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Post-cholecystectomy or gallbladder removal surgery

Posted by msb18 @msb18, Dec 11, 2018

Hi – I had my gallbladder removed 17 years ago and have chronic, sharp back pain behind the port incision. That incision was in my upper left abdominal quadrant; the pain is felt in my back, directly behind the incision. It is thought that I have an adhesion in my upper left quadrant. Is it possible that nerves are trapped and that it causes referred pain in my back? The pain is nauseating and hasn't improved. I have been on anti seizure medication and a pain killer that isn't a percocet-type medication. I am curious if anyone else has persistent pain in their back following gallbladder surgery. If so, how is your pain treated.

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blessedwildapplegirl | @blessedwildapplegirl | May 21 2:18pm
In reply to @jfperrone "After a very painful event I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. Surgery took 2.5..." + (show)
Profile picture for JerryP @jfperrone

After a very painful event I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. Surgery took 2.5 hours. Follow up seems ok except I have uncontrolled diarrhea. I am living on imodium . I am weak as a baby with no aid in sight. The doctors offer no real help except telling me what to eat or not. Any similiar experience or advice.

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I had the same issue after my gallbladder removal many years ago. I almost died because I lost so much weight and I couldn’t even drink water without getting diarrhea. I went back to the hospital and they put me on a medicine that removed the cholesterol from my stomach acid or whatever – sorry I can’t remember the details. I believe it was cholestyramine. I’m not positive about the name, but it started with CHOLE. I took it for nine weeks and it worked and I was able to eat and then I became allergic to it and had to stop it and was on a very limited diet for many years, but my stomach slowly got better. I hope that’s helpful. Good luck.. I see your post is from several years ago, so I hope you’re doing OK.

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mrsclaus | @mrsclaus | May 21 12:42pm
In reply to @donnabe "Thank you. I need to try the psyllium husk again. I felt like it just bulked..." + (show)
Profile picture for donnabe @donnabe

Thank you. I need to try the psyllium husk again. I felt like it just bulked up and increased the volume of my diarrhea episodes so i stopped taking it without really giving it a chance.

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Maybe try the cholestrymine first

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madje51 | @madje51 | May 21 11:01am
In reply to @steelerfanjoe "with that low of a number on the gallbladder it should have been removed and when..." + (show)
Profile picture for steelerfanjoe @steelerfanjoe

with that low of a number on the gallbladder it should have been removed and when it is you run a chance of Gastroparesis which my surgery the Dr. damaged my vagus nerve now living hell and can not do anything about it can ease some of symptoms but in the end the food is not moving in my digestion and am constantly constipated to both ends of the spectrum

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How did you find out your doc damaged the vagus nerve?

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murphy2370 | @murphy2370 | May 21 9:58am
In reply to @jfperrone "After a very painful event I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. Surgery took 2.5..." + (show)
Profile picture for JerryP @jfperrone

After a very painful event I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. Surgery took 2.5 hours. Follow up seems ok except I have uncontrolled diarrhea. I am living on imodium . I am weak as a baby with no aid in sight. The doctors offer no real help except telling me what to eat or not. Any similiar experience or advice.

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I've fought the explosive diarrhea as I call it for over 5 years and have learned to live with it. However, recently I have discovered eating a non sugar yogurt (60 cal) with blueberries after dinner has helped immensely. Some days it’s completely gone. A friend's wife had a similar problem and yogurt helped her also. I can only assume my gut bacteria is out of sync. I recently had a test conducted by Genova Diagnostics, (a GI Microbial Assay Plus) that proved that and revealed that I have leaky gut. My focus will be on fixing my gut bacteria from the damage caused from taking Omeprazole and other medication. Hope you find something that works for you.

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donnabe | @donnabe | May 21 9:08am
In reply to @mrsclaus "I took cholestrymine for years and it was a life saver. I am now totally off..." + (show)
Profile picture for mrsclaus @mrsclaus

I took cholestrymine for years and it was a life saver. I am now totally off it and take psyllium husk everyday with no problems.

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Thank you. I need to try the psyllium husk again. I felt like it just bulked up and increased the volume of my diarrhea episodes so i stopped taking it without really giving it a chance.

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Skywatcher | @lindabyrne38 | May 21 7:46am
In reply to @golfdope "Constant bloating post gallbladder removal.Had my gallbladder removed in December 2023 and have experienced constant bloating..." + (show)
Profile picture for golfdope @golfdope

Constant bloating post gallbladder removal.Had my gallbladder removed in December 2023 and have experienced constant bloating since. I have had a CAT scan and ultrasound and endoscopy done all of which turned up negative. I have taken Omeprazole simethicone famotidine.None of them have had any positive impact. thoughts.?

