Gall Bladder Symptoms?

[Sweet 0]

I've been having some bizarre symptoms the past week and think they might be related to my gall bladder...

Earlier in the week I threw up my entire dinner after what I believed was a stuck episode and was in pain for the next 30 hours with chest cramping and stomach pain and was uncomfortable drinking even a small sip of Water.

One day later I was getting into bed, took a drink of ice water, and immediately felt pains all over my upper abdomen radiating to my back. I took a hot shower which alleviated the pain after about 20 minutes, but left me with residual soreness.

I have a family history of gall bladder issues and personal history of what i thought was various gastrointestinal issues (frequent upset stomach, cramping, painful BM's, etc.)

What is going on?? Im a band newbie (3.5 weeks post-op) but this doesnt seem like band pain...

Any ideas?

[elcee 3,343]

I would contact your surgeon ASAP. You don't say what the food was that caused you to throw up but it is possible that your band has slipped. Hopefully you were following your dr's dietary requirements for that stage.

If you were it would seem strange that you brought back the whole meal. However vomiting once you have a band is dangerous and it can cause the band to slip, especially this early on when the stitches etc are still new. The fact that you haven't been able to get Water or anything else down would also seem to indicate a slip.

I hope that everything is OK but you really do need to see your Dr ASAP.

[annieM 2]

Yup, see your doctor. An ultrasound can rule out gall stones and a barium swallow can rule out a problem with your band. We can't do either of those here on lapBandTalk! (too bad, we'd probably be rather good at it with all our combined experience)

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon,

[Sweet 0]

So, initially I was freaking out because I definitely thought my band had slipped. However, after the 30 hours of discomfort, I took protonix and was able to drink easily after that and I've been eating normally ever since. The pain I had later that week was a very different pain and not in vicinity of my port or band, which is why I'm thinking gall bladder...

I think that my issue could be two-fold. Heartburn/acid reflux and gall bladder?

If my band had slipped, wouldn't I still be uncomfortable and not getting anything down?

[MommyX1 0]

Hey,

havent had band surg yet so I dont know what complications from that are like..

BUT I have had my gallbladder removed-

for me it was somewhat like heartburn in the front and a throbbing, aching pain in between my shoulder blades. It somewhat feels like hunger, but I also had nausea and vomiting. It almost always followed a very greasy meal and sometimes I would have a dull ache on my right side midway between my armpit and waist.

[elcee 3,343]

Have you contacted your Dr yet? It seems like you are trying to make your own diagnosis and that can be dangerous.

[Sweet 0]

I contacted my surgeon last week when I was in pain and thought my band might have slipped. Their only concern was that I was having trouble drinking liquids, but now that I can, it was attributed to a stuck episode. But now Im trying to do some more detective work and see if there were other causes. I am currently in another state visiting family but have an appointment when I return.

Elcee, I don't think there is any harm in getting some feedback about personal experiences from other bandsters. Obviously my first line of defense is my physicians, but I always try to go into my appointments armed with as much information as I can. I assure you, and the world of lapbandtalk, that I am not replacing an internet forum for actual advice and care from a medical professional. That would be ridiculous. I do take the information I get on this website with a grain of salt, every time. But I find that physicians like to poo-poo things until the pain is bad enough. I don't want to experience anything like that again so I want to go in with as much info as I can and get them to test me for whatever is appropriate. My insurance covers everything and worst case scenario, I've ruled things out.

So, again, Im really looking for feedback from people who have had similar pain, experiences, or who know about gall bladder issues.

[Melinco 1]

When I had my first attacks, I thought it was my band, initially. However, the first time it happened I was eating string cheese and yogurt, and wearing an underwire bra, and thought maybe perhaps my bra was just too tight on me, so I went home and changed, and the pain eventually went away.

The second time it happened, I had made some Cookies, ate some of them quite quickly, when the pain hit about 10 minutes later. Again, I thought I had been stuck as I didn't chew all that well (or at least I had chewed quickly).

However, the third time it happened the pain awoke me at 1 in the morning, at least seven hours after I had eaten dinner. I knew it couldn't be my band. I continued to have pain through the night and into the next morning.

Each time that pain would be in my back, the lower part between my shoulder blades. My final attack started hurting in my abdomen area on the right side.

I happened to have a follow up appointment with my surgeon for a fill that next Monday (two days later) and after explaining to him what was going on, he did an ultrasound (as he is a gastrointestinal surgeon as well), and he found stones. He removed my gall bladder Thursday of the next week.

When I spoke with my younger sister and an aunt who both had their gall bladders removed, they said their attacks felt like heart attacks.

So each person's gall bladder pains can present differently. The wisest approach is to either get in touch with your lap band surgeon OR your PCP, and have the appropriate tests done to determine what is going on. And I did come on here and I googled to see what gall bladder attacks felt like, so I could see if I should go to my surgeon or my PCP. Arming yourself with information is never a bad thing, assuming of course you still seek professional medical advice. Just like you did! :confused:

[elcee 3,343]

So long as you are talking to your Dr as well then it is all good.

As to the pain. I have had pain exactly as Mel described. It woke me in the middle of the night and felt like I was dying.Indigestion remedies did nothing the pain just got worse.It lasted for hours and was so bad I ended up sleeping (or trying to) on the bathroom floor.The pain was below the diaphragm area from front to back and I also felt nauseous.It happened again a couple of weeks later. NB. This was preband. My heart has been checked and that was all fine. I also got sent for an ultrasound to check for gall bladder problems and typically they found nothing. So to this day I still have no idea what the cause was.

If it ever happens again I will have to make sure I go to the hospital when it is happening as then maybe they might come up with an answer.

At the time I was convinced that it was a gallstone(after researching on the net) but I still don't know and that is really frustrating.

[Sweet 0]

Elcee, the pain you described is almost exactly what I felt!! I got on the bathroom floor and did the Yoga child's pose and thought I might be in that position all night. Finally I mustered up the energy to get into a hot shower, which really helped with the pain. I made it as hot as I could bare.

As I mentioned, I am visiting with family now, which may have turned out to work in my favor. Talking to one of my best friends today, she reminded me that a relative of hers is one of the top Gastroenterologists in the country (Gastroenterologist to the stars apparently...). Even though there is typically at least a several month wait to see him or someone in his practice, he wants to see me before I leave. I can't believe I didn't think to see him myself and its such a relief to know I will be seen by someone not only competent, but recognized in his field.

I appreciate everyone's feedback and I will keep everyone posted! Hopefully this thread can help someone else who might be experiencing similar symptoms!

[food expert 1]

It's easy to check if it's your gallbladder and it will give you great peace of mind the next time you have an attack so that you don't think you are dying, that is of course if you don't have it out right away. GO TO YOUR DOCTOR!!!

[Sweet 0]

**Update**

My gastro ordered a bunch of tests for me and we are waiting for some results to come back, but I do have gallstones. So, my suspicions were correct. I also went for my first fill yesterday and found out that I already had 2 cc's in there which was a mistake made by my surgeon. She added 1 cc, but then needed to take half out because I was so uncomfortable. I think all these factors caused my discomfort that second week after surgery. Not sure if the gallbladder is coming out yet, it seems like they like to wait until you're dying of pain and need to go to the ER. But at least I know I'm not crazy now :smile:

Thanks for everyone's feedback. It armed me with some good info when I went to my doctor.

Thanks!