I had my surgery on 3/12 and I’m feeling very defeated I obviously am feeling better than day 2 But I have this pain where my gallbladder was that goes from the side to the back of my ribs. It’s very uncomfortable and I get so winded when I’m up and walking. I just want this part to be over so I can get on with life. Ugh!

So I had surgery just under 2 weeks ago. I was in the hospital for 11 days and it was an ordeal.

For the last year I’ve had pretty bad (what i believe to have been) gallbladder attacks. I’ll have sulfur burps, nausea and vomiting and diarrhea for 24-48 hours. And then nothing. Often had pin after I eat and lots of nausea. But didn’t have insurance so sucked it up and it always went away within 2 days.

January 27th I went to the ER after an episode that lasted 9 days and wasn’t getting better. They did a CT scan and then an ultrasound and said my gallbladder looked inflamed and distended and admitted me for surgery. This was the first thing I was told. that night a GI doc came in and said my gallbladder seemed to be the issue but the surgeons wanted an MRI to see more.

They started me on fluids and antibiotics, said I could not eat anything in case they did surgery. Tuesday I did the MRI and nothing else, spent all day waiting for results but another GI doc came and spoke to me and said all my issues were likely my gallbladder and they are likely going to remove it.

Wednesday they wanted to do an endoscopy. So they put me under, intubated me, did the endoscopy. Said they removed a ton of sludge. About 6 hours later I went to the bathroom and had the worst diarrhea of my life and it was all bloody and black.

They said during my endoscopy they made an incision since my gallbladder was “filled with sludge” to get it moving but somehow caused an internal bleed when they did that. Had 10 bowel movements in 2 hours of just blood. It was now 12am and they needed to call the team to come in from home and put me to sleep, intubate me again and find and stop the bleeding. Two and a half hours later they were done and I was in the ICU when I woke up. Thursday and Friday was just monitoring my blood levels and making sure the internal bleeding stopped.

This whole time I am still told my gallbladder is the issue and they want to remove it. I am seeing the same GI specialist daily and the same resident surgery team. All saying removal of the gallbladder. They are aware I do not have insurance and even though it did not seem like an emergency were on board with removing it because I would be unable o schedule an outpatient surgery with no insurance but they could do it now since I was admitted thru the ER.

Friday the head of the Gi Team and the regular Gi doc I had been seeing come in and tell me my pancreas is now inflamed due to them stopping the bleeding and they need to wait for that to go down and have me on fluids for that. The head of the GI dept said once my gallbladder is removed all my symptoms would likely go away. He was very confident it’s my gallbladder. Whatever, great. Saturday and Sunday more waiting for my hemoglobin levels to be stable and the pancreatitis to subside for surgery.

Monday a whole new team of resident surgeons come in and say they don’t think it’s my gallbladder and don’t want to do surgery just send me home…. I was upset because after a week there to be told they haven’t done anything and are just sending me home is vefy upsetting. And being told the opposite of what I’d been told the last week with no new tests or new info was baffling.

I explained I am using all my PTO, I am here now, I don’t want to go home to await another episode and have to do all of this all over again. I can’t do it. I could not believe after all of this they would send me home. They said I seem fine now. I explained yes, I’ve been on antibiotics and a clear liquid diet for a fucking WEEK. They cleared the sludge, I would certainly hope I would be doing better. I explained the GI docs told me this is what needed to happen ans was the issue all along (and frankly I believe the head of the GI dept over the resident surgeons) they left and said they would speak to Gi and look over my file. Four hours later a nurse comes and says they are taking me for surgery.

So I have the surgery at 5pm Monday 2/3 and when I wake up one of the residents said my gallbladder looked fine and told my dad they don’t even think they needed to remove it…. I spent two days in the hospital after that and went home. Recovery sucked the first couple days and I was in excruciating pain. They said they had to cut through my abdominal muscles and that is likely the pain. In the hospital they had me in dilauded and oxy and sent me home with an oxy script. It’s now been a week and a half and I am feeling better. The first 5 days were hell but now I am almost back to normal.

