What Causes Persistent Stomach Pain With History Of Gall Bladder Removal?

My medical journey began at the age of 28. I wanted to have a baby and I was having some issues. I had 3 Laparoscopies for PCOS. I ended up having a son when I was 30. Due to his size I needed a c-section. A few months after giving birth I had my gall bladder removed. Within a couple months later I had my first hernia repair. I was opened by my belly button and it was fixed with mesh. Things were fine for the next few years. That is until I decided I wanted to try for another baby. I had 1 more Laparoscopy done. Then I had to follow of course with another c-section due to the way I was cut the first time. This was in 2009 I had my daughter. From that time is where my troubles began. Just a few months later I ended up back at my previous surgeon to find out I had another hernia at the lower part of my stomach. Before he did the surgery he said he was going to check the rest of my stomach while he was in there to make sure the tissue was strong enough so I wouldn t end up back there in another couple of months. He ended up having to fix 3 other parts of my stomach with mesh. As I remember it he said it looked like the letter H. That is how the mesh was put. In his words my abdomen was a disaster! My belly was mush and it was way more difficult then he ever expected. I was told by him to have no more babies , and he was not joking! I was in the hospital for a week with drains. I think it was around a month after my last follow up appointment that I was feeling pain again. I had a cat scan done and there it was a hernia in a different spot. My surgeon was floored! He said the traditional repair wasn t working since every time we fixed 1 spot a hernia found it s way to another. He recommended me to his partner who had taken special classes to preform a hernia repair through Laparoscopy. I had this procedure done and was in the hospital for 1 week. In the beginning I was feeling better, but yet once again during my follow up towards the end I started feeling bad. He had told me it was a big surgery and it would take a while to heal. In my mind with everyday that goes by you feel a bit better. Not go backwards in this process? I felt something was wrong, but the doctor told me no , so what was I going to do? About 4 days after my visit with him I found myself in extreme pain! I sat there for hours feeling like death, but not wanting to call out of embarrassment when I was just told I was fine. 11 hours later I could not take anymore and went to the emergency room. They found through an x ray I had a blocked bowel and it was being strangled by a hernia. So the surgeon said I guess that s why you were hurting at my office lol . Obviously I didn t find the humor in his remark! He then told me he didn t use mesh from the points where he went in to do the operation. He said some doctors do, some don t ! I ended up in the hospital for a little over a week and went home feeling horrible! An experience I was terrified of repeating! This all took place in Pennsylvania. Months later we moved to Indiana for my husband s work. After being out here not long I was starting to feel pain on the opposite side of where the strangled bowel was. The other site of entry he did not mesh . Of course I was panicked about repeating what happened. I found a surgeon here and he said we would put a piece of mesh in that spot to avoid any obstruction. On the ct scan I had taken it showed another possible hernia was again at the bottom of my stomach close to my pelvic bone. The problem was they couldn t tell if it was the mesh and where he had stitched, or if it was a true hernia? This doctor told me he could not fix that and I would need a plastic surgeon to operate on that being because it was so complicated. I was too scared to sit around and wait to see if anyone was willing to fix that part for me, so I went ahead with the repair to avoid any bowels finding their way through again! Months later I tried to ignore the discomfort I felt in my lower abdomen, not to mention I was so sick of surgeries! But, the time had come to see a plastic surgeon to see what could be done. My insurance approved the operation and this doctor said he had to push everything back in and pull my stomach muscles together. I was in the hospital for 1 week with drains. I found this man hard to speak to and understand, so you would have to see his notes to understand exactly what he did. We weren t at a full year of recovery till the pain started again! So disgusted at this point I find a general surgeon and I layed all the facts out there. I am tired of each surgeon band aiding the problem! I end up back every time, so why can t we just fix the entire thing. I m obviously prone to them. Please help me! He absolutely agreed and did just that. He was able to remove some of the old mesh that was just sitting there doing nothing. He pulled my stomach muscle tighter and meshed the entire area. I was in the hospital for a week and went home maybe a bit early because I was sick for a while. Eventually I started my road to recovery and was doing alright. He kept reminding me what a big surgery this was, so when I started feeling soreness not to worry cause it would take a very long time for it to totally heal. It has almost been 2 years since that surgery. I had discomfort about a year out. According to my scan everything was still in tact. I was reminded I was still healing. Months later the discomfort level was becoming worse. I had noticed my stomach being a bit misshapen. It looked like a small bulge on the one side of my stomach by the belly button. This was the location I started feeling pain from. Went back to this surgeon again! He could not explain the small bump on my stomach, and suggested I exercise to loose some weight and that might help with this pressure pain I was having. Wonderful advice except I was crying to him that I couldn t do anything cause of pain. I just felt like this doctor did his job and was done with me. I went back to my family doctor pleading for help with my pain. I am 41 years old, I have 2 young children and I cannot live like this! She agreed on a pain regiment with me. I took that route for a few months, but it is not helping the pain to go away. It s just helping to take the edge off. Do I want to be on pain killers forever, NO! Do I enjoy my quality of life, NO! Does this interrupt my activities on a day to day basis, YES! My family doctor recommended me to a general surgeon she knows and thought would be helpful in finding me some solution even if she couldn t do anything herself. This doctor suggested I try these injections in my abdomen to help with maybe some nerve damage. We weren t sure if that was the case, but it was the least invasive method to try. Surgery would have to be a last resort because of it s risks. 1st being infection, 2nd worrying about ruining the mesh that is there, and 3rd creating more scar tissue on top of what I already must have. I went for the injections and of course they did not work. I feel absolutely LOST now. The discomfort which sometimes becomes painful is on the upper part of my stomach. To best describe it feels like I am wearing pants that are too tight! When I stand it is the worst. It feels like my insides are going to push their way through. I have trouble sleeping. I need pillows propped under my belly for support. I am not a back sleeper which makes it difficult. It hurts whether I ve eaten or not. I don t think it s food related?! Sitting at this desk to write this I ve had to take many of breaks. It interferes with things I should be doing. Things I want to do. I can t be in bed or laying on the couch all day cause that is the least amount of irritation. I can t do it anymore! I feel like I m crazy because everyone feels bad, but no one wants to help me like I m damaged goods and can t be fixed. I of course do not want more surgery, BUT if there s a chance I don t have to feel like this anymore I m willing to take it! I know my body, and I think I ve proved that in the past. Something is not right inside there. I know because even though this whole situation exhausts me I still have to keep fighting because this is how much I can t take feeling like this anymore! I just want to feel okay again. I can t accept this is how it has to be. I don t know who to see, where to go, or who would be able to help me? Feelings of frustration does not even begin to hit the surface...........PLEASE HELP!