Hello all! I had my gallbladder removed January 31, 08 and I've felt worse than ever and I’m only 18 years old! Before getting sick with gallstones the only health problems I have are high blood pressure and i'm overweight. I go through some pain-free periods (don't last long at all) and then weeks of never ending pain!! I have been to the doctor many times, been for an upper GI and a colonoscopy and both came up negative for anything. I still have constant nausea, diarrhea, and frequent vomiting. The other day I kept vomiting up yellowish colored stuff that tasted like acid or bile and couldn't keep anything down. I constantly have pains in my upper abdomen and sometimes (mostly in the mornings) I have "attacks" that feel like someone is ripping my stomach and punching it from the inside. In the past week or so I've also been dizzy-feeling and extremely SLEEPY and tired constantly! I'm thinking maybe I should go back to the doctor again but every time I do they never give me anything for pain or diagnose me with anything. PLEASE HELP ME! I feel like giving up, I'm in constant pain and I feel like everyone around me is sick of me complaining about it and I'm always in an ill mood because I hurt so bad and I feel like doing nothing besides sitting around all day. It's interfering with my entire life! THANKS FOR LISTENING and if anyone has any advice I would love to hear from you!

please go back to your doctor and keep pestering them if you have to, could you take someone, who knows what you've been going through, with you to back you up. you shouldn't be suffering like this.

i got my gb out last july and didn't feel completely normal until september. I had a low grade fever, nausea, diarrhea, etc. my doctor kept saying i should have felt better but i didn't. If you are having that much pain you need to go back and demand an ultrasound, see if a stone got caught in a duct. Otherwise, this could just be your body's reaction to a traumatic surgery.

I'm in the same boat... I had surgery January 18th and I couldn't agree more with you. My upper abdomen feels the same way, constant pressure, bloating, burning and nausea. My stomach is hard as a rock too. I just joined WWatcher's to get this weight off, and I can't even eat my daily points. I drink a cup of broth and I feel like I ate a four course meal. I honestly do not know what to do myself. I'm so tired of tests and specialists. Let me know what you've decided to do.

First of all, thanks for all of your replies everyone!! Knowing other people are having the same problems atleast lets me feel like i'm not all alone!! So the latest is: I called my Dr. and told them I was still getting sick and having severe diahherea! They are sent me for blood work (about my 10th time lol) and tomorrow I'm having a procedure called "gastric emptying" performed. They think what may be causing my stomach pains and constant nausea and vomiting may be because my stoamch isn't digesting my food in the amount of time it should..or the oppisite--that my stomach is digesting it too fast. It is a simple procedure where I have to eat a egg sandwich with radioactive material in it and they take pictures of my stomach with a scanner like thing every 15 minutes and watch and observe the digesting process in my stomach. In a way I hope this is what is wrong with me so I can move on with my life ya know?? I mean not saying that I want to have this but they can treat it so...wish me luck. I won't find out the results until Tuesday so I'll post back later! thanks again!

Lots of Luck and keep us informed. :)

Today I found out my results and I was borderline for the Gastroparesis (late digestion of food) and I was prescribed Reglan to help my stomach digest the food. They think this is what was causing my extreme bouts of vomiting and stomach pains so I hope that this helps me! I'm going to start taking it tomorrow so I'll keep posting on if it works. As for the chest pains I was having (not sure if I mentioned it in my first post) they determined that I have a condition known as Costochondritis which is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. The condition causes localized chest pain that you can reproduce by pushing on the cartilage in the front of your ribcage. Costochondritis is a relatively harmless condition and usually goes away without treatment. But he said after getting my stomach condition squared away he would start me on inflammatory drugs for that if it keeps persisting... such as Naproxen? But wouldn't prescribe them now because meds like that cause vomiting and nausea and since I've already been dealing with that he didn't want to make it worse! Thanks for support! :)

I have had 15 months of URQ stomach pain that radiates to the back along with the runs!! Everything under the sun came back negative. CT's HIDA, Ultrasounds, bloods and bloods, gastric emptying etc etc. I have been given IBS as the great Dx. I gave up and went to a surgeon he would not remove my gallbladder unless I had another endoscopy which I did. That did show mild gastritis and a small Hiatal Hernia but nothing more. So I had my gallbladder out on April 7th. I was feeling better until yesteray then that old familiar pain started up. Today, I had some chicken for lunch and I thought I was going to die. I had the most unbearable pain and vomiting. I thought I was having a heart attack, it was very bile like and yellow. I have never had pain as bad. I was going to call 911 but then kept thinking how stupid I would look once again showing up at the ER with pain. Anyway, has anyone experienced this? Will this get better? Even though all my tests were negative the pathology rport did say my gallbladder was inflamed. Any help would be appreciated.
Sisty

It's now been 3 months since my surgery, and I still feel like food is just sitting in my esophogus and upper abdomen. I have good and bad days though. I don't vomit, but I do have nausea. I've just recently joined Weight Watchers, and it seems that since I'm losing weight, some of the issues aren't so persistent. Unfortunately, I cannot afford any more Dr's bills right now, and just have to deal w/ it. I wish I could offer some great diagnosis, but I'm still looking too. Good luck. Paula

Sisty,
When was your GB removed? I was well for a week or so after removal then I was worse than before it all started... for months. I had no stones, but my gallbladder wasn't functioning at all (HIDA EF was 0%). When removed they said it was inflamed. From reading the board and my own experience I do not think removing the GB is that great of an idea. I never had URQ pain, always lower left which worsened after the removal. I am doing better these days, but I'd say maybe the same as before investigating my illness. I am having less cramping attacks and now have a dull pressure pain in ULQ, just left of center at the bottom of my sternum. Like the last poster I am tapped out due to medical bills so for now I am ignoring it. Some days it's bad but most it just feels like someone is pressing their fingers into me there. Of course the doctors made me feel like I was insane for saying I was WORSE after the GB removal so besides the money I am done with them treating me like I'm an idiot.

