Horrendous gallbladder pain, no gallbladder

[CrankyPoet]

It’s been 48 hours and it’s one long agonising gallbladder stones attack with little let up but mine was removed 3 years ago.

GP is sending me for urgent bloods tomorrow to test for things like full blood count, lipase, urea etc.

However, he says it’s unlikely liver related because I am young and a non smoker and drinker. He said he can’t explain why the pain is the same as gallbladder attacks because I don’t have one

I said to him that I had read you can get a stone stuck in the bile duct. He said no because I don’t have a gallbladder, and they don’t do that type of surgery where anything would be left behind. So it can’t be a stone

I have been sick four times in the last 48 hours, like my stomach is being squeezed. I feel awful, it’s just so bloody sore.

A CT has been requested but he said that’ll take a few weeks.

The actual type of pain feels ‘worrying’ and very unsettling, if that makes sense. Again though, exactly like a gallbladder attack oain

I have heard of spinster of Odi? Basically where you don’t have a gallbladder anymore but get muscle related pains - but I am in absolute agony with these attacks and I vomit if I eat a small meal

I’ve been given buscopan and omoprazole. Told to keep my fluids up. And that’s it for now :(

I am a carer and live a very stressful life. He asked if it could be psychologically linked. I said I don’t think so - I can do the care. But I can’t if I’m in agony. It makes my life impossible.

Good luck for tomorrow @PrincessofWells 💐

Thank you - I'm a bit scared 😳

OP could you call 111 tonight for advice in the meantime? In case it is pancreatitis?

I had the same op. The consultant said I was one of the rare people who can make gallstones without a gallbladder and did a sphincter operation to widen. This was ten years ago and I still had a (milder) gallstone pain at christmas. My original symptoms (after gallbladder removal but before the sphincter op) were horrific pain and tango colour piss and yes, I went to a & e, got put on a drip and operated on. Don't hesitate - get seen!

I had this nearly 30 years ago. It was as pp state diagnosed as a sphincter of oddi issue and I had a sphincterotomy to snip it so it didn’t spasm or what ever it was doing to cause the pain. That said I periodically still get pain so it’s never fully gone away but it’s manageable and infrequent. Tbh i didn’t realise it was called this until this thread and I thought ‘huh’ when I read others talking an about it too. Didn’t realise also it’s obviously not that uncommon.

Agree with others though, push to see someone asap as it maybe a nothing or it could be a something like pancreatitis.

How did it go OP?

Hey Op, how are you doing?

I have sphincter of oddi dysfunction and it sounds very much like what you're describing. I had my GB out 10 years ago and have continued to have attacks ever since. My first being in the recovery room of the operation (they then tested me for remaining stones etc, but of course they were none). There were LOADS of meds tho - and they were the cause.

It's taken years to get a diagnosis, and I was finally officially diagnosed last summer by a GI doctor. One of so many I've seen - many who gaslit me for years and years. It's very hard to diagnose, so people saying the GP isn't clued up are right, but this is niche medicine and not a very common diagnosis (though way more common than we are lead to believe). But hey, it mostly affects women, so it's often misdiagnosed and mistreated.. "women's pains" anyone?

There are 3 types of SOD, which makes diagnosis and treatment more difficult. Especially so as there can be other conditions which have been mentioned above - sometimes with lots of overlap.

For me (type 2) the attacks are exactly as you describe and are usually always triggered by having an empty stomach, vomiting, or medication. Any opiates (including opiate derivatives such as Imodium) cause attacks. I've had attacks after eating certain foods and even last time after having a vodka and tonic on an empty stomach.

I take half a packet of buscopan at the first sign of an attack, and it reduces severity and length of the attack. 1 year ago I started taking progesterone as HRT to balance hormones and a side effect was no more daily pain (which had started to be a thing), and I haven't had an attack since. My GI consultant says progesterone is a soft tissue relaxant, and therefore almost guaranteed to be the reason why it's helping.

Having said that, there is a very strong by relationship between gallbladder issues, stones, SOD and hormones. Many people develop issues when pregnant or during peri (both occurred for me).

If you use Facebook, there is a really good UK SOD group where we discuss good GI doctors (who believe and treat SOD) and support each other with pain relief ideas and general morale. Many women are seeing the hormonal link too, so certainly worth a read around the posts.

I hope you're feeling better OP. I know it's absolute hell on earth and takes such a long time to recover from

Yes,I agree. My friend had the same and was told it was possible after gall bladder surgery. GP is very wrong OP.

Unfortunately GPs aren't specialist enough to know everything. They do get stuff wrong and they can't see inside of you. If you get worse call 111

@CrankyPoet hope it goes well, sometimes things are out of the ordinary and are not diagnosed immediately

This is what I came here to say, my daughter had her gallbladder removed and continued having attacks afterwards as there were still stones trapped in the bile duct. She had to have a further operation to remove those stones and widen the duct. She was told by the second consultant that her liver would continue to produce the bile and stones could still form but that the duct being widened should minimise the likelihood of further attacks.

My mum had exactly the same, stones in her bile duct, said it was worse than the gallbladder pain. She had a 2nd surgery 6 months after the first.

I'm currently in a flare myself and desperately not wanting my gallbladder removed. I wish they would just flush them and stop removal, we do need the gallbladder and they can flush just cheaper and easier to remove it.

But how many times would they need to flush it? And that too can cause problems. And larger stones can't be flushed.

In fairness, it is about 10% of people who have post op symptoms.