Gallbladder removal...still sick? I'm scared for him.

[kwm2007]

I here because of my husband and what is going on with him is terrifying me.
For over two years he has been sick.  Long, long story but we have been through sinus surgery, removal of tonsils and finally gallbladder removal.
Main Symptoms: BURNING intense throat pain, unable to swallow, constant nausea and bloating, no appetite, dizziness, lack of energy, constant sinus infections, excessive mucus in throat (almost choking on it).
Some things have gone away...he is not having a difficult time swallowing anymore, the intense throat burning has subsided although at times he still gets some burning in the soft palate area.
Docs initially told him nothing was wrong with him and it was all "In his head" - ends up that he had major sinus issues and bad, bad tonsils and FINALLY determined after many tests that he had severe gastritis that could have been caused by a low functioning gallbladder.
Why am I here asking for advice???
How long should he still be sick?  It has been 3 weeks since the removal of his gallbladder and he is still bloated and sick to his stomach.  Yesterday, he said he felt better than he has in 2 years and today, he is white as a ghost and sick to his stomach again...no appetite, nausea, etc.
I'm scared of pancreatic cancer.  I know I shouldn't be because you would think at this point they would have found it somehow.  He just had gallbladder surger, if it was cancer the surgeon would have seen it, right?  He has had CT scans, he has had test, after test, after test.  His last blood tests showed some elevated liver enzymes but they were contributing that toward the Tylenol they were giving him.  
I'm thinking perhaps it could be Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction?  Could that make him this sick?  Could it be cancer?  I'm terrified and I don't know where to turn or how to help him?  The doctors here have pretty much washed their hands of the situation and just tell him to get on with his life....he can't.  It is hurting our relationship because I'm so stressed out trying to hold the house/family together (financially and emotionally).  I'm scared that I'm going to lose him.  I know that they should have seen cancer by now, right?  
Does anyone have any thoughts, words of encouragement, where I can turn????  I'm desperate and sometimes I worry that he is going to hurt himself because he is so disgusted with being sick and not being able to get help.  He has done everything the doctors have told him to do and just when we think he is getting better...bam, it hit us again?  

[Steven05]

Have you checked into chrons disease? a buddy of mine has it and he describes the symptoms almost word for word as you did.

[sunshinern140]

Oh Boy, this sounds the same, over and over.  :-(
I had my gallbladder out in Feb.  (stones)  Bile leak, stent placed, septic 103.5 temp, stent removed and have a lot of the same symptoms.  Pain in my side, pain in my right shoulder, abnormal stomach sounds, diarrhea like water, full feeling.  My Dr told me "you will get better, it will take months for your body to heal"  MMMM  Easy for him to say.  I go back to work next week, hoping I can stay on my feet for 12 hours!  Let's all keep each other posted so we can direct our physicians.  :-)  It took the Dr's 2 days to figure out I had a bile leak.  They were going to send me home and blame it on constipation post op.  
My prayers are with you and your husband.
I go see a gasto doc Monday.
Christy

[rmnevada]

My husband had his gallbladder removed the first week of September 2009. He has been short of breath, had a distended stomach, has a very flat stool, chest pain, and has thickened mucous when he swallows. He's had a CT scan, ultrasound of his stomach, colonoscopy, endoscopy, angiogram ruling out heart problems and has been to his pulmonary Dr ruling out lung problems for the shortness of breath. The Dr. that took his gallbladder out says that nothing he did would cause the symptons he has. We're going to a Gastroenterologist in two days to see what they say. He is almost to the point of not being able to work. He's gained 30 pounds without changing his diet. The colonoscopy showed some signs of Barrett's but a biopsy said no. He has some mild diverticulitis. We're getting desparate to find the problem before it becomes serious and he's disabled. He was told years ago that he had IBS.

[fedup2010]

Hi I had my gall bladder out on 18th Dec and am experiencing the same symptoms as your husband I was very fortunate that my Gp referred me to a professor of Gastrics. after numerous tests I have now been diagnosed with abnormal bowel function and I am now waiting to see a another professor who is not a surgeon to sort me out. I too have a distended stomach and hopefully am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel it has been a long hard road and there have been more bad days than good but if you would like me to let you know the name of the Professor that finally gave me a diagnosis I would be happy to pass it on.
I wish you and your husband well and hopefully it may give you some hope that you too will see the light at the end of the tunnel!XXX

[kittiesue]

KWM,
I have been fighting the same battle as your husband to some degree. I have been very sick for the last three years since I had my first gall bladder attack. I had my gall bladder removed and did not get better as I was told I would. I was the same after the surgery as before but now I had dumping syndrom on top of all the pain. I lost a lot of weight, and it seems I was tested for just about everything and they never found anything significant so I was told to just learn to deal with it and I assume they thought it was in my head. I reluctantly started taking a tricyclic antidepressant that would help block the pain signals my brain was receiving and at this point I was willing to try just about anything because I too was starting to feel very suicidal. I was desperate to escape the pain and believe me I love my life but before the antidepressant I was just about done with it. Anyway, within two weeks I did find some relief at least enough to start to function and do things for myself again and that was better than nothing. I have been on this medication for over a year now and the pain constantly breaks through and I have to again up the dose in order to get ahead of the pain. Now, I finally have gone to another doctor who ran some tests for another issue and when he could give me no answers I took the opportunity to talk to him about my upper right quadrant pain, so he agreed to send me for an MRCP which from my understanding gets a good look at the biliary tree from the liver and pancrease as well. I told the doctor before my test that if nothing shows up in this test, I would give up and accept that maybe it is in my head after all..........well the MRCP did find something. I don't understand exactly what but soon I may understand what all this pain has been for. I seem to have a stricture that is creating havac in my biliary tree, in my personal oppinion I think it has been a stone all along and I don't see the surgeon until April 6, so I will post what the doctor found and what will happen next. I feel for you and your husband, it is a very painful road when no one knows what is wrong, I almost gave up too but I found the strengh to keep fighting for my health. If he has not had an MRCP, have his ask for one, my CT showed nothing and my blood work was always good. Upper and lower GI and all that was wrong that they could find was a hiatal hernia. Good luck and I hope you find your answers soon.

Tracy

[Reruho]

I had my GB out 3 weeks ago and I have noticed my stomach making loud gurgling noises. I felt great the first few weeks,but my cramping and back pain has returned.

KWM- did your husband have stones? I had a low functioning GB without stones. My biopsy said chronic inflamation and cholesterolosis (cholesterol is deposited into the surface of the GB, instead of making a stone).

Reta

[jenny06xx]

seems so many of us have the same problems that just get dismissed by doctors i had my gallbladder removed 7 years ago when i was 18 and i still have so many problems diarrhea stomach pains and cramps from belly button upwards to ribs constant severe diarrhea weird loud gurrgling noises etc an im told the same gastritis, and  nothing we can do its a joke!!!
ive taken all the meds prescribed nothing at all works so in my opinion they are missing something!!!
im waiting to see a gastro speciallist so ill let u know how i get on (if they even bother to do any more tests)
jen

[kwm2007]

Oh, I forgot to add that he can pin point where his pain is at.....it is around the belly button and his stomach/intestines make the most awful gurgling noise