i have a unique problem - Liver & Pancreas Disorders Message Board

priscila · 11-05-2006, 03:31 PM

i had gallbladder lap. removed in april of this yr. was suppose to go home same day. ended up in hospital for total of 42 days. thought i was going to die. bile from liver poured into abdominal cavity. i can not even begin to explain just how horrible the pain was. during hospital stay i had blood transfusions, numerous narcotics for pain. i am a smoker (i know i need to quit) nurses and doctors put in my medical records that when i went to smoke they suspected i was injecting narcotics because i was impaired. how dare them! they injected me with narcotics every four hours due to my screaming relentlessly with pain. they used adivan, morphine,, lortab, and demerol and i still screamed with pain until all the fluid was finally drained out. problem is i still have pain in my right side under my ribcage. i need help with this. i am 43 yr old grandmother. i do not use drugs or drink. the allegations were not documented with drug tests ( i wish they would have tested all they would have found was the narcotics they gave me) is that legal? can they accuse without providing proof in med. records? the pain i have now is moderate most of the time with random bouts of severe pain atleast 2 twice a day/night. my entire abdomen area always feels bloated and aches. i thought gas at first but have been able to rule that out. all foods aggrevate. i am at a loss.

danielm · 11-06-2006, 03:16 PM

Hi priscila. First, let me start by saying how sorry I feel for the horrid ordeal you went through! Sometimes we can have a bad experience with hospitals, but it sounds like you had a terrible time!

The pain in the tummy could be related to what happened post Lap. It would be foolish to rule that out completely, even once the fluids were drained.

That said, the pain under the right rib could be several things.

I've had my gall bladder out as well and whilst I didn't have any problems afterwards, I've been told some people get phantom pains in the same area afterwards.

There is also a possibility that whilst the gall bladder was removed, you could have obstructions still in your billary tree (sludge or stones) which will also cause this pain. A CT Cholangeogram can reveal this.

Then if it's not related to your digestive system, it could be related to your liver. Since the gall bladder and liver are in the same region, pain in that area can be difficult to pinpoint, but an inflamed liver can also cause this kind of pain too.

I'm also a non drinker & non smoker, but post gall bladder removal, I developed liver disease due to fatty infiltration of the liver. That caused a host of problems, including pain in that region. Your doctor may want to run a scan or two on your liver to rule this out.

Bear in mind also, that to remove your gall bladder, they usually have to pop your liver out of the way too. It is definitely possible for your liver to sustain some damage during this process (I actually picked up a small lesion this way because during my gall bladder removal, my gall bladder burst and became an emergency open operation at that point).

The liver is a brilliant organ in that it can fix itself in time, but you need to investigate further at this stage and find out what's going on there. Especially since you've only recently had the gall bladder out, your issue could be related to that rather than the liver itself.

As with all things, your doctor is the best one to speak with about it.

Best wishes

priscila · 11-10-2006, 06:45 PM

this past monday i had a terrible attack, i literally hit the floor. after a ct scan was done i was told i have a cyst or abscess on my pancreas. i was then released from the hospital after an overnight stay with iv fliuds and pain meds. i did a little research and have found that this is a very serious condition and i wonder if the only reason i was released was because they found out my insurance refuses to pay because a simple 3,000 surgery has already turned into almost 300,000. if what i found on the internet is true i am in trouble i think. i have an appoinment with a specialist at st. thomas hospital in nashville tn but i am afraid he wont do much since i am self pay. i am afraid i am going to have to darn near die before anything is done about this. according to my medical records bile poured from my liver after the gallbladder was removed. i do not drink but i do smoke. i dont understand how smoking can cause bile to pour out of my liver. my pancreas and spleen soaked in bile for 15 days before they started to drain it off, they concentrated on the left side first then went to the right side. i can not even begin to describe the pain i was in for 42 days. am afraid it is going to get worse before it gets better.