Question:
Seeking advice on back pain - posture? gallstones?

   — Montrose (posted on May 15, 2009)

May 15, 2009
Hello, I can only answer 1 of your questions due to personal experience, that is the backpain is not caused by the gallstones. The pain from gallstones is in the front a few inches below your stomach area. If the gallstones are inflamed, then you will need them surgically removed. The pain can get intense so don't wait. Call your doc to see if there is anything else, but mine was so bad, had to be rushed to ER and removed that same evening. Best of luck to you and hope you feel better soon.
   — michelle caballero

May 16, 2009
My gallstone pain was always in my chest, shooting through to my back between my shoulder blades. The first attack I had of them, felt like I was having a heart attack. They wound up getting so bad that I had to have them removed while I was 7 months pregnant with my daughter. The only treatment I know of besides surgery, is to eat a very low fat or fat free diet. I doubt you are eating a lot of fat, since you had RNY. Your gallstones are likely caused by the rapid weight loss, and if that's not what's causing you pain, they will be soon. They do show up very easily on an ultrasound.
   — Snapefantasy

May 16, 2009
I would ask if your iron & ferritin levels are in normal range. Low iron can mimmick an aching pain once it becomes low enought that the red blood cells pull iron from the marrow in the bones.
   — dadebrito

May 16, 2009
When my gallbladder started acting up it was before my first WLS. I wasn't really sure what it was, just felt a constant discomfort in my front right upper area of my abdomen (ribcage area). It got to where I would walk around and not even realize that I was holding it because it was bothering me. I was having other GI problems and the doctor ordered a sonogram and that is when they discovered lots of small stones in my gallbladder and set a date for surgery. As luck would have it, I had my first bad attack a couple of days before surgery. Then the pain was about a ten, it shot through my body to my shoulderblade area and I was deathly sick to my stomach. I thought I was going to die! Then it quit, thank God. You need to follow-up with your doctor. Many remove the gallbladder at the time of surgery because gallstones are so common with rapid weightloss (or at least this was the case when I had my surgeries 12 and 9 years ago). For those that didn't have their gallbladders out, some would be put on a medicine called Actigall to prevent stones. No telling what is out there now but the best thing to do is start with your doctor no matter what. Good luck!
   — Kellye C.

May 16, 2009
me and my entire family have had gallstones and never was the pain in the location of your pain...and u swell also on the top area of your stomach with gallstones.ur back can hurt during attacks but around shoulder blades mostly.i had a pain like urs for years and by the time i found out what it was , it was a kidney stone as big as my kidney itself.took 3 surgeries to try and get it out and i still have fragments left over.so get checked for kidney stones.it seems when they x-rayed for the gallstones kidney stones would have showed up but maybe not.hope this helps.good luck
   — carolyn1970

May 16, 2009
I also have had gallbladder attacks, and ended up having my gallbladder removed over 20 years ago. It was not back pain - but it probably was the worst pain I've ever had, and I've had six kids! It was localized in the right upper abdominal quadrant (where the gallbladder is located), but radiated throughout my abdomen. Has your doctor considered kidney stones? The location of your pain would be more in the area of your kidneys than your gallbladder.
   — lobo1056

May 16, 2009
HI I had my surgery on 2/19/09. I had gallstones last christmas and my pain was on my right side under my right breast and mid area of my upper stomach. Let me tell you that I also had kidney stones last year and they gave me pain in my lower back and left side and lower stomach area. My pains were severe but everyone is different. I know that after WLS patient's are more prone to get kidney stones due to less liquid intake. You doctor can determine if you have kidney or gallstones through a CT scan. Unfortunately most of the time there's nothing you can do for Kidney stones but to let them pass. If you have gallstones you will need to have surgery to remove your gallbladder. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.
   — alojah82

May 18, 2009
I had gallstones when I was 19 and let me tell you, that is the worst pain EVER. I would have to say that it is worse than having a baby. The first attack I ever had I thought I was having a heart attack. It felt like an elephant standing on my chest and my back hurt like hell. I remember going to the ER and them telling me that it was muscle spasms in my back. They sent me home with muscle relaxers. The pain would normally occur at night as soon as I would lay down to go to sleep. I would end up falling asleep with my head on the toilet. The pain was so bad I would throw up. I ended up taking 3 to 4 percocets at a time just to try to get the pain to go away. The only way the pain would stop is because the pecocets would knock me out. I would wake up feeling fine. It took them 7 months to find out I had gallstones. I can't tell you how many trips I took to the ER before they finally did an ultrasound. I went to the ER at least 3 times a week for those 7 months. I will tell you that my pain was both in my back and in my chest. It normally occured after eating a high fat meal. I developed gallstones because I had lost 65 pounds.
   — deannhuss