Howdy!

I have a really strange question about gallbladders.

If you've had your gallbladder removed, can you get the same symptoms?

I got symptoms like quickly developing pain on the right side of the abdomen just at the bottom of the rib cage and vomiting during my attacks just before my gallbladder was removed. Last night, I had the same symptoms.

Thanks for your insights!

Interestingly enough I recently had a case of gall bladder agenesis which caused similar symptoms. My patient (and the few others you can find in the literature) improved on hyoscyamine for smooth muscle relaxation. I would get blood work for liver enzymes for sure first.

Thanks, Kiddoc. I'll give my doctor a call.

Why'd you get the gallbaldder removed? Symptomatic stones? Or infection? Or both? Or just because it was thought to be the cause of your pain?

How long since it was removed? I recently saw someone with severe right upper abdomen pain, uncontrolled vomiting with any oral intake. Had elevated liver enzymes and bilirubin (usually indicative of a blockage in the biliary tract), but she had already had her GB removed a few years prior. CT scan, US, and MRCP didn't show anything that could explain her pain. She was admitted to the hospital and after 2 days her enzymes started downtrending and she was feeling better. They did a big workup on her for potential causes of transient hepatitis (live inflammation), and as far as I know it call came back negative.

I think she may have formed a small stone that was blocking her common bile duct, however it likely passed by the time she came to the ER. But it caused transient inflammation in the process.

I had the surgery in August of this year.

In July of this year, I had my first symptoms (quickly increasing pain and vomiting). The first doctor said that I wasn't quite bad enough for surgery but I don't remember/know exactly what they were measuring.

The second time was in late August. This time the doctor said that I needed the gallbladder removed. Again, I don't remember being told what was different this time that pointed to having surgery. The surgeon's notes said that I had a 1.7 cm stone and that I had "acute symptomatic cholelithiasis".

They kept me in the hospital for an extra day and half due to elevated liver test values and sent me for an MRI to check that they had removed all of the stones. The values came down and the MRI didn't find any stones left behind.