Help: Pain after gallbladder surgery - bile leak worries - Gallbladder Message Board

AlanPi · 10-11-2008, 11:00 AM

Had gb removed 10/9. a day later I was at the ER because I had a slight fever that quickly went away and abdominal pain when I try to lie down.

ER quickly did a blood test and ultrasound, no elevated white blood cells and no indication of bile leak through ultrasound, although ultrasound is inconclusive because it can only detect larger amounts of bile.

What symptoms should I look out for if I suspect bile leak?

A few hours after the surgery I was vomiting on the way home because the nurse had forced me to drink too much water so I can urinate and leave. Also supposedly they gave me 6 bags of IV plus some med for the shivering I had right after I woke up!

Generally I am OK as long as I stand up or sit straight up. If I try to lie down almost immediately I will feel severe sharp pain in the gallbladder region and I cannot breath. It's like the body will freeze up and I would be out of breath, and had to roll up immediately. Due to this position I am unable to lie down and rest.

I took some tylenol, and finally some oxicodone so I can get a little rest.

It just doesn't seemed to be a breeze as I thought it would be the first day after surgery...

ZoeGirl · 10-11-2008, 12:18 PM

I had to spend the first night in the hospital due to extreme pain where the gallbladder was... but I was released the next day with the pain gone and slowly got better from there. A lot was done even though you only have a few tiny holes. You need to rest and take pain meds if you need them.

I'm still against removing the gallbladder if there are no stones, so I won't comment further.

AlanPi · 10-11-2008, 02:34 PM

The area where the gallbladder was does hurt if I move. Apparently it's either the liver, the CO2 gas or the bile. Some people will have some bile leaks but it should close up if it doesn't get any worse.

I felt great the first day since I took the pain killer Oxicontin. Without it it's pretty tough on Tylenol along. I took a chance with the surgery since I can't get insurance to get me a 2nd HIDA or even Ultrasound for gb sludge. Ironically I got the ultrasound at the ER, after the gb is removed...

It's not as easy a recovery as I thought without the pain-meds... I try to avoid them and turned away morphine at the ER since they can only mask the symptoms while other more serious problems may develop without your knowledge, and that can be a very dangerous thing.

ZoeGirl · 10-11-2008, 07:19 PM

Mine didn't hurt when I moved. It would hurt, without warning, with a stabbing pain I would describe as the worst pain of my life (and I've severed a finger and given birth three times). The stabbing would last about 30 mins and I was unable to move at all and barely could cry out for help. I don't know what caused it, but it only lasted 24 hours or so. I gladly took the morphine (which did not touch the pain, but helped me sleep after having the pain raise my blood pressure to obscene levels).

I would immediately assume something has gone horribly wrong. You had surgery, it's going to hurt.

AlanPi · 10-11-2008, 07:50 PM

The stabbing pain is very likely caused by SOD as descriped. I understand that <4% of gb suffereres may have that pain, either right after or sometime after the surgery.

I don't think I have SOD, since it only hurts when I lie down. Today it's been OK, I am able to lie down, but I probably will need to take the "happy" drug to avoid last night's episodes...