Pain in right side with nausea

[curiouslouis]

My wife had her gallbladder removed about 5 years ago.  For the last year and a half she's had bouts of nausea and pain just below the rib cage on her right side.  These symptoms are usually accompanied by belching but w/o any signs of indigestion.  She says her belches taste like the smell of feces (literally).  Leaning forward or pressing in on her right side just below her rib cage seems to give some relief.  Sometimes resting on her right side or stomach is uncomfortable.  Nausea & pain medicine usually helps her until the symptoms subside which may be several days.  It seems as if the bouts are becoming more frequent and lasting longer.

What conditions would you suspect?

[CalGal]

It's wonderful to know she's doing better. I'm sure that's a relief to the both of you.

[curiouslouis]

Sorry about not following up sooner.  To be honest, I had forgotten that I had posted here.  However, I feel I should give an update in the hopes that it may help someone else.

My wife eventually was able to go to a gastroenterologist in Temple, TX.  They diagnosed her with Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction.  They performed an ERCP and cut the sphincter muscle which allowed the bile to release into her small intestine.  About a couple of months later she started having the same symptoms again.  She went back and they did another ERCP and found scar tissue.  The stretched the sphincter muscle and this resolved the issue.  Thankfully, she has not had any more trouble.

[CalGal]

It might be a good time to check in with your doctor. There can be on-going issues with the biliary system even after the gallbladder is removed. Problems can occur immediately afterward, or can happen several years later. You may want to request some testing to be done to visualize the biliary tree and the structures involved. That would be a start.

[curiouslouis]

I forgot to mention, she's 41, she had a complete historectomy about 11 years ago, and is of average weight.