Has anyone had severe nerve pain after gallbladder removal?

You very well may have Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. It is common after gallbladder removal and explains the “phantom pain” I am currently living with this same condition of chronic pain where my gallbladder was. Waiting for a referral to a doctor who specializes in this condition. Look into it.

You may have sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. It can cause continued pain after gallbladder removal.

Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction (SOD), biliary ducts geting nicked in surgery, stones being left behind, pancreatitis, or Central Sensitisation Syndrome (CSS) are all possibilities.

• A common sign of SOD is when the pain is triggered by morphine (most commonly) or other opiates.
Tests: HIDA scan to see drainage of the biliary ducts from the liver to duodenum. MRCP, a type of MRI that shows the biliary ducts. Endoscopic ultrasound can also show the biliary ducts, but also looks at the inside of stomach and duodenum with a camera.
Procedures: ERCP which can be given when patient has elevated liver enzymes and proof of SOD from other scans. Risk of pancreatitis from ERCP, as they will cut the sphincter of oddi to stop it spasming closed and causing blockages. But the swelling from this can close the pancreatic duct.

• Biliary injury from surgery can be seen with the MRCP and endoscopic ultrasound.

• Unsure on how they test for pancreatitis, but I'd imagine you'd notice the white blood cells being high as a sign of infection. Some folks do get chronic pancreatitis.

• CSS is a complicated syndrome that's being linked to chronic pain. The microglia in the brain are in charge of our pain response and can go into a hyperactive/hypersensitive state due to long term pain and/or trauma. Treatment options are still in the testing phase as far as I've seen.

@wisewoman10 iv bn going thru this for 5 long years and iv bn to all kinds of Dr and no one can tell me why I'm hurting so called hospice in two weeks ago to try to manage pain and they put me on fentanyl patches ,oxycodone every 4 hr and liquid morphine and the pain keeps getting worse and I had slipping rib surgery caz told me that I had that as well and iv bn to hospital over 30 times and bn admitted prob half of them and it seems like the pain meds make it worse and I'm going to quit all of them today and c if I get any relief caz my pain has gotten me homebound for past 3 years and I wish u the best of luck and hope your pain doesn't get worse by the day like mine has

@justinemc2005 iv bn dealing with this for 5 years and the pain is so bad I cant leave the house and iv bn to all kinds of Dr and had multiple scans and I'm still in so much pain the nerve blocks worked for a while then they stopped working let me no if u find a solution and I'll do the same

@krenfro59 yes you're spot on. My gb removal was the start of this mess.
Getting an MRN today of my abdomen. (MRI of the nerves).
I'm existing not living.

Hello:
I had my gallbladder removed in June of 2023.
Every so often I get the same pain that I had before the gallbladder was removed.
It is very infrequent but now when I get the pain it is much stronger.
I went back to the gastroenterologist a year after the gallbladder removal to tell him that I was still having pain. He ordered an x-ray and said that there's nothing there.
A few days ago I had the worst pain that lasted I would say about 3 hours.
I don't know what to do.

@pilaswan I can so relate. I had my gallbladder out in late March last year and I’ve had terrible recurring bouts of intense phantom gallbladder pain ever since. They radiate up into my right shoulder blade and are stabbing in nature. I take 200 mg of gabapentin at night (because my docs have told me this is almost always nerve-related pain). But not always. I had an abdominal CT scan a couple weeks ago that was completely normal. However, a CT can’t reveal most biliary issues. There is apparently a specialized MRI that can help diagnose the cause, but so far my GI doc hasn’t ordered one. I hope you get some relief soon. Sorry this is happening to you as well!

I had my gallbladder taken out in 1986 after several years of horrible gallbladder attacks, of course they were treating me for ulcers until finally a surgeon friend said it had to be something more. Indeed there was more, I was full of severe large stones. I went a few years of no pain after the surgery when out of the blue the attacks and pain came back I kept repeating to the doctors that it felt like my first gallbladder attack and no one listened until I went begging to a surgeon to please do exploratory surgery and see what they could find. They finally did the surgery and found an aroma had grown on the tip of my bile duct, after the aroma was removed I have been fine with the gallbladder problems. In 2017 I got a very severe case of Cdiff that still is knocking me off my feet. I had to have a fecal transplant done and that has helped a little bit, each and every day I feel like someone is twisting and pulling my guts out. The pain is so severe that I am on pain meds for it, without the pain meds I don’t feel I would be here today as the pain daily is unbearable. I just keep praying my pain doctor never retires as I don’t think most doctors now days believe in giving pain meds. I send prayers to you all for speedy healing.

My brother and I though living in separate cities just happen to visit our poor mother after her gall bladder surgery. Lucky Mom that two out of three brothers came to see her. After visiting her for a stretch Mom asked if we could pull her up a bit or so I 💭 thought. I went the other way assuming my Bro was correct and I was mistaken he usually. We both apologized to each other and changed directions. Our mother who was such a sweet quiet dear screamed…STOP! You two are killing me! So sorry you developed bronchitis at the beginning of your recovery and you must have struggled to suppress coughing. You poor brave soul but at least you didn’t have a couple of knuckleheads move you up and down. May you feel encouraged in your recovery moving forward gaining strength and peace of mind.
Pp