Anybody had their gallbladder removed?
n2thenight24
Posts: 1,651 Member
in Chit-Chat
I had my first gallbladder attack yesterday, and if you've ever had one I don't need to tell you that it's the most painful thing I think a human being can ever experience. So, I have a bunch of gall stones, and an appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday. I'm scared to death to have a surgery, but also scared to death to ever hurt like that, ever again. So, pro's? Con's? They said with the severity of the attack, they will definitely want to remove it, but, what are the odds I'll have another one?
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I had mine removed. Life has been much better since.
If it's an option, you have insurance and can afford a little time off of work, I say go for it. The doc messed up with me, and recovery took almost a month, and I was in pain quite a but, but still worth it.0 -
I had mine removed and outside a certain digestive side effecf when I eat more fat than usual, it was the right decision.0
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I had mine removed a few years back and it was well worth it. I was in and out of the ER with attacks before they figured out it was my gallbladder. They kept telling me it was acid reflux/GERD until finally I had an ultrasound and they found out it was my gallbladder.0
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I had my first gallbladder attack yesterday, and if you've ever had one I don't need to tell you that it's the most painful thing I think a human being can ever experience. So, I have a bunch of gall stones, and an appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday. I'm scared to death to have a surgery, but also scared to death to ever hurt like that, ever again. So, pro's? Con's? They said with the severity of the attack, they will definitely want to remove it, but, what are the odds I'll have another one?
I take vicodin for those attacks.
Seriously, I do. The pain is so horrible that nothing stops it except hardcore pain killers.0 -
HAVE IT REMOVED!!! I had mine takesn out years ago via laparoscopic surgery. Basically 3 holes on your abdomen area and they laser that bad boy and pluck it out. 2 days of recovery time!!!!:bigsmile:
I remember those pains though before the removal. It was horrible. I cant believe I put up with it for so long!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Im talking months. I remember one time after eating Enchiladas was the worst......0 -
Absolutely remove it. It has become a come and go procedure now. You dont even spend the night in the hospital. Well, I did spend the night, but I had a really sweet surgeon and I asked if I could.....The procedure was not painful, nor was recovery. It was slightly uncomfortable after but from the gas.... Walking a lot helps get rid of it.0
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I had mine out 15 years ago and it was a piece of cake. Didn't take any of my pain meds and was up and around after a couple of days rest.0
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I've had mine removed a couple years ago. Pain was horrible. I'd have attacks so severe that I wasn't able to breathe. Finally after 8 months of suffering I finally got my surgery. I'd rather give birth again x10. Seriously. The surgery itself was fine. Recovery was fine.0
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I took my daughter to the ER on Friday morning because she was in so much pain, she couldn't sleep and couldn't stop puking green stuff. The tests showed a lot of gallstones and on Friday night they removed her gallbladder. Said it was very inflamed and definitely needed to be removed. They also said it was unusual in someone so young (she's 19). Although I had mine out when I was 18, so not that unusual in our family. She was released from the hospital on Saturday afternoon and is doing pretty well. She's been doing nothing but resting on the couch and watching tv, but her pain/discomfort tolerance is very low.0
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I've had mine removed a couple years ago. Pain was horrible. I'd have attacks so severe that I wasn't able to breathe. Finally after 8 months of suffering I finally got my surgery. I'd rather give birth again x10. Seriously. The surgery itself was fine. Recovery was fine.
How far apart were your attacks once you started getting them? I've had two mild, and the one huge, life shattering, worst pain ever one. I'm terrified it will happen again before the surgery.0 -
Apparently I am the only one who feels you should get a second opinion. Honestly.
My sister went to the hospital for what she thought was a gallbladder attack. The doctors told her that's what it was and they said that she HAD to have it removed. She got a second opinion and found out that she actually had celiacs. While I am sure that is not the case with you I highly recommend a second opinion. Gallbladder surgery is not something to screw around with.0 -
I had my gallbladder removed 7 years ago. It started with back pain and when I went for an ultrasound, they said I had a few gallstones. I met with a surgeon a week later and scheduled surgery for two weeks from that appointment. Halfway to the surgery, I had a massive gallbladder attack that left me in a LOT of pain. The hospital sent me home, saying it was a gallbladder attack and that I was not, as I thought, dying, lol. Then, I went in or surgery and when I woke up, the nurse told me that had they waited any longer to do the surgery, my gallbladder may have torn/exploded/whatever the medical term is. My gallbladder had literally doubled in size and was filled with stones.
Ever since having it removed, I've felt a LOT better. I recovered from surgery in less than a week. It's uncomfortable, but you'll live
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Apparently I am the only one who feels you should get a second opinion. Honestly.