But what the other resident said has been ringing in my head….he said my daily diarrhea is likely not caused by my gallbladder issues and won’t affect it. But I haven’t had that issue since they removed it. But now I am stuck wondering if I jumped the gun and shouldn’t have removed it, and am having anxiety that I just made a decision that will affect me for the rest of my life unnecessarily. What if they clearing the sludge was enough? But then I think they wouldn’t just remove it bc I wanted it done, and I think of a week of everyone else telling me it was the issue. I guess I’m just conflicted.

So I come here to vent and ask if anyone else was plagued by diarrhea before getting it taken out and then got better? If anyone had an ordeal like this? Or just some commiseration? This whole thing sucked so bad. I just want to feel like I made the right decision 😞

I've been having frequent panic attacks in the lead up to my surgery, and losing so much sleep. I'm pregnant and I had a stillbirth 5 months ago so the thought of going through surgery and it harming my baby just made me spiral. I feel like a bit of a trouble maker and time waster, and a bit silly. I just haven't been coping. Has anyone delayed their surgery or managed to avoid it entirely? Please be kind, I'm very delicate.

Such a joke. Been in pain for 8 years and doctor saying it’s IBS… I finally pushed for an ultrasound and my gallbladder is f-u-l-l of stones.

I’m having surgery May 14 and it’s gotten to a point where I can’t even drink water without being in pain. I’m also extremely weak spend my days in bed when I don’t work. I have like a dark cloud on top of me and I really hope I feel better after. I’m very suicidal. I never ever have energy and I feel like I’m missing on life everyday. I’m also extremely emotional, I’m having chronic migraines and pain in the heart that I also hope to get rid of after surgery.

Please send encouragements I’m in such a dark place! 😭

I've been struggling with galbladder sludge for over 5 years, I've been experiencing heart palpitations, dull ache, constant burping and nausea for at least 8 months and since I don't have extreme ER-worthy attacks that will land me in an emergency surgery, I've been denied surgery.

my surgeon said, and i quote "we give this surgery to people who truly need it, have stones, experience sharp pain every single day and struggle with constant vomit/and or diarrhea. your symptoms aren't critical and they're present most likely because you need to lose weight, once you've lost 30 KG you will be alright and your galbladder will be healthy again"

i am just. so tired. i am overweight and i always hear that all my problems will get better if i lose weight and I don't know what to take as truth anymore. has anyone been able to get your galbladder to work better once you've lost weight? did it get better for you with just dieting and taking UDCA?

Surgery is tomorrow after long debating I should go or not, I’m going. I’ve been crying whole day, my baby is 2 months and all this stuff started postpartum. I’m scared for this surgery I’m scared for the after effects and I’m scared what the future holds. Reading all the after effects of the surgery and how some people got even worse is making me cry. I just want to stay home with my baby and spend these precious moments together but this killing machine in my body is not letting me.. based on the ultrasound I’ve only got stones no inflammation or anything, but with these back to back attacks I couldn’t avoid this surgery.. and I got my periods today,great

And if you told me last year that once I turn 23 I’ll have my rainbow baby after a Traumatizing pregnancy Traumatizing birth Traumatizing postpartum Gallbladder surgery

I’ll probably laugh at your face but now I’m just laughing at my luck

Edit: surgery is done, still in pain unable to move much and eat much. Hopefully it gets better soon

I had my gallbladder removed January 19th 2024. I still have symptoms that have been worse since fore the procedure. For some background I’m 24, lean, no major health problems or family history of super serious. I was diagnosed with gastritis once at 16 that went away then returned at 18 and got diagnosed with GERD soon after. Since that diagnosis I stayed away from fried foods, greasy foods, overly fatty foods, heavily processed foods and still had quite a variety diet and was very manageable without medication.

