The whole gallbladder thing
Replies
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My point, for all those who have missed it, is that not everyone who experiences a gallbladder attack or stones MUST have it removed.
This may or may not apply to YOUR specific situation, I don't know. I don't particularly care, I'm simply saying that perhaps people might want to do a little bit of research and experimentation before going under the knife. It's all too common now for anyone who experiences any sort of discomfort to be advised to have it out.0 -
I really hesitated to respond to this and probably will be sorry that I am, but stubbing one's toe is a bit different than dealing with gallstones, etc. If you cannot understand that, then I can only shake my head......Wow! I was unaware that the decision to have one's gallbladder removed was such a moral issue!:noway:
it's not.
I stubbed my toe, hurry, cut it off!
and you can't understand analogies and sarcasm.
*shakes head*0 -
Wow! I was unaware that the decision to have one's gallbladder removed was such a moral issue!:noway:
it's not.
I stubbed my toe, hurry, cut it off!
A silly analogy.
Cut off a stubbed toe? No. Cut of an infected, necrotic toe? Yup. Hand me the scalpel. Better to cut off the toe than risk the foot... or your life.
Gall bladder disease can (rarely) develop into something life threatening, especially if a stone blocks the ducts. More importantly, gall bladder disease seriously diminishes ones' quality of life... and the 'quick fix' is, in fact, quick in this case.
For me... I went from miserable to 100% better in just one month. So much better than living with chronic, re-occuring misery.0 -
I had two attacks, but there was no time for me because my son has autism. Then I ended up in the ER. I didn't know what it was. I waited so long they had to make three holes in me to get all the pieces out. Get it down now. It's not worth the pain. Also, LISTEN to the doctor. I didn't and gave myself a hernia where the gallbladder used to be trying to do too much too fast. Best of luck.0
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THANK GOD THEY ARE TAKING THAT LITTLE F'ER OUT! Why God made that organ I will never know. You will feel a million X a million times better.
It got so severe for me that there was nothing I could eat didnt matter if it was fat, carbs, are protein. I wont touch macaroons to this day because of how much pain was caused from that stupid organ.
This surgery is the best thing that will ever happen to you. Take it from someone how spent 7 days in the hospital and was the color of an orange.
I'm glad you are going to get relief!0 -
Wow! I was unaware that the decision to have one's gallbladder removed was such a moral issue!:noway:
it's not.
I stubbed my toe, hurry, cut it off!
A silly analogy.
Cut off a stubbed toe? No. Cut of an infected, necrotic toe? Yup. Hand me the scalpel. Better to cut off the toe than risk the foot... or your life.
Gall bladder disease can (rarely) develop into something life threatening, especially if a stone blocks the ducts. More importantly, gall bladder disease seriously diminishes ones' quality of life... and the 'quick fix' is, in fact, quick in this case.
For me... I went from miserable to 100% better in just one month. So much better than living with chronic, re-occuring misery.
note the "rarely"0 -
I had two attacks, but there was no time for me because my son has autism. Then I ended up in the ER. I didn't know what it was. I waited so long they had to make three holes in me to get all the pieces out. Get it down now. It's not worth the pain. Also, LISTEN to the doctor. I didn't and gave myself a hernia where the gallbladder used to be trying to do too much too fast. Best of luck.
Maybe thats why I ended up with a hernia too...hmmm never thought about it I was exercising like the minute I got out of the hospital and taking a full class load.
So yes, take rest and try to stay low fat as possible. I didnt want much roughage then afterwards, but some nice chicken and mashed potatoes would have been great.0 -
Back to the topic on hand...
I don't think weight loss actually causes the gall bladder to go bad. I think weight loss just triggers an already sick gall bladder to attack. I could be wrong, but I really think it takes years of eating poorly + genetics + environmental factors we don't understand to fill that thing up with crystalized, sludgy bile.
I DO think weight loss, especially rapid weight loss, can cause the gall bladder to spasm and hurt.
Oddly enough... while a diet high in fats are bad news for gall bladders, if you already have some crystals in there, a diet very low in fat can also be a problem. My understanding (and it could be flawed) is that the bile sits in storage and has more time to form chunks that cause 'ouch'. So... you do want SOME fats in your diet even when you're losing weight to keep the bile flowing.
