Gallstones

CorlissaEats

If you are having a lot of pain, get a second opinion. Also for attacks lasting more than 4 hours you NEED to get to an emergency room. You can get some major infections if it stays blocked. Think gangrene.
My gallbladder is filled with stones. I've only ever had 2 attacks. The first when I was 15 and the most recent when I was 28. They are horrible. Its been 4 years since the last one and I could in theory go the rest of my life without another one. I don't plan to have kids so I don't have a need to remove mine at this point in my life. If you were going to have children in the future I would recommend it. I hear gallstones cause major heartburn and attacks when pregnant and at that point you get 40 weeks of torture since they wont remove it until after baby.

perseverance14

Don't get your gallbladder removed unless you are absolutely sure that is the problem. Even if you have gallstones, they might not be causing problems. My gallbladder was chock full of them (I had a CT scan and you could see them) but I didn't have to have it removed until it became infected, just having stones does not mean you need to have it removed. I do fine without it, but I do eat low fat dairy (as much as I want), and overall I eat a moderate (not low) amount of fat. There are risks though, some do fine like I did, some have problems after removal although it is a small%, you can't know that before the fact. Just use common sense and find a Doctor who will rule out other things first.

PrizePopple

goddessofawesome wrote: »

LianaG1115 wrote: »

find a general surgeon, don't need a hospital to get scheduled for surgery

And if it turn out it's not her gall bladder?

OP: I'd get a second (and possibly third) opinion on your issue. TBH, gall bladder surgery is major surgery and it's not something to enter in to lightly.

My sister was having issues several years ago and the doctors were adamant that it was her gall bladder -- even though tests showed nothing wrong with it. Thankfully she got a second opinion and found out she had celiacs! She took the info to the original doctor who was still adamant that she get her gall bladder removed "regardless" (she didn't). Get a second, third, fourth, hell even fifth opinion. Make them run tests and make sure they are absolutely thorough AND they show you the results and explain them to you (and if need be take THOSE results to another doctor to have them analyzed). Don't just get your gall bladder removed because that is what you're told you should do and because other people have had it removed.

I had my gangrenous gallbladder removed laparoscopically and the only reason I was in the hospital for so many days was because it was so infected I had to have almost 2 days of antibiotics before they could operate. It's not like they are going to gut you like a fish to get it out. Don't be alarmist like that, especially when you are not a medical professional capable of determining what is and is not considered "major surgery".

OP - I'd go to a different hospital if you can. Being in pain is unacceptable, end of story.

perseverance14

lilme21baby wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your comments. Yes when I was in hospital I had a scan, he counted 15 stones then have up! I had been nill by mouth overnight ready for them to remove my gallbladder but because the pain had gone by the morning they left it and said fingers crossed it won't cause you more pain but in the past 3 weeks it's come back four times! Xx

Try some changes to your diet, lower fat is one that helps if it is gallbladder problems, also eat smaller amounts more often instead of very big meals and drink lots of water. All of those things helped me before I had mine out, and my pains were not from stuck gallstones, they were from indigestion and gas which can be very painful, the smaller amounts of food at a time helps that a lot.

goddessofawesome

PrizePopple wrote: »

goddessofawesome wrote: »

LianaG1115 wrote: »

find a general surgeon, don't need a hospital to get scheduled for surgery

And if it turn out it's not her gall bladder?

OP: I'd get a second (and possibly third) opinion on your issue. TBH, gall bladder surgery is major surgery and it's not something to enter in to lightly.

My sister was having issues several years ago and the doctors were adamant that it was her gall bladder -- even though tests showed nothing wrong with it. Thankfully she got a second opinion and found out she had celiacs! She took the info to the original doctor who was still adamant that she get her gall bladder removed "regardless" (she didn't). Get a second, third, fourth, hell even fifth opinion. Make them run tests and make sure they are absolutely thorough AND they show you the results and explain them to you (and if need be take THOSE results to another doctor to have them analyzed). Don't just get your gall bladder removed because that is what you're told you should do and because other people have had it removed.

I had my gangrenous gallbladder removed laparoscopically and the only reason I was in the hospital for so many days was because it was so infected I had to have almost 2 days of antibiotics before they could operate. It's not like they are going to gut you like a fish to get it out. Don't be alarmist like that, especially when you are not a medical professional capable of determining what is and is not considered "major surgery".

OP - I'd go to a different hospital if you can. Being in pain is unacceptable, end of story.

Forgive me but any surgery can be considered major surgery and carries a lot of risks.

Some_Watery_Tart

Oh, MFP! I love you and your alarmist medical advice. Don't ever change.

GaleHawkins

goddessofawesome wrote: »

PrizePopple wrote: »

goddessofawesome wrote: »

LianaG1115 wrote: »

find a general surgeon, don't need a hospital to get scheduled for surgery

And if it turn out it's not her gall bladder?

