Gallbladder Attack?

 Last night while I was laying in bed I got this incredibly horrible feeling on the right side of my stomach just below my rib cage..the pain could also be felt in my back below my shoulder blade. I felt like I was going to vomit but couldn't. Laying on my left side seemed to ease the pain up some but the overall pain lasted for over an hour. I wanted to go to the hospital but the closes one is 30 miles away and I have 3 kids that were in bed asleep..so I decided to wait it out. As I mentioned in a post yesterday I've had green stool for about 2-3 weeks(I don't know if this is related). I'm going to call my surgeon or PCP as soon as one of them opens. 

Have any of you experienced this..and was it a gallbladder issue? 


Thanks..

A couple of days ago my friend thought I had a gallbladder attack instead of dumping so I googled the symptoms.  I didn't have it, but it sounds like what you experienced.

GALLBLADDER ATTACK SYMPTOMS specifically

Please note that if you are in severe pain and particularly if your attack symptoms are accompanied by fever DO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. The following symptoms are typical of a gallbladder attack.

• Moderate to severe pain under the right side of the rib cage
• Pain may radiate through to the back or to the right shoulder
• Severe upper abdominal pain (biliary colic)
• Nausea
• Queasiness
• Vomiting
• Gas
• Burping or belching
• Attacks are often at night
• Attacks often occur after overeating
• Pain will often but not always follow a meal with fats or grease
• Pain may be worse with deep inhalation
• Attacks can last from 15 minutes to 15 hours

 Goodluck and please keep us informed.  I had a galbladder attack and had mine out however, my liver, pancrease, and galbladder all failed at the same time.

Def could be ur gallbladder. Did u have an ultrasound of your abdomen pre-op? Rapid weight loss can cause gallstones so ask for an ultrasound.

 I had the pre op ultra sound and everything was fine then..however I've lost 70+lbs since the middle of December. Both my dad and sister have had their gallbladders removed. I called my surgeon this morning and her receptionist told me to go to the ER and to have them do a scan and have them send their office the results and they would schedule surgery if needed..since I'm not in pain right now part of me wants to just wait it out and see if I have another attack and then just go to the ER. 

Do youself a favor and go to your PCP ASAP and get a script for 2 tests - an ultrasound of the abdomen and a HIDA scan. The ultrasound will check for gallstones which are very common after rapid weight loss. Either way, you could have gallstones depending on how many and how large some surgeons will opt to take it out or leave it in. If you are still in the weight loss process and you have stones, you should opt to have it out. But then there is the gold stardard of tests - the HIDA scan. This test determines if it is functioning at all. YOu can have no stones but it may not be functioning and you would still need to have it out and that is why this test is so important. Many doctors only do the sonogram and find no stones and say you are fine but if it isnt' functioning you still need it out and that could be the cause for all your symptoms.

Symptoms for gallbladder disease if severe nausea, pain and many times diarhea.

You dont want to wait until you are in excrutiating pain to first get the tests because it is possible that by then it could be an emergency. There are times a gallstone can get stuck in the ducts and in those cases the surgery has to be done immediately - it is an emergency and it causes pancreatitis. You dont want that to happen.

My gastro doctor took mine out when my pain and nausea were getting bothersome but before it was absolutely necessary and it was a good thing because by time I got into surgery, I had 25 stones. When you lose weight fast, they can mulitply fast. I had mine done long before my RNY but I had been losing weight on my own and lost 75 pounds within 1 year and that caused the massive amount of stones.

dont put it off before it is an emergency - ask your PCP to send you for a Sonogram and a HIDA scan then you can deside what to do based on the results.

good luck.

as far as green stools that is usually from taking iron. Once you have your gallbladder out - you can have orange stool from the bile but not green

I have to ask, did you take actigall or uridisol to prevent gallstones?

 Thank you for your post..I haven't taken actigall or uridisol though my husband was telling me today I should look into taking them..what is your opinion on those?

After I spoke with my PCP today he said because I had pain yesterday he agrees that I should go to the ER because it would take a bit of time for my insurance to approve all the testing. I'm still debating when I should take the trip to the ER..possibly tomorrow as I'll have extra help with my kids. 

I went through this exact thing just about a month ago. The exact symptoms you're describing, and yes, those are the symptoms associated with gall stones/sludge. With some research you will see that approximately 30% of people that undergo weight loss surgery that still have their gall bladder, will develop stones. When it happened to me I went in and they performed an ultrasound (I had one pre-op and no stones), and did some blood work. When the ultrasound showed I had stones, they scheduled me for surgery that day. The procedure was not a big deal, in and out on the same day. If everything goes correctly I'm sure that you will find it to be much easier than the RnY. Good luck to you!

Sounds like the symptoms I had with my gallbladder. I went in to my PCP, he said it was more than likely my gallbladder, then sent me over to have an ultrasound. That was 6 weeks after my RNY.

The ultrasound tech told me she could see sludge and stones. A couple of days later, my PCP sent me to a surgeon. Then I had it out.

I don't know about the stool. That may or may not be related.

 Definitely sounds like gallbladder issues. I would highly recommend getting in to your PCP as soon as possible to rule anything else out. Also, they will order additional bloodwork and an ultrasound so you'll know for sure. 

As for the green poop, I'm not sure. I've been taking iron for a long time, so it's usually greeni**** could be stones/extra bile passing thru, making your poop green. 

Good luck!