Anyway... yah... chat with your doctor and good luck.
Oh... and regarding the weight thing, I was 225 when mine was taken, so I think you'll be just fine at 150.0 -
to the OP, I had mine out 16 years ago. The attacks are horrible. I would avoid leafy greens until your surgery. They can be a major trigger food. After your surgery, there will be certain foods that will be triggers for needing a restroom nearby and good running shoes on your feet. Once you figure out what those foods are, avoid them for a while and you should be able to reintroduce them gradually as time goes. by. I eat any foods now with no problem and have been able to for a while.
I hope you have a nicer surgeon than I did though. I was 210 pounds when I had my surgery and when I went back for my followup I asked were there any foods I should not eat. His comforting reply was, "Well, just be careful, you don't want to get any fatter." Such lovely bedside manner.
Good luck to you.0 -
My point, for all those who have missed it, is that not everyone who experiences a gallbladder attack or stones MUST have it removed.
This may or may not apply to YOUR specific situation, I don't know. I don't particularly care, I'm simply saying that perhaps people might want to do a little bit of research and experimentation before going under the knife. It's all too common now for anyone who experiences any sort of discomfort to be advised to have it out.
Nope cut it out...when you have pancreatitis, the only relief you have for days on end is to stand under a scalding shower, you cant get out of bed, wont even drink water and are knocking on death's door its' time for the blessed surgeons. Best option for gall stones is to take it out. I am right on this end of story.0 -
My point, for all those who have missed it, is that not everyone who experiences a gallbladder attack or stones MUST have it removed.
This may or may not apply to YOUR specific situation, I don't know. I don't particularly care, I'm simply saying that perhaps people might want to do a little bit of research and experimentation before going under the knife. It's all too common now for anyone who experiences any sort of discomfort to be advised to have it out.
Nope cut it out...when you have pancreatitis, the only relief you have for days on end is to stand under a scalding shower, you cant get out of bed, wont even drink water and are knocking on death's door its' time for the blessed surgeons. Best option for gall stones is to take it out. I am right on this end of story.
OP has gallstones, not pancreatitis.
Yes, it could possibly develop, but she could also get hit by a bus crossing the street.0 -
As you will. I don't think for a moment all of your replies were about me and my situation. And you are clearly determined to argue. I simply don't give a rat's back pocket any more, so carry on. BTW, I have no idea what butthurt means. I assume it is insulting. Apparently I am not current on internet speak.Rapid weight loss of any sort can cause gallstones. I had mine out and I feel so much better.
"But welcome to a world of lets just yank it out instead of learning how to live with it. " My doctor made a sharp point of telling me that it would not get better. It would get progressively worse, and it could cause pancreatitis as well. And yes, I was eating very low fat at the time, so that wasn't a contributing factor. So while surgery certainly isn't the cure for everything, I see nothing positive in living with gallbladder attacks and trying to soldier on.
the OP said she had attacks when losing weight. and possibly from eating excessive amounts of greasy food. Unless I misunderstood?
as the gallbladder does not like weight fluctuations it's entirely possibly that if the OP maintained her weight and did not overindulge in fried foods, hers would never bother her again.
However, doctors and patients are very quick to simply remove an internal organ these days despite many people having problems after the loss of it (google it). It's apparently a "useless" organ. I wonder why it's there?
Nope, you didn't misunderstand. I threw it in there that I was eating low fat because some folks have more trouble with their gallbladders when they eat fat, apparently the OP being one of them.
I suppose the OP may never have another issue, but I am skeptical of it. My understanding is that the issue is progressive for most people.
I did not say it's a useless organ, and I am well aware some people continue to have trouble. However, if one is having pain and inflammation and stones, it's not going to get better. It isn't as if I had attacks and a surgeon rushed at me with a scalpel. My doctor warned me the issue would only get worse. I didn't want to continue with the debilitating pain. So I saw a surgeon, who couldn't operate for a couple of weeks. During that time, despite a very low fat diet, I had pain that doubled me over, and I'm not a wimp. When I did have surgery, the surgeon told me that my gallbladder was very inflamed, full of stones, and that it would only have gotten worse. Some people end up with stones in the common bile duct---another painful issue.
