Please Pay Attention To Your Pain!

[momof4 10]

Gallstones! Please please pay attention to the warning signs!!! Wow what a week. I've been in the hospital since last Sunday, no food or Water since then either.

I had some pain here an there the past two months that once I was told by my surgeon was prob food poising and the next time they said it was prob That i ate too much too fast and that I also had alcohol (it was 1&1/2weak drinks).

I've been spitting up lots of acid with stomach pain after meals which was reduced to being acid reflux.

Then last weekend it hit me and HARD!!!

I called my dr who made an apt for me the next day saying it was probably gallstones and that since surgery in feb ive made it far because its common to have them develop even with a sleeve.

Then the nurse said that if it didn't pass in an hour to go to the ER. Well In about five minutes After talking i was on the floor crying and my gut felt like muscle spasms, Charlie horse and stabbing all together.

I doubled over and was spitting up (all I had was coffee that morning so far and it was still hot coming out) I started sweating like someone poured water on me and I could barely walk.

My husband rushed home from work and could barely get me to move Let alone stand, so I was taken to the ER.

They wheeled me in from the car cause I was puking (dry heaves of course) the whole way and as we pulled up. I don't even remember the first hour as it was a blur and hazy experience due to the agony.

The staff got me in right away and they figured it was stones but gave me pain meds to calm me down and took a CT scan and MRI.

Not only was it gallstones but one, the size of a quarter, had lodged in my duct (opening size of a pea) where the pancreas connects and my pancreas was bleeding and my liver Enflamed. My hemoglobin was incredibly low and I was majorly dehydrated.

So after 11 hrs in the ER hallway bed, they finally had a room for me. The 3 hr dose pain killers would wear off in about 45 minutes at most the Pain was unbearable, so they scheduled an emergency surgery.

But the surgeon was very afraid of my levels --- normal enzyme levels should be 45-50 and mine were incalculable as the scale only read up to 1,0000!

So they had to postpone it until my pancreas could calm down.Each day a new issue with the pancreas or liver came. And each day a new pain killer was introduced as none were working.

All making me puke, but again it was dry heaves acid and with each gag it pulled on my insides and caused more tears and swelling.

So last night day 7, still no food or water the entire time, I had the surgery to remove the gall bladder.

My blood count was so low they had blood ready and warned me I could go into cardiac arrest because the enzymes that normally eat bile were now eating me. But that they couldn't wait longer as the blocked stone passed and this was their chance before another one came up.

The doctors said everyday since I haven't had a BM they were afraid I'd get what's called dead bowel.

That's where there is bile in your intestine and when you're put to sleep your intestines freeze and that area doesn't react when u wake and they have to cut out the section with bile and reroute that part of the intestine. But an enema was too dangerous for me now.

I hadn't eaten so couldn't see how to push the bile they knew was there so of course this added to my stress and tears.

The meds gave me such bad acid reflux that I had horrible chest pains that felt like I was having heart attacks and I was burping and gagging like after the sleeve recovery.

My surgeon ended up with complications with another surgery and was late for me after I was already in surgery room I was told to try to walk around to calm down and get the gas outta me.

So I cried and cried and somehow I decided to spend that time on the toilet and 20min into that i ended up having a BM it was amazing how that happened? The dr said that saved me from so many complications!

Surgery was about 45 min and today my color is back in my face and i feel like half way normal and even hungry! I've walked around to expel the gas and had Jello & ice tonight (24hrs after surgery and 8days after last meal). No I don't look like I've lost weight hahaha... In so bloated from all the different meds and fluids that I look like a white Madea! Haha

Today the dr said if I can go rest of day without the IV pain meds I can go home tomorrow instead of weening me slowly over 3 days. They're very bad to be on more than a week! And I gotta be able to be off them to go home anyway.

I was totally fine taking liquid meds and have all day so tomorrow I'll go home.

This was an unreal nightmare and I pray someone, anyone, who thinks they may have pain that's been blown off, goes in and gets the abdominal ct scan! It may save you from agony or even just save your life!!!!

[Kim Ster 111]

Wow what a story.....so glad you are better. Were you taking actigall?

[doxieville 799]

I am so sorry you had all these complications! But THANK YOU for posting this. I sometimes feel that people on this forum don't take gallstones seriously. I had my gallbladder taken out 6 weeks after my sleeve surgery. Did i want another surgery so soon? Not on a bet!!! But i knew it had to come out.

I'm so glad you are doing better!! Hugs!

[momof4 10]

Kim- no I was not on actigall.

[MammasMelting 35]

I am so glad you are OK...and I am very glad your surgeon was behind...even though you were in agony, had he been on time you wouldnt have had the BM, and that's a scarey thought...

[Butterthebean 8,146]

My doc put me on ursodiol right after surgery and I'm still taking it. Did your doc subscribe anything for gallstones after your sleeve surgery?

[doxieville 799]

I was put on gallstone meds. Didn't make a difference. But that's not to say that it does not work!! We are all so very different.