Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction Incidence Following Gallbladder Removal

I had choledochoduodenostomy, or Roux-en-Y for short (not because I was heavy) This is almost the same surgery they do for gastric by pass. Mine was for upper quadrant pain. All tests indicating gall bladder. Had an ERCP only to have surgeon nick pancreas 4 times and I ended up with pancreatitus (11days in hospital) No surgery for gall bladder removal until 3-4 months later. (another 11 days because there was a stricture in common bile duct. A few months go by and I'm gaining weight. Start having same pain as before surgery. I've had every regulat test done and nothing. Three years later, I'm now 50 lbs more than when I started with this nonsense and I'm still having upper right quadrant pain. But............it is all in my HEAD. GEE, THANKS DOC"S.

I have a disfuntional sphincter of oddi . I was diagnosed in about 1998. I had my gall blader removed and the pain got worse over time. I was going backwards and forward to thehospital in agony it felt like a sharp and intence pain in my chest that radiated to my back and shoulders.

It was a white tail spider bite that was a blessing in discuise. I was biten for the second time and once again reacted badly I was admitted to hospital where they were giving me codeine to relive the pain. Sudenly the pain in my chest came back aand my liver function test were comming back getting worse every test.
Finely a gasto dr was called in he looked at he test results ceased the codiene and my LFT started to go down i had a> Was booked in for a ERCP and the readings where very high
I have had it cut twice now and have only recently had a nother attac10 years has passed now.

Did you know that codeine actually makes the pain worase hence morphiene brakes down to codien in the liver and this can make the pain worse also.

If you have this pain and condition see aa specialist it can be fixed and controled with the right knowledge.

I have been suffering over 10 years after having my Gallbladder removed and this website is a revelation (my last episode was yesterday and I thought I was dying)! I have been offered the operation which I am now definitely going to have. Does anyone else suffer from vomiting aswell as horrendous pain? My 'incidents' seemed to have escalated to include this delight!!

I also had my gallbladder removed in July after suffering off and on for 30+ years. I managed most of the time not to eat what I knew would trigger the pain. I could not eat anything with wheat in it, so cookies, cakes, all goodies like that was a no-no. But I found that I could eat lots of food that would not trigger the pain. Now I know what you suffer. My pain was no less and it would knock me out for hours helpless until it would pass. But I found I could eat salad greens (no cabbage). I could go to a salad bar and eat my weight in salad and never hurt at all. I'd put peas, tomatoes, eggs and beets and use vinegarette and bluecheese dressing. I can't eat raw onions but cooked ones I could eat. I could eat Mexican food as long as I stayed with corn. I could eat chicken fahitas, sour cream and even the cheese and not get sick. My best friends though is oats and apple cider. Oh, I could also eat fruit mostly apples and peaches. When I went out to a smorgasborg place I'd just eat the filling out of the cobblers or pies. That pretty much took care of the sweet tooth. Can eat green beans and white potatoes. Don't do well with sweetpotatoes, though. I am using past and present tense because after almost 3 month of being mostly able to eat anything after surgery I am back to the same exact pain as before the surgery and back to the old way of eating which thankfully still works. But it is the time of year when I really want the things I can't have and I know that's kind of childish but it is the truth. I am going to a specialist next week and I don't know if I want to let them do anything knowing that they really don't know what they're doing when it comes to this condition. You really do need your gallbladder and I let them take mine out and everything I ate went to my waist because the gallbladder tells the body what fat is good and what is bad and the body doesn't know what to do with it when the gallbladder is gone so it stores it all. . So I may just consider myself blessed to be able to eat what I can and leave it alone. I will let them test me but after hearing everyone elses stories nothing can be done that doesn't have repercussions. Goodluck everyone out there. I know everyone is different so you just have to find your own diet. There are foods you can eat and not get sick. Try the apple cider, fresh if you can get it. I live near an orchard or I just look for the best I can find. Try the oatmeal. You have to cook it don't use the instant flavored one because they contain wheat. You can cut up an apple in it. I love oats so it's a good thing I do. I'm 66 years and I expect I'll be all right on this regimen. I am not selling anything. I'm just an ordinary person. I like to think for myself and I check out as much as I can. That is how I found out about what can be eaten with a bad gallbladder. Some things worked and some things didn't. With a computer at hand we don't have an excuse not to find out what we can before we put our bodies in the hands of someone else. This sphinter of oddi problem is still up in the air as far as fixing it. I'm sure there will be a good treatment some day but not in time for me.

i have the same everything always comes back normal hang in there ive had this for 7 years now and finally getting an answer now when they removed my gallbladder i felt great for two weeks then the pains albeit not as bad returned first was noticed straight after having my gallbladder removed came home in serious pain from the morphine try a good dose of buscopan with if you can get it amotripteline  they work well good luck 

Hi I had my gallbladder removed 6 weeks ago and still in constant pain thought I was going to be cured so really disappointed now going to have further test to see if I have spincter of oddi Ive also lost alot of weight.
Im popping pain killers all day and havent been able to return to any form of work so life pretty much on hold.