I don't think surgery for a failing gallbladder is bad. If the OP wants to let it ride, by all means she should do so. But I think it's precipitous to say that in this instance doctors or strangers on the internet are urging her to make a hasty choice. I am not urging her to see a surgeon. I am stating I had mine out and haven't had any further issues. Mine wasn't going to get better.
ETA: you seem to have a strong anti surgical bias, and that's cool. Everyone has to make their own choices. No need to snark at people about a quick fix over having their gallbladders out. It's a medical issue, not a moral one.
it's not a medical issue as much as it a question of ignorance and apathy.
If you feel that my having my gallbladder out is an issue of ignorance and apathy, then cheers to you. Live as you wish; I'll be doing the same.
yes, because all my posts and observations were specifically tailored to you and YOUR situation.
butthurt.
Damn I pray that you never suffer from a gall bladder attack or from pancreatitis. You would quickly change your tune. Weight loss will almost likely result in the development of bile suldge which could develop into gall stones or block bile ducts.
Please dont insult people like that.0 -
As you will. I don't think for a moment all of your replies were about me and my situation. And you are clearly determined to argue. I simply don't give a rat's back pocket any more, so carry on. BTW, I have no idea what butthurt means. I assume it is insulting. Apparently I am not current on internet speak.Rapid weight loss of any sort can cause gallstones. I had mine out and I feel so much better.
"But welcome to a world of lets just yank it out instead of learning how to live with it. " My doctor made a sharp point of telling me that it would not get better. It would get progressively worse, and it could cause pancreatitis as well. And yes, I was eating very low fat at the time, so that wasn't a contributing factor. So while surgery certainly isn't the cure for everything, I see nothing positive in living with gallbladder attacks and trying to soldier on.
the OP said she had attacks when losing weight. and possibly from eating excessive amounts of greasy food. Unless I misunderstood?
as the gallbladder does not like weight fluctuations it's entirely possibly that if the OP maintained her weight and did not overindulge in fried foods, hers would never bother her again.
However, doctors and patients are very quick to simply remove an internal organ these days despite many people having problems after the loss of it (google it). It's apparently a "useless" organ. I wonder why it's there?
Nope, you didn't misunderstand. I threw it in there that I was eating low fat because some folks have more trouble with their gallbladders when they eat fat, apparently the OP being one of them.
I suppose the OP may never have another issue, but I am skeptical of it. My understanding is that the issue is progressive for most people.
I did not say it's a useless organ, and I am well aware some people continue to have trouble. However, if one is having pain and inflammation and stones, it's not going to get better. It isn't as if I had attacks and a surgeon rushed at me with a scalpel. My doctor warned me the issue would only get worse. I didn't want to continue with the debilitating pain. So I saw a surgeon, who couldn't operate for a couple of weeks. During that time, despite a very low fat diet, I had pain that doubled me over, and I'm not a wimp. When I did have surgery, the surgeon told me that my gallbladder was very inflamed, full of stones, and that it would only have gotten worse. Some people end up with stones in the common bile duct---another painful issue.
I don't think surgery for a failing gallbladder is bad. If the OP wants to let it ride, by all means she should do so. But I think it's precipitous to say that in this instance doctors or strangers on the internet are urging her to make a hasty choice. I am not urging her to see a surgeon. I am stating I had mine out and haven't had any further issues. Mine wasn't going to get better.
ETA: you seem to have a strong anti surgical bias, and that's cool. Everyone has to make their own choices. No need to snark at people about a quick fix over having their gallbladders out. It's a medical issue, not a moral one.
it's not a medical issue as much as it a question of ignorance and apathy.
If you feel that my having my gallbladder out is an issue of ignorance and apathy, then cheers to you. Live as you wish; I'll be doing the same.
yes, because all my posts and observations were specifically tailored to you and YOUR situation.
butthurt.
Damn I pray that you never suffer from a gall bladder attack or from pancreatitis. You would quickly change your tune. Weight loss will almost likely result in the development of bile suldge which could develop into gall stones or block bile ducts.
Please dont insult people like that.
perhaps you should read back a little before mouthing off?
I have had gallstones and attacks for over 20 years.0 -
Idrosphila, I wasn't aware I was being insulting. I extend an olive branch and apologies to you. I did have gallstones and had my gallbladder out. The very long back and forth you quoted between TigressPat and me detailed some of that. My original statement was that I had my gallbladder out and felt better. I also mentioned that gallstones can occasionally cause pancreatitis. Truly I'm sorry for your pain and hope you make a full and speedy recovery.
