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Right Abdominal Pain Since Gallbladder removal (worsening by day)
My wife had her gallbladder removed approx. 10 months ago after family phys. found gallbladder function at 15%. 3 days after the lap. surgery she was admitted into a local ICU for severe right side upper area pain, which has been there ever since, (no radiant travel of pain accross or down the abdominal area). The pain is located under/behind the first lower rib on her right side about 6-8 inchs from the center breast plate. On site doctors claimed that this pain was post surgical swelling and it would go away. She was given demeral drip and released after 1 1/2 days. She regularly complained of sharp pains in that area after performing physical task requiring lifting/stretching of the right side or right arm. 4 months ago the pain reached a level that required a visit to the local E.R. After X-rays and blood work, the ER physician said the pain was due to "slightly" packed bowls. A pain shot was given for pain and E.R. Dr said to take a natural laxative, she was back in the E.R. the next night for severe dehydration and original pain of right side. Since that time she has had 7 trips to the emergancy room, 8 visits to the family Dr.. There have been 6 X-rays done to the area of pain, an upper scope, a Spirral C/T scan with contrast at 3mm. An MRI of the upper and lower back area's. Numerous numbers of blood test, all of which showed nothing that the Physicians could even remotely claim to cause this pain. The only common demoniator is that the last 4 sets of X-rays showed full bowels and these 2 metal clip things attached to the area where the gallbladder was before removal. I have seen these X-rays many times and one of these clips are sticking up at approx a 20-25 degree angle. (center/0 deg angle being the right inner shoulder). The other clip (left one, if you are face to face with my wife) is lying down at a left tilt angle of aprox 45-55 deg center/0 deg being the same reference point as stated above. She has been prescribed (excuse the spelling on these) Loritab, Talwin, Oxycodon, and several other local IV's at the ER to help with the pain. This pain has really really gotten worse in the last 5 to 7 weeks. She almost cries herself to sleep everynight now due to the sharp pain in her right side. Sometimes she said its a sharp stabbing pain that turns into a burning stabbing pain. Non of which are superficial, all the pain felt can best be described as deep and under the ribs. Our physician which we changed too approx. 4 weeks ago referred us to another surgeon but warned us that surgeons dont like going back in behind other surgeons to do any additional mending/repairs. After several trips to this new family Dr. and numerous NON-returned phone messages I accidently found this web-site and figured "what the hell". So if any of you medical professionals out there reading this post has some idea's let us know. My 9 year old daughter and I will be right here by the computer watching mommy float around the room on her new drugs
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I had my gallbladder removed 3 days ago. My ultrasound had been negative but my gallbladder never showed up in my HIDA scan which was the reason for my surgery. Oh, I didnt mention that I ate an avacado and ended up in the emergency room with severe abdominal pain a week before surgery. Since surgery I have not had nausea and have had a couple of normal BMs. Tonight I ate salad with green onions and some cherries. I had the same pain I had before surgery but it did not last as long....was miserable.....right upper quad to back pain...deep like vise gripping spasms. I hope I did not have this surgery for nothing. After reading all the above I am not feeling very positive. Any thoughts?
I have a question,I have had yellow stool that burns really bad,and my stomach hurts and burns after i eat.I went to er the doc said all blood looked good,liver pancreas,all looked good did ultra sound said it looked good(dont have ins)so i didnt get the best care.Sent me homeWent to my doc monday and she did same blood test said it looked good also she said i was having to much bile ....i have never had my gallbladder took out,all i have read about this is you have to much bile if you had it took out.So why am I haveing so much bile she put me on some kind of powder that absorbs this bile and a pill to help coat my stomach...why do i have this bile prob??
Hi, I just had my gallbladder removed in June. I developed many problems post op and still have pain, burning and nausea- I was better before the surgery.
I went into the hospital about 3 weeks post-op and had several tests- all of which were negative. I am now about 8 weeks post-op.
