Question:
Horrible pain after eating or drinking--HELP!

Please help. I am 20 months out. A great patient..lost all my weight, eat my protein, drink water, excercise. At 19 months I got terrible pains after I ate. I DO NOT HAVE A GALBLADDER, and while this is similar to gallbladder pain, that is not it (I think this is actually much worse than gallbladder pain, plus I cannot eat or take in my protein). They did a barium drop, an endoscope, intestinal X-ray, 2 CT Scans and NOTHING. They thought it might be an ulcer in my "former" stomach, but there was no way to check. I was sick like this for 2 weeks and could not eat without ending up on the floor with pain. Then, I get referred terrible back pain after the stomach pain goes away. They put me on Nexium 6 weeks ago when this first happened and the pain subsided the next day. Now, 6 weeks later the pain has come back, with a vengance. Still on Nexium, but now not responding to it so the doctor said he does not think it is an ulcer. I am so upset and scared. Please, if you or anyone you know has experienced this and you know what it is or have any ideas, please let me know. I had NO complications at all.    — Cindy K. (posted on September 27, 2004)

September 28, 2004
I too don't have a gallbladder and this pain is MUCH worse than an attack. My pain almost always starts just when I lie down to sleep. On a scale from one to ten, it is a definate 9 at least. The pain lasts 3-4 hours. I thought "ulcer" and I'm on Nexium. By the way, when these attacks strike, 95% of the time if I take a Nexium immediately the pain stops in a few minutes. One of my doctors "thinks" it is an Epopicial Spasm". (Acid reflux and all). Personally I don't think I have reflux anymore. But in any case, that is one possibility.
   — Danmark

September 28, 2004
You are experiencing the same symptoms as I have been having and it has my doctors stumped as well. All my test come back normal other than liver is larger than normal, but the pain is horrible I feel as if something is pushing against my rib cage on the right side and horrible pain that then radiates around to my back I also do not have a gall bladder.
   — nccarolinagirl

September 28, 2004
I had pain like that and I developed it at around 15 months post-op. My doctor ran several tests and everything came back normal. He finally thought it was an internal hernia but couldn't be sure without surgery. I did agree to surgery but only after I couldn't tolerate the pain any longer. My intestine had migrated up and around my stomach and it was pinched. I would also have terrible bloating as the day progressed because all I ate or drank had a very hard time working itself thru the intestine. After surgery I felt so much better. I didn't know that an internal hernia was possible but my doctor said that they were not uncommon. I hope you get some relief from your pain. Good luck
   — [Deactivated Member]

September 28, 2004
Have you tried Gas X. Sometimes that terrible pain can actually just be gas pains and in a few days of taking meds for it you will feel much better. It is worth a try.
   — NL

December 6, 2004
All these answers are making me very happy even though I know it's not a happy pain. I have had this pain now since I was 3 months out of surgery. It's not been 11 months and 9 months of pure pain. They removed my GallBladder 08/04 after I was also experiencing excruciating pain in my stomach. I have been on Prilosec, Aciphex, and various other meds in order to try to control the pain. I have had an upper GI, endoscopy, ct scan, ultra sound, and they can't find anything! If anyone else has any suggestions regarding what might be wrong with me, please let me know because I'm showing MY Doctor all these posts in the hopes that they can fix it. The Surgeon's answer was to reverse the surgery, they THINK? it's bile in my "extra" stomach, I will let them try that on others before they do me.
   — BILLIE D.