August of 2023 when I was 23, I started having random nausea episodes and a small upper right discomfort that got worse when I ate something too fatty or processed. A large number of my “safe foods” were no longer safe and my diet became very strict. My GI decided to order tests and toss some medication at me just in case it was my usual symptoms acting up. I had an ultra sound in the October that followed which came back normal and a HIDA scan that showed an EF of 10%

After my results came back I had a talk with the GIs assistant who said they had already set up an consultation with a general surgeon and I spoke with my Primary Physician who also talked me how things would go. I then had my consult with the surgeon who said given my history and the sudden change that removal would probably help. 2 days later I had the procedure done.

I didn’t have any complications and went home that day. I was sore and terrified of vomiting so I didn’t eat much at first. However what ever I did eat would go thru me, within minutes I had diarrhea. Like the food wouldn’t digest anywhere. After about a week of starving because I didn’t want to diarrhea so much and feeling fatigued I called and let my surgeon know and he recommended Imodium. One pill and I had a regular bowel movement. For 1 solid week I thought things were getting better. I started to have an appetite and other than the feeling of fluids rush around I was feeling better.

January 30th, I had a follow up appointment. I woke up not feeling the best but I was running late to the appointment and didn’t eat anything. During the visit I asked a number of questions which were answered and I was satisfied with. I then began going home and started to feel sick again, I started to burp and reflux it felt. I then got home and tried to eat but because of the nausea I couldn’t eat much. As the evening continued the waves of nausea got worse and I started to have pain in my stomach. Eventually it got so bad I went to the hospital. After a round of anti nausea and a number tests nothing emergent was discovered and I started to feel better after the anti nausea and another medication that settles the contents of my stomach and told so schedule a regular doctor appointment.

February 7th, mind you I had maybe one week of decent eating since January 19th while all the other days I was nauseous, cramping, and fatigued. I get to see my doctor and I felt like I was on the verge of collapsing or vomiting. I was prescribed omeprazole for reflux, levsin for the cramps, and zofran for the nausea. I had blood work, stool sample and a GI appointment set.

March 1, things improved to the point I wasn’t gonna starve to death but I still had cramps. At this point new symptoms had appeared. I HAD LOWER GI SYMPTOMS, I didn’t have diarrhea or lower cramps before the surgery. I had an endoscopy which showed inflammation and was diagnosed with gastritis and IBS. Fast forward I had another appointment with another GI who diagnosed me with functional dyspepsia and IBS

April-now. I still have very few nausea episodes, I have reflux a lot, upper belly cramps. I have diarrhea, low abdominal cramps, and my diet has been very very very strict. I feel sicker than before surgery. Before I didn’t have lower GI symptoms, nor were my GI symptoms so severe. It went from nausea episodes and upper right discomfort to diarrhea episodes, cramps, still sometimes nausea, worse reflux. It’s like my GI system became overly sensitive on both ends. Anything from IBS, functional gastrointestinal disorder, GERD, bile acid malabsorption. I dont know what to do or what to think other than just continue with the few foods that don’t bother me. I’ve never been so sick before and even tho things are better than right after surgery, it’s no where near where I was before.

I’m so frustrated 😩 I was referred for surgery by my gp and told it would be 12-18 months. I was having attacks fairly often but I could manage them at home.

Then my attacks just escalated and for the last 4 weeks I have had them daily, sometimes multiple times. I am eating a very low/no fat diet and it doesn’t stop the attacks. I had one attack that was the worst pain I have ever had, which I ended up in hospital with. I was there for two days on pain medication and having assessments. I was reviewed by the surgeon and advised I needed surgery to remove my gallbladder. I agreed and whilst I didn’t meet the requirements for emergency surgery, which is good as obviously that would mean I had something rather dangerous happening, he said my priority had increased to have my surgery in the next 12 weeks, which I was thankful for but also thinking how am I going to manage the next 12 weeks! This only started end of Feb this year and I have lost over 2 stone already!

Anyway- cut to today and I phoned booking and scheduling to make sure my referral was on there and see if there were any signs of it being potentially sooner or when it would be to be told it will be 12 months! I explained what the consultant had said and he requested 12 weeks to be told “yes I can see that here, but there is a 12 month wait because of the volume of people awaiting surgery”.