So to answer your question, it gets worse before it gets better. Keep eating low fat (I still eat less than 6-8g per meal). I stopped losing weight, so that's a good thing! There was a point in time during all the pain and weight loss that I thought I was dying.

Another issue related with all of this is a problem with your biliary system. It could be narrowed or blocked. Also Sphincter of Oddi is another problem a lot face after GB removal. If mine gets worse I will eventual seek out these options.

Good luck to you.

Thanks ZoeGirl, I had mine out 2 weeks ago last Monday. I am so afraid right now I really thought I was going to get my life back.
I hope it gets better.
Sisty

I hate to tell you this, but yes, the first week was great.. then I had the same symptoms prior to surgery for about 4.5 months. I lost 40lbs total too. I wasted a lot of money seeing doctors and I think maybe I just had to ride it out. Seems a lot of people have problems for a few months then get well. Maybe it's just the body re-adjusting to not having a GB. Eat low low fat and I hope you feel better soon.

I got my GB removed on Jan. 16th, and have been now diagnosed with GERD, Gastritis, IBS and now Diverticulosis. I have worked 4 1/2 weeks this entire year and I am now told to go to Mayo to attend the pain clinic as my body won't accept traditional prescription medicines. I have started 1000mg orange peel extract for my GERD/Gastritis, and soluable fiber for the IBS/Diverticulosis, but still cannot seem to digest things right. I am about to lose my job and the doctor says if you can't go, don't stress over it. They are not carrying the insurance/bills. I've been in the hospital for 22 days this year to hear, see another doctor. Anyone else experiencing such extreme gastro symptoms since having their GB out? :confused:

I am sorry that you do not feel well. I had my GB out on April 16. I was beginning to think that I was all alone or going crazy. Then I stumbled on this site. It has been very helpful to know that I am neither alone nor crazy. I have ghost pain as if the GB is still there. When I try to exercise or go for walks, the pain gets really bad! How is it possible that there are such after effects and the doctors don't have a clue?

I walked to the other room after 2 days, then on day 3 I walked around the dining room table, then on day 4 I walked around the family room, day 5 I felt much better... went to the mailbox... bad mistake... spent day 7,8,9 in bed. Day 10 I drove (for the first time) that was kind of fun. Just went about a mile. Now I am walking around the house again. I think I will try walking around the block tomorrow. Wish me luck... I am hoping that if I continue to walk and refuse to let this get me, maybe I will be able to overcome the pain.

The thought of losing some weight is fabulous (lol) I could really use it..

Thanks again for being there for me.

Let me know if there is a sudden miracle cure for this after pain.

Having pain just from walking doesn't sound normal to me. Physical activity was fine for me, it was overall cramping/eating that I had a problem with. Unless you didn't have laparoscopy, then I'd say physical activity would take weeks to build up to.

I had my gallbladder out 5 weeks ago. After 4 weeks I was able to stop taking pain medicine then about 2 days ago I started having painful cramping all over my abdomen. I am having an ultrasound tomorrow as my surgeon said it is possible I may have a stone blocking a duct somewhere. Has anyone else had this experience? The cramping is pretty severe and is not letting up. I am wondering what I will have to do to get relief.

For me it has been 1 year and 2 months since my lap-chole.

Recovery was fairly quick. I was sore, and did have some severe dizziness, which turned out to be my BP dropping too low. After the surgery, I was able to cut my BP meds in half for some reason.

It has taken a long time for my body to adjust, and I still have bad stretches, like this week, with: moderate to severe bloating, burping, diarrhea, URQ and back pain, excessive gas, dizziness/foggy head, frequent urination, and the list goes on... I have had IBS my whole life so you have to take that into account as well.

I have found that exercise, even mild to moderate walking, is absolutely crucial to keep things relatively normal for me. Still, I have to watch my fat intake, even good fats (Omega-3's), or I'll be in trouble.

My "killer" foods:


Egg yolks
Chocolate
Too much fat, even salmon, but especially dark meat chicken, chicken skin, beef and pork
Deep-fried anything
Really high carb foods, e.g., frozen waffles

If I steer clear of those, I'm usually okay.

Things that work for me:


Drinking lots of water
Taking a probiotic. I love Bio-K!
Taking digestive enzymes with higher fat (and carb in my case) meals.
Fiber, fiber, fiber! Taking a fiber supplement. For me, it has to be soluble fiber since I have IBS and insoluble fiber (roughage) aggravates it. I take the Acacia fiber supplement from Heather's IBS website (search for it on the Internet).
Exercise, exercise exercise! I walk at least a little bit every day; the more the better.
Smaller, more frequent meals.
Taking small bites and chew very thoroughly. It takes discipline but it has helped me very much. I keep the food in my mouth just a little longer than what feels natural.


Overall, I'd have to say that I am much better than before I had my GB out (HIDA scan was 12% at the time). However, I still get "attacks" from time to time, because I think my bile output fluctuates. Sometimes my stool is completely normal, and sometimes it's very light (during the bad stretches) and I get the runs. It could also be the IBS.

Remember, this is what has worked for me. PLEASE consult your doctor first!

Best of luck to you all!

;)