On Aug 1 my husband had laparscopy gall bladder removal ( 3 point incision) he was sent home in as perfect to be expected condition. but he has been living in hell since. he cant work, cant sit or stand or walk for more the 15 min at a time. he is in tremendeous pain all the time. has trouble breathing. his stomache is incredably swollen...cant even put on his shoes. they cant find whats wrong. the have done xrays labs cortazone shots..the whole 9 and yet everything is "normal" he had a CT scan today but we wont have results for a few days. im racking my brain trying to stay on top of the doctors...i just dont believe that this is ok. he has no quality of life anymore and the whole family is suffering. does anyone have a similar story or any ideas of what they may be able to look for next? please help!
2007-11-16 13:03:46 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
I am considering seeking another surgeon for a second (or 8th) opinion. But our area of WI is dominated by two main healthcare systoms. The first he went to 3 times with attacks and they said it was gas. Until he drove himself to the other hospiital and had emergancy surgery. i dont know if i could convince him to go back to the other place that didnt properly diagnose him :(
2007-11-16 13:18:16 · update #1
the best i can say is what they told me. they said they removed the whole gallbladder because he had one large stone (3cm) is it possable stones could be trapped in the bile duct?
2007-11-16 13:46:40 · update #2
Ouch!
Maybe a quick trip to the clinic is in order? Just order a simply xray to determine if anything metallic was left behind (needle?). That would be my first step.
If nothing metallic was found, it is time to seek help in another hospital, even if that means out of state.
I'm sorry to hear you both are still wrestling with this issue, it has been a while now.
2007-11-19 05:32:45 · answer #1 · answered by theCATALYST 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you certain he had the full cholecystectomy? Are you certain they also removed the all the stones? I had my gall bladder removed in 1976 when they actually made a 6 inch incision to take it out, which they still do in some cases. It took me almost a year of going through hell as my body adapted to life without a gall bladder! As far as I know, the gall bladder cannot simply be removed without attaching something directly into the small intestine so the bile can pass through there instead of the gall bladder. A 3 point incision makes me a bit suspicious since the least I've ever known to be made were 4 or more.
I had many digestive problems after my surgery but after the year was up I was already starting to ease back into normalcy. Your husband, on the other hand, sounds like he still has his gall bladder in there! I was also very, very swollen but that was because I was cut from north to south above and below the navel. Something is VERY wrong with the way he is now. You must do all you can...even if you have to take him out of state and admit him to another hospital through their emergency room! Good luck!
2007-11-16 21:41:28 · answer #2 · answered by Chris B 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This is much too long for someone to be in this kind of pain with that kind of surgery. I had it two years ago last september , was home within 24 hours of surgery and haven't had a problem since. Even ate pork roast the next week.
You need to seek a second opinion. It could very well be that a stone is stuck in the bile duct, had that happen to me BEFORE I had the surgery and the pain was horrible.
Bring ct scans, meds, whatever reports you can get with you.
There is something not right here.
Just watched 20/20 maybe they left a surgical instrument in him. It has happened.
2007-11-16 22:32:51 · answer #3 · answered by Lizzy-tish 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'LL say that isn't normal! Since it was 3 1/2 months ago, he should be back to living his normal life style.
There can be several possibilities: adhesions, constipation (really!), eatting more fats than allowable, not taking his meds, or (I hate to suggest this and I'm not implying any thing.) he's drug seeking, which I doubt.
I suppose some piece of hardware could have been left in him, but a laparoscopy doesn't usually call for extra instruments. A suture needle? That's a possibility.
When you find out about the CT scan, would you send me an email? I'm just as curious.
2007-11-16 21:21:04 · answer #4 · answered by ThisIsIt! 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would seek another opinion. Have you seen another surgeon? It's definitely not normal to have a swollen abdomen this long after surgery.
I am so sorry your husband is suffering so badly.
2007-11-16 21:11:57 · answer #5 · answered by impurrfect10 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lap choleys are considered low-risk but it sounds as if your husband may have had a postop complication. Consider postcholecystectomy syndrome.
2007-11-16 21:17:02 · answer #6 · answered by TweetyBird 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