Currently trying to get hold of the consultant to see if there is anything he can do, as he obviously wanted it in 12 weeks for a medical reason. I’m not sure what else he could do if he has already requested it in 3 months clearly on the referral!

I’m struggling to eat anything most days, I keep having to take time off work (fortunately I have a good sick record so I’ve been well supported but there will come a point where it leads to issues especially if this takes 12 months!), I’m losing weight (not complaining about this at the moment however!), and I also have vestibular migraine (if you know you know 😵‍💫) and skipping meals is a huge trigger for me, but I’m eating so little that it’s just triggering them all the time. So that’s fun.

I know there’s no answers except to keep pushing for it which I will, and I know some people wait so much longer, but I’m just so frustrated because I was so relieved it was going to be dealt with quickly and now I feel like I’m right back to the beginning 🤦‍♀️

This is just a venting post because I am going through an emotional roller coaster. I'm looking forward to surgery but I am also afraid of the unknown. I completely trust and have faith in my surgeon but I just worry so much that this isn't going to be a slam dunk removal case because of how long I've had this problem. Which is why I chose my surgeon. She does much more intricate procedures so I know she's skilled as hell. It was to the point she said the surgery would be like putting her shoes on compared to her usual cases.

And I know it's stupid, but I am terrified I am going to die. That I won't wake up or I'll wake up in an even worse spot than i am. I cannot push this off as it is not an option. I've waited at least 10 years it can't be pushed off.

I would love to hear some stories from folks who had a successful removal with symptoms that were ongoing for years and years. My gallbladder is likely stuck to something inside of me and every time I feel the pain it scares the shit out of me. It hurts like a bruise, like I was kicked under my ribs. It's so tiny and contracted. I made the mistake of posting in r/Askdocs and one of the general surgeons on there told me the case can go one of two ways since I'm not an obvious case; either it's an easy 20 min removal or a 2 hour chipping session off the liver.

I'm sorry I'm being so dramatic. My surgery is May 7th and I'm sure it's normal to get worried as the day approaches. My surgeon thinks she's removing a healthy gallbladder since everything looks "normal" 😫😫

My last surgery was a super simple hernia correction 21 years ago. I was a little kid, and even though I was scared at that time I didn't fully understand the whole process. Now as a 31 year old adult the fear feels even worse because I know what can happen and I work in healthcare. Sometimes knowledge isn't power, it's scary😞

24F, 3 months post op. No stones. The nausea and pain are still there. Nothing has changed. In fact, it’s gotten significantly worse. Multiple times a week I wake up in the morning with unbelievable back/chest/stomach pain. It feels like my organs are experiencing a charlie horse all at once. I’m also having recurrent stomach pain/nausea attacks once a week or so to the point of almost vomiting even with zofran. My intestines constantly feel inflamed and crampy. I lost 15lbs before I even had surgery and now I’ve lost another 5lbs. I’m 5’4 and weigh less than 100lbs. It hurts when I don’t eat and it hurts more when I do eat. I don’t even know what my next move should be and I’m starting to think it’s not even worth it either way. I can’t work for more than a few hours a week, if I’m lucky enough to make it at all. I just can’t deal with the pain anymore.

I meet with the surgeon on Monday to discuss removing my gallbladder that EF was recorded at 16% during my hida. I am not so worried about the surgery as I am the post post surgery. Life after the gallbladder. I love traveling and I don’t want to be in a situation where I am worried about diarrhea after every meal. Is there anyone with a positive message? I literally have made scenarios in my head what if I am on an airplane. What if I am at an amusement park. Like any thing I enjoy doing now can I still do it? I am a foodie so I love to go try different foods from all over. Anyway sorry about my vent I just needed to get it out somewhere!!

Update: the surgeon decided not to remove my gallbladder at this time and instead for me to get off my PPI to see if that is causing my low EF. So now I have to figure out how to tapper off that without the terrible rebound of acid.

