Bile leak after cholecystectomy (Page 1)

The same thing happened to me, however it wasn't until I begged for 10 days did someone listen to me. The CT scan found almost 2 litres of bile, pooling in my pelvis, gallbladder bed, and adjacent to my liver. The bile had turned septic, and I was really ill. I was operated on, by having a cut from neck to groin, to wash the bile out, and all my internal organs. Then I had 4 drains inserted, and spent 6 weeks in hospital. 6 months later it looks like I need a partial biliary restructure. The pain is awful, and constant. I'm actually taking legal action against the surgeon and the hospital. The bile sitting in there for so long has caused irreparable damage. I think the pain you feel, you should take seriously, it could be bile duct spasms, or adhesion's. Talk to a doctor, and get a second opinion..

I am going through this right now! I had my laproscopic cholecystectomy in Feb, it is now May. I have been to see Dr's, specialist and have been diognosed with everything to water retention after surgery to Auto Immune Hep! Fially when I was ready to give up my sister out of worry called our family Dr. he set me up with an ultra sound and they found a bile duct leak. I have to go for a Hydascan this thursday. How could this have been OVERLOOKED FOR 3 MONTHS??? the pain & bloating is inbelievable! I am in mmore pain now then i was with the stone in my gallbladder! I vomit at least once a day and I am sick if I don't eat and sick if I do eat! I am amazed by the neglect of something so well known by these Dr.'s and specialists!

Suej - Exactly the same thing happened to me. I was 6 days out doing great. Bile leak, ERCP, and now waiting for my bile to absorb.

My question is how are you feeling now? Was getting your stint out another issue? Looking forward to hear from you.

I had a bile leak in Nov 2007 and still feel pain in the right upper quadrant. After various tests showing "nothing" I do sometimes wonder whether leakage can continue after the site has supposedly healed.

i feel for all of you....i have been suffering from the same systems for 10 yrs and i still can't get dr's to investigate....good luck to you all! obviously, there is no end in site for me!!

Maybe I could write a "research article", based on the experiences of people who are keen to be involved and who visit this forum? We could promote the article to the medical profession. I'm no medic.. but I can write research papers! Its hard to make contact with people in this situation. I think many people suffer alone and are not recognised, because its a fairly specific area (and the injury (bile burn) is very specific too. I've seen medical articles that look at the statistical incidence of bile leak... but no-one seems to look at the effects on our lives, our daily activities and our need for medical acknowledgement and investigation. I don't mean to be cynical, but maybe this is because we are the result of medical "accidents" caused by surgeons? I don't know whether this site allows us to collect our experiences together, using a short questionnaire placed here perhaps? I'd be happy to put one together if anyone is interested in joining me in this.

My husband had gallbladder removed about three years ago. After coming home he became very sick and have been suffering every since. Pain in his side, simple foods make him sick to the point of falling to the floor. The only help is bottles of antacids, ice all over his body especially the Abdomal area. He also have to use the bathroom. The attacks are becoming more frequent. He also have to wear loose fitting clothes around his stomach area. All I can do is stand by waving a fan. After he gets through the pain, he's so week and chilled. I am scared these attacks will eventually throw him into a cardiac arrest! If you like we would be glad to help.

Freddie

Hello,
I'm wondering if I have a bile leak. I had my gallbladder removed in Jan 09. 3 days after the surgery, I felt intense burning on my right side and have been suffering ever since. Mosly, burning, gastritis, reflux feelings. Upper endoscopy in Apr showed mild gastritis and excessive bile in my stomach. Drs keep telling me I'm fine and I'm just ultra sensitive to pain. What???? Is burning a symptom of bile leak?
Thanks!

I had laproscopic gallbladder surgery which resulted in a bile leak that was diagnosed 5 days after surgery. A stent was placed and removed 6 weeks later. I was told that everything is now OK. When I had another surgery(unrelated - different area) , I felt severe pain in the area under my right ribcage which radiated to my back. That pain subsided after a day or two. I still feel a small amount of pain just under my right rib cage from time to time. An ultrasound revealed nothing, and I was told if I still had a bile leak, I would still have severe pain. I still worry about the long term effects of this. I would think that scar tissue is present in my abdomen from this.

