Gallbladder removal and panic

[ruby8]

Good evening , I have suffered panic attacks for 30 yrs or so and managed to keep them under control for many years until recently, 6 months ago I started having Gallbladder issues and noticed my panics starting get Major and symptoms I hadnt had before , light headed , hot and cold chills etc , to the point of ambulances etc , GB was taken out last monday ( before christmas ) , yes I did expected some pain but tonight after eating light bland meals due to op and letting things settle , but the pain tonight set of another major one , I have never had panic from things like back pain etc , so is the pain actually causeing the panics to occur ? I know i will need time to heal physically , but was surprised by this major one as after gb was taken out I was panic free for 4-5 days , I have worked out over the last 6 months the GB attack pain was causing them so I am presumeing the after pain is also causeing the panics , Thank you

[Croix]

Dear Ruby8~

Welcome to the forum. I"m sorry you have these hassles.

It sounds to me that although you have two separate problems, anxiety and gall bladder, they are overlapping in your mind with the anxiety being heightened by your current situation. Anxiety symptoms are wide-ranging and the causes are not always a simple as one might assume.

In addition to panic attacks I've had pains in head, chest and abdomen due simply to anxiety and these things are made worse by tension and stress. I can also remember when my late wife had to have her gall bladder out it was preceded by pain,nausea being lightheaded plus the hot and cold feelings you mentioned.

If you have an unexplained and worrying symptom such as back pain, and your condition is similar to mine, it could well cause extremer stress, and this can in turn make the original pain seem much worse. The back pain can of course be for a number of reasons, including your op.

However all this is supposition. In your place the sensible thing is to have your operation aftermath monitored by your doctor/surgeon/dietitian and for your anxiety condition to be monitored by your GP plus whatever health professional is handling it now.

The whole thing can seem very frightening, and can really upset one's life if panic attacks happen often. I've also been surprised over the years to find my anxiety has manifest in fresh ways with a new set of chest pains being only recent.

Apart from medical support do you have anyone to care for you, that you can talk with and share your fears and feelings? I've found sharing the burden does make a big difference, I fell less isolated and my conditions seem more normal that way.

I'd be very please if you kept talking here saying how you are going.

Croix

[ruby8]

Hi Croix
Yes I have had the anxiety for 30 yrs or so , and have had the attacks fairly well under control for years until all the GB started , and once the pain kicked in then some real major attacks that never had that bad , Yes my IBS started with the anixety attacks , so can understand the abdomen issues
I did have some back issues few months back which I now know where to do with the GB attacks , even though I tend to have siatica problems , but could handle them
Yes I do and have spoken to the GB surgeon and the anathesiasist and seems all is going very well , locum doc came out last night as felt so lightheaded etc , but BP etc was all normal range
Yes the whole procedure has overwhelmed me more than I thought it would , Yes I have a partner that has his own vietnam issues and cant handle sickness with others very well 😞 , mum was here also to help , and I have a fantastic councellor who even came to the ER with me on one occasion as he could tell them I had been saying something physically was starting them off , as he hadnt seen me have one for the time I have been seeing him , I also suffer agrophobia , so all this has come to a major head , so a long battle back up again for me , I was getting out with him and enjoying it
my GB pain is subsiding slightly which is good but the panics are still coming on:( and of course the heat we having is knocking me around a bit , had a good chat with councelor today and he is certainly one of a kind to take time out to ring and see how I am and has been there for me in any time of the day particularly the last 6 weeks or so
Thank you Croix 🙂

[White_Rose]

Dear Ruby

Hello and welcome. You are managing a great deal of pain and anxiety at the moment and it's hardly surprising you get panic attacks with all that they involve. Panic attacks are scary by themselves and need to be treated separately to your physical symptoms. Croix has put it much better then me so I only need to agree with him.

I had my GB removed many years ago. I remember the bouts of pain I had before the surgery. I wasn't particularly depressed or anxious at that time but I can well imagine how depression and anxiety, now I know how it feels, combined with your pain can make feel unwell and be more vulnerable to panic attacks. When you have a panic attack is it about something specific or a general horrible feeling?

I could not find a cause and I'm not sure if there ever is a cause that we can point to and say that's it. I know I was terrified and for quite a long time was dreading when the next one would strike, so to speak. It's no fun at all. Once they have been kicked into life I think they will need time to subside and for this you need the help of your therapist.

After major surgery anyone will feel tired and lethargic. It is a major event and your body wants to heal. If I may suggest you make a conscious effort to be as relaxed as possible. Can you listen to soothing music or meditate? Something that helps you to at least start letting go of the tension in your body. Doing something physical is often a good idea but not when you are recovering from surgery.

Can you sit outside (without getting burnt) and watch the grass grow. I often sit outside, weather permitting, and even though I take a book to read I become more interested in my garden and making further plans. It is a source of refreshment for me.

It appears you do have a support team which is great. It's hard when there is only one person and you don't want to load them up with your problems. Let people cherish you and accept a bit of pampering. It helps the healing process both physically and emotionally.

I hope you will continue to write in.

Mary