Still in pain a year after gallbladder surgery, may be TMI for some! Help!

[KyraS]

I have my Gallbladder out in October of 2007. At first everything seemed a bit better but then the dumping started. As the months went by it seems I have reflux worse then ever and still the dumping. Now I'm getting the same pains (although not as bad) as I had with the gallbladder, especially in my back.

I've gone to the doctors and everything is NORMAL! He did give me an RX for Nexium that I'm getting filled tonight. Can the reflux cause the back pain? I can deal with the dumping but I hate the pain!

 

[KyraS]

Wow, went to the bottom fast, anyone?

 

[LindaR]

I had mine removed 3 years ago. I will just make these statements......because I don't know what applies to YOU....so I will talk about ME.

I had to change my diet. Strictly low fat because anything with fat in it caused bathroom issues! My doctor even said that I would need to be on a low fat "diet" for the rest of my life if I didn't want to have those issues.

I quickly lost 25 pounds (that's all I needed) and as long as I take care with what I eat, my stomach takes care of me!

About three weeks ago, my boss took me out for lunch (my birthday). She took me to a place that had "home cooking" and I thought I would indulge! I had an egg/chicken salad sandwich (with REAL mayo), REAL potato chips (not baked), and then.........dessert! Chocolate pecan pie! It was YUMMY! Within 10 minutes I was in pain and then immediately had bathroom problems. My fault. I chose not to eat correctly and I paid the price! I did not overeat (only ate 1/2 sandwich and 8 chips!), I just ate the wrong things!

 

[LindaR]

Last May I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. I take Nexium too. But medicine only treats/covers the symptons.......it does not take care of the root problem! Once again, I had to completely change (very drastic) my diet and elevate the head of my mattress and follow some other rules.

If you needs to lose ANY weight, I would suggest that you start working on THAT as it will basically "cure" most problems!

 

[ols386]

I had mine removed 3 years ago. I will just make these statements......because I don't know what applies to YOU....so I will talk about ME.

I had to change my diet. Strictly low fat because anything with fat in it caused bathroom issues! My doctor even said that I would need to be on a low fat "diet" for the rest of my life if I didn't want to have those issues.

I quickly lost 25 pounds (that's all I needed) and as long as I take care with what I eat, my stomach takes care of me!

About three weeks ago, my boss took me out for lunch (my birthday). She took me to a place that had "home cooking" and I thought I would indulge! I had an egg/chicken salad sandwich (with REAL mayo), REAL potato chips (not baked), and then.........dessert! Chocolate pecan pie! It was YUMMY! Within 10 minutes I was in pain and then immediately had bathroom problems. My fault. I chose not to eat correctly and I paid the price! I did not overeat (only ate 1/2 sandwich and 8 chips!), I just ate the wrong things!

You just described my situation to a T. I had mine out about 3 years ago. And as long as I eat right, I do fine.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

7 years post gallbladder... It took me a very long time to feel better. Years, not months. I still get pains and have the "sorry gotta go" incidents after eating foods. Plus there is no rhyme or reason. I usually eat low fat but I can do fats once in a while... This year asparagus is a huge trigger for me, last year I ate tons of it with no problems... I truly don't believe your digestion system ever gets it right afterwards.

I take prevacid, tums, pepcid, and or tagament depending on the situation and take a prescription drug to stop the other problem when it wont stop...

Good luck, Diane.

 

[krcit]

I had my gallbladder out about 4 years ago. I still have some 'issues' to put it politely. I take a lot of Immodium and I try to watch my diet or I pay the price. Sometimes though, like a previous poster wrote, there is no rhyme or reason and something seemingly harmless doesn't sit well with me. I do'nt have the pain that you're describing though. I hope you get some relief.

 

[arminnie]

I've gone to the doctors and everything is NORMAL!

How did he make the assessment that "everything is normal"?

I had my gallbladder out several years ago. I SUFFERED with intense pain as bad as any gallbladder attack for quite a while AFTER my gallbladder was removed.

I had a really awful doctor who removed the dislodged gallstones in a manner that left scar tissue in the bile ducts - my body treated it like there was a gallstone stuck in there. It was horrible and went on for months.

I could barely move for over 6 months. I shudder to think of the pain.

My recommendation is to find a very, very good gastroenterologist - preferably one associated with a gastro surgeon and or a good medical school. You probably need at least an ultrasound to find out what is wrong.

What you are describing sounds like way more than the normal bathroom issues and reflux that many experience.

 

[sbell111]

My wife had her gall bladder taken out several years. She had what seemed like the same old gallstone attacks for several months afterwards. She has to be very careful about what she eats to avoid feeling really bad and having major 'issues'.

I had mine out last year. I have had very little problems, although if I over indulge I can get into some trouble. Generally, if I eat right I'm fine.

One of my employees had his out something like ten years ago. He still had lots of pain and the doctors basically thought he was being a drama queen (because he generally is). He did, however, have a stone lodged in the duct all these years. He had it taken out last summer and feel much better (or more technically, he moved on to other things to whine about).

If you are having trouble, you should mention it to your doctor. Beyond that, a lowfat diet and ensuring that you are getting a reasonable amount of exercise might help you feel much better.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I had my gallbladder out a few years ago. While I don't get any pain, I do notice, oh lets call it "bathroom issues" if I eat a lot of fatty foods. I have to watch what I eat or I pay dearly!

 

[ScrapperBelle]

I had my gallbladder taken out 13 years ago and I still have minor pain and "dumping" issues.

The worst pain that I have occurs when I bend completely over toward the front and I have a sharp, stabbing pain right where my gallbladder used to be. So, I just don't bend completely over unless I have to. I can go for a while, then I forget about it, sit down and bend over to tie my shoes or something and there it goes! It really is like a bad pain and charlie horse combined. Doctors have never figured out what causes it.

As for the dumping. I have more issues with sugar and raw foods. Fat doesn't seem to bother me that much. But I don't eat much meat and I never eat mayo (didn't before the surgery, either)...so they may very well cause me some problems if I ate more of those things.

I have recently begun having strange "reactions" (I hesitate to call it a full blown allergy) to certain preservatives and seasonings. I can't eat anything spicy unless I want a dumping episode. (and I live in Louisiana of all places...it's hard to explain at restaurants sometimes that you don't want ANY seasoning).

My biggest problem has been weight gain and trying to lose weight. It takes very little for me to gain weight and major effort to lose even a little. I gained 50 lbs. within 2 months of having my gallbladder removed and I haven't been able to get rid of it in the 13 yrs. since. Doctors are also baffled by this. At least I haven't really gained any more weight in those years, I just can't lose what I need to.

Sorry I don't have any answers for you. Just wanted to let you know that others have these issues after gallbladder surgery and the doctors (at least the ones I've dealt with) seem to have the attitude that you should just be glad to be rid of it, that it didn't kill you, the pain and dumping are minor things, etc.

Hope you feel better soon.