Gallbladder Removal Recommended

[Guest BERNESES]

Hi Everyone- My new GI, who I really trust, has recommended that I have my gallbladder removed since I have gallstones and while I don't have pain very often, I do have nausea a lot. She said having it removed will help the nausea. I'm game (but scared- have never had major surgery before).

I'm wondering if among people who've had it done if their nausea subsided. I also have GERD so I'm wondering if it has any effect on acid reflux/heartburn. I need to decide pretty quick because my husband and I just started trying to conceive and I'm not pregnant yet but would want to do it before I got pregnant. Thanks, Beverly

[Moongirl]

I had my gall bladder removed 4 years ago, but it was due to a polyp. I felt a lot better after I got it done, but I have to be honest, now that I look back on those years after I had it removed, my body was not the same (food wise). My GI thinks that could have possibly been the point of when my Celiac might have been triggered.

As for the surgery, i had it done by laproscopy (sp) It was the best thing, but the worst part was healing the week after. You just feel like your abs have done about a million sit ups, its just sore more than anything. But the procedure was not too bad or long

[Guest BERNESES]

Moongirl- Where did you have it done? I noticed you're in Boston and I'm thinking about having it done at Beth israel.

So, you think it may have triggered your celiac's? Definitely possible since it is a physical trauma. Thanks for your feedback.

[Moongirl]

Moongirl- Where did you have it done? I noticed you're in Boston and I'm thinking about having it done at Beth israel.

So, you think it may have triggered your celiac's? Definitely possible since it is a physical trauma. Thanks for your feedback.

Yup my GI def thinks it could have been the trigger, cause before that I was 'normal' lol

I had it done at St. Elizabeths I believe they are part of the Caritas Christi network.

[beelzebubble]

could you see a naturopath? some naturopaths can help you with a gall bladder/liver flush. from what i've read, some people don't need to have their gb removed afterward. just a thought.

[Rusla]

I had mine removed a loooong time ago when scars were huge. It is not big deal and better to be taken out.

[Guest Robbin]

The surgery is called "key hole" surgery and it has a much shorter recovery time. I hope you can avoid it though. I have had problems with mine--"sandy" stones and if I eat low fat meals mostly I don't have problems. If you lose weight too quickly it can cause stones. (I used to work with a surgical group) Take care and good luck.I worked for a surgeon who actually had a calculator out one day to figure out how many gall bladder surgeries it would take to pay for his new motor home. I hope you trust that dr. alot, 'cause it is "big business" for alot of them!

[Guest BERNESES]

I do trust her a lot and i know that it's laproscopic now which makes me feel better. My main symptom is nausea/vomiting after meals and she thinks that it could very well be the cause. plus, I'm working on getting pregnant and i'd hate to have to have it taken out in an emergency if i were to get pregnant.

But still, it is major srgery and i don't want to take it lightly. Several people, doctors and my aunt who is a nurse, believe this could be the source of my nausea. Of course, there are no guarantees. Robbin- what were your symptoms before and what problems do you still have? also, if anyone has had it done laprascopically how long before you were able to go back to work? thanks, Beverly

[Jenn2005]

My husband had his gallbladder out last August because it wasn't functioning. At the time he was nauseous (all the time non stop), would feel very full after eating just a tiny amount of food (like a handfull of cherrios and he felt like he had been at a buffet gorging), back and forth with D & C and just feeling yucky, he had his gallbladder removed and when he didn't get any better we found out he actually had Celiac (his biopsy was done in July but the doctor missed it on the biopsy report so it was end of August when we found this out). The only symptom that went away after the surgery alone was the feeling of fullness after eating a small amount. The nausea has let up majorly for him on the gluten free diet. My sister in law had her gallbladder out and she has D now almost everytime she eats especailly if its a fatty meal like a hamburger or a lot of meats. Good luck with whatever you decide and Good luck with starting your new family.

Jennifer

[thomas3000]

I would look into flushing the gallbladder/liver out. If it's full of stones that's the way to go. Don't cut anything out of your body please since it's needed...

[Guest BERNESES]

Don't cut anything out of your body please since it's needed...

Eek! I'm really torn. My nausea has gotten better but it's still an issue.

[jerseyangel]

B--totally my own opinion, but if it were me with the nausea and vomiting, and I knew that I had gall stones, I would opt for the surgery. I consider myself a cautious person, and surgery is never something to be entered into lightly. My Dad had his gall bladder removed last year--he's 79 and was home the next day. And doing great, I must say. I would have it done, get it behind me and get going on that baby . Really, good luck whatever you deceide.

[Guest BERNESES]

That's pretty much what my doctor said too. She said if it was the Celiac's it would have gotten better, not worse as it has, on the gluten-free diet. Thanks for the hopeful story. She said now it's just a day procedure. i'll keep you all posted. i'm going to talk to my