Guest wrote:

Guest wrote:

I had my gallbladder removed and continue to have pain as well. I was thinking of asking my dr about spincter of oddi dysfunction. Just curious, along with the pain did you also experience unexplained weight gain?

I had choledochoduodenostomy, or Roux-en-Y for short (not because I was heavy) This is almost the same surgery they do for gastric by pass. Mine was for upper quadrant pain. All tests indicating gall bladder. Had an ERCP only to have surgeon nick pancreas 4 times and I ended up with pancreatitus (11days in hospital) No surgery for gall bladder removal until 3-4 months later. (another 11 days because there was a stricture in common bile duct. A few months go by and I'm gaining weight. Start having same pain as before surgery. I've had every regulat test done and nothing. Three years later, I'm now 50 lbs more than when I started with this nonsense and I'm still having upper right quadrant pain. But............it is all in my HEAD. GEE, THANKS DOC"S.

Cholycystectomy in Dec 2005, four months later referred back for right upper quadrant pain, referred to gastroenterologist - gastroscopy barium and colonoscopy, showed hiatus hernia (already knew about) Diverticuli (already knew about) CEA raised but as bowel o.k. no further action - guess what, TOLD IT WAS PHANTOM PAIN AND ALL IN MY MIND! not amused, gradual weight gain continued, unable to lose weight no matter what, upper quad pain continued though intermittent until jan this yr became continous for two months night and day. referred back to gastro, all tests repeated, same results although polyp removed this time from bowel. This time was told the pain was due to my weight! will refer to endocrinologist for failure to lose weight. Saw my G.P. this morning who realised another G.P. had passed my thyroid function test results as normal when it clearly stated abnormal. (he was not amused as this young G.P. keeps checking up on him - cheek) Thyroxine increased with a review in a month, and a ? sphincter of oddy dysfunction, prescribed probanthine, again for review in one month, lets see how things go, only been ongoing for 6 years so far. Another treatment he mentioned although only temporary is botox into the sphincter itself.

Hi had the biliary scan done and have been diagnosed with sphincter of oddi very common after gallbladder removal may have had it all along only had gallbladder out because it was disfunctioning.
Now using a angina spray when I have an attack which helps now waiting for a gastrophy and colonscopy and then will decide whether to have the stent put in to open up the muscle.

Be happy it was that quick. I live in Savannah and PAIN is a four letter word. If you say it they turn an immediate deaf ear. I have been at this for a year and a half. I am so severely malnutritioned I have to be on TPN feedings through a PICC line for a month before I even stand a chance at getting it fixed. I had a hospitalist tell me what was wrong. I am a mess!!!! My life is in ruins because of what I have been through simply because I AM IN PAIN!!!!!! Seems to me they should have known.

Absolutely identical experience. All started 6 months ago, had my gallbladder removed, then symptoms returned. Stomach pain moving to the back, nausea, occasional chills. Now told I have to have a test on the SOD. Not happy about this as I've read these tests can result in pancreatitis. I am a man but apparently this disease is more common in women but overall, medics are not sure of the cause of this complaint

After gallbladder removal and more episodes with the same horrible pain, I went to the ER. They IV'd me with repeated doses of morphine which only made the pain more severe. I saw my endocrinologist at Duke and he knew right away to prescribe nitro glycerine to relax the smooth muscle spincter. At the onset of an attack I dissolve a tablet under my tongue and am completely pain free with about one minute. Sometimes the pain returns immediately and I repeat with a second nitro tablet, but very seldom. Nitro has been the ticket to pain relief after an onset of SoD. Now, if I can find a pain reliever that will not provoke SoD, I will be in good shape. My SoD is provoked by almost any morphine derived medication therefore Pain relief for other things is extremely limited. Any suggestions?

Before my SOD test I was told to lay off all medication for three days before the test. (for 6 months I had been prescribed with morphine 12 hour slow release tablets and Oromorph when things got too bad). For the 3 days without medication I felt like death. The test involved an injection of a small amount of morphine. After the test I felt wonderful. During the drive home I began to put 2&2 together. Was all this morphine the cause of my problems? I cut it all out straight away. Had another nine days of sheer hell. Withdrawal. Three weeks on I feel almost as well as I did before all this started 8 months ago. I'm not recommending anyone should do this as you go through sheer hell for a couple of weeks and it could be dangerous. I did what I did out of ignorance, it just happened to work for me. My doctor hit the roof when I told him, but I'm through it now. Feeling a lot better and stomach and back pain virtually gone. Eating steak, Mexican and Indian food and feeling OK. I must repeat I don't recommend anyone follows my example without checking with a doctor first.

ebnursey wrote:

Guest wrote:

Guest wrote:

I had my gallbladder removed and continue to have pain as well. I was thinking of asking my dr about spincter of oddi dysfunction. Just curious, along with the pain did you also experience unexplained weight gain?

