Extreme Abdominal Pain 1 year Post Op

It's been over a year since my DS surgery and I lost 120 pounds. Starting about 2 months ago, I started getting extreme abdominal pain after I eat some meals, starting in my upper abdomen then going to the lower abdomen. The pain is a 10 out of 10. It happens about once or twice a week. Sometimes it happens when i eat more carbs, and sometimes it's just proteins. The pain lasts about 4 hours then goes away. My guess this the food going through my digestive track. I cannot eat or drink when in this pain. I tried taking a Nexium and Pepto Bismol but i vomit it right up.

I went to my GI doctor and he ordered a lot of bloodwork and I did an MRI of my abdomen with and without contrast. We couldn't figure out why or what's causing this pain. The only issue I have is i developed a fatty liver due to all of the weight loss. My blood work just shows my liver values as being high, and I'm low in calcium, and iron which I'm working on fixing.

It's been about a month and I haven't had any pains until yesterday i had some pasta and I was in this extreme pain again. I almost wanted to go to the ER because it hurts so bad. But i figured by the time i got checked and they start doing some tests, it would be gone by then. And anyways the only way of seeing what's wrong is by doing another MRI and i just did one and it didn't reveal anything. I also wasn't in pain when I did the MRI either.

So has anyone else here have this issue, or what what the hell is going on here? I cannot take this pain any longer. It happens randomly, and it doesn't seem to be a specific food that causes it. It literally paralyzes me for four hours. I cannot live like this and I am desperate for answers as to how to stop it from happening again but nobody knows. My primary doctor doesn't know and my GI doctor doesn't know. Nobody knows anything.

A couple thoughts...do you still have your gall bladder? If so, gallstones or an inflammed gall bladder could cause severe pain. Another thought might be an ulcer, which could be diagnosed with upper endoscopy.

But what I think is more likely is an internal hernia. Something can get caught or twisted in the hernia and then resolve, and any test like an MRI or CT scan done while you're feeling ok won't show anything. Sometimes the only way to sort it out is by having your surgeon take a look inside with laparoscopy. Have you been in touch with your surgeon?

I'm sorry you're going though this and hope your doctors will get to the bottom of it soon.

Larra

No, i had gallstones 8 years ago and had that removed.

My GI did an endoscopy 2 months ago, theres no hernia. He didn't notice any issues.

Nobody knows anything about this or whats causing this or how to fix.

completely clueless here.

no i havent been in touch with my surgeon, i had it done in mexico. they dont generally give good post bariatric advice.

should i go to ER next time im in pain and have them rush me to the MRI machine before it goes away? or crash my doctors office when the next pain hits and demand he do the endoscopy right then and there before it goes away lol, i wish that would be possible because i want to find out whats going on here. But unfortunately thats not practical. i wish.

An Internal hernia would not show on an endoscopy. My surgeon thinks I may have one now. I had a cat scan with IV contrast and am having an endoscopy Monday to rule out ulcer and hiatal hernia.

Internal hernias can be very serious and they do not necessarily show in testing- he said testing is only 60% accurate. If nothing presents itself as the reason for my symptoms he will do exploratory surgery and repair the hernia if he finds it.

i think i figured out the problem. i only get this pain in my abdomen if i eat long strains of pasta. i don't know why but it only happens if i eat those types of pasta. it may cause really bad gas and this causes pain to go down my entire digestive tract until it leaves. i honestly have no other explanation for it.

My GI doctor said it couldn't be an internal hernia because he just scoped me 2 months ago and i did an MRI w contrast in July. It's a complete mystery.

Have you charted what you're eating when it happens? I had something similar twice in my life. First time it was gallbladder, back when I was younger then this time it was a gluten problem. If you haven't had your gallbladder out I'd look into that, it feels like you're giving birth... then nothing. (I hear kidney stones feel very much like gallbladder stones). Gluten wasn't as bad but it would stop just as sudden.

Liz

no im gallbladder free.

If it's not your gallbladder (as others have already asked), you may need to do an elimination diet. As long as your doctor has confirmed it's not a blockage (sounds like that's what the MRI showed) the only way may be to eliminate until you figure out the culprit.

I've had a few gas attacks that had me doubled over, but never from protein, only carbs.

could be right, im going to have to start writing down a daily food journal. i think carbs did it for me last time i got the attack. its so horrible, i dont understand what the carbs do where it causes so much pain going through my intestines and how it takes 4 hours to go away, i dont understand. im almost crying through the process. thank god im self employed and work from home. i would be screwed if i had a day job.

If you think the culprit is carbs, it could be gas. I've had a couple of bouts of really, really bad gas where it made me cry. Like you describe, you can almost feel that gas moving through your intestines.