As you will. I don't think for a moment all of your replies were about me and my situation. And you are clearly determined to argue. I simply don't give a rat's back pocket any more, so carry on. BTW, I have no idea what butthurt means. I assume it is insulting. Apparently I am not current on internet speak.Rapid weight loss of any sort can cause gallstones. I had mine out and I feel so much better.
"But welcome to a world of lets just yank it out instead of learning how to live with it. " My doctor made a sharp point of telling me that it would not get better. It would get progressively worse, and it could cause pancreatitis as well. And yes, I was eating very low fat at the time, so that wasn't a contributing factor. So while surgery certainly isn't the cure for everything, I see nothing positive in living with gallbladder attacks and trying to soldier on.
the OP said she had attacks when losing weight. and possibly from eating excessive amounts of greasy food. Unless I misunderstood?
as the gallbladder does not like weight fluctuations it's entirely possibly that if the OP maintained her weight and did not overindulge in fried foods, hers would never bother her again.
However, doctors and patients are very quick to simply remove an internal organ these days despite many people having problems after the loss of it (google it). It's apparently a "useless" organ. I wonder why it's there?
Nope, you didn't misunderstand. I threw it in there that I was eating low fat because some folks have more trouble with their gallbladders when they eat fat, apparently the OP being one of them.
I suppose the OP may never have another issue, but I am skeptical of it. My understanding is that the issue is progressive for most people.
I did not say it's a useless organ, and I am well aware some people continue to have trouble. However, if one is having pain and inflammation and stones, it's not going to get better. It isn't as if I had attacks and a surgeon rushed at me with a scalpel. My doctor warned me the issue would only get worse. I didn't want to continue with the debilitating pain. So I saw a surgeon, who couldn't operate for a couple of weeks. During that time, despite a very low fat diet, I had pain that doubled me over, and I'm not a wimp. When I did have surgery, the surgeon told me that my gallbladder was very inflamed, full of stones, and that it would only have gotten worse. Some people end up with stones in the common bile duct---another painful issue.
I don't think surgery for a failing gallbladder is bad. If the OP wants to let it ride, by all means she should do so. But I think it's precipitous to say that in this instance doctors or strangers on the internet are urging her to make a hasty choice. I am not urging her to see a surgeon. I am stating I had mine out and haven't had any further issues. Mine wasn't going to get better.
ETA: you seem to have a strong anti surgical bias, and that's cool. Everyone has to make their own choices. No need to snark at people about a quick fix over having their gallbladders out. It's a medical issue, not a moral one.
it's not a medical issue as much as it a question of ignorance and apathy.
If you feel that my having my gallbladder out is an issue of ignorance and apathy, then cheers to you. Live as you wish; I'll be doing the same.
yes, because all my posts and observations were specifically tailored to you and YOUR situation.
butthurt.
Damn I pray that you never suffer from a gall bladder attack or from pancreatitis. You would quickly change your tune. Weight loss will almost likely result in the development of bile suldge which could develop into gall stones or block bile ducts.
Please dont insult people like that.0 -
As you will. I don't think for a moment all of your replies were about me and my situation. And you are clearly determined to argue. I simply don't give a rat's back pocket any more, so carry on. BTW, I have no idea what butthurt means. I assume it is insulting. Apparently I am not current on internet speak.Rapid weight loss of any sort can cause gallstones. I had mine out and I feel so much better.
"But welcome to a world of lets just yank it out instead of learning how to live with it. " My doctor made a sharp point of telling me that it would not get better. It would get progressively worse, and it could cause pancreatitis as well. And yes, I was eating very low fat at the time, so that wasn't a contributing factor. So while surgery certainly isn't the cure for everything, I see nothing positive in living with gallbladder attacks and trying to soldier on.
the OP said she had attacks when losing weight. and possibly from eating excessive amounts of greasy food. Unless I misunderstood?
as the gallbladder does not like weight fluctuations it's entirely possibly that if the OP maintained her weight and did not overindulge in fried foods, hers would never bother her again.
However, doctors and patients are very quick to simply remove an internal organ these days despite many people having problems after the loss of it (google it). It's apparently a "useless" organ. I wonder why it's there?