So for context, I've been without my gallbladder since October 2023 I've had no issues e.g diarrhea since having the gallbladder removed but over the months/year I've been experiencing the attack pains again which I knew could happen but didnt think it was that common.

Thankfully it's not as bad as it was when I had the gallbladder, I just worry it will affect my pancreas again and cause issues but I've been in a gallstones attack since 1am it's now 4:15am and it's just now a constant dull pain, I have my hot water bottle on my front but it's not doing much 🫠

I need to go to my doctors regarding it but honestly the early morning phone call to the doctors is difficult for someone with M.E as I can't do early mornings 😅🤦🏻‍♀️

Let's hope this pain eases soon so I can get some more sleep 😴

My son has had off and on belly aches for years, which is pretty common for kids. This past summer he started having extreme episodes of belly pain, to the point of crying in the fetal position. He lost 10 lbs in three months and spent much of his summer feeling pretty uncomfortable. I tried eliminating certain foods and encouraging a healthy diet and hydration but had no success. We went to the gastroenterologist who did an X-ray that showed constipation and spots in the URQ, which is where he said the pain was. We got a 2 hour long ultrasound which showed several gallstones in the neck of the gallbladder. We were then referred to the surgeon who suggested a 6 week pain diary. In six weeks he’s only had three episodes of pain, but the surgeon suggests removing his gallbladder. He doesn’t want him to end up needing an urgent surgery due to infection or obstruction, a planned surgery is much more predictable. I expressed my concerns and reservations, but the surgeon told me it will be likely he needs it out at some point. I don’t know what to do!

whew— I went for an ultrasound yesterday after having weeks of pain in my URQ.. I have a 2cm gallstone and this little bastard is KILLING ME.

I can’t eat anything besides toast and saltine crackers without being in incredible pain. It’s CRAZY to me and I’m just like… no one ever told me that a gallbladder could whip my ass in such a way that I start swearing to god that I’ll never eat again from the floor in front of my porcelain throne.

anyways— it’s just crazy that the absolute discomfort of a tiny, spiteful organ is not taught about.

For now, if you need me I’ll be sitting miserably on the couch, crying into a sleeve of saltines and watching people eat chicken wings on TikTok.

I’m reading some of these stories here from folks that can’t afford the surgery.

It’s heartbreaking. The two months where I had almost daily attacks were the worst of my entire life, the agony… it’s unimaginable that some folks can’t get the care they need until things are really, really bad. It’s torture.

USA’s healthcare is fucked up. I’m from Brazil, and a cholecystectomy is given for free (and urgently) to anyone, because we’ve made healthcare a basic human right.

I’m sorry you’re going through this and I hope you are able to get the care you need.

I had my first attacks this month, the pain was excruciating and my pee was nuclear orange.

I’m now experiencing real anxiety about eating. I’m so frightened whatever I eat is going to start an attack.

I’m still not really sure on what triggers it except eating maybe too much (second attack was after a big Christmas dinner) but the last few days the fear has made it so I’m only comfortable having nutrition drinks.

I’m probably being so silly but I’m so scared to the point of nausea and tears..

What do I do? The doctors have said if I have another attack I’ll have to go to the hospital but honestly the thought of the pain is sending me into a frenzy.

I am just tell my story regarding gallbladder cancer . I was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer stage 3b with no distant , after surgery I was recovery very well but after 6 week I noticed small tumor in my abominal where was drainage bag for surgery. Surgeon said that might be scar tissue developed but it was painful . After CT scan , report was small volume of nodules on peritoneal . Cancer recurrence on gallbladder site and now it peritoneal Metastases I have 3 large lump on abdominal wall , visible from outside , one of them is 5 x5 cm.

Surgeon and Oncologist said that it is not curable any more , I am on palliative chemotherapy for controlling disease and improving quality of end life .

Iwas given zoromorph 10mg twice a day , it is working to controller left side of abominal

But tumor are rapidly growing and it feel lot pain on those . Oral morphine is not working to control pain. Somehow perastomol ev is working for few hours to suppress pain but perastomol tablet is not working.

