Post-cholecystectomy or gallbladder removal surgery

You can call the surgeon's office and say you're running a fever and could they reschedule. That would give you time to think and to schedule a 2nd opinion. The surgery may very be the answer but, it's best to have a second opinion.

HIDA scan said the movement of the tracer from the liver to the Sphincter of Oddi was within normal readings, no signs of obstruction or leakage. I can't remember the terminology in the report but it said movement
slowed considerably from there to the Duodenum and the rating or metric used gave it a 6. Normal is anything less than 5. I am not sure what measurement or unit used was. Conclusion was that a 6 the diagnosis was SOD Dyskenisia by the radiologist reporting. Once my surgeon read this, he consulted with a GI specialist and referred me as urgent. He then scheduled me for the procedure which happens to be about a month after the diagnosis. This is record time for our system where the wait time is up to a year or more for routine ERCPs. Ironically I never actually met the GI yet personally but will on Friday in a pre consult before the procedure. All of this seems rushed but I still do have discomfort after eating but not the pain as before. I did tell my surgeon, not the GI this and he still felt I should have this procedure. I hope this helps. If I back out and it gets bad again I will not be as prioritized as before I can guarantee that unless my Liver and Pancreas enzymes are up. Currently those enzymes are normal.

@woodsiechris

I started digging further after replying. I know I have post cholesectomy syndrome and I do remember a doctor mentioning Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction but it was years ago and I didn't realize that they're one and the same. I would still suggest a 2nd opinion if you haven't had one because it's surgery. But I can tell you that I'm now 18 years after my gallbladder was removed and I still have what feels like gallbladder attacks from time to time if I'm not careful to avoid fatty foods. I eat dairy (either American cheese or mozzarella cheese and 1 egg a day) but, no meat of any kind. Who knows how much worse or with what greater frequency the attacks would happen if I ate meat (I avoid for ethical reasons, not dietary but it seems to be a win/win). I will say this - and it's clearly anecdotal because I'm only 1 person - if I'm 18 years post-cholesectomy and I still have gallbladder disease symptoms if I'm not careful (SEVERE nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, back pain - different from my nerve damage pain), then I think maybe it's not so likely for this condition to fix itself.

I found this Cleveland Clinic website page. Maybe it will help you.

After further consultation with someone I know who has had this procedure and got immediate relief from it and also my family doctor, I now I am confident in going ahead with the procedure. The feedback in here has been great and is appreciated. I will update you all when the Sphincterotomy is complete.

With your symptoms perhaps you should inquire about SOD with your GI again. 18 years of symptoms without a diagnosis is incredible. I hope you can get some relief someday. Your symptoms sure sound like your SOD is spasmatic but I am no doctor.

@woodsiechris

I am glad to hear that you have some peace about the decision! I'll look forward to hearing from you after your procedure.

There’re ways to remove gallstones without surgery. And ways to prevent gallstones. https://youtu.be/fW97Mf-SGBs But hospitals don’t make a dime if you know this information. K-vitamins.com . Do your homework.

@woodsiechris I do have post cholesectomy syndrome but, it was years ago that I had last heard of dysfunction involving sphincter of Oddi so I either forgot or didn't put 2+2 together that the two terms are related. I had an adhesion sitting on top of my gallbladder likely due to 5 years of acute gallbladder attacks. It was removed before the gallbladder was removed. I subsequently developed another adhesion that's pressing on my diaphragm and my stomach (the organ). Once you have an adhesion, you are prone to developing more if there is additional trauma to the abdominal cavity. The adhesion I have now is breathtaking in terms of pain and literally (presses on the diaphragm) and the two abdominal surgeries I had - cholesectomy and incisionsal hernia repair - were both done via laparoscopy.

I try to control my symptoms via my diet and I agree that it seems to be spasms that occur. The doctors feel that my ability to control the attacks by avoiding fatty/greasy food and my adhesion history makes leaving it alone the best option.

I have nerve damage and when I was told that my pain could worsen dramatically should another adhesion develop or other nerves become damaged, I decided to just live with this. I make mistakes from time to time and regret them quickly. Then I go on a very low fat diet until I feel better.

I'm hoping you'll do extremely well during and after your procedure and that you feel so much better, permanently, afterward. Please let us all know how you are.

Wow. Sorry to hear you had to endure this for so long. I'd have to agree with you not having anything else done if your are prone to adhesions post op. Thanks for the kind words and wishes and I hope this spells the end of my issues.

Update. I had my ERCP Sphincterotomy on Friday. The surgeon cut the muscle of the Sphincter of Oddi and cleaned out my duct. I did however have extreme abdominal pain about 8 hours later and had to go to the ER to ensure it wasn't Pancreatitis. I started feeling better shortly after arriving at the ER. Blood tests were good and was sent home. They suspected I passed a stone after the Sphincter was opened or experienced a spasm. Since then the PCS seems to be improving a lot. In the spirit of not getting too confident I will update in another month. Thanks for your input everyone but so far so good.