I have been banded for about 3 months.....and last night at 12:00 am I woke up with a severe abdomen pains. I ate at about 6:30 pm and I had a Rachel melt...which is alot like a Rueben but with turkey, the bread was the 12 grain bread and I had toasted it, I had no problems eating it at the time, but could that be what gave me the pain? The ER doc thought that could be it or maybe my gullbladder. Has anyone had this? My pain seems to be in the middle and wraps around to the right into the middle of my back. The pain did subside about 1 hour into it, and today I feel like a bus hit me. Horrible backaches....if anyone could shed some light on this I would appriecate it.

Thanks

Doc didn't do an ultrasound of your gallbladder? Did he refer you to a radiologist?

I had to be taken to the ER from work with severe pains back in 1992. I had ignored the previous 3 attacks, but the last time I just couldn't ignore the fact that something was seriously wrong.

ER doc ultrasounded me, and lo and behold, gall stones. He referred me to a surgeon, and a month or two later it was removed.

The pain was so bad, I imagined it was what a broken back felt like. And if I could just burp/fart, I'd feel so much better.

Edited to add:

Oh - BTW, doc told me greasy/spicey foods would often bring a gall bladder attack on...

It sounds totally like gall bladder. I have not had this issue, but my best friend had EXACTLY the same thing; pain on her right side/ribs/back after eating. And it would come in "attacks" or waves. Did they check your gall bladder?

No!! The ER Doc didn't do much...they x-ray my chest and stomach, but no ultrasound....he seemed so positive that it was what I ate. I was really disappointed in the Doc, he pretty much just thru his hands up in the air.

Go get ultrasounded.

Many people start having gall bladder problems with weightloss, so it would not be any big surprise if that's what it is.

Also, you might want to do a little research about the gall bladder before having it removed, if that's what's recommended. There seems to be a small movement against gall bladder removal, and I guess if there is a better solution I'm all for avoiding surgery.

Good luck, and don't let this drop!

Sounds like a gallbladder attack. They are really painful. I went to the ER with one once.I can't believe no ultrasound!

The gallbladder gets irritated by fats and caffiene, so take it easy on those until you get to the bottom of it!

best wishes

This is one of the things I'm really scared about. I worry that I'm going to have some serious problem but that doctors are going to think the problem is due to my band and ignore me. Then they find out after my death that I was having a heart attack/gall bladder attack/tumor/hang nail well you get the idea. I'm afraid that non-bariatric doctors are going to give me substandard care because I was so weak and such a loser that I had to resort to an implanted device to control myself. I know there are doctors out there who ARE like that. I know, I shouldn't worry so much, but it's pretty hard to not think about it. And I know that I'm not weak or a loser but I also know there are plenty of people who perceive lap band surgery that way - which is why I'm not telling anyone I'm having it done.

DonnaB

03-07-06 Surgery date

Dr. Roberto Rumbaut, Monterrey, Mexico

282/150

5' 9"

Oh Shelly you poor dear.... so sorry you had to go thru that.

I don't have much faith in ER doctors.....

Back in 1990 I went in by ambulance not once but 3 times for horrible pain, I mean pain so bad I was passing out. Each time the ER sent me home and told me I had a stomach virus.

My appendix burst and the knuckleheads couldn't figure it out....

If they had done a simple CAT scan it could have been avoided.

So Donna, with or without a band you have to be careful.

JMHO folks

I went to the Er with horrible pains, and they removed my appendix, when that wasn't even what it was. I had a severe infection in my lymph nodes that could have been treated with anibiotics through IV...but they through me into surgery. My appendix was fine, the DR laughed....well guess we don't have to worry about that anymore!! ASS!!!!! Sorry, but it does sound like gallbladder, and you need an ultrasound go see your general Dr and he can get you in for one. Good luck!

It sounds to me you had a gallbladder attack. Usually the pain in your back will be more to your right side. After 3 attacks in a row I ended up in the ER. The doctors ignored me when I told them it was my gallbladder. Since I did not have the typical symptoms such as gray stool etc. they at first wrote me off. To me it felt like gas pains more than anything. They finally did the ultra sound and there they were. My stones had actually dumped into my common byle duct and shut off my pancreas. I began to develop pancreatitus (not good). You deffinately want to go have the ultra sound done. I fought mine for so long that when it was removed it was the size of a 12 ounce coke can when it should be about the size of your thumb, you don't want that trust me.

I have mild gall bladder symptoms but no stones, so my doctor is pretty much ignoring me. Hopefully I can get some attention to it before I have an attack!

But it definately sounds like the gall bladder to me. In my experience, a) you'd definately know if there was a problem with your food in that amount of time and unless you are really stuck, there's shouldn't be a reason for food to be above your band for that long.

I let my gallbaldder problems go on for much too long. I kept putting off the need to have it out until it began to give me pancreatitis. Sometimes it pancreatitis can develop into chronic pancreatitis. DO a search on that sucker and you'll not want to fool around any longer, that's a serious disease. I was foolish in putting it off, but lucky that my pancreas was not permanently damaged.

Its a gallstone or gallsludge. You need to restrict your fats since they are what triggers the gallbladder releasing the bile. You can try a medicine called ursodeoxycholic acid for a few weeks. This might help dissolve the stone/sludge. Unfortunately for us, a rapid weight loss can cause a stone in about 20% of rapid weight loss patients. Its higher than that sometimes. Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse get it taken care of.

wow i cannot believe the kind of treatment some folks have to deal with. I too had gallbladder issues, which some great friends on this board pointed me in that direction... but anyways the point is that when I did go to the ER they knew exactly what it was.. they totally were excited and had great attitudes about me being banded.

My PCP is the same way.. he is 100% supportive and NEVER assumes anything is "band related" and.. worse comes to worse I call my surgeon (no matter what time.. same guy who did my band did my gallbladder surgery also) and make sure that whatever is wrong is NOT my band.

ANyways.. sounds like gallbladder to me also and boy getting it taken out was a breeze! My surgeon told me that 1 in 10 of his bariatric patients have their gallbladders removed after weight loss.

Yep, sounds like gallbladder to me as well. I suffered attacks for 10 years, before I finally met a savvy doctor who took my symptoms and added them up correctly...get thee to a doctor and demand they take alook at yous. Mine was very diseased and should have come out about 9 years before it did. Best wishes!

Shelly,

I truly sympathize with you. I started having those exact same pains in October. And I can understand the "feel like you've been hit by a bus" comment. I kept going to my band doctor. I had at least 2 ER visits (one with an overnight stay). He kept telling me that I had eaten something that either irritated my stoma or got stuck. After having episodes about every 2 weeks for nearly 5 months and being told that I needed to seek counseling to see why I was so sensitive to "esophageal spasms", I went to another doctor only to find out I had gall stones. After having surgery, the doctor told me that one of the ducts was very dialated, meaning I had been passing large stones for a long time. DUH!!!

Don't let this go on long. It's torture. The pain is not something you should "just live with" or adjust your eating because of. I was having attacks from cream Soup, tuna salad or a even a hard boiled egg! Get that ultrasound. Get a definitive diagnosis and get it treated.