Nerve Damage during laparoscopic cholecystectomy - gall bladder removal surgery

2010 I had my gallbladder removed because it was not functioning correctly. Since then I have had ongoing chronic pain on my right side thru to my back as well as nausea and vomiting. I have been put on cymbalta, lyrica, and noratriptaline, none of which have helped. I have seen specialist after specialist, had stents put in the common bile duct and pancreatic duct, which did not work. Since i have fibromyalgia the Dr.s blame this for my pain, but I didn't have this constant pain before the surgery. I have fought to maintain a normal weight for the past 2 years and only the noratriptaline helped with that. The Dr.s are now sending me to a new specialist because they cant figure out what is wrong. Meantime i keep missing work because of the vomitting and the Drs are considering putting me on a med that has side effects of parkensons disease. My husband and I are fed up with all the tests and drugs. They have wiped us out both emotionally and financially. Looking back I wish I had never consented to the gallbladder surgery and just dealt with the occasional flare ups.

Guys, This pain is generally caused by damage to the nerves, i have the exact same thing. I have had steroid (cortisone) injections in the site, along with nerve blocks etc. I have recently had a Phenol Nerve Block which has helped some what, i managed to reduce my pain killers down to just the Tramadol 200mg twice a day. Although i still suffer it has improved. I have looked into option in America where they bury the nerves into your muscle which desensitises the nerve, hence you won't have the pain but yet to find some one in australia willing to do this. I am going to get a referal to a surgeon soon which i heard has done something similar to a girl suffering nerve pain in her leg. i hope he can help.
I am not sure why you are vomitting though, i initially was vomitting on and off for months, and it was the medication causing it, my pain specialist switched my medication from a tablet to a patch which help with the vomiting. maybe you will need to play around with your medications for that one. sorry to hear you are suffering this, and i know the strain it puts on your relationships. i would just like to be able to get back to work.

I have the nerve pain that has sent me to the ER at least 6 times! I am 6 months post surgery and just got a low dose of an anti-depressant to take to retrain the nerves to correct the damage. I will not know for 21-90 days if this is working but I have not had any severe pain since seeing the dr and I was making weekly trips to the ER (most recently 2 days before seeing the G.I. dr) has anyone else been given the low dose of the anit-depressant as a cronic pain management tool? The medicing I received is AMITRIPTYLINE (ELAVIL) 10 MG ORAL TAB, I am having pain right now but it doesn't seem like it is going to become a full on "attack" like I was having.

yes i use to take amitriptyline at night time, never did anything for me so i stopped taking it. he then gave me another one to try, but after a few days of taking it, it actually MADE ME DEPRESSED, wierd hey, never felt like that in my life, it was horrible so i promptly stopped taking it and over night felt normal again, so i don't like the use of them after that experience. but the antitripyline didn't do this, but it didn't help so was just a waste of my money as far as i was concerned.
Tramadol has always been the best for my nerve pain. the slow release kind. i take 200mg SR twice daily. major difference in pain with that one. steroid (cortisone injection) was also another big help. it is antiinflamatory so help the nerve in that way.

So my dr won't give me any pain medicine because he says it doesn't help for nerve pain. Im wondering if I should switch drs or what's goin on. I have been is constant (sometimes more sever than the actual "gallbladder attacks") pain for over 6months now.

That is so untrue. Definately wrong. There are many that help, Oxycodene is another helpful one. Except made me a bit vomity, so i changed it to a Norspan Patch, which is same drug but delivered through patch not tablet you swallow, so didn't make me sick.

Tramadol is one of the most helpful for my pain, and my pain specialist agrees tramadol is very useful for nerve pain. I would switch doctors. try tramadol. It may initially make you 'spin out' a bit, but that is just the initial dose, and the quick release causes it more often than not, so make sure you get the slow release kind. I take 200mg twice daily slow release, i think that is the max dose. but you could start on 50mg twice daily and maybe work up to a stronger dose over a course of a few days so you don't spin out like i did!!

the hospital gave me a quick release one, worked great but then i spun out big time and vomited. but that happens to a lot of people, so get the slow release type and if that happens initially don't worry about it that's normal, it goes away after first day.

are you in australia or america or where? i am australia.

I am in the San Diego, California, united states. I have had oxycodone and it just masks the pain and keeps me up all night, and in the morning the pain is still there. I have had norco and Vicodin too and neither of them work. When I got to the emergency room they give me intervenious dilaudid that works well but they say they can't give me that in pill form. I'm so fed up with being in pain! I wish that I would've kept my gallbladder because I didn't have attacks that often.

