Feels like gallbladder attack, but no gallbladder - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

Natalulu · 11-04-2009, 03:39 PM

Hey all. I've had this problem for a while now but am just getting around to posting about it. Every now and then I'll get what feels almost exactly like a gallbladder attack but my gallbladder was removed almost a year ago. Its that intense pain which almost feels like really painful gas in the stomach, and can sometimes extend around your back. I once went to the ER for it back in April and they did a scan, but it showed no leaks, lesions, blockages, etc. The ER doc said it was just stomach pain. The 'attacks' can last anywhere from 4-12 hours. Then they just sort of magically disappear. I've never had a fever or felt fluish/sick with them, so that leads me to believe its nothing serious like appendicitis. And sometimes they will come on after I've had vegetables, but that's not always the case.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Any thoughts? Preferably not alarming ones?? :S

poet_kelly · 11-04-2009, 03:48 PM

Any chance they left stones in the bile duct when they removed your gall bladder? They should have checked for stones there, of course. But I have heard of instances in which people later had gall bladder-like symptoms and it turned out that was the cause. They should have done an x-ray type test, I forget what it's called, to check for stones in the bile duct when they took out your gall bladder. You might want to check with the surgeon to make sure they did that, if you're not sure.

Otherwise, I don't have any idea what would be causing it.

Kelly

soon2bthin · 11-04-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poet_kelly

Any chance they left stones in the bile duct when they removed your gall bladder? They should have checked for stones there, of course. But I have heard of instances in which people later had gall bladder-like symptoms and it turned out that was the cause. They should have done an x-ray type test, I forget what it's called, to check for stones in the bile duct when they took out your gall bladder. You might want to check with the surgeon to make sure they did that, if you're not sure.

Otherwise, I don't have any idea what would be causing it.

Kelly

yeah what she said.

Phatlady · 11-04-2009, 05:55 PM

I had the same thing happen to me for almost two years after my gallbladder surgery. Most of my attacks were short lived, thank God. However, one plastered me to a chair, sweat shooting out of me. When I wound up in the Emergency Room they found nothing but sent me to a specialist for further testing because they thought I had had a Pancreatic attack. It was agonizing.
Luckily, I have not had one for a few years now.
In the end, I assumed I had some left over stones from my gallbladder floating around my tubing just waiting to spring their surprises on me.
And to think Gall bladder surgery was supposed to be a relief from surprise pain, LOL!
You are the first person I have heard have a similar (unpleasant) experience!

MiladyB · 11-04-2009, 07:34 PM

I had the same kind of pain about 6 months after I got my gallbladder out. They did a CT scan and found that my common bile duct was dilated. From there I ended up getting a MRCP, which is basically an MRI. Once again they found my common bile duct dilated. Long story short, eventually they found that the sphincter in my common bile duct wasn't opening like it should, so bile was backing up and causing pain. I had to have a drain in for 7 weeks to stent it open plus they had to balloon it open several times.

Josephine · 11-05-2009, 12:55 AM

There's also the possibility that it's phantom gall bladder pain. It takes awile for your brain to realize that an organ (or arm/leg) is missing and you can still have pain there.

Pain after eating vegetables is usually gas.

Phatlady · 11-05-2009, 06:40 AM

I had an MRCP also but luckily for me I never had another attack after that. But no, these are not "phantom" pains, in fact my Emergency visit was by far the worst pain I have ever experienced, about ten times the pain of my worst gallbladder attack and right up there with the pain the day my disc popped out of my spinal cord.
Anyone who experiences this will tell you, there is something really stuck in the tubing and causing real life dreadful agony. It is much worse than GB gas pain.
I was told in the emergency room that if they found my Pancreas was involved I was looking at at least six weeks of intensive care at the hospital.
I only wish my nutritionist had put me on Acti-Gall which I was on while I did Opitfast. Although now I am glad I do not have to worry about a gallblader attack after GB.

Corrine · 11-05-2009, 06:59 AM

Apparently, 10-15% of people who've had their gallbladder removed, continue to have similar or same symptoms that led them to having surgery in the first place.

It's called Post Cholecystectomy Syndrome (PCS).

This is a must read: MedFriendly.com: Post-cholecystectomy syndrome

Phatlady · 11-05-2009, 07:23 AM

Corrine, You are SO hired!
Why is it that there is literature about this and yet no Doctor has ever mentioned this and the emergency room doctors were totally stumped with me?
I fit the higher percentage of this syndrome for a few reasons but probably brought it on myself by putting off the surgery for about six months until it was a convenient time for me to have it.
And according to this, after Gastric Bypass it seems we may be at even less risk for problems post Gall bladder surgery as we have had our Duodenums bypassed..

Corrine · 11-05-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phatlady

Corrine, You are SO hired!
Why is it that there is literature about this and yet no Doctor has ever mentioned this and the emergency room doctors were totally stumped with me?
I fit the higher percentage of this syndrome for a few reasons but probably brought it on myself by putting off the surgery for about six months until it was a convenient time for me to have it.
And according to this, after Gastric Bypass it seems we may be at even less risk for problems post Gall bladder surgery as we have had our Duodenums bypassed..

Well, thank you!

Been there, done that and if you take a look at my profile pics, you'll see I have a big honking scar to prove it.

I started having gallbladder issues 6 months after my RNY. After much farting around I ended up having emergency surgery in the dead of night just over a year ago - my gallbladder came out (plus an omental mass and apendix).

The parting words from my surgeon was that I won't have any more problems now that the gallbladder was out. Well, I had news for him because just 6 weeks later, the same old pain was back. And it continued to raise it's ugly head every 6-8 weeks after that.

No one told me about PCS but as you can see, it's well documented.