Hi to all going through this. I had a Gallbladder removal in March 07. Hospitalized 3 days later with bile leak. I have been in excruciating pain since that time, have been on Strong Narcs every day for three years, have had several pain blocks and am now facing having a electrical device implanted in my spine FOREVER.
TRAVELBUG00 may be more right than we think. For three years the Drs. have refused to investigate what happened and why. Therefore I, (we) don't get better. How do you get better if you are not diagnosed? I have a lawyer now, and he calls it "Circling the Wagons". No Doctor wants to be the one to reveal that another Doctor made a mistake. They all have to pay Malpractice Insurance. It is easier to let a patient suffer for years and continue to make money from it than to admit that someone made a mistake.
MY ADVICE: YOU HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE! Do as much research about your personal condition as possible. Take print-outs to your Dr. (they hate that, but DO it.) Don't let them beat around the bush. Ask questions and demand answers. I have had to learn to be hard-nosed because of this horrible experience. If you aren't, nothing will be done, and you will not only not get better, but you will likely get worse. If you don't feel your Doctor is paying attention, get another one. It is your body and it is your life. Pain affects every aspect of your being. I have been in bed for three years and was once a healthy, athletic, young person. Today I am 15lbs underweight, I look 7 years older, my teeth are rotting from continuous drug use, and I have attempted suicide. All this because Doctors don't want to find out that one of their colleagues made a mistake. DON'T LET THEM TELL YOU THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ON VARIOUS TESTS, THEREFORE "JUST GIVE IT SOME TIME". TIMING IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT--I ENDED UP WITH CRPS/RSD BECAUSE OF THIS SURGERY. CRPS/RSD NEEDS TO BE DIAGNOSED W/IN 3 MONTHS OR IT WILL NEVER GET BETTER. IT IS ALSO DEGENERATIVE.
Start working for yourself NOW. The Physicians aren't going to do it. And the rest of your life is at stake.
Hope all of you fare better than I did.

my daughter,13,bile leak post lap choli aug. 2009.misdiagnosed for 10 days. spent 4 weeks at childrens hospital. a stent to the liver was placed with 2 jackson pratt drains in her abdomen, with a central line and TPN.missed 7 weeks of school.contiues with severe abdominal pain,dizziness. was told by 2 law firms unable to sue,is this fair?she has her whole life ahead of her with pain

On New Years Eve 09 I was rushed to ER and via a sonogram dx with gallstones (3 the size of golf balls). Scheduled surgery for Jan 8 (friday) for removal of gallbladder via laproscopy. All was going well til about thursday. I had an apt that day (14th) with my MD for post surgery follow up for 10:30 am. All week long all seemed fine with occasional nausea, cramping, etc. However, I was awakened this morning with pain in the upper right quadrant, lower back, and right flank. I was nauseated, and vomiting. I worked to hold off on going to ER due to having an apt with MD in a couple hours and his office was across street from ER. I get to his office, explain symptoms and he suggests a hydascan to rule out bile leakage. He leaves the office. Immediately the pain worsens and down to my knees I fell. Nurses get me in wheelchair and across the street I go to the ER. Hydascan revealed a bile leakage for several days into my pelvis, liver, kidneys, etc. I was scheduled an emergency ERCP to place a stent into my bile duct to open the narrowing and allow the bile to empty into my small intestine. I was in hospital for three days following the procedure. He said I return in a month for another ERCP for stent removal. I spent three hours in the ER without any pain medication relief prior to stent inplantation. Unethical if you ask me to allow patients to be in that sort of pain. I was diagnosed with biliary colic. I am scared that when they remove the stent its going to start all over again. I have continual pain that is identical to pre laproscopy. Tests show the liver and pancreas is functioning "normal". After reading this message board, I believe the MD should have placed a drain during the gallbladder removal to prevent the bile from emptying into my system. I have been off work since the surgery and am afraid to return with continued symptoms occurring. I have a 7 day waiting period with Short Term disability and am afraid to return to work fearing this isnt over. Any suggestions?

