Post VSG Cramping and Gallbladder Issues

[Koofka 59]

Hey all,

Two weeks out today from a partial cholecystecetomy (gallbladder removal) and wanted to pass along a few words of warning regarding abdominal cramping post VSG.

Around mid June, while on vacation, I made a particularly bad food choice - greasy burger, cheese wizish sauce. A few hours later, I began having an uncomfortable cramping just under my upper right rib cage. Cramping increased in intensity over the course of the next hour and kept it up for about four more hours.

At the time, was thinking that this might have been dumping syndrome but, after returning home and consulting with my bariatric docs, I was told it was more likely a gallbladder issue and that they could help with it if I chose. Being about 6 months post VSG at that time, I was less then enthusiastic about heading down the surgery route again and took the news under advisement but didn't rush to get additional tests. The practitioner I was speaking with at the time did not seem particularly concerned and, taking their lead, I chose not to be.

Three weeks later, the next set of cramping attacks happened consecutively four times over the course of as many days and prompted a call to the doctor and a prescription for an abdominal ultrasound. That scan turned up both gallstones and sludge in my gallbladder and I was advised that removal was the best option and scheduled for removal 2 weeks later.

After a week of waiting, my last gall bladder attack occurred and lasted for over 12 hours and prompted a move up of the surgery date. I was uncomfortable with the thought of doing it on an emergency basis and without the surgery team I was familiar with. Went on a liquid diet over the weekend to avoid additional attacks and went back under the lapro-knife Monday morning.

Post-op I was informed that my gallbladder was in about the worst possible condition - "acute gangrenous" - a life threatening condition that also made a full removal of the gallbladder difficult. It also extended the hospital visit from the expected same day return home to a 3 day stay.

I suppose the moral of the story (and the reason for sharing here) is that several doctors have assured me that rapid weight loss was likely causal as to the poor condition of my gallbladder - though it may have been a undiagnosed issue for years preceding. They also assured me that if I had not acted quickly it would have quite possibly been fatal.

So for all you bariatric pals out there, don't ignore cramping post-op. Particularly if it starts in your upper right abdomen before spreading further. Its a difficult condition to ignore, but I found out the hard way that even waiting the eventual month it took me from first symptoms to surgery could have been longer then I had left.

Hope this helps out someone else who finds themselves in the same boat.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Koofka

[marycw1955 40]

Thanks you for sharing your experience with the gallstones. I think any discomfort, especially post-op, should not be ignored...

[4everbeautiful 61]

Koofka,

Sorry that you had to experience such pain. Glad to know that it has now been resolved with the removal of the gallbladder. Continue to heal!! Also, "Thank you" for sharing with us.

[BeagleLover 1,020]

My husband almost died from a similar experience. He was having gall bladder attacks, and chose to ignore them because we were in the process of moving. He had a very bad attack and went to the emergency room. The doctor said he could choose to go home and wait, or have it done while he was there. He wanted to continue to move furniture back and forth. I told him in a not-so-elegant way, that he was not leaving until it was done. Turns out, he had stones in the tubing coming out of the gall bladder, and the stones had ripped holes through the tube. If he hadn't had the surgery and eaten some food, it would have gone into his abdomen. He would have gotten sepsis and died..

[KittyChick 140]

@@Koofka I'm glad you're ok.

Scary post though because I think this is what's happening to me right now. My insurance doesn't kick in until Oct 1st though so I am suffering through it until then. It's really upsetting.

Were both your sleeve and gallbladder surgery done laparoscopically?

[BitterSweet* 835]

What an experience you've had. Gallbladder disease is no joke and can be a real emergency, quite frankly.

My advice is to run from any bariatric surgeon that doesn't do proactive measures before your surgery. Mimimum of a liver function test (LFTs) and an EGD. If either is suspicious for gall disease, an ultrasound should ordered.

Doctors are not doing you a favor by omitting those measures before VSG, they're actually doing you a disservice. Knowledge is power.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Excellent post.

Just because we haven't died up to this point in life doesn't mean we won't die.

Strange concept, eh?

[Koofka 59]

@@KittyChick Yes both procedures were laproscopic. Pretty much resulted in a second set of scars similar to the VSG.

From my experiences, would say getting to a doctor for a checkup post-haste would be suggested.

I read over most of the internet / homeopathic stuff out there. Only one that seemed like it may have took a bit was apple cider vinegar mixed into a glass of apple juice. That was mainly a homeopathic route for calming an attack in progress. One doc also prescribed muscle relaxers for the same purpose. From research and chatting with the doctors throughout the process, the gall bladder "flushes" that a certain segment of the internet pushes are bunk and could cause more trouble then benefit.

Beyond that, avoiding foods with high fat content while you wait to get to a doc may help avoid attacks. Ends up being a pretty boring diet, but better then the attacks.

[angierue 214]

Four years ago this November, I went about a week with similar symptoms (I'm still pre-VSG). Drove myself to the ER at 5:30pm the day before Thanksgiving, had an ultrasound and confirmed that I had gallstones. ER doc ran some additional blood work and my liver enzymes came back through the roof. He has me immediately admitted. Was NPO for 3 days to get them under control then went in for surgery that Saturday.

Woke up in recovery with two different drain tubes and still had my gallbladder. The surgeon said when he got in there, it was so inflamed and that I'd been sick a lot longer than I realized because it at attached itself to the liver with scar tissue.

Two days later, discover that a stone had gotten out so had endoscopic surgery to remove it.

Two days after that, went back in to surgery to have the gallbladder removed.

Three surgeries and nine days later, I'm finally released to go home.

Gallbladder issues are no joke. My mom came and stayed with me while I was in the hospital and didn't tell me until I was home, but the doctor said I was extremely lucky. I was very close to organ failure had I waited much longer.

Going into VSG, I'm really happy that I already have my gallbladder out and will have one less worry post-op!!

Edited September 17, 2014 by angierue

[Koofka 59]

@@angierue - I passed a stone post the partial gall bladder removal and happened to go in for a blood test the next morning. Levels were 840 / 640 or so where 35 / 44 was normal. Nearly got rushed in for an endoscopic, but chose to wait it out since the attack had passed and my doc thought the levels may have just been related to the attack. Thankfully, its about a month later now and my levels are finally back to normal after doing weekly tests.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Holy cow! Some horrific stories here and some important lessons to take on board.

For those of us who've been obese for so long and have toughed through so much more than most people have just to live life daily, we've probably built up some really stupid thinking about how we can endure anything and survive.

Well, apparently not.