Gallbladder out/Reflux begins?? Scared!

[seppi 0]

Several months ago I was having pain in my stomach/right chest. (about a month prior to this I had my fill removed due to sudden unbelieveable restriction) Had a ultrasound and it showed no stones. My doctor thought it was still my gallbladder and sent me for a HIDA scan. Turns out that the gallbladder wasn't functioning properly. Followed the diet instruction, low fat and such. Continued to have some mild problems. Two all out attacks, one of which landed me in the emergency room. The gallbladder was removed last Monday. Everything went fine, must say that the recovery was a lot easier with this than when they put the band in. Even the gas was better but that could have been because I moved around so much after the surgery. Was only out of work for 3 days. Felt pretty good. The only real restrictions that I have are to avoid fatty food and to stay on a low fat diet for a month. I can do that.

Then Friday night pain started in the center of my chest and I had a burning at the base of my throat.I took some Tums, got a little relief but the pain didn't go away entirely. Same thing Saturday, only it wasn't just at night. Thought maybe I had overdid it so I took it easy. Sunday was the worst, a pretty constant pain between my breast and left chest, not my heart but in that area, last night, was the worst. I was having trouble sleeping and again took Tums, Maalox too. Felt a little relief but again not total relief. A lot of gas, burping and passing gas. Called the doctors office today. I couldn't speak to the doctor because he was in surgery, spoke to the nurse. She told me to get some prilosec OTC. She says that it is probably reflux. I asked her why it would come on so suddenly, she said that sometimes it happens. I was so excited (sick as it sounds) to have the gallbladder removed, thought I would be back to my old self again. And now this. I am worried. I have pretty good restriction. I have no fill. Cannot really chow down. Could this sudden turn of events mean something is wrong with the band, or could it be from the surgery? I see the doctor on Thursday for the follow up for the surgery. I am worried that there is something else wrong here.

[Trying2live 1]

You got me on this one

Hope you find relief soon. T

[seppi 0]

I just went and had a scope, the Dr. said that the band looks good. He said to take prilosec 2x a day and that should help. He said that there is no reason no to get a fill, my esophagus is irritated and thats probably what started the reflux.

[Elisabethsew 50]

I'm glad you got some answers from your MD. I had my gallbladder out a few years ago and never had a problem with reflux from that surgery.

[MelodyJ 0]

Seppi--

If it's band irritation then warm liquids and resting your gut is the only way.

If it's GERD then make sure the head of your bed is elevated 6-8" this will create gravity and keep stuff in your stomach easier....extra pillows will make it worse. No over eating (band limits this), no tight clothes, no eating for at least 3hrs before bedtime, watch peppermint, onions, citrus and tomatoes.....all the good stuff can be aggravating. Prilosec is good....hopefully that won't cause problems...let the capsule get soft in Water then take it. Prilosec turns off the pump in your stomach that makes the acid and this will hopefully help the burning sensation you are feeling.

Hope this helps....

God Bless,

Melody

Banded 3/20/06 -44lbs :confused:

[seppi 0]

Thank you. I had my husband raise the bed. I don't have any burning feeling at night. I am hoping that maybe I caught this early. Thank you for the advise. I will take any I can get.

[S@ssen@ch 745]

Seppi,

I had my gall bladder out in February and I was having the same things that you're describing. The guy who took the gall bladder out was clueless, said it had nothing to do with the gall bladder. I was so worried that something was wrong with my band, but had lost some faith in my band doc because he misdiagnosed the gall bladder. What I did was start drinking about 4 oz of aloe vera juice before bed, in addition to the things that MelodyJ recommended. I took Nexium for about a month or so and combined with all those other things, it seemed to get better. Now I only get it if I make poor food choices or eat too much.

The only thing I did differently that MelodyJ recommended is that I DID use pillows because my DH refused to raise the head of our bed (the bed itself really wouldn't work well with that anyway-4 posters, solid wood, etc) So, what I did was make about 3 pillows into a wedge like configuration that starts at my butt so that I'm not bending at the waist. My doc said that by bending at the waist it would make it worse, so I figured the wedge would serve the same purpose as the raised head of the bed.

[vtobon 0]

I have been having the same problems. My doc said I have "sludge". It soundsbad. I was in a lot of pain this past weekend. I felt as if I had done a million sit ups. I couldn't bend over, lay on my side, back, much less on my stomach. Is this something I should be concerned about?

[Elisabethsew 50]

I have been having the same problems. My doc said I have "sludge". It soundsbad. I was in a lot of pain this past weekend. I felt as if I had done a million sit ups. I couldn't bend over, lay on my side, back, much less on my stomach. Is this something I should be concerned about?

Yes, that is something you should worry about and you should consult a surgeon. There is a drug called URSO that is used to dissolve sludge and crystals that your MD could prescribe but, if that doesn't work, you would need surgical intervention.

[MelodyJ 0]

Veronica

I am a PA-C and wasn't recalling what should be done and wasn't too excited w/ sludge...but then read above post and wondered so googled gallbladder sludge and this is the result of one hit @ http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2003/01_03/babb.htm

Treatment

If biliary sludge is discovered in a patient who underwent ultrasound for reasons other than a clinical picture of gallbladder disease or pancreatitis, no treatment is needed. In many patients--especially in those who have a specific risk factor for biliary sludge--the sludge disappears.

In two studies (11,16), ursodeoxycholic acid was prescribed in an attempt to dissolve sludge. However, because neither study had a control group, the reported success rate is difficult to judge. If a patient is acutely ill with cholecystitis or pancreatitis, surgery will be required at some point (4). Conclusion

Biliary sludge has a characteristic ultrasound picture. Once discovered, it can disappear or evolve into gallstones. Patients with biliary sludge may be asymptomatic or may experience acute cholecystitis or pancreatitis.

Hope this helps!! God Bless,

Melody

Banded 3/20/06 -47lbs