I have a history of allergic reaction to titanium implants. I fractured my ankle 5 years ago- had too many problems to go into ---but the doctor had determined, a year later, that I had osteomyelitis and I had a scheduled debridement and hardware removal done 11 months after the fracture. They discovered that I did not have an infection. I had inflammation due to the metal implants - and it was determined I was allergic to them.
Now, this doctor that took my gallbladder out knew that I was allergic to metal implants. I only saw him the week before surgery----never again- not even when I was in the ER after the surgery. It was in my medical chart that I was allergic to metal. He never told me he was implanting metal clips in me. If I had been told, I would have ensured that would not have happened. But, I was not informed.
The second admission to the hospital is when my internal medicine doctor finally asked the gallbladder surgeon if he had used metal clips for closure and sure enough- he had. I did not know until then.
I am now going to see another surgeon and demand that they be removed. In this case, I knew I was allergic to titanium, he knew too and still he used the clips.
But, others here may have the same problem- a metal allergy.
I found a website http://www.melisa.org/ that tests specifically for metal allergy. It is more common than you think.
I am just starting this fight and I hope that the new surgeon will remove the clips. I am now aware that other things have metal in them(such as dental fillings) and I will look into that also as I have several autoimmune disorders that could be linked to metal allergy.
Hope that the website helps for some here.
Kathy
I went into the hospital about 3 weeks post-op and had several tests- all of which were negative. I am now about 8 weeks post-op.
I have a history of allergic reaction to titanium implants. I fractured my ankle 5 years ago- had too many problems to go into ---but the doctor had determined, a year later, that I had osteomyelitis and I had a scheduled debridement and hardware removal done 11 months after the fracture. They discovered that I did not have an infection. I had inflammation due to the metal implants - and it was determined I was allergic to them.
Now, this doctor that took my gallbladder out knew that I was allergic to metal implants. I only saw him the week before surgery----never again- not even when I was in the ER after the surgery. It was in my medical chart that I was allergic to metal. He never told me he was implanting metal clips in me. If I had been told, I would have ensured that would not have happened. But, I was not informed.
The second admission to the hospital is when my internal medicine doctor finally asked the gallbladder surgeon if he had used metal clips for closure and sure enough- he had. I did not know until then.
I am now going to see another surgeon and demand that they be removed. In this case, I knew I was allergic to titanium, he knew too and still he used the clips.
But, others here may have the same problem- a metal allergy.
I found a website http://www.melisa.org/ that tests specifically for metal allergy. It is more common than you think.
I am just starting this fight and I hope that the new surgeon will remove the clips. I am now aware that other things have metal in them(such as dental fillings) and I will look into that also as I have several autoimmune disorders that could be linked to metal allergy.
Hope that the website helps for some here.
Kathy
I just wanted to ask anyone who has gotten their gallbladder removed. I got mine on May 8,2006. The first week I couldn't move I had such sharp pains everywhere especially buy my collar bone. I called the doctor and she said it was gas. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced. Now and again I still have really bad gas problems, it seems like I have gas problems really bad now, I have to walk a lot to fix the gas and to loosen it up. I always get really bad pains in my stomach and I have needed to take my phenergan even after my surgery. The cut me in four spots and on one if my scars theirs a bubble on the top of it. The bubble hurts and itches sometimes....Does anyone else have these problems?
oh and I forgot to mention, it almost feels like there is something 'hanging' inside of me where they went in. Maybe that's the clips??
I just had surgery about 3 or 4 weeks ago. gallbladder removed, and next day we found that they had to go in and get some stones out of my bile duct. I was in the hospital for almost a week for the two surgerys. I have a burning sensation in my upper right abdomen with the same pain as everyone else has stated. Under the lower right rib. Especially when breathing. Or making a turn while driving also aggravates it. I have my good days and I have my bad days, today happens to be a bad day. I doubt highly that I have celiac disease, because most of what I have been eating is salad and candy bars lately lol. I have had only one normal bowel movement since leaving the hospital. Mostly it's liquidy.