I hear you, i wish that too. I wasn't even having gallbladder attacks! They told me i had to get it out because i had gallstones and best to get it out before i get attacks, but i have since found out this is untrue and many people have 'silent' gallstones.
Ruining my life financially and mentally being in constant pain.
I looked into an option, but it was only in america and i can't afford to go, but for you it is probably an option. It is the Dellon Institute for Peripheral Nerve Surgery. They are actually plastic surgeons but what they do is put your nerve into your muscle which desensitises it.
It would be an option for you i am sure. You can do a google under that sentence to find their website. Go into their 'testimonial' page and click on the breast/chest/gallbladder title and there are testimonials in there of people who have had it done with fantastic results. If you go ahead with it, remember me and let me know how you go, cause If i don't have any answers over here is OZ soon I am going to have to fly over.

I will definitely look into it and let you know. Cause being told I can't take pain medicine for pain just to put a heating pad on it, isn't an acceptable answer for me.

I know what you mean, I am on 27 and I have 2 kids ages 4 and 1!! I have to check if the link works because I'm on my phone Internet right now.

Hi Brandy,

Have you had a look into help from Dr Lee Dellon as yet?



Please remember to keep me posted.



Need help! Been 2 years like this in 1 weeks time.

I actually haven't, sorry :/ The medicine amitryptiline seems to be working, except I have noticed in the past week the pain is slowly redeveloping. Hopefully, I will be talking to my dr. tomorrow. Unfortunately due to finances I have been unable to look into any other options. But do not worry I have not forgot about you!

I, too, have been in constant pain since my gallbladder was removed in 2008.  I didn't have stones, just occasional upsets that were diagnosed as poor function.  Made a bad choice, and submitted to the surgery.  When I awoke, screaming in pain, I had a rectus sheath hematoma.  The surgeon kept me in the hospital, but made no effort to try to discover the cause of the pain.  Discharged me with Vicodin and went on vacation!  When the pills were gone, the pain was worse, so went to the ER and got some IV morphine, and a CT scan, which revealed the hematoma.  More Vicodin, then an appointment with a GI doc to do an ERCP to remove the "stuck stone" from my bile duct.  Went home and thought about that, in a clearer moment, and cancelled that appointment since I had no stones to begin with. 

After years of diagnostic tests, including a trip to the University of Minnesota SOD clinic, there was no diagnosis to be had, other than nerve damage.  The pain has not changed in all the years, it's a burning knife under my right ribs that occassionally twists.  Sometimes it travels up around my ribcage, and then I can't breathe.

 

I then tried a Pain Management clinic.  First tried all the drugs, lyrica, neurontin, cymbalta, etc., to no avail.  Then was put on narcotics, oxycodone (45mg per day) and morphine (30mg per day).  Didn't like the constant fog, but pain was better.  Did a trial of a celiac plexus block, where they go through your back to get to the nerve bundle.  I was not informed of the possible consequences of this procedure (they place the needle through major organs, and you could end up with a paralyzed colon),and had no success anyway.  I don't recommend this type of block to anyone!

 

I then did a trial of a spinal cord stimulator, with moderate success.  I had decided to go through with that surgery, when my Pain Dr. decided I was no longer a suitable patient, for reasons unknown.  At that point I had a breakdown and became suicidal.  I was diagnosed with major depression and generalized anxiety, due to chronic pain.  I guess that can happen to a lot of chronic pain sufferers, so don't be afraid to get help when you need it!

 

4 months later, I was out of the hospital, and searching for a new answer.  I've tried buprenorphine, which actually helped me get off the narcotics, but stopped working for me after about 6 months.  I have since stopped all drugs, and am working with a traditional (ie. not a chiropractor) acupuncturist and also use a TENS unit.  The acupuncture stops the deep pain, and the TENS takes care of the ribcage pain.  I have about 60% relief from these measures. 

 

Does anyone have success with more naturopathic treatments?

 

I have tried accupuncture in the past and this did not help at all, Also the Tens unit made it INSTANTLY worse, my Pain Specialist told me that TENS machines usually have that type of reaction on this sort of nerve pain, wish he told me that prior to the hospital making me try it, cause it was horrible! The most improvement I had is with the cortisone injections into the scar area and the Phenol Block which my Pain Specialist has done back in July. Still have pain, but less severe. Was able to drop the Lyrica and Norspan Patches. Still on the tramadol.