My sister went to the hospital for what she thought was a gallbladder attack. The doctors told her that's what it was and they said that she HAD to have it removed. She got a second opinion and found out that she actually had celiacs. While I am sure that is not the case with you I highly recommend a second opinion. Gallbladder surgery is not something to screw around with.
Oh, I will be, I have an appt with a specialist in the morning, who will look over my imaging and test results separate from the ER doctor.0 -
I had a bunch of small ones I guess. The Dr. said it looked "gravelly" in there. Which in my mind means, more of them are going to try and pass? Because I agree, there's no one that can tell you you aren't dying, or make you at least wish for death a little.0
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I had mine removed in a few years ago when I was pregnant with my second child. A few small incisions in my stomach. It is an out patient surgery but try to schedule on a Thursday or Friday and don't go into work until Monday at least. I had to stay overnight since I was pregnant as a precaution. Also, it was more painful than I expected it to be for an outpatient but by Tuesday I was 100% again. I wish I would have taken Monday off work.
I had only one attack and it sent me to the ER since I had massive chest pains. I thought I was having a heart attack at 28 years old. They ran a ton of tests in the ER and couldn't figure it out but I agree you feel like you are going to die! Not only from all those tests did I learn I needed my gallbladder out I was informed I have a huge mass on my liver likely caused by birth control pills. Lovely to know!0 -
I had a gall stone issue while I was pregnant with my daughter - ended up having to have it removed while still preggers - Although the pain issue was resolved immediatly I have never been the same - This next part is kind TMI but it's the major issue - so I apologize. Bathroom issues are INSANE - eating is a joke - I eat I'm in the bathroom 5 seconds later. I almost always feel like I'm going to crap my pants! (PS How does a person who cant keep food in more the 30 mins end up fat I'll never understand) LOL
With that said I have also had a complete hystorectomy and cancer so perhaps that all plays a roll as well. But I will say IF you can avoid removal! Try!
I'm a firm beleive in surgery is to be avoided at all costs (when possible)
But this also from someone who is 34 and had 12+ operations for things ranging from cysts, gall stone, etc to stage 3 cancer.
Anywho, hope you are feeling better since the GB issue - I know how very painful it can be - Sidenote: there are lots of foods that make it worse so be mindful of that as well.
Goodluck!0 -
This next part is kind TMI but it's the major issue - so I apologize. Bathroom issues are INSANE - eating is a joke - I eat I'm in the bathroom 5 seconds later. I almost always feel like I'm going to crap my pants! (PS How does a person who cant keep food in more the 30 mins end up fat I'll never understand) LOL
I had the EXACT same problems. I wouldn't even go to a sit-down restaurant unless we were coming home immediately after. If we were traveling by car somewhere, I wouldn't eat until we got to our hotel or our destination. It was awful. But once I started trying to lose weight, started eating healthier foods (a lot more veg/fruit), eating regular meals and drinking a lot of water, it cleared up to the point that its not even an issue anymore.0 -
had mine out a few years ago. the stone was so big it was the size of the gall bladder. the attacks were horrible. there was a mix up and i didnt get the surgery for two months, went thru horrible pain in that time.
get it out. no sense not to.0 -
Mine is gone too. I had horrible attacks I thought were gas or maybe IBS. Turned out to have a gallbladder full of stones. Mine was laposcopic (sp?) and very quick and simple. I went home the same day. I was hurting mildly, enough to want to stay in bed for 2 days after. The worst part was gas pain because after surgery that happens frequently. make sure you have some gas x or similar. I don't have any problems since. I eat what i want, no issues at all.0
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I had mine removed a year ago this May. Mine started as GERD and progressed. Sonogram images really looked nasty though. I am happy with my decision. Out patient procedure, I only took pain meds for 2.5 days. I had surgery on a Friday and was back to driving that Monday.
Good luck.0 -
I had a bunch of small ones I guess. The Dr. said it looked "gravelly" in there. Which in my mind means, more of them are going to try and pass? Because I agree, there's no one that can tell you you aren't dying, or make you at least wish for death a little.
Not trying to scare you, but you will absoutely pass more and they will probably get bigger. Have the surgery. I had mine removed almost 15 years ago. Some of my stones were the size of quarters. The one that sent me to the hospital wasn't that large, so I could only imagine what the larger ones would have felt like. I also developed pancreatitis because of the gallbladder issue.
In the meantime, stay away from foods with fat.
Best wishes!0 -
My sister just had hers removed on Monday and I took care of her for these past two days. She was in a lot more pain than she thought it would be. She also had a bad reaction to the anesthia post op, she was very dizzy and nauseaus. The hospital wanted to keep her overnight but she is stubborn and went home because she hates hospitals. So I would think if any of your family members have ever had any bad reactions following surgery and discuss that with your doctor as well. But she is glad that it is over and that recovery has started. So I would suggest if you have the means and insurance and time off work, that it would be a good idea for you.