I had my gall bladder removed on Feb. 23rd of this year. I did great for the first 8 days. On the 9th day I started developing abdominal pain in the upper right quadrant, nausea and diahrrea. I went back to the surgeon and he told me that it was probably nothing, but ordered an abdominal ultrasound. It showed nothing. I have been to the ER twice, had an abdominal CT and told that I needed a psych consultation for stress. The pain is very real, and continues to get worse, and they are telling me I am crazy. This is the status of our healthcare system. No one wants to believe that a silled surgeon could make a mistake. I hope I don't die from his mistake.

I had a my gallbladder out Feb 15th 2010. Bile leak 19th stent the 20th. Horrible pain, worse than labor. Septic after that 103.5 temp for days. It has been two months now and I still get pain in my right shoulder mainly at night for 2-3 hours and a pull under my right rib. I also have low grade temp all the time. 99.2-100.5. I want to know if anyone feels normal yet after going through all this???? Easy surgery gone bad. Once week off of work to 9 weeks!!

I had my gallbladder removed 4 weeks ago, about 1 week ago, started with nausea, dry-heaving, and some mild diarrhea. I also have Crohn''s, so I thought it was that. Now, they are ruling out a bile duct leak. Have had low grade temps of 99-100 for past 2 weeks, light-headed when standing up, pain on and off in the right upper abd. I thought it was all unrelated symptoms, now I''m seeing that it all makes sense. Also my white blood count was low and my adrenal gland levels were high. Something was going on... glad I stuck with it.

5 years ago I had a horrible gall bladder attack, which felt like I was having a heart attack. I rushed myself to the emergency room, because I absolutely couldn''t wait to get a babysitter for our two young girls. I was in the hospital for 10 days. They removed my gall bladder and some of my bile ducts. I have a scar across my entire abdomen, as they couldn''t get where they needed to go with the laser technique.

Ever since then, I have had MAJOR problems, the most serious are what I explain as torso attacks. They are excruciating pain, last 20 minutes, and my entire torso (front and back) locks up, leaving me in the fetal position on the floor. After the attack subsides, I am completely exhausted, very similar to how one feels after giving birth. There are no warning signs before these happen, which usually occur about two months apart, so I live in fear everywhere I go that possibly one could happen at any time. The feeling during these attacks are exactly how I felt when I rushed myself to the hospital to have my gall bladder removed.

Does anyone know what the cause of these attacks could be? My heart and prayers go out to all of you suffering from gall bladder problems, as I know all too well how difficult it is to live with.

Much Aloha!

It was comforting to hear everybodies experiences as I to have just started to recover from my Gallstone Lap Surgery. I had a drain inserted during op but still developed leakage due to blockage of drain resulting in the most excrutiating pain I have ever felt. In one day post op I developed Pancreatitis, Fever, Uncontrolable vomiting, had stent put in 1 day post op which lead to the discovery of further damage to my right lung & diaphram which really made it impossible to breath thank god for Morphine or would quite happily wished for death. I too have to return in 7 weeks to have a stent removed & am suffering anxiety incase something else goes wrong. Good luck to you all & thanks again for sharing it has helped because I don't think people who haven't experienced this can fully understand the frustration & pain it causes.