Nope, you didn't misunderstand. I threw it in there that I was eating low fat because some folks have more trouble with their gallbladders when they eat fat, apparently the OP being one of them.
I suppose the OP may never have another issue, but I am skeptical of it. My understanding is that the issue is progressive for most people.
I did not say it's a useless organ, and I am well aware some people continue to have trouble. However, if one is having pain and inflammation and stones, it's not going to get better. It isn't as if I had attacks and a surgeon rushed at me with a scalpel. My doctor warned me the issue would only get worse. I didn't want to continue with the debilitating pain. So I saw a surgeon, who couldn't operate for a couple of weeks. During that time, despite a very low fat diet, I had pain that doubled me over, and I'm not a wimp. When I did have surgery, the surgeon told me that my gallbladder was very inflamed, full of stones, and that it would only have gotten worse. Some people end up with stones in the common bile duct---another painful issue.
I don't think surgery for a failing gallbladder is bad. If the OP wants to let it ride, by all means she should do so. But I think it's precipitous to say that in this instance doctors or strangers on the internet are urging her to make a hasty choice. I am not urging her to see a surgeon. I am stating I had mine out and haven't had any further issues. Mine wasn't going to get better.
ETA: you seem to have a strong anti surgical bias, and that's cool. Everyone has to make their own choices. No need to snark at people about a quick fix over having their gallbladders out. It's a medical issue, not a moral one.
it's not a medical issue as much as it a question of ignorance and apathy.
If you feel that my having my gallbladder out is an issue of ignorance and apathy, then cheers to you. Live as you wish; I'll be doing the same.
yes, because all my posts and observations were specifically tailored to you and YOUR situation.
butthurt.
Damn I pray that you never suffer from a gall bladder attack or from pancreatitis. You would quickly change your tune. Weight loss will almost likely result in the development of bile suldge which could develop into gall stones or block bile ducts.
Please dont insult people like that.
perhaps you should read back a little before mouthing off?
I have had gallstones and attacks for over 20 years.
Didnt read that sorry and I knew OP had gallstones I just know from my experience it can quickly turn worse. ICU death door worse.
Honestly, I dont know how you live with the pain? I couldnt function for about a month
The only option was surgery, and I thank God for my skilled surgeon0 -
As you will. I don't think for a moment all of your replies were about me and my situation. And you are clearly determined to argue. I simply don't give a rat's back pocket any more, so carry on. BTW, I have no idea what butthurt means. I assume it is insulting. Apparently I am not current on internet speak.
[/quote]
Damn I pray that you never suffer from a gall bladder attack or from pancreatitis. You would quickly change your tune. Weight loss will almost likely result in the development of bile suldge which could develop into gall stones or block bile ducts.
Please dont insult people like that.
[/quote]
perhaps you should read back a little before mouthing off?
I have had gallstones and attacks for over 20 years.
Didnt read that sorry and I knew OP had gallstones I just know from my experience it can quickly turn worse. ICU death door worse.
Honestly, I dont know how you live with the pain? I couldnt function for about a month
The only option was surgery, and I thank God for my skilled surgeon
[/quote]
This was my point for posting here, I'm not saying that you shouldn't have had yours out. If you had pancreatis from it, of course it had to come out. But not everyone gets pancreatitis. It's fairly rare.
yes, the pain is intense, but it is fleeting, and it is fairly managable if you learn how what your triggers are and how to avoid them.
I'm not saying no one should ever have it out, I'm saying not everyone who does should. and not everyone who has an attack has to have it out. it has become too common and too easy to just opt for surgery.0 -
@tigress
How long are you out from it when an attack hits? Some people can live with it for decades and it will never dislodge some people have a bit of sludge and its time to yank the sucker out. I am on the yank it out from birth crowd along with the appendicts.0 -
@tigress
How long are you out from it when an attack hits? Some people can live with it for decades and it will never dislodge some people have a bit of sludge and its time to yank the sucker out. I am on the yank it out from birth crowd along with the appendicts.
as I have been having them for 20 years as mentioned. They are not all the same, the average one I have usually lasts 20 minutes or so and is the worst pain Ive ever felt for maybe 10 minutes of that. The last one I had was 2 hours, and excruciating most of it.