Hope that you feel better
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get it out.. surgery is relatively easy.. (although i got really sick after mine.. not from the surgery.. but the meds.. )
no issues since it was taken out.. so get it out.0 -
Hi, I'm a nurse, and I work in a surgical ward where I nurse people with gall stones and cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) all the time. You're likely to have another attack, especially if you don't pass all those stones. And even if you do pass the stones you will probably just get more again. Not only is it the pain you have to put up with, but it's the inflammation and how unwell you can get. If you don't have the surgery your gall bladder can become gangrenous, and believe me - you'll want to get rid of that.
The surgery is generally laparascopic (3-4 little holes), unless they need to open up for some reason so they can see better. They blow your abdomen up with gas so that they can visualise better while doing the surgery. This gas will cause some shoulder tip pain, but the gas will dissipate after the first 24 hours. They might put a drain tube in to drain out the washout fluid they use, but generally it will come out the next morning, and then you go home if you're feeling well enough. They might also give you some antibiotics overnight, and definitely lots of pain relief
Have the surgery - you will feel so much better afterwards. You will have to adjust your diet by cutting back fats strictly for the first 6 weeks, but then you can slowly introduce some fat back into your diet, and learn how much you can tolerate.
- I hope I have helped you - all the best!0 -
Yes - and no regrets. I started having what were gall bladder attacks in my late 20's without realizing it was not simply indigestion. Triggers for attacks were meals high in fat. So I stopped eating deep fried anything, ate leaner meats, avoided eggs, high fat content dairy, etc. That helped but eventually the attacks were more frequent and painful. I had the laparoscopic procedure which was a quick recovery.
I did have a complication which you will want to avoid. Prior to the surgery, some of the "sludge" (not stones) moved down the common bile duct and blocked the pancreatic duct. Stones can do this, too. That is a life threatening problem as it causes the protein digesting enzymes from the pancreas to back up back into the organ. Which is made of....protein. The pancreatitis was miserable. If you have travelling gall stones, then having the stones removed, at least, is a good idea. Most people end up having the whole gall bladder removed as once the stones start to form, it's likely to happen again.
As for after effects, low to no-fat diet with smaller meals works fine. If I eat three slices of Decadent Chocolate Cheese Cake with Hazelnut Cream Topping or Supersize Burger with Fries, yeah, I pay. So, I don't eat that sort of thing or at least, eat a very small portion.0 -
I had mine removed and the week long recovery period was NOTHING compared to the attacks. I would curl up into the fetal position and just cry in pain.................until the attack would just "go" away. They would come on so quickly and then just seem to end??
I've had 3 children since then and I will tell you that my childbirth with all 3 was less pain than the attacks.............get the surgery!
On a side note, I had so many gallstones that I had to go back 2 days post-surgery so the gastroenterologist could remove the stones that were outside of my gallbladder!
I haven't had ANY problems since my surgery.....................crazy as this may sound, it was the best thing I ever did!0 -
I had a gall stone issue while I was pregnant with my daughter - ended up having to have it removed while still preggers - Although the pain issue was resolved immediatly I have never been the same - This next part is kind TMI but it's the major issue - so I apologize. Bathroom issues are INSANE - eating is a joke - I eat I'm in the bathroom 5 seconds later. I almost always feel like I'm going to crap my pants! (PS How does a person who cant keep food in more the 30 mins end up fat I'll never understand) LOL
With that said I have also had a complete hystorectomy and cancer so perhaps that all plays a roll as well. But I will say IF you can avoid removal! Try!
I'm a firm beleive in surgery is to be avoided at all costs (when possible)
But this also from someone who is 34 and had 12+ operations for things ranging from cysts, gall stone, etc to stage 3 cancer.
Anywho, hope you are feeling better since the GB issue - I know how very painful it can be - Sidenote: there are lots of foods that make it worse so be mindful of that as well.
Goodluck!
Maybe you're eating too many fatty foods? People who have had a cholecystectomy cannot tolerate fatty meals because there is not enough bile being released anymore - instead you get a slow trickle, rather than a big burst when needed.0 -
I had mine out about 13 yrs ago. I didn't have gallstones, but for some reason, it wasn't functioning properly according to some kind of test I had (nuclear medicine? can't remember now). I had my surgery on a Tuesday, up and about by the weekend.
Thing is, everyone's story is going to be different, so it's hard to know how it'll be for you. But I will say this. I suffered for about a year & regretted putting it off.0
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