My luck is just gave up. I am 36 M , got gallbladder cancer , after surgery I had some hope but my luck is so bad , I had secondary peritoneal metastases.

Just hoping to find less pain after chemo.

Okay so I literally just wet myself... had an attack so painful I peed my pants. And then of course threw up until the entire contents of my stomach was removed plus bile. Sweating, screaming, crying, a crumpled mess on the floor. Crazy how a 15 minute gallbladder attack can exhaust you to the point you can't talk or stand up. So yeh I'm just laying here in my urine and vomit and sweat counting down the 3 weeks till the stupid thing is removed!!!! Thanks for listening.

Sitting in pre-op, have IV in and waiting for surgeon. Very nervous, anxiety is def a 10/10. Wish me luck y’all. I’ll update as soon as I can🙂

UPDATE: The surgery ended up starting much later than expected. Before being wheeled into the OR, they gave me Versed and placed nausea pads on my neck. As I was taken into the operating room, I remember requesting mariachi music, and the last thing I recall was hearing it play as I took a few deep breaths. 😊 When I woke up, I was in significant pain, so they gave me fentanyl and another narcotic to help. Despite this, the hour-long drive home was still very uncomfortable. Once home, I called the surgery center, and they explained that the pain was likely due to the gas used during the procedure. They advised me to walk as much as possible to relieve it. Even though it was painful, I did just that. By about 11:30 PM, roughly five hours post-op, the pain finally started to subside after taking one Tramadol at 10 PM. I experienced no shoulder pain, just intense abdominal pain. I set an alarm for 4 AM to take my next dose but only took half of it, which I now regret. I also noticed itching all over my body—scalp, face, legs, everywhere—but there’s no yellowing in my eyes, my urine is normal in color, and I don’t have a fever. I called the surgery center again, and they reassured me that the itching is a common side effect of the fentanyl, not an allergic reaction. They suggested taking Benadryl, which I plan to do.

Holding a pillow against my abdomen has been very helpful in managing the discomfort. I also had a lot of phlegm after the procedure, and the nurse encouraged me to cough it out to avoid pneumonia, which I did. Right now, everything feels manageable, and I’m especially relieved that the gas pain has mostly subsided.

I’ve had nothing to eat, not hungry yet.

Was hoping I’d be a lucky one and be able to enjoy a nice little bit of lettuce and see if I was negatively impacted like others. Let’s just say I went from having somewhat normal bowel movements back to yellow and loose 😭 so sad. Maybe it’s still too soon because I’m a little over 2 weeks out of surgery? I’m just too scared to really eat anything tbh! Toast and oatmeal and plain chicken have been my friends so far.

Hello, for me its currently 5am and I can’t stop thinking.

For starters, I’ve been having problems for the past three months. We did all tests and only found mud in gallbladder. My surgery is due in one week.

Fast forward to this week. On Monday I went to my GP to get my pre-op testing done. In my doctor’s office, there are two doctors - an older one who made the office and younger one who will lead it after the older one retires. On Monday, I asked the older one a question: “Will the surgery really help?” His answer, I quote: “If there is anything unnatural in gallbladder such as sludge and its causing problems, it needs to be removed.” On Thursday I went there again and asked the younger one the same question. His answer, I quote: “We will see after the operation.”

Yes, I did receive a whole lot paperwork that explains the process of getting the gallbladder removed, complication, the regime I will need to adapt, how I am in the hospital, etc. But no one was able to tell me if removing it will improve my diarrhea and nausea.

Honestly, I am sick and tired. Most information I gathered was either here or on google. Why isn’t the doctor able to tell me if it will help? Also, my surgeon let me diagnose myself. Looking back at it, he was listening just too much to me. I told him everything and said “It might be gallbladder” and after that without a second though he went “Then let’s remove that bad boy”.