However, I know what foods trigger mine, so I usually can avoid having attacks as long as other people don't lie to me/trick me about food or I don't miss something. I also have been able at times to stop an attack when it starts through various methods.
In terms of gallstones, attacks happen when they pass out of the gallbladder.
Generally if your stones do not lodge in the ducts or other organs, they pass through and out of your system and your attack ends.
In your case, yours got stuck and caused pancreatitis, and yes, the only cure at that point is to have the gallbladder removed, but not everyone with gallstones or gallbladder problems ends up in the same boat as you.0 -
I had mine out in June. I never had an attack and didn't even know I had gallstones. I'm on medication that requires me to get blood work every 6 months and at one of my checks, my liver values were through the roof, which I can't really have with the medication I'm on0
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I am the OP and post op after Feb 19/2013 surgery. The whole gallbladder journey for me was a nightmare first starting off in Nov/2012, with my craving of a large pizza the evening before, which I felt led to the first gallbladder attack. Everything gallbladder related seemed to go downhill ever since.
Only after the 8th major attack, 2nd hospitalization, and the attack in Feb/2013 by far my worst, they took me more seriously and ran a series of scans, xrays and even an MRI discovering a severe situation. A technician actually said "you have an angry bladder in there". Admitted to hospital Feb 11/2013, the plan was to proceed with surgery and spend an entire week in hospital on IV antibiotics. Next week following would be the surgery. While in hospital, I was having attacks and I was eating jello and clear broth soups.
Feb 19/2013 surgery ~ I was anxious to get rid of this sucker, yet was petrified when told I would not go through the usual route of laparoscopic surgery (faster recovery time), but the full open surgery was required. I was in hospital for another week then discharged. I see the surgeon in 1 1/2 weeks. It’s over now but at times I am in major pain. Each day gets a bit better and nurses visit every day to tend to bandage dressing changes. Pain lower and upper back and neck are worse than the incision area.
As far as the weight goes, I am having trouble with eating/weight again. This time, it is difficult to have an appetite when one is in pain, but it is definitely required for healing and am on better pain regimen which is helping. I am down to 145, so lost 5 pounds. The surgeons I have spoken with have reassured me that I will be able to eat just about anything I want, but I really will be cautious with the fried food.
I expect, with the open surgery to be on my feet in 6 – 8 weeks and will keep you up to date.0 -
I am the OP and post op after Feb 19/2013 surgery. The whole gallbladder journey for me was a nightmare first starting off in Nov/2012, with my craving of a large pizza the evening before, which I felt led to the first gallbladder attack. Everything gallbladder related seemed to go downhill ever since.
Only after the 8th major attack, 2nd hospitalization, and the attack in Feb/2013 by far my worst, they took me more seriously and ran a series of scans, xrays and even an MRI discovering a severe situation. A technician actually said "you have an angry bladder in there". Admitted to hospital Feb 11/2013, the plan was to proceed with surgery and spend an entire week in hospital on IV antibiotics. Next week following would be the surgery. While in hospital, I was having attacks and I was eating jello and clear broth soups.
Feb 19/2013 surgery ~ I was anxious to get rid of this sucker, yet was petrified when told I would not go through the usual route of laparoscopic surgery (faster recovery time), but the full open surgery was required. I was in hospital for another week then discharged. I see the surgeon in 1 1/2 weeks. It’s over now but at times I am in major pain. Each day gets a bit better and nurses visit every day to tend to bandage dressing changes. Pain lower and upper back and neck are worse than the incision area.
As far as the weight goes, I am having trouble with eating/weight again. This time, it is difficult to have an appetite when one is in pain, but it is definitely required for healing and am on better pain regimen which is helping. I am down to 145, so lost 5 pounds. The surgeons I have spoken with have reassured me that I will be able to eat just about anything I want, but I really will be cautious with the fried food.
I expect, with the open surgery to be on my feet in 6 – 8 weeks and will keep you up to date.
I'm glad you've had the surgery and are on the road to recovery!! Sucks that they couldn't do it laparoscopically though!!! Better days are ahead! Speedy recovery :flowerforyou:0 -
@OP (pointedly ignoring the argument going on here.)
I had mine out last July after the doctor discovered it was COMPLETELY full of stones, and warned me of the potential complications of that.
