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Has anyone had severe nerve pain after gallbladder removal?
I had my gallbladder removed laparascopically three weeks ago on 3/29/25. It was semi-emergent, having been planned for a Monday, but my pain became so bad that an on-call surgeon did it on the preceding Saturday. The surgery went smoothly, and the first week and a half or so were what felt like normal recovery. I did develop a case of bronchitis from the airway (my lungs are vulnerable to everything) and a case of oral thrush from all the antibiotics and drying agents they gave me during surgery. However, about 10 days ago, I developed severe pain in my right upper quadrant that felt just like a gallbladder attack, only worse. My doctors are stumped, but my GI doc suggested on Thursday that this could be a case of neuropathic pain, or visceral hypersensistivity. The pain is so extreme I can't find a comfortable sleeping position and ended up trying to get some sleep in the recliner last night (not very successfully). I have an EGD scheduled for 4/29 to rule out gastritis, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, etc., but those are doubtful as my labs are fine. Has anyone else had severe pain stemming from neural pathways or severed nerves following this surgery? I did not see this coming and am completely overwhelmed by it. The doctor just prescribed me gabapentin, along with copious warnings about what to look out for while taking it in "someone my age" (I'm 73 and in otherwise average health). I'm OK with diet modifications, changes in bowel functions, etc., but this level of pain has me virtually paralyzed.
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It sounds to me most like sphincter of oddi dysfunction https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14516-sphincter-of-oddi-dysfunction I haven't any experience.
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6 Reactions@wisewoman10
Have you had a post operative ultrasound or other imaging like MRI? Have you had a HYDA scan?
1. https://www.healthline.com/health/stabbing-pain-after-gallbladder-removal
2. https://www.drbrianharkins.com/articles/robotic-gallbladder-surgery/addressing-post-op-concerns-managing-pain-and-ensuring-emotional-well-being/
3. https://www.verywellhealth.com/gallbladder-surgery-recovery-4846464
4. https://resources.healthgrades.com/right-care/gallbladder-removal-surgery/managing-pain-after-gallbladder-removal
5. https://wholesomealive.com/stabbing-pain-after-gallbladder-removal/
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5 ReactionsThank you so much for these resources!
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4 ReactionsA nerve block may help. See a chronic pain specialist or procedure oriented anesthesiologist,
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2 ReactionsI had the same problem. Turns out they had left stones in the bile duct. A special cat scan showed them and they were removed and washed out. No pain since. I suffered for years and was told it was nerve pain also.
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4 ReactionsOMG I.am.having the exact same thing. I was fine after the surgery, but the pain is getting increasingly worse and worse. I had an ultrasound, an MRI when I went back to the surgeon. He recommend a Gastroenterologist. That appt isn't until the end of the month. I was in so much pain last Thursday I went to the ER and they gave me an IV with Truadol and Morphine and I was still in pain. I am laying here on my couch and want to go back to our ER at the Hospital because my stomach is a.little distended, I'm nauseated, when I move I'm in excruciating pain. I am at a loss!! I thought getting this out was going to be better and it's worse!!!
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1 ReactionMy husband has been dealing with this for the last few weeks and now they want us to see a pain specialist and block the pain. We have gone to ER 3 times since his gallbladder was removed April 5th. His stomach is distended as well and he said he feels like it's going to burst. He's had every scan more than once and it's nothing internally they said everything looks good! It's crazy stuff. I'm so sorry you are going thru this too! I pray they can get it figured out!
The hospital that did the surgery is not going to “ find” the problem.
Go to a Mayo ER near you
We did we went to the one closest to us and they can't figure anything out. We had an appointment with a surgeon and he didn't seem interested in helping us at all. That was a waste of money and time. All he did was refer us back to a family Dr.
I’ll be 6 weeks post surgery on Saturday. The first 5 days or so felt like a “normalish” surgical recovery. Then I got body slammed with phantom gallbladder pain that I can best describe as second only to childbirth level pain. Couldn’t sleep or really function at all for most of four weeks. None of the tests - labs, EGD, ultrasounds, CT scans showed anything structural wrong. The conclusion was that it was nerve pain. I was prescribed 200 mg gabapentin at bedtime two weeks ago and am finally feeling human again. And I can lie down in bed again. That’s a game changer! This doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you have IBS, like I do, recovering normal digestion function is harder and takes longer. Getting your bowels back online really helps with the abdominal pain, I’ve discovered. Still on the journey, but moving in the right direction.
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