Dealing with symptoms after Gallbladder surgery

@artist01
Yes, please update.
ZeeGee

Hi all! Thank you so much for responding. The surgeon and the PCP say they don't know why I am feeling so bad and what the lump is. The surgeon said if there are any issues after 2 weeks post op, then they are not from the surgery. I have some second opinion appointments coming up. Some people say it's normal to be fatigued after the surgery, but is it normal to feel house bound degree of fatigue?

@fourof5zs Hello again. I promised I'd update you after seeing my doctor yesterday regarding the small lump in my abdomen.

After the examination, the doctor decided that since the lump was between the stomach wall and the outer skin, and not internally attached to intestines, bowel, etc., that she wasn't concerned at this point, but will keep an eye on it in the coming months. She advised it wasn't a hernia but was uncertain as to what it actually could be - possibly an adhesion from past surgeries. I'm at great risk for any further surgeries, so she isn't considering that route.
I hope this information is helpful for you, if your lump seems to be something similar.
Will you be going to your doctor soon? Please keep us posted.
Good luck. Laurie

@artist01

Laurie.. make sure she does keep up with it. .. .. didn't need to say that. I know you will 😀

Oh .. it is ogarabrandt that has the lump.

ZeeGee

@fourof5zs Hi ZeeGee. Haha, yep I've got a terrier-like attitude, so my doc knows I'll be on her tail! 🤣 Thanks! Laurie

@fourof5zs. No, it's both of us with the lumps! 🤣 Mine seems harmless at this point, but I'll be keeping my radar on it, for sure!
Laurie

Hello @ogarabrandt,

I was reading about your post-gallbladder surgery problems. I see that you have had many good responses from those who have also had problems. I was wondering what type of surgery you had. Was it an invasive surgery (with an incision) or was it a laparoscopic surgery
While all of us on Connect are patients like yourself and not medical professionals. Your post did ring a bell for me. As another member had posted about similar problems.

It turned out that she had something called Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. It is not a typical diagnosis but I thought you might want to look into it given that other things have been ruled out. Here is a link to that post by @woodsiechris, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/233939/

Here is an article from Cleveland Clinic's website regarding this disorder, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14516-sphincter-of-oddi-dysfunction.

As you can see from this article this cannot be diagnosed from the regular CT scans, etc. It takes a special test. Here is a quote from the Cleveland Clinic article, "This is done with a procedure called sphincter of Oddi manometry, in which the doctor places a small plastic tube into the pancreas duct or bile duct near the sphincter of Oddi to measure how well it is contracting and expanding."

Since you indicated that you will be seeking a second opinion, you might discuss this possibility. Have you had this test, @ogarabrandt?

Hello! Thank you for the suggestion. Apparently, I don't match the criteria for Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, because I don't have abdominal pain associated with food. I have extreme exhaustion like never before, elevated heart rate, tinnitus, plus that strange lump and the soreness of the right flank. The GI doctor or the surgeon don't want to discuss the fatigue with me, but it's the most debilitating symptom, so I don't know where to turn.
@artist01 where is your lump located? Is it sore?

@ogarabrandt Hi again. To answer your questions, my lump is located 2 o 3 inches diagonally down from my navel, on the left side of my abdomen. Very easy to locate and feel, even though it's only about the size of the part of my thumb from the first knuckle (closest to the thumb nail). And no, it's not sore.

I am 5 weeks post laparoscopic gall bladder surgery. I did not have gall stones but was told my gall bladder was inflamed. I am having fairly bad pain where my gall bladder was underneath one of my incisions. I had a nurse check the incision and she said everything is good. I do not have nausea or diarrhea so was wondering what could cause this pain. Hoping it’s not some other problem like SOD. I talked to my surgeon’s nurse and she said it’s normal but I have talked to lots of other people who have had gall bladder surgery and they say they had no pain after 2 weeks. I’m 70 years old but very active.