Gall Bladder ????

hippiechicks

Wondering if it has been common with others here to have gall bladder issues after CC?  I been suffering for about a week now with this feeling like there is something stuck in the pit of my stomach.  Right between the ribs.  It radiates up into my throat and goes straight through my back. I have also been burping often. 

I went to the ER after speaking to the nurse over the phone .. of course they need to rule out cardiac.  Which thankfully was all negative.  Knowing I have stones from my CT scans (which have never bothered me) they presumed that was the issue.  After getting an anti inflamitory drug given and symtoms dramatically decreased, I was sent home.  Blood work all good.  No infection at this point or obstruction.  

Now, of course the discomfort is right back.  I was instructed to return for a sonogram if things don't get better.  Which I will be doing.  I was just wondering if this is a common thing after having CC or just a fluke thing?  Also, I was wondering if this will be a big problem as far as diet goes having lost all of my large intestine and part of my small, if they need to remove gall bladder?

maglets

wow

so sorry you are having these probs.  Re lack of gall bladder....I lost mine when I had my first liver resection.  so I have been going along for about 5 ned years since then never with great digestion.  Just this past while though I seem unable to take any dietary fat at all without instant diarrhea.  When you have no gall bladder you have no reserve of bile so the liver has to instantly produce bile and deliver it to the intestine to digest the fat.....bang....even an ice cream cone will give me the runs.  I am just starting to really explore this whole digestion thing after the colon and liver surgeries.  Right now I am pretty much living on vegetables....

I wish you luck with the gall bladder.....it couldn't be just good old reflux could it???? I still suffer with that too.....

all the best, maggie

annalexandria

Have you tried an antacid?

Having also lost about 20 miles of intestines, I have a lot of digestive problems, including excess stomach acid at times.  Kind of sounds like what you describe.  You could try Tagamet/cimetidine, which has the added benefit of possibly reducing cancer spread as well.

Good luck, and keep us posted on how things go!

AA

hippiechicks

Thanks for the suggestions. 

Thanks for the suggestions.  It is not stomach acid, as I take an script for that daily. 

It is definately gall bladder related.

jen2012

I didn't have CC but did have
I didn't have CC but did have my gallbladder out, almost 14 yrs ago, and do have the issues Mags mentioned. No fast food here! I remember the pain being horrible so not being able to eat fatty foods wasn't a big issue for me..I just wanted it out. I hope they can get you relief soon. Hopefully they can do the laparoscopic surgery to remove it. It does seem like others with CC have had this issue..from the cancer or chemo?

hippiechicks

jen2012 said:

I didn't have CC but did have
I didn't have CC but did have my gallbladder out, almost 14 yrs ago, and do have the issues Mags mentioned. No fast food here! I remember the pain being horrible so not being able to eat fatty foods wasn't a big issue for me..I just wanted it out. I hope they can get you relief soon. Hopefully they can do the laparoscopic surgery to remove it. It does seem like others with CC have had this issue..from the cancer or chemo?

I hope there is another way

I hope there is another way to save it.  I really enjoy eating and don't like the thought of no more ice cream.  I am not in horrible pain, just discomfort. 

The ER doctor though it may be inflammed or that I may have a small stone trying to pass.  I feel the inflammation thing might be the problem. 

Hopefully there is another answer rather than surgery.

PatchAdams

Gall bladder

I had mine out during chemo! I was so glad to see it go because of all the pain. 

I don't know about you, Mags, but I have very dry skin now because of my almost 0 fat diet. I tried Vit. E and it didn't seem to help at all. 

 

I was never much of an ice cream person but love sour cream and cream cheese.  The low fat brands just aren't that good.  

hippiechicks

PatchAdams said:

Gall bladder

I had mine out during chemo! I was so glad to see it go because of all the pain. 

I don't know about you, Mags, but I have very dry skin now because of my almost 0 fat diet. I tried Vit. E and it didn't seem to help at all. 

 

I was never much of an ice cream person but love sour cream and cream cheese.  The low fat brands just aren't that good.  

OH my!  During chemo?? I

OH my!  During chemo?? I can't even imagine!!  

 

ron50

I lost mine

  Just after I finished chemo. Mine was never in doubt. One of the small black stones from my gallbladder bloced off my pancraetic duct and put me into acute pancreatitis. They removed my gall a week later. One of the common problems with no gall is bile salt mal-absorbtion. I used to eat anything with fat and whoosh chronic diarreah. There is a very simple solution . I take one 4 gramm sachet of questran lite about an hour after breakfast. It binds the bile salts (and cholesterol) and they cause no further problems. I get it on script from my doctor.I can eat all the icecream I want.   Ron.

lilacbrroller

ron50 said:

I lost mine

  Just after I finished chemo. Mine was never in doubt. One of the small black stones from my gallbladder bloced off my pancraetic duct and put me into acute pancreatitis. They removed my gall a week later. One of the common problems with no gall is bile salt mal-absorbtion. I used to eat anything with fat and whoosh chronic diarreah. There is a very simple solution . I take one 4 gramm sachet of questran lite about an hour after breakfast. It binds the bile salts (and cholesterol) and they cause no further problems. I get it on script from my doctor.I can eat all the icecream I want.   Ron.

jack sprat and fat..

Arrrgh. You nailed it. I have the same problem and still have a gall bladder.   I had some issues with gallbladder starting in 2010, pre-diagnosed cancer and didn't think anything of it.  Then and now, If I eat too much fat i"m miserable but it took some trial and error to figure this out.  I thought I was fine a few months ago and chowed down on fried oysters and french fries - yowwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!  

NSAIDs are the worst thing to take, as are antacids.  It's at its worst at night, which is typical as I've read on the internet. 

I just avoid lots of fat - mostly meat and especially pork really bothers me. Ice cream doesn't bother me. That's good, I guess. I don't know how many grams are my upper limit - slipped up last month and had sweet and sour pork - yowwww again.  The longest I"ve had acute pain is three days, but usually it last a day or so.  That round I begged for strong painkiller and my onc wrote me a ticket for vicodin.  Two of those babies gets rid of the pain.

Maybe the cancer (I have liver involvement) has partially blocked a duct or something. I don't know.  I had an ultrasound last summer that revealed no stones. Onc and GP confirm that the acute pain is gallbladder related and not cancer.

good luck and I hope your problems are resolved. 

 

- Karin

hippiechicks

ron50 said:

I lost mine

  Just after I finished chemo. Mine was never in doubt. One of the small black stones from my gallbladder bloced off my pancraetic duct and put me into acute pancreatitis. They removed my gall a week later. One of the common problems with no gall is bile salt mal-absorbtion. I used to eat anything with fat and whoosh chronic diarreah. There is a very simple solution . I take one 4 gramm sachet of questran lite about an hour after breakfast. It binds the bile salts (and cholesterol) and they cause no further problems. I get it on script from my doctor.I can eat all the icecream I want.   Ron.

Hopefully this will resolve

Hopefully this will resolve and I can keep my stones!

You Ron are the MAN!!  Thanks for the tip ... me and ice cream are way to good of friends to give that up!! 

 

 

mrscrain

yes

I just had my gallbladder removed 11-22-13. My CC was July '12. Not sure how related or common this is but it did happen to me. I will say 2 things..first,  only a hida-scan will diagnose your gallbladder. I was in the ER and had labs run, full examination by a doctor who was adament that it was not my gallblader. My family doc also told me that labs AND ultrasound can show a normal gallbladder, fyi. Secondly, I have felt so much better since having it removed! I eat everything again! I had lost 10 lbs prior to surgery because I was so nauseated all the time. I hope this info has helped! Best wishes!

Melissa