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Still Having Problems

Posted , 7 users are following.

linda282930
linda282930

I had my gallbladder removed 4 months ago but

I'm still having symptoms.I feel so sick and bloated , can't

eat , I have rib pain , pain in my upper back .

Anyone the same ? Is there anything that would ease the sick

feeling ? I'm so worried, surely this isn't right.

Would appreciate some advice .

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest linda282930

    Posted

    Hi Linda,

    I am 5 months post op and don't really have any issues now everything is settled just the odd bloat, very occasionally short lived diahorrea. I can only tell you what I did which may or may not help you.

    I returned to a normal diet from day one and kept food diary so I could pinpoint if any foods caused problems.

    I walked (and still do sometimes) 20 minutes twice a day. I find walking really helps with bloat and excessive bloating was painful for me around the rib area before surgery.

    I increased the number of times I ate per day cut out large meals and ate small amounts throughout the day.

    I increased my fruit, vegetable and fibre intake considerably. I kept to brown heavily seeded bread.

    I take peppermint capsules daily these helped me pre op with generally settling the stomach and have continued to do so post op.

    If you are worried go back to your doctor. They can easily help with the nausea. They can also eliminate some conditions that can arise after gallbladder removal for example IBS and bile malabsorption for which there is medication.

    I hope things improve for you

    Best Wishes smile

    • linda282930
      linda282930 Guest

      Posted

      Hi Snowred, I'm glad you are feeling better but unfortunately

      due to IBS and acid reflux I can't tolerate the foods you can . I can only

      manage small amounts of food at a time , e.g. mashed sweet potato

      then half a banana an hour later , no meat or veggies, then toast an hour later .

      Hi Lynda , I don't take any supplements.

      Hi Mrsoscared, it's a worrying isn't it. A baby could eat more than I can !

      I feel like my stomach has shrunk! The pain in the upper back is so painful.

      I never thought I would feel this bad after removal, I was slowly feeling better

      then I'm hit with the symptoms all over again. I will have to see my GP about referring me to a gastroenterologist as I feel so weak from lack of food .

      Have you seen a gastroenterologist ?

    • Guest
      Guest linda282930

      Posted

      Hi Linda

      If you have IBS I would recommend keeping a food diary to help identify your trigger foods. You may be cutting foods out of your diet that may possibly help in the long run if you don't know which foods cause flare ups.

      IBS like Gallbladder issues has a wide range of and varying symptoms from person to person. Go back to your doctor because there are medications that can help you both with the 24/7 nausea and also acid reflux both of which were pre op symptoms for me. I was unable to eat when I felt sick once that was controlled I was able to eat more.

      Best Wishes

    • lynda20916
      lynda20916 linda282930

      Posted

      It seems to me that you have bile acid malabsorption and perhaps a hiatal hernia.  If you have 'bam' your stools will contain a caustic yellow liquid.  That's bile being over produced by your liver.  It will cause the nausea and diarrhea.  IBS is a catch all diagnosis for many conditions that result in diarrhea.  It's really not a diagnosis at all.

      Also, you might have a hiatal hernia that's causing the pain around your breastbone.  I have one, too, and when it's bad many people believe they're having a heart attack!  

      Hopefully,  a gastroenterologist will be able to help you!  Best of luck! xx

    • linda282930
      linda282930 Guest

      Posted

      Hi Snowred , Most things trigger me , I'm on a very restricted diet now.

      I also have an hiatus hernia and take pantoprazole.

      I could eat more before I had my gallbladder removed. Seeing GP soon as

      can't go on like this , I'm virtually starving .

    • linda282930
      linda282930 lynda20916

      Posted

      Hi Lynda , I'm seeing my GP soon and I'm going to

      ask to be referred to a gastroenterologist. I don't have caustic

      yellow liquid.

    • lynda20916
      lynda20916 linda282930

      Posted

      Not having bile is actually very good news.  I have excess bile and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.  Please let us know how you get on with the gastroenterologist!  xx

  • lynda20916
    lynda20916 linda282930

    Posted

    Hi, Linda.  I'm sorry to learn that you're still having problems.  I am wondering if you are taking any ox bile, digestive enzymes or acids?  If you are, I suggest that you discontinue them and see if that helps. xx 

  • Mrsoscared
    Mrsoscared linda282930

    Posted

    Linda

    hi Linda yes I’m 6 months post opp and I’m having exactly the same symptoms as you are exactly and a couple more , it’s a worry .

    and the upper back pain starts like 5 mins after standing still !

    • ann55375
      ann55375 Mrsoscared

      Posted

      Yes im over two years post surgery.  Dr says its my nervous system but im not so sure.  Do you wake with nausea? I can eat only bland cereal breakfast and lunch. Manage small,light meal, chicken or fish by teatime. Someone suggested honeydew melon but i got the runs immediately after that, and frightened to try other fruits for same reason now.  Even if surgeon takes another look there doesnt seem to be much they can do.  The pain in centre back is excruciating when it hits.  Dr told me tto try to use liquid medications, no pills as they stick in oesophageal area and can cause pain. I dont think any of them really know whats going on, and any extra fiddling about makes no difference to people,who write about s.o.d. Ercp and mrcp. Just no answers.
    • Mrsoscared
      Mrsoscared ann55375

      Posted

      Ann

      hi ya. No I do not wake with nausea, and I agree with all you say however !

      i think you should invest in a good smoothie maker and make a smoothie first thing each day as I have probs with fruit yet I gave no probs at all with smoothies!!

      also I agree they are at a dead end on this one and don’t know what the causes are.

  • angela192
    angela192 linda282930

    Posted

    Go back to the Dr if you haven't already done so.   I can't help with the symptoms, but as regards nausea I suspect you know what things to take.   I suffer with digestive and stomach problems from time to time and find that the pressure bands you get for travel sickness helps me when I get a nauseous.  I would imagine that you would still have to be careful what you eat like before you had the operation, i.e. fatty, rich foods.  There is a drug on prescription that I take for nausea and it really works. It is called Cyclizine. All the best

  • biliarydyskines
    biliarydyskines linda282930

    Posted

    I'm very sorry to hear surgery did not resolve the problem. since surgery did not solve your problem, it seems the gallbladder was not the root cause! Did you check for celiac ? better to go with low FODMAP diet for 4 weeks to see it improves. It also seems you might have suffered with IBS earlier, so diet is key thing here. Look for  low FODMAP or IBS diet.

    • ann55375
      ann55375 biliarydyskines

      Posted

      I have been on fodmap for a year and it has helped lessen the toilet visits but not the nausea. I do not get pain, i just feel unwell and i am depressed now, the meds for that havent helped. I had ibs before the gb op but never any nausea with it, just a few bouts from time to time.  I am at a loss to,know what to do.  I eat a meal at night, usually fish or chicken with plain mash or rice.  I cannot have so many healthy vegs as not allowed on warfarin. Is this my life from now on?
    • biliarydyskines
      biliarydyskines ann55375

      Posted

      Ann - really I can feel your pain... cannot describe in words on how one feels with IBS and having digestion issues for long time.Not sure what to eat as each food causes bloating and balloon stomach for me. I even feel sometimes is it worth to live with this problems. But let's hope something works out for us.hope others will come forward and share which worked for them.

      One thing I want to empathize is , the digestion issues I have developed , the reason is none other than me, when things get better I end up a lot eating in restaurant and lot junk food. So this seems to be life long thing to follow, no other go at least to keep it under control.

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