Anyone with longer term issues after Gallbladder removal? - back to gp next week

[dahliaaa]

I'm just over 5 weeks post op. All ok from op itself. Incisions seem to have healed fine etc.

But I've been left with two things:

• Significant digestive issues. Sorry for TMI ! Started as awful constipation. Increased water/ started prune juice etc but needed various laxatives and settled on movicol for 3 weeks. Trying to manage without it now but alternating between constipation/ upset stomach etc. Feel uncomfortable most of the time and making things tricky at work. Stomach feel very 'sore' and burning.

• Dull ache under right ribs (in area where gallbladder was.) Most days. Feels very similar to the discomfort I had before the op.

Ive booked an appointment to see GP next week when I'll be 6 weeks post op but just wondered if anyone else had similar issues after getting over the initial op. Did things settle or did you need to deal with it longer term? Thanks

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcholecystectomy_syndrome

Thanks Was - do you have that?

No. A friend of mine does

Hi OP,
I had my gallbladder out around three years ago now but had almost like before ghost pains for about a year afterwards! They stopped eventually but I find I have to be really careful with what I eat otherwise I get hideously bad indigestion.
I haven’t had any of the other symptoms you’ve mentioned though so it may be worth a chat with your Dr just in case something is still lodged somewhere.

Did she have treatment for it Was or is it just something she has needed to get used to? (Sorry I realise that you might not know these answers.)

Face - sorry you've still got probs with indigestion. Really useful to hear about your 'ghost' pains.
I have been very careful not to eat too much fat etc but wondering if might need some kind of supplement.

Slight complication is that I had the op now to try and avoid more significant problems with gallbladder later because DH has serious life limiting health problem. So trying to resolve as much as I can now. Maybe im expecting too much too soon (?) but I know a few people who have had the surgery and didnt have these issues.

ps these are the things i'm doing each day:

flaxseed on breakfast
glass of prune juice every morning
2 litres of water each day
1 or 2 cups of peppermint tea a day
Avoiding fatty food

I had never heard of it before and she said it is not commonly known about. She has to live with her symptoms and manage them as best she can

Thanks Was - that might just be something I need to accept

I think time is definitely the thing really. I personally find peppermint tea a bit of a trigger, may be worth switching about a bit? I find eating ‘clean’ really helps and the little and often approach! It’s crap though, you think that having the op will solve it instantly but it definitely takes time and you do have to watch it still.

That's worth knowing about the peppermint tea. I have been trying to eat as clean as possible but I think I probably need to do more.
This will sound ridiculous but it's like my digestive system has 'forgotten' how to work normally. (Oh to have a normal poo )

Haha I told my husband that since having mine out it's like I've got a completely brand new digestive system, one I don't recognise at all!

Loose stools, stomach cramping, aches and pains. I had mine out in Feb.

To be fair it has gotten better because I had that awful bile diarrhoea after surgery, painful!

Post op from June. Can't cope with high fat, sugar and some veg. Results are (sorry to be graphic). Smelly, liquid shits. Bad guts in the morning and don't even start on boozy nights. Consultant said live with or change! I plan for my indulgence now!

I am 7 days post op and was asking about this yesterday - wondering what longer term experiences people had had!

I had an episode of the bile diarrhoea yesterday. Ye gods, nobody warned me! Fingers crossed things seem better today, although I am eating carefully still...I'm a bit anxious to stay outside the 10% of unfortunate people who suffer long term problems after the surgery.

I hope yours settles down soon OP, but I am reading with horror interest.

My poor DH - he's heard more about my bowels in the last 5 weeks than in the last 20 years !!!

Thanks for all the info everyone - it's all really useful background ahead of my appointment (and stops me feeling like such as a freak as everyone seems to see gallbladder op as really straight forward with no long term implications.)

Billy hope I haven't worried you and you carry on having good recovery.

Thanks dahliaaa, me too...like you, the majority of people I've spoken to about it had no long term problems and saw it as piece of cake, in fact most bounced back a week after surgery and never looked back!

Ohhhh, let me be one of those...

Right now I keep suddenly realising that I have no abdominal pain. I've had low grade pain for as long as I can remember, it's weird now it's gone!

Just as I typed that I had a huge twinge at the ex-gallbladder site lol.

7 days post op is still v early

Yes, I am not known for my patience.

In terms of surgery healing I felt significantly better after 2 weeks and continued to improve in week 3 and 4

It's my appointment a week today - any other stories ?

Bumping for you dahliaaa - there seems to be dozens of mumsnetters with experience of this op, but the health threads get pushed down pretty quickly!

And of course I have an ulterior motive, as I am interested in the same thing.

Thank you :-)

I don't think 5 weeks is really enough for things to settle down. They had told me that it takes 3 months for everything to fully settle. And I think that's true, I went through different cycles of bowel changes and it did take a good 3 months before I felt like my digestive system has really settled.

That's interesting Feelings )and probably much more realistic. I was sent home with a jolly instruction to 'eat what you want.'

One thing to add which I'm sure is irrelevant but anyway ...

For the last week I've really strong itching all along base of spine.

Not sure if would irritate dr if go in with 3 probs (although query all linked to gallbladder op recovery):

• digestive issues
• pain where gallbladder used to be
• itchy skin