OP: I'd get a second (and possibly third) opinion on your issue. TBH, gall bladder surgery is major surgery and it's not something to enter in to lightly.

My sister was having issues several years ago and the doctors were adamant that it was her gall bladder -- even though tests showed nothing wrong with it. Thankfully she got a second opinion and found out she had celiacs! She took the info to the original doctor who was still adamant that she get her gall bladder removed "regardless" (she didn't). Get a second, third, fourth, hell even fifth opinion. Make them run tests and make sure they are absolutely thorough AND they show you the results and explain them to you (and if need be take THOSE results to another doctor to have them analyzed). Don't just get your gall bladder removed because that is what you're told you should do and because other people have had it removed.

I had my gangrenous gallbladder removed laparoscopically and the only reason I was in the hospital for so many days was because it was so infected I had to have almost 2 days of antibiotics before they could operate. It's not like they are going to gut you like a fish to get it out. Don't be alarmist like that, especially when you are not a medical professional capable of determining what is and is not considered "major surgery".

OP - I'd go to a different hospital if you can. Being in pain is unacceptable, end of story.

Forgive me but any surgery can be considered major surgery and carries a lot of risks.

nhs.uk/Conditions/Laparoscopiccholecystectomy/Pages/Riskspage.aspx

mxmkenney

I am a surgery scheduler and gallbladder surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed. Gallstones are really common and you don't have to be overweight to get them. It is either hereditary or just bad luck like appendicitis. You can control symptoms (sometimes) by sticking to a low-fat/nonfat diet. Sometimes you will get symptoms no matter what you eat. If you have frequent gallbaldder attacks, you should get your gall bladder out - I've heard the pain is worse than child birth! They can remove it laparoscopically as an out-patient procedure and it is covered by insurance. You should do it before you get another attack, otherwise you will end up back in the ER after eating something greasy or a dairy product.

PrizePopple

goddessofawesome wrote: »

PrizePopple wrote: »

goddessofawesome wrote: »

LianaG1115 wrote: »

find a general surgeon, don't need a hospital to get scheduled for surgery

And if it turn out it's not her gall bladder?

OP: I'd get a second (and possibly third) opinion on your issue. TBH, gall bladder surgery is major surgery and it's not something to enter in to lightly.

My sister was having issues several years ago and the doctors were adamant that it was her gall bladder -- even though tests showed nothing wrong with it. Thankfully she got a second opinion and found out she had celiacs! She took the info to the original doctor who was still adamant that she get her gall bladder removed "regardless" (she didn't). Get a second, third, fourth, hell even fifth opinion. Make them run tests and make sure they are absolutely thorough AND they show you the results and explain them to you (and if need be take THOSE results to another doctor to have them analyzed). Don't just get your gall bladder removed because that is what you're told you should do and because other people have had it removed.

I had my gangrenous gallbladder removed laparoscopically and the only reason I was in the hospital for so many days was because it was so infected I had to have almost 2 days of antibiotics before they could operate. It's not like they are going to gut you like a fish to get it out. Don't be alarmist like that, especially when you are not a medical professional capable of determining what is and is not considered "major surgery".

OP - I'd go to a different hospital if you can. Being in pain is unacceptable, end of story.

Forgive me but any surgery can be considered major surgery and carries a lot of risks.

The potential for complication from ignoring symptoms is far more risky than a preventative laparoscopic surgery when the body is in a healthier state as opposed to waiting until a situation like mine where perforation or rupture is a very real possibility. Also, the OP has already stated the doctors had found gallstones, so your sister with celiac disease story has no bearing in this situation.

SnuggleSmacks

I had my gallbladder out a few years ago for gallstones. I was lucky and only had 2 attacks and they didn't last long.

When I walked into the ER, I already knew what was wrong but they didn't believe me, and insisted on doing all sorts of tests for appendicitis and other assorted ailments before doing the ultrasound (6 hours later) of my gallbladder. By then I was no longer in pain, but it was the middle of the night and I was pretty pissed at being kept up all night for diagnostics that they should have done first thing.

The surgery was laparoscopic and went smoothly, except that my belly button really took a beating. 6 inch dark purple bruise around it. But other than that, there were 3 tiny incisions along my right side.

Some people experience something called "bile dump" after the gallbladder is removed. This means that after having a greasy meal, a bunch of bile gets dumped at once by the liver and has nowhere to be stored, and you basically have to run to the bathroom fast. Fortunately, I only experienced this a few times, and it's gone away altogether now.

It did take me a long time to no longer feel pain in my abs. My doc told me it was because my abs were tight and were pulling and putting pressure on the incisions, causing them to heal more slowly. Regardless, I got about 4 weeks off of work with paid medical leave, so that was nice. The first week of it, I was too sore to do anything but shuffle around the house, but after that it slowly became an enjoyable vacation.

Now you can barely even see the scars.