I had choledochoduodenostomy, or Roux-en-Y for short (not because I was heavy) This is almost the same surgery they do for gastric by pass. Mine was for upper quadrant pain. All tests indicating gall bladder. Had an ERCP only to have surgeon nick pancreas 4 times and I ended up with pancreatitus (11days in hospital) No surgery for gall bladder removal until 3-4 months later. (another 11 days because there was a stricture in common bile duct. A few months go by and I'm gaining weight. Start having same pain as before surgery. I've had every regulat test done and nothing. Three years later, I'm now 50 lbs more than when I started with this nonsense and I'm still having upper right quadrant pain. But............it is all in my HEAD. GEE, THANKS DOC"S.

Cholycystectomy in Dec 2005, four months later referred back for right upper quadrant pain, referred to gastroenterologist - gastroscopy barium and colonoscopy, showed hiatus hernia (already knew about) Diverticuli (already knew about) CEA raised but as bowel o.k. no further action - guess what, TOLD IT WAS PHANTOM PAIN AND ALL IN MY MIND! not amused, gradual weight gain continued, unable to lose weight no matter what, upper quad pain continued though intermittent until jan this yr became continous for two months night and day. referred back to gastro, all tests repeated, same results although polyp removed this time from bowel. This time was told the pain was due to my weight! will refer to endocrinologist for failure to lose weight. Saw my G.P. this morning who realised another G.P. had passed my thyroid function test results as normal when it clearly stated abnormal. (he was not amused as this young G.P. keeps checking up on him - cheek) Thyroxine increased with a review in a month, and a ? sphincter of oddy dysfunction, prescribed probanthine, again for review in one month, lets see how things go, only been ongoing for 6 years so far. Another treatment he mentioned although only temporary is botox into the sphincter itself.

Progress report on above - Probanthine appears to be helping a great deal. Not 100 % but so so much better. Then disaster, the drug manufacturers are having problems with this drug and currently are not manufacturing Probanthine. Pain returned and for a few days back to square one, till I found a dispensing chemist who still had some left. G.P. has prescribed different antispasmodic Buscopan but have not yet started using it. G.P. has mentioned Botox injections into Sphincter have not heard anybody mention this yet as a treatment and whether it is successful.

ebnursey wrote:

ebnursey wrote:

Guest wrote:

Guest wrote:

I had my gallbladder removed and continue to have pain as well. I was thinking of asking my dr about spincter of oddi dysfunction. Just curious, along with the pain did you also experience unexplained weight gain?

I had choledochoduodenostomy, or Roux-en-Y for short (not because I was heavy) This is almost the same surgery they do for gastric by pass. Mine was for upper quadrant pain. All tests indicating gall bladder. Had an ERCP only to have surgeon nick pancreas 4 times and I ended up with pancreatitus (11days in hospital) No surgery for gall bladder removal until 3-4 months later. (another 11 days because there was a stricture in common bile duct. A few months go by and I'm gaining weight. Start having same pain as before surgery. I've had every regulat test done and nothing. Three years later, I'm now 50 lbs more than when I started with this nonsense and I'm still having upper right quadrant pain. But............it is all in my HEAD. GEE, THANKS DOC"S.

Cholycystectomy in Dec 2005, four months later referred back for right upper quadrant pain, referred to gastroenterologist - gastroscopy barium and colonoscopy, showed hiatus hernia (already knew about) Diverticuli (already knew about) CEA raised but as bowel o.k. no further action - guess what, TOLD IT WAS PHANTOM PAIN AND ALL IN MY MIND! not amused, gradual weight gain continued, unable to lose weight no matter what, upper quad pain continued though intermittent until jan this yr became continous for two months night and day. referred back to gastro, all tests repeated, same results although polyp removed this time from bowel. This time was told the pain was due to my weight! will refer to endocrinologist for failure to lose weight. Saw my G.P. this morning who realised another G.P. had passed my thyroid function test results as normal when it clearly stated abnormal. (he was not amused as this young G.P. keeps checking up on him - cheek) Thyroxine increased with a review in a month, and a ? sphincter of oddy dysfunction, prescribed probanthine, again for review in one month, lets see how things go, only been ongoing for 6 years so far. Another treatment he mentioned although only temporary is botox into the sphincter itself.

Progress report on above - Probanthine appears to be helping a great deal. Not 100 % but so so much better. Then disaster, the drug manufacturers are having problems with this drug and currently are not manufacturing Probanthine. Pain returned and for a few days back to square one, till I found a dispensing chemist who still had some left. G.P. has prescribed different antispasmodic Buscopan but have not yet started using it. G.P. has mentioned Botox injections into Sphincter have not heard anybody mention this yet as a treatment and whether it is successful.

Don't want to influence people on choice of treatment, but I was told by a surgeon that severe complications can arise after SOD operation. Acute/chronic pancreatic problems. Still waiting for results of my SOD test but in the meantime have stayed off the morphine. A little pain but can handle it. If the SOD is the problem, I'm going to live with it. I'm not prepared to take chances with my pancreas.

I live near savannah and have been dealing with SOD for several years. Do you have any recommendations for doctors that you have seen in the area. I have gone to one pain doctor and he wasn't very helpful or sympathetic. He basicallytold me that I had to learn to accept that I will be in pain for the rest of my life. Not acceptable to me. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!