Dealing with symptoms after Gallbladder surgery

Thank you for responding. I have tried every drug the doctors have thrown at me. And everything makes me worse. I was afraid to take the nortriptyline because my system does not handle anything. And I get horrible side effects to antidepressants. But I will ask my GI about it again. Thank you so much for sharing your story and for all of the information ❤️

Thank you. I’ve now had my 3rd ERCP dye to a common bile duct structure. Trying to rule ot cancer. I am still having liver pain and nausea. Do you know any doc at Mayo that would see me for a 2nd opinion

I also am very sensitive to all medications, I can't drink or take pain killers . everything makes me nauseated etc. I have only had one antipressent in my life when I was depressed because of breast cancer and I only took one pill and had such a severe side effect that I swore I would never take another. That was 12 years ago so like you I was skeptical about trying the Nortriptyline. I started with 10 mgs and slowly worked up to the 25mgs. In the beginning I was a little woosy in the mornings and was worried about feeling sedated. My body did ajust and now I might be a little slower for the first 30 minutes in the morning but I have my coffee and get on with my day without side effects. It has sure been worth it to me.

I had my gallbladder removed 6 months ago and have had issues since. Did you ever experience any constant pain months after the surgery?

Hello @roisemaire and welcome to Mayo Connect. We are pleased you have joined our online support group!

You mention problems after gallbladder surgery 4 weeks ago. As you know, everyone's recovery from surgery is different. You do not mention your age, nor the type of surgery you had (open or laparoscopy). These are important factors. As we age, recovery is a bit slower than that of a younger person. Here is some general information about gallbladder removal from Mayo Clinic's website, https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cholecystectomy/home/ovc-20229995

My first thought would be whether you have contacted your doctor's office (either by phone or through My Chart) to let them know of your symptoms? If not, I would certainly do that.

Perhaps some other Members will post about their experiences after gallbladder removal as well.

Will you keep in touch with us and let us know how you are doing?

Teresa

Hello l had my gallbladder removed several years ago but have suffered with bowel problems since and can't eat veggies as they cause diarrhea and my blood work showed fatty liver I always have heartburn too, any advice please 🥺

I had my gallbladder removed by laparoscopy in 2012 after having repeated pain in the right upper quadrant especially after eating. Initially they did a HIDA scan and I was told that the function was within the norm. However, over time, things seem to be deteriorating and I still had pain and finally some "sludge" showed on a CAT scan so they did the surgery. Since I had the laparoscopy I found out after the fact that use clamps rather than sutures in the surgery.
Since it has now been a little over 10 years since the surgery I believe getting rid of my gallbladder was a mistake overall but it looks like the medical authorities would have advised it over time no matter what. Since I have had the surgery I often STILL get pain in the upper right quadrant which may or may not due to scar formation from the inflammation of having the surgery done and having clips put in as well. I also seem bloated almost always and have gained a significant amount of weight since then. I also have developed many allergies to many foods I consumed before that time and as a result now have chronic sinus problems which sometimes result in sinus infections. I also now have been diagnosed with GERD and more recently Barrett's esophagus. When I eat I feel like the food does not digest as it should and since I am now prescribed omeprazole indefinitely I believe the situation is exacerbated. I believe that having stomach acid is essential to good digestion and after taking omeprazole I see that my B12 and iron levels are lower than they should be. I have done extensive reading on this topic and many EXPERTS say the problem now is actually too little acid for proper digestion making the stomach work harder than it should cause a spray or pepsin which would otherwise be non-existent.
Interestingly I have a good friend who had her gallbladder removed many, many years ago and since she had and open surgery they used sutures rather than clips to finish the surgery. She has no bloating, has not gained weight, etc. Her dr. , however, did prescribe ox bile salts for her to take indefinitely since she evidently had ongoing diarrhea well after her surgery. I may look into taking these salts myself to see if they can help with overall digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Also per my reading some people have a spasm in their sphincter of Oddi which is labeled as dysfunction of the sphincter of Oddi. This spasm can actually be the source of pain in the upper quadrant as well. If one has that, there are some prescriptive medications one can try to quell the spasm but if that does not work sometimes a sphincterotomy is recommended.