I feel bloated. Like I have a basketball inside me most of the time. And my skin feels like it's going to pop open any minute around my belly. When I'm bloated like this where they went in on my belly button definately hurts, probably due to the stretching of the skin around the incision. the surgery was done through laparascope. When I cough, sneeze, even laugh at times the pain in my side under my rib is almost like a knife going through it. It's above the incision, kind of between the one on the far right and upper right. Imagine it's where the gallblader was. I've only taken pain pills one night when I was at work because I don't like how they make me feel. So basically, I just deal with the pain when it comes on.
I feel bloated. Like I have a basketball inside me most of the time. And my skin feels like it's going to pop open any minute around my belly. When I'm bloated like this where they went in on my belly button definately hurts, probably due to the stretching of the skin around the incision. the surgery was done through laparascope. When I cough, sneeze, even laugh at times the pain in my side under my rib is almost like a knife going through it. It's above the incision, kind of between the one on the far right and upper right. Imagine it's where the gallblader was. I've only taken pain pills one night when I was at work because I don't like how they make me feel. So basically, I just deal with the pain when it comes on.
1) If you still have pain after the surgery, tell your doctor, and explain as clearly as possible. If your doctor dismisses you, see a different one.
Of course surgeons don't like to operate to fix other surgeons' mistakes -- but that's more about wishing the first surgeon hadn't made a mistake in the first place, not about refusing service! It is more difficult to operate after someone else, but surgeons are there to help you, and the won't refuse to operate, or even hesitate, if the reason for operation is fixing a mistake a previous surgeon made. A surgeon a friend's mom saw said that he wished he had been the first to operate, but he hopes he'll be the last.
2) Contrary to Chris33's comments, I have to state that gallstones form in the liver, and that liver flushes are of little benefit. Gallstones form in the gallbladder, and liver flushes can be very dangerous, and are unlikely to rid the gallbladder of stones, unless you have very few, and they are very small. (The ducts that the gallbladder is connected to are only a few milimeters in diameter.)
3) Cholecystectomy should not result in significant changes to your gastrointestional health. The body adapts to not having a gallbladder. (Horses and some other animals do not even have them.) If you have extreme symptoms or pain after your gallbladder is removed, you should make an appointment and TELL YOUR SURGEON, because it is not standard, nor is anything you should have to live with. These extreme symptoms are likely due to another illness (that may or may not have existed before gallbladder removal), or, very very rarely, a mistake made during surgery.
4) The clips used in the surgery are generally made of titanium, though absorbable clips exist. It is definitely a shame that the only way patients learn that there will be clips left inside them is through their own research or discovery from x-rays. However, titanium is inert to the body, and various research has shown that patients who receive absorbable clips have the same post surgical outcome as those who receive titanium clips. Of course, it's possible that there are people who have reactions to titanium. (Again, if this exists, it's extremely, extremely, rare.).
Of course surgeons don't like to operate to fix other surgeons' mistakes -- but that's more about wishing the first surgeon hadn't made a mistake in the first place, not about refusing service! It is more difficult to operate after someone else, but surgeons are there to help you, and the won't refuse to operate, or even hesitate, if the reason for operation is fixing a mistake a previous surgeon made. A surgeon a friend's mom saw said that he wished he had been the first to operate, but he hopes he'll be the last.
2) Contrary to Chris33's comments, I have to state that gallstones form in the liver, and that liver flushes are of little benefit. Gallstones form in the gallbladder, and liver flushes can be very dangerous, and are unlikely to rid the gallbladder of stones, unless you have very few, and they are very small. (The ducts that the gallbladder is connected to are only a few milimeters in diameter.)
3) Cholecystectomy should not result in significant changes to your gastrointestional health. The body adapts to not having a gallbladder. (Horses and some other animals do not even have them.) If you have extreme symptoms or pain after your gallbladder is removed, you should make an appointment and TELL YOUR SURGEON, because it is not standard, nor is anything you should have to live with. These extreme symptoms are likely due to another illness (that may or may not have existed before gallbladder removal), or, very very rarely, a mistake made during surgery.