Since then I've been pretty much ok, only I discovered there is one single food I can't eat now: peanut butter. Crazy, right? I had people warn me about fried foods, and salad dressings, and all sorts of things, but no one ever mentioned that peanut butter might be a problem. So! I thought I'd warn you that you might want to avoid it, or at least be REALLY careful and only eat it when you know you'll be home for the rest of the day, in case your body hates it like mine did!0 -
I had the unfortunate experience of having my first gallbladder attack in Nov. 2012. A horrific experience to say the least (I've been told this is worse than childbirth!), and to make a long story short, 4 more attacks have followed and 30 pounds lost; here I sit with sometimes not knowing if I eat something will it bring another attack. I have been on the "Gallbladder forums", but couldn't find anything for my dilemma, and just wonderin' if any of you out there have experienced this problem. The weight loss has been bittersweet, as I am now 150 lbs, and always in the 200's thoughout my adult years. I would like to lose a bit more for the gallbladder surgery scheduled for April 12/2013, BUT don't want to lose too fast yet lose enough to keep surgery complications to a minimum.
gallbladders do not like weight instability.
loss or gain can trigger them.
But welcome to a world of lets just yank it out instead of learning how to live with it.
Actually living with it is a bad idea all around. When I was having attacks I discussed this with my doc, as I didn't want to have surgery a month prior to moving across the country. He pointed out that one of the complications of gallstones blocking the bile duct was an infected gall bladder rupturing with subsequent peritonitis and emergency surgery. As that did not sound like much fun while driving 2 small children and a large dog 15 hours across Kansas to northern Wyoming pulling a UHaul, I had the surgery and moved two weeks later. There were a few complications during the surgery, but I healed up nicely and have been fine since. I will give you the weight instability thing, tho. Come to find out, what triggered the stone formation and the attacks was the 50 pounds lost in 80 days on Nutrisystem (30 years ago - thank you 900 calorie diet and potassium supplements!)0 -
I had my gallbladder removed Dec 2009 after dealing with constant pain for over a year and was admitted into the hospital for a week because it caused an infection with my pancreas. After the Dr clarified it was my gallbladder I had to wait 3 month for surgery still. Every kept telling me it was fatty and greasy food to stay away from for my attacks. I did and had very blah food oatmeal, rice, bananas, toast dry and still had attacks. Everyone's body is different. I got attacks on basically everything I ate so I turned to food that I didn't make from stratch because of my attacks.
After my surgery I did not have any issues with what I could and couldn't eat.0 -
I had mine out 14yrs ago. I had gallstones and one was stuck. The pain was horrible so I don't blame you for being scared of another attack.
I hope that you recover as quickly as I did.
BTW, having a baby hurts more than a gallstone attack.0 -
I had the unfortunate experience of having my first gallbladder attack in Nov. 2012. A horrific experience to say the least (I've been told this is worse than childbirth!), and to make a long story short, 4 more attacks have followed and 30 pounds lost; here I sit with sometimes not knowing if I eat something will it bring another attack. I have been on the "Gallbladder forums", but couldn't find anything for my dilemma, and just wonderin' if any of you out there have experienced this problem. The weight loss has been bittersweet, as I am now 150 lbs, and always in the 200's thoughout my adult years. I would like to lose a bit more for the gallbladder surgery scheduled for April 12/2013, BUT don't want to lose too fast yet lose enough to keep surgery complications to a minimum.
gallbladders do not like weight instability.
loss or gain can trigger them.
But welcome to a world of lets just yank it out instead of learning how to live with it.
^^^^^ What a moronic and ignorant post!!!! There is no 'learning to live' with a diseased organ. If left untreated it can lead to serious health problems. A bad gallbladder is NOT just the result of a poor diet, there are other factors play into it. It's not a simple matter of clean up your diet and you won't have any more attacks. Educate yourself before you post something stupid again.0 -
I am the OP and post op after Feb 19/2013 surgery. The whole gallbladder journey for me was a nightmare first starting off in Nov/2012, with my craving of a large pizza the evening before, which I felt led to the first gallbladder attack. Everything gallbladder related seemed to go downhill ever since.