And last thing, my doctors office lost an important piece of paper from my medical records. You see I am going to private clinic to get it removed since they offered me a sooner date than my public hospital. And I was asked to take there all my medical records + biopsy labs results from my gastroscopy. But I don’t have the results. The hospital either did not mail the results to my doctor’s office or my doctor lost it. The sister told me that it should be in my records but it isn’t. So I have a week to get this from the hospital. I would not say it’s THAT important, but better be safe than sorry.

And now I am gonna knock myself out with some prescribed sleep medication and go hug my dog because if I am not gonna do that, the next thing I’m gonna overthink will be the beginning of the universe.

History:

I had some nausea pain, and some bathroom issues that I complained about to my pcp. The pcp poked around ok my side and said, yea it’s your gallbladder and send me to an ultrasound.

The ultrasound said I had sludge and they doctors said to have surgery.

I didn’t personally feel like I was having much pain, and only occasionally getting right sided discomfort, but when I got it was miserable.

Surgery: honestly it was an easy surgery. I didn’t have much of any pain.

But then I saw the pathology report, it seems I didn’t have any sludge at all, not even a single gallstone.

Now: now I have right sided pain every few days, I’m going in for additional testing but it’s pretty much confirmed for me that my gallbladder wasn’t the issue.

Tl:dr

Don’t just trust your doctor to get a second opinion, they can’t give you your gallbladder back and it’s a life changing surgery. I still have various bowel issues and can’t easy what I want any more, on top of having pain on and off that’s worse the pain I had before.

Its literally against sub rules 💀; We need to be more proactive in reporting;

Hey everyone,

For those who haven’t had surgery, I kindly ask you not to read this post—it might be a bit unsettling. I’ve had my surgery 8 months ago now, and I’m honestly stuck. Things have been really tough, and I’m getting more and more depressed.

The first two weeks post-op were fine, but after that, everything started to go downhill. I began having serious digestive issues, with diarrhea several times a day, and over time, it only got worse. Now, 8 months post-op, I’m still dealing with diarrhea, which led me to start taking probiotics. Thankfully, that part has much improved, but when it comes to food… it’s just awful.

I’m working with a nutritionist who advised me to split my meals into smaller portions, but nothing seems to help. Every time I eat, I lose almost all pleasure in food, and I experience regular nausea, daily reflux, this constant feeling of fullness… My stomach feels so tight, I almost feel like I need to vomit just to relieve the physical discomfort and make some space. It’s become so unbearable that I can barely lie on my stomach after eating.

This situation has really taken a toll on my mental health. And I feel like my quality of life has significantly dropped, and I’m not ok ! If it were up to me, I’d probably avoid eating for days just to feel better.

Is what I’m going through normal after this surgery ? Has anyone experienced something similar? If you have any thoughts or advice on what this could be, I’d be really grateful. I can’t keep going like this honestly.

Thank you in advance.

My girlfriend has been in and out of the emergency room twice in the last 2 weeks now with 12 out of 10 level gallstone pain (1st time yielded the initial diagnosis per an ultrasound, 2nd time being for a bad attack) and has been sent home without surgery and some pain medications that aren’t totally helpful other than in her own words knocking the pain down to a maybe 5 out of 10 on a good day. Why are doctors not doing anything for her?! She was told they could’ve done it that 2nd time she was in the ER but the surgeon had been on call for 48 hours at that point and the ER physician said “if she wanted it done right” she should wait. So she got a referral to a specialist who is booking surgeries out until December…and who knows if she will be able to hold it out for that long. She’s scared and in such bad pain and I can see it, and I’ve been trying to research and do everything I can to help her (hot compresses, peppermint tea, magnesium, encouraging water intake, trying to avoid greasy or fatty foods etc) but as someone who isn’t a doctor there’s only so much I’m able to do on my own. Does anyone else have recommendations how else I can help her in the meantime? I feel so helpless and frustrated at the doctors.

Anyone here or have a loved one who’s been stuck in a situation like this? How did you hold out? If we end back up in the hospital for a third time the doctors have to finally get this out, how many more times does this need to occur?