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Hi , I am sorry you are experiencing these symptoms. I have the same symptoms and it is no fun! I had gallbladder removed August 2023 and my digestion has never been the same. I got a few viruses this winter which probably upended my gut bacteria and have had diarrhea for months. My abdominal cat scan last week was negative. I am going the holistic route(and also its impossible to get into a Dr!) I take Pure Encapsulations Digestive Enzymes with each meal. While everyone is different, it has greatly reduced my bloating. On the other hand it has increased nausea, so I take pepcid when that happens. Since I had gallstones, I also changed my diet to low fat. While it was hard at first, it has become easier. Plus it really helped me to lose 50 pounds in the last 2.5 years which is great for me. Another thing I started was taking Fiber everyday(with probiotics) which also helps. Someone recommended Tummy Fiber to me which I am about to start. It is a soluble fiber powder which helps people with irritable bowel syndrome but I figure it may help regulate my digestion. It has been /is overwhelming to me , however when I start thinking that way, I remember there are so many that have it a lot worse. I hope this helps some and good luck. Let me know if learn anything more on our journey without a gallbladder.

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mrsclaus | @mrsclaus | May 20 12:11pm
In reply to @jfperrone "After a very painful event I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. Surgery took 2.5..." + (show)
Profile picture for JerryP @jfperrone

After a very painful event I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. Surgery took 2.5 hours. Follow up seems ok except I have uncontrolled diarrhea. I am living on imodium . I am weak as a baby with no aid in sight. The doctors offer no real help except telling me what to eat or not. Any similiar experience or advice.

Jump to this post

I took cholestrymine for years and it was a life saver. I am now totally off it and take psyllium husk everyday with no problems.

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donnabe | @donnabe | May 20 11:12am
In reply to @jeepgrl "Sorry, but to begin with I would have no reason to take Laraglutide as I am..." + (show)
Profile picture for jeepgrl @jeepgrl

Sorry, but to begin with I would have no reason to take Laraglutide as I am neither diabetic nor do I need to lose weight. I've been in a constant battle since I had my gallbladder removed to gain weight. I am currently at 5'3" and I only weigh 105 lbs. Another reason I would not ever take this medication is because I don't trust pharmaceuticals. I believe food and exercise and sometimes with the help of supplements we can find our way back to health. My body is imbalanced. It's going to take me time to figure out what is throwing it off. I do believe I just had a breakthrough. I found out through an allergy patch test that I'm somewhat allergic to corn. Although it's low to moderate, it's enough to throw my system off and I'm in the process of assisting it starting with multivitamins. I'm also vitamin deficient due to the BAM. What I've said here I feel strongly about and encourage you to take a deep breath and think again. We're not going to find miracles in any one single pill. Once you've taken those pills you can't undo it. Hope this helps.

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Thank you for this input.

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donnabe | @donnabe | May 20 11:02am
In reply to @projfan "I had my gall bladder taken out as part of my bariatric surgery about 15 years..." + (show)
Profile picture for projfan @projfan

I had my gall bladder taken out as part of my bariatric surgery about 15 years ago. More recently, I've tried tirzepatide and semaglutide to get rid of the weight I've gained since, but I have not tried liraglutide.

I just dug into the literature a bit, and it's clear that liraglutide used for your purpose is getting a lot of attention right now. Here is a hot-off-the presses review paper: https://journals.lww.com/ctg/fulltext/2025/03000/treatment_of_bile_acid_diarrhea_with_glucagon_like.1.aspx.

Liraglutide is now only available in the brand form as Victoza, although independently, I've read that it's possible we will see it in a generic form by 2027 in the US. In the meantime, it's worth checking into whether your insurance plan will cover it, since it's otherwise quite expensive. Note that like all these GLP-1RA drugs, some people get side effects, primarily nausea, which is something most people can control by managing dosage level.

On the plus side, Victoza comes as a multi-pen -- that is, unlike single-use pens for Mounjaro or Zepbound intended for weight loss, you can adjust the dosage. In fact, now that I'm down to a low maintenance level dose of Ozempic (also a multi-pen), I'm able to use this technique (you'll see it called click-counting or microdosing) to cut the cost of the drug in half without resorting to sources of the drug that are not FDA-regulated. This is probably not something you want to do until you have some experience with how your body reacts to the drug, because it means using dose levels that were not studied in clinical trials.

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Thank you!! Thank you!! This is very helpful! I will share with my Gastroenterologist on my next visit.

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Moderator
Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | May 20 10:53am
In reply to @adoby2010 "Sorry if this is long: I am in the same boat as many on here. April..." + (show)
Profile picture for adoby2010 @adoby2010

Sorry if this is long:
I am in the same boat as many on here. April 19, 2012 I had my gallbladder removed the same time they performed a tubal ligation. A few months later, I had my very first episode of pains and nausea. I was doing nothing but laying on the couch watching a movie with my husband. He had to carry me to the truck to drive me to the hospital, but we never made it as he had to pull over so I could throw up and the ambulance had to pick me up from there. I have had so many tests done and they could never find out what was wrong. I was put on bentyl and amitriptyline but none of it helped. I have tried to cut foods and drinks out but I would still go through it. It has happened in the middle of class/exams, at work, when I am sleeping, or just whenever it felt like hitting me. I wish there was an answer for us!

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Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect, @adoby2010. The pain and nausea you've had to contend with sound difficult. Sorry to hear the medications and diet changes you've tried have not helped.

Hoping members who've chatted in this discussion on severe pain years after gallbladder removal will provide some support and thoughts for you, such as @sbtheplumber1 @taylor2 @lasirvent @diannesmcneill and others.

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