Only after the 8th major attack, 2nd hospitalization, and the attack in Feb/2013 by far my worst, they took me more seriously and ran a series of scans, xrays and even an MRI discovering a severe situation. A technician actually said "you have an angry bladder in there". Admitted to hospital Feb 11/2013, the plan was to proceed with surgery and spend an entire week in hospital on IV antibiotics. Next week following would be the surgery. While in hospital, I was having attacks and I was eating jello and clear broth soups.
Feb 19/2013 surgery ~ I was anxious to get rid of this sucker, yet was petrified when told I would not go through the usual route of laparoscopic surgery (faster recovery time), but the full open surgery was required. I was in hospital for another week then discharged. I see the surgeon in 1 1/2 weeks. It’s over now but at times I am in major pain. Each day gets a bit better and nurses visit every day to tend to bandage dressing changes. Pain lower and upper back and neck are worse than the incision area.
As far as the weight goes, I am having trouble with eating/weight again. This time, it is difficult to have an appetite when one is in pain, but it is definitely required for healing and am on better pain regimen which is helping. I am down to 145, so lost 5 pounds. The surgeons I have spoken with have reassured me that I will be able to eat just about anything I want, but I really will be cautious with the fried food.
I expect, with the open surgery to be on my feet in 6 – 8 weeks and will keep you up to date.
Glad to hear your are in recovery.
I had mine taken out in 2006. I had 2 attacks before the doctor said mine had to come out. I was told it was full of stones and would possibly burst if I waited another month or 2 for surgery.
While yes, weight gain and weight loss can cause issues, neither of these caused mine. I am 90% sure mine was caused by going on Ortho-Evra, the birth control patch. One of the side effects in the lawsuit was gallstones and gallbladder disease.
I have been able to eat pretty much everything since, but because of other health issues, I stick to a better diet. There are still risks of having stones form even without a gallbladder.0 -
10 years ago I woke up vomiting and stomach pain in the middle of the night. The pain would come and go and felt just like labor pains. By the time my husband woke up, I was doing Lamaze breathing to get thru the contractions. He called a sitter for our son and took me to the ER. The dr immediately said gall bladder and they took me in for an ultrasound. They found no stones, but I had 2 episodes during the sono, and the dr was still convinced it was my gall bladder, so they scheduled me for a HIDA scan?. A CT scan where they scan you, then tell you to go eat a fatty meal and scan you again. It didn't trigger another attack, but what they saw was that my bladder was contracting backwards, so instead of forcing out the bile, it was forcing it back towards the pancreas. There was no treatment other than removing it.
The surgery was fairly simple, and 2 days later I traveled several hours to attend my nephew's graduation. I have had no problems with anything since. Actually, I had always struggled with constipation all my life, in spite of having a high fiber diet. But since my gall bladder has been removed, I no longer have the constipation problem. I am now currently on a LCHF diet, with 50% fat, and am the most regular that I have ever been. sorry TMI.
On a different note, the nephew mentioned above started having gall bladder attacks a couple of years ago. He didn't want to have surgery and was determined to tough it out. He ended up in the ER with a ruptured gall bladder and peritonitis, for emergency surgery. Very scary for the family as he came very close to dying and spent 2 weeks in the hospital fighting the infection and very high fever.
So the decision whether or not to have surgery is between the patient and doctor, but for myself, it was a no brainer and I have no regrets. I don't think I have ever come across anyone who regrets having theirs out, but there certainly could be some one who does, I suppose. As with any surgery, there is always a risk of complications, of course.0 -
@OP (pointedly ignoring the argument going on here.)
I had mine out last July after the doctor discovered it was COMPLETELY full of stones, and warned me of the potential complications of that.
Since then I've been pretty much ok, only I discovered there is one single food I can't eat now: peanut butter. Crazy, right? I had people warn me about fried foods, and salad dressings, and all sorts of things, but no one ever mentioned that peanut butter might be a problem. So! I thought I'd warn you that you might want to avoid it, or at least be REALLY careful and only eat it when you know you'll be home for the rest of the day, in case your body hates it like mine did!
My apologies for not replying to argument, I am a newbie to forums and didn't know how to use the quote key (I even hope this turns out, had to ask HELP DESK (see my question). We don't have to be so harsh using "ignoring" and I will go ahead and address entire topic replies. Thanks all who replied.0 -
Yippee, I did it!0
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