Dealing with symptoms after Gallbladder surgery

Hello, I am 28 year old female, I have been battling with a very strange case of chronic pain that the specialists at the hospital cannot seem to diagnose, I have had numerous tests, CAT and MRI scans and have been in intense chronic pain for the last year. The pain I have is a gallbladder pain, intense pain in the stomach and back, when the pains come I also have vomiting.

In October 2021 I had my gallbladder out as they suspected it could be that however since having it out the pains are worse and more frequent, the symptoms seem to appear when I miss a meal or am hungry, 70% of the time when I eat when the pains appear they seem to disappear however on occasions it doesn’t matter how much I eat the pains don’t go away and I end up vomiting, when I have vomited what seems like bile, the pains stop.

My doctors have run tests to see if I have stones lodged in the conduct, sphincter of Oddi, H pylori and they are all negative. Also, the pains appear regardless of what I eat, it’s the quantity that triggers the pains, if I eat a small quantity of food a few hours later if I don’t eat anything else the pains are triggered, since my surgery I have not slept a whole night without waking up with pains. My pains appear around 4 times a day. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thank you in advance

Welcome @emmakup. I'd like to bring fellow members @astaingegerdm @terri9 @msb18 @wisco50 and @aurorahmoon into this discussion to see if they have some thoughts or experiences to share with you.

You may also be interested in this related discussion:
– Post-cholecystectomy or gallbladder removal surgery https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/post-cholesectomy-gallbladder-removal-chronic-back-pain/

Emma, did I understand correctly that you had these pains before the removal of your gallbladder, suspecting that its removal were resolve the pain. But now the pain is even worse and the cause remains undiagnosed? Have you considered getting a second opinion?

Thank you for your reply, yes exactly, I had the pains before my gallbladder was removed, however, I would experience the pains once or twice a month, due to where the pains were occurring they put it down to my gallbladder since they removed it I now experience the pains 5 or 6 times during the day and night and they are more intense. I have had two second opinions however the diagnosis and treatment they sent me has not worked.

So I'm not a doctor. My thoughts are based on my experiences. It sounds to me like it could be an overproduction of bile/too much bile in your system. I say that because you mentioned that you have the pains when you miss a meal and eating usually resolves the pain. Before getting my gallbladder removed I used to fast a lot and I was fine not eating for long periods. However, after, if I don't eat then the bile just seems to sit there in my system and I get sick. I typically experience nausea but also sometimes have stomach pains. This resolves when I eat. The food helps absorb the bile and push it through my system. Then you mentioned that sometimes, it doesn't resolve and you end up throwing up what looks to be bile. So that made me think that when too much has accrued that the food isn't working, that is when you end up vomiting.

Have you tried frequent, smaller meals throughout the day? Does that have an effect? Have you kept a food journal to see if it's related to when you eat specific stuff? My doctors told me I'd be able to eat 100% normally after and I wouldn't have to change my diet. I'm not sure why they tell people that because for most people I've talked to...that's not the case. I had to drastically cut down on the fats that I was eating.

Also, it hasn't even been a full year since your surgery. My surgeon originally told me that I would recover after two weeks. Later, I got the fully story...it takes about two full years for your body to adjust after having your gallbladder removed. The body also does some weird things during these two years. I had mine out in July 2020, and it took well over a year for me to not feel absolutely horrid every day. Each person's post-surgery experience is unique. Some people have a really easy time and some people, like me, struggle. So...give it some time.

This is super personal, but do you have loose stool at all? That can indicate bile issues after surgery. If you are actually having too much bile in your system and eating more frequently and diet changes do not help then you might want to see what your doctor thinks about prescribing a bile binder. I used one starting about 6 months after my removal until about a year after the removal. It helped my body adjust some and minimized side effects.

Feel free to ask me any questions. I hope you start feeling better soon.

I had an identical experience. After a couple of late nite visits to the ER with pain and sickness and my Doctor telling me; "to do nothing" after I asked what do I do now. I also wound up with a gangreneous gall bladder having emergency surgery. It was a close call.
Let me ad another wrinkle of confusion. I had always blamed my post op diarrhea on the missing gall bladder, which may have been part of the problem. But another perceptive Doctor ordered a fecal test (no fun). It turned out that I had C Diff a serious bacterial infection. I was told this is not uncommon after hospitalization, rehab and prolonged use of antibiotics. I am currently being treated with vancomycin and a serious probiotic. Things have settled down to the point where I don't worry to much about locating restrooms.
PS There is an ap for your phone called "Flush" that will locate restrooms in your locale or when traveling.

I had diarrhea for 3 years after my surgery. I went 8 to 16 times a day.

Have you ever been told you have Diverticulosis or Diverticulitis? A condition where you have little bulging pouches in the lining of the Colon. These are very common and can get infected and inflamed and cause symptoms like you describe. Ask your Doctor about it.

I am seeing a common theme here. So sorry this happened to you all. Happened to me too. For over a year I kept telling my doctor at a military clinic how much pain and vomiting I was having (at least twice a week). Kept getting its a food poisoning diagnosis even though my pancreatic and liver enzymes kept climbing. They said gall bladder was fine on ultrasound. Ended up in hospital with ischemic colitis (basically colon started dying) and doctor said my gastrointestinal tract looked like a 70 year old man…I was a 25 year old female. I had a HIDA scan which showed my gallbladder was only functioning at 19% no stones, just not working. They did emergency surgery and removed it.

I know the surgery saved me, but I wish I could say it wasn’t with complications. I have bile reflux and too many GI issues over the years to list. There is some risk with the surgery so just educate yourself, take others advice about second opinions, and advocate for yourself. You know when something is not right. Try not to let doctors easily pass off symptoms as nothing to worry about.

Hi. My gallbladder was removed via scope. After surgery I woke up and knew something was not right. I was sent home the same day. Concerns ignored. 3 days later I'm admitted because apparently my lung was punctured during gallbladder removal. Fast forward 3 years I still have the hard bump below my naval. Is this normal? Also, recently I have noticed and can feel a similar bump above and slightly to the left of my naval. Would this typically be from the gallbladder surgery? Thanks.
PS I'm female, 53 (50 at time of surgery) overall healthy condition.

@debrarae, welcome. To help you connect with others like @eileenb1022 @fourof5zs @eddiebu @jfperrone and others, I moved your message to this existing discussion:

- Dealing with symptoms after Gallbladder surgery https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/gallbladder-surgery/

I think you might find previous posts helpful.

Debra, I'm so glad that you persisted after surgery to find out what was wrong and were able to get help for the punctured lung. Have you brought the hard bump below and to left of your naval to the attention of your surgeon? Might it be a hernia?