Painful "attacks" ever since gall bladder was removed

rae62294 · Newbie Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

I had my gall bladder removed 3 years ago. I wasn't in too much pain prior to it's removal. The day after surgery and about twice a month for the last three years I've had "attacks". It starts out as a dull pain right under my breast bone then as it gets stronger, it feels like someone has blown up a balloon inside me-from my lower abdomen up into my chest. The pain is excrutiating, and it's hard to breathe. It feels as if my esophagus is closing. I have a lot of pressure which feels like gas, but am unable to burp. Recently, while having these "attacks" I will break out in a sweat and feel like I'm going to vomit. During these "attacks" I can't walk, or even bend over (hoping to get into a fetal position!) My stomach is very hard. There is nothing I can do to help relieve the pain.
They usually last about 30-40 minutes. The only things I've ever eatten or drank that's triggered an "attack" every time is orange juice, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. Other than that they are random, but usually happen at night or morning. I've seen 3 dr.s, two being specialists and no one can figure out what is wrong. They did check for ulcers and a hyatial hernia and I don't have those. The specialist finally wrote a script and told me to go to the ER while having an attack and give it to the dr's and have my liver enzymes and do other tests WHILE having an attack. Well it's impossible to go the ER and be seen in 30-40 minutes. I've tried it twice and by the time I'm seen, the attack is over and they send me home. So I'm at a stand still. My attacks are becoming more frequent (I had two smaller attacks and a full blown one just yesterday).
Getting tired! Any ideas?

Guest · Guest

I had my gallbladder removed 6 days ago. The recovery has gone fairly well. Since yesterday I have had this same type of attack. Two of them so far. They both happened in the morning. Today while driving to work. It was pretty scary - feels like a heart attack... I see my doctor and surgeon for follow up on the 18th and I will bring this up to both of them. Not sure what this means... but it's not FUN..

Guest · Guest

You might have acid reflux. I was diagnosed with this after going in for what I thought was a heart attack.

sdgw · Newbie Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 1 Location: oklahoma

I went to the dr for problems with diarrea and they tested my gall bladder first thing. It was not stones just not functioning so they took it out. Guess what, it didn't help my diarrea problem at all. This was around 1999. Then I started having severe pains in the early morning hours that would wake me up, come and go faint at first then worse and worse (like labor pains) until I would throw up then feel crappy till about noon. While the pains were occuring I would only be able to lay on my back, it was much worse if I sat up, got up or tried to lay on my side. There was nothing I could do but ride it out. The Dr gave me some pills but they didn't help but I would still take them afraid that if I didn't it would be worse. Finally I went to Scott & White in Texas after taking every test up down and sideways with my other Dr. I took all the results with me and it only took one day, they took blood and diagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, gave me an antidepressant (Desipramine) to smooth out my stomach muscles and that has helped wonderfully since 2003. I also take fiber for the diarrea, the powder kind works great. I only have minor attacks since then. I just had an attack last week after taking a pain pill the night before & had to leave work for feeling woozy & disoriented. The only thing the blood tests showed were severely elevated liver enzymes which were back to normal this week. Now the Dr wants me to have another blood test when I have my next attack to see how this is affecting my pancreas. She put it to me like this. She said after gall bladder removal sometimes the duct forms another little sac like a gall bladder. Isn't that wonderful. I told her I could live with the small attacks which happen rarely if it isn't affecting any of my other organs. Is this never going to end??

Painful "attacks" ever since gall bladder was removed

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