This makes me so mad and scared. I have just come home about an hour ago from spending 3 weeks in hospital. It started out with Lap Chol elective surgery. I was waiting since august last year and had 3 major Bilary colic attacks whilst waiting. Finally I had surgery a few weeks ago. They stated my gallbladder was inflamed, scarred up and diseased with gall stones. The procedure was meant to of gone well. I was kept in hospital for 4 days afterwards with a drain tube. Which was draining a weird colour. The day I got the tube out, the dressings around it were GREEN (which to me indicates BILE). Nothing was said.. and I was sent home even tho I didnt feel right. 4 days later I woke up at 3am in excutiating pain the ambulance came and rushed me back to hospital. No pain killers worked.. Morphine, Endone Nothing.. pethadine was the only thing that touched it slightly.. Unfortunately the hospital I was at wasnt able to do any upper gastric surgery so I was transferred to another hospital after a CT scan showed half a litre or more of Bile in my stomach cavity. I was put into emergency surgery that night and cleaned out via keyhole again. Then a couple of days later I had an ERCP for the stent in the bile duct. I then suprisingly got Pancreatitis from the ERCP. Fun times.... NOT.. So I stayed in hospital 9 days after the bile cleanout.

I am having trouble keeping food in.... constant upset stomach and pain under my right rib. I've complained to the dr everyday.. but he just brushed it off and said its all fine.. and I can go home.. Whatever..

I'm so mad... and depressed.. I honestly would of kept my gallbladder if I'd known this was going to happen. It annoys me off when I hear people have straight forward surgery and they are fine... But from here it seems lots havent had good surgery.

Is there something we can do??
I'm up for it...

I had my gallbladder out a week ago and am experiencing this... the pain, the doctors telling me I'm fine, etc. It took them four days to realize I was leaking bile (until then they told me everything from "You're just sore" to "You're just constipated"). Fortunately my leak is small and might heal on its own, as I'm feeling a little better these days.

I am very lucky that my pain, while severe, seemed to be somewhat short-lived (I hope I hope I hope). Four days of it was awful - my heart goes out to all of you living with this on a daily basis. I'm so sorry.

Unless it's an absolute emergency, I'm avoiding doctors, hospitals, surgeries, and the modern medical community at all costs from here on out. It's all about money.

The only thing that helped me when I was in that much pain was to bake some cannabis muffins. It's the Earth's natural painkiller and (especially when ingested as opposed to smoked) really relaxes the muscles which helps with some of the spasming. Yeah it's illegal - but damn. When doctors won't help you, you gotta turn to Mother Earth. It's also much, much, MUCH safer than the "medicine" docs prescribe - eat too much cannabis and you'll be laughing. Eat too much hydrocodone and you'll be dead.

Have any of you successfully sued for a bile duct injury? My original surgeon unknowingly cut through my main bile duct and a week after I was sent home I had the excruciating pain, bile leakage, and peritonitis that many of you have described. I had a drain implanted and was then transferred into the care of a specialist at a much better hospital. He performed a roux-en-y to reconstruct a bile pathway. I contacted several lawyers. None would take on my case and the gist of their response was "Too bad this happened to you but you're fine now and no jury would find that damage has been done." Now 3 years later I have bile duct strictures, two (probably permanent) drains, the possibility of another major open abdominal procedure as well as a somewhat slimmer possibility of a liver transplant. I'm going to contact lawyers again, with the news of my now chronic condition. Any advice based on your actual experience would be most welcome. I am not looking to get millions; I simply want to recover lost wages and cover future medical needs.

Hi. This case is exactly the same as my husband. It's been 2.5 yrs and everyday we're dreading he'll develop strictures. The surgeon from the tertiary hospital said it could happen within 10 yrs. Not only this, but how about the other organs affectedl like the liver ang lungs. They got burned during the exposure to bile for a prolonged time. Remeber the bile is an irritant and corrosive. Gastroenterologist describe it as pouring acid to an open wound. we have an ongoing legal case. Hope you got a good lawyer since your case is good. You ended with a repair surgery. These surgeons don't take time to be really careful and patients suffer or die at the end. They promote this concept of bile leak are "just a complication of surger". When a surgeon cuts or clips a part of the body that is not supposed to be cut, then they deserve to be sued. They took an oath to do no harm to a patient.