soak up the bile until your body adjusts. A FDN-P will help you more than likely.