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Dealing with symptoms after Gallbladder surgery
Digestive Health | Last Active: Apr 27 6:42am | Replies (266)Comment receiving replies
I am angry on your behalf! Your situation does NOT sound normal to me (I am not a doctor).
Get someone to advocate for you, even if they have to take time off from work to do so.
I suggest some phone calls, which is hard to do when you can't breathe! but could be the most direct route to help. Get your "advocate" to make them with you. They talk the most and you confirm what they say and give HIPPA permission for them to talk for you.
Call your surgeon's office and give them an ear-full. Demand some answers! Demand treatment. They are responsible for this situation.
This is really important: Call your primary care doctor or whomever recommended the surgeon, and get them on your side to demand answers.
Call the hospital where you had the surgery done. Hospitals really, really hate when patients have to be readmitted within a certain time period. And you have already had a ER visit.
If you have to go back to an ER, go to the hospital where they did the surgery. Then all of your records will be together, which also might be very helpful at a later date.
On the topic of your "advocate": If you are female, try to have a male relative/spouse make the calls. It helps if he 1) believes you are suffering, and 2) is pretty angry about how you are being treated-- or NOT being treated.
Sadly, it has been my experience that women tend to get dismissed by medical professionals-- even female medical professionals. One phone call from my husband resolved a problem that I (female) had been working on for weeks!
I had a similar, not identical, experience after my gall bladder surgery. And I still regret not having been more forceful in demanding answers and treatment. I had to go on short-term disability and wound up with pneumonia. Almost 20 years later and I still feel it sometimes. I'm not saying that this will happen to you, but I do urge you to try your best to get answers and treatment. Back then, my husband still believed that all doctors were infallible, so he wasn't much help. He has learned better now.
This sounds anti-doctor. I know there are good ones out there, but they aren't all-knowing, just human.
I hope you feel better soon! Good luck!
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@annewoodmayo thank you for your reply. Yesterday the pain was not quite as severe but more persistent throughout the day. Not having the breaks in between flare ups has left me with sore back muscles as well. To add to this, I seem to have picked up a cold with that annoying tickle in the throat making me want to cough! (Which I try to avoid if at all possible lol)
It actually just hit me yesterday that the surgeon mentioned having to cut higher than normal (due to previous abdominal mesh being put in to prevent an abdinal hernia return) so I am assuming that since she had to cut higher, I'm dealing with severe muscular rib injury. Either from the trauma of the two incisions right at the rib, or the rib it's self could have been nicked or something during the procedure, but I'm thinking it's just trauma too close to the rib.
The surgeons office just says "if there's pain go to the ER" which is frustrating. I am speaking with my family Dr. Today, see what she advises. She's been wonderful, so I know she'll help me get comfortable.
I worry about Pneumonia, simply because 60% of my day (generally) and I'd say 80% yesterday, I am shallow breathing and immobile to try and keep the pain minimal. I do try to get up and moving whenever possible, but the pain is quite intense.
Fingers crossed that Today I can get help from my GP to get more comfortable. If I can relax, all the muscles can relax (in theory anyways lol)
Thanks again!