4) The clips used in the surgery are generally made of titanium, though absorbable clips exist. It is definitely a shame that the only way patients learn that there will be clips left inside them is through their own research or discovery from x-rays. However, titanium is inert to the body, and various research has shown that patients who receive absorbable clips have the same post surgical outcome as those who receive titanium clips. Of course, it's possible that there are people who have reactions to titanium. (Again, if this exists, it's extremely, extremely, rare.).
I have been sitting here reading everyone
First off, I work in surgery, so for you who are concerned about the clips, let me explain how they work. I am not discounting the possibility that you may be allergic to the metal clips, but that's is how the procedure is done. The gallbladder has to be disconnected from the bile duct, and the cystic artery. Once these 2 are identified, they are clipped and cut. If they are not clipped, you would either bleed to death, or you would become septic and die from all the bile leaking into your system. The only other alternative is to be cut on( a huge cut across your upper abdomen,and the gallbladder taken out that way, in which case the duct and artery can be tied off with absorable suture( surgeons sometimes still use the clips even in an open procedure).
Second of all, Gallstones are not formed in the gallbladder, they are formed in the liver. If you are suffering from gallstones, and have your gallbladder removed, and are still having the same symptoms, then you have not rid yourself of the gallstones in your liver, and you will continue to hurt, and experience the same problems. Even if you have no stones in your gallbladder, chances that you have them in your liver are pretty good, you must have them removed. I have suffered with gallstones since early this year, and are scheduled for gallbladder surgery friday at noon. The reason? For years I have ate what I wanted to, and disregarded the implications of such irresponsible beharior. My gallbadder functions at 32%. If you are still suffering, please try this. Go to www.************ liver and gallbladder cleanse, and go to DR Clarks recipe for ridding your body of gallstones. I give you my word it works, as my ultrasound today proved, I had no gallstones. I have done his cleanse 5 times, and rid my body of at least 1000 gallstones, now I just have the pain of a non functioning gallbladder. the ingredients for the cleanse are less than 20 bucks, and might solve your pain problems. Good luck. I can be reached at ***@**** if you have any questions. God speed on your healing.
Second of all, Gallstones are not formed in the gallbladder, they are formed in the liver. If you are suffering from gallstones, and have your gallbladder removed, and are still having the same symptoms, then you have not rid yourself of the gallstones in your liver, and you will continue to hurt, and experience the same problems. Even if you have no stones in your gallbladder, chances that you have them in your liver are pretty good, you must have them removed. I have suffered with gallstones since early this year, and are scheduled for gallbladder surgery friday at noon. The reason? For years I have ate what I wanted to, and disregarded the implications of such irresponsible beharior. My gallbadder functions at 32%. If you are still suffering, please try this. Go to www.************ liver and gallbladder cleanse, and go to DR Clarks recipe for ridding your body of gallstones. I give you my word it works, as my ultrasound today proved, I had no gallstones. I have done his cleanse 5 times, and rid my body of at least 1000 gallstones, now I just have the pain of a non functioning gallbladder. the ingredients for the cleanse are less than 20 bucks, and might solve your pain problems. Good luck. I can be reached at ***@**** if you have any questions. God speed on your healing.
Hi. Really glad to read your post regarding post-gall bladder problems and Celiac. I think a lot of people think I am nuts when I tell them that an intolerance to certain foods can cause so much havoc in the body. It is estimated that 1 in 150 people have Celiac disease, or at the least gluten intolerance. I think a large percentage of these people develop gall bladder problems and subsequent post-surgery problems and have no idea why. Some of them go for years, suffering and looking for answers. So glad to read that you resolved your problems. I have been on the gluten free diet for about 5 weeks now and am starting to notice real improvement. I wish more people on this thread would take our advise and get checked out for Celiac and gluten intolerance.
Hello Everyone,
The first word that comes to mind is "validation!" I have just read all about my pain. As with most of you, I have been told scar tissue, IBS, possible stones still in, and/or results after GB surgery. I fortunately, do not have as severe pain as alot you. I am sorry that you are going thru this.
I just injured my back and had to have an xray, when I learned almost three years later, that I have a surgical clip in my body. I was shocked! During my post op visit, I mentioned this pain, as well as other symptoms. I now know in my heart that it is caused by this clip.
I am very interested in learning about these metal clips -- I read all the posts and noticed several people mentioned them. Has anyone done research? If so, have you gotten anywhere? I would love to learn more about them.
I certainly wish I would have had an option of metal or plastic. I didn't even know until today I had one. Oh my! My email address is ***@**** If someone has information regarding the clips, again, I would love to learn about it. Thanks again for the validation. I am so grateful to have found this site.
The first word that comes to mind is "validation!" I have just read all about my pain. As with most of you, I have been told scar tissue, IBS, possible stones still in, and/or results after GB surgery. I fortunately, do not have as severe pain as alot you. I am sorry that you are going thru this.
I just injured my back and had to have an xray, when I learned almost three years later, that I have a surgical clip in my body. I was shocked! During my post op visit, I mentioned this pain, as well as other symptoms. I now know in my heart that it is caused by this clip.
I am very interested in learning about these metal clips -- I read all the posts and noticed several people mentioned them. Has anyone done research? If so, have you gotten anywhere? I would love to learn more about them.
I certainly wish I would have had an option of metal or plastic. I didn't even know until today I had one. Oh my! My email address is ***@**** If someone has information regarding the clips, again, I would love to learn about it. Thanks again for the validation. I am so grateful to have found this site.
I had my gallbladder removed almost 20 years ago. I continue to have a variety of digestive problems - after many visit to various health care professionals and no definitive solutions I realized that the only person who really cared enough about the situation and about me, was ME. Thus began my research, and I was the guinea pig - after about 4 years of suffering with IBS Symptoms (I had been oh so regular before my surgery), I learned about Celiac Disease and eliminated gluten from my diet - Huge change! Little by little I began to understand that my wellness was my responsiblity, this did not mean I ceased to seek professional advice, but that in addition to that I had to be constantly aware of what I put into my body. Here's what worked for me - No wheat, or gluten containing products - read the label, only low-fat dairy products in moderation, no red meat , fruits and vegetables, lots of water- use caution with vitamins - multivitamins are risky because you just don't know which ones are upsetting your system. Walk everyday, become mindful of your breathing and your posture, invite the oxygen into the places that hurt (I know this sounds "new agey", but I'm not, and it works!) Avoid stress (ok, try to avoid stress), get enough sleep - Taking care of ourselves is a privilege, not a task, love yourself enough to do the work. Good Luck
Hi. Just responding to your comments about Celiac. I realize that not all Celiacs will have gall bladder problems. The symptoms are so varied, so people tend to look at their own situation and think that's how all Celiacs are. I have researched on the net and if Celiac (or gluten intolerance) goes undiagnosed in an adult, it will start to affect your other organs such as gall bladder, pancreas, bile ducts, etc. This is why some people get gall stones or a malfunctioning gall bladder. The gall bladder is removed but the pain continues and often, GI symptoms such as diahrea will get worse. I have a friend who has Celiac and she never had any problems with her gall bladder. However, I do and I have read of other people who had the same pain most people on this thread are complaining about and it ended up being Celiac, gluten intolerance or some other food allergy. I really think it is worth looking into. I just really hope that I can help someone out there who is suffering after gall bladder surgery. And by the way, if anyone gets blood tests done for Celiac, even if they come back negative, that doesn't mean you don't have it. Some people get diagnosed through intestinal biopsy or gene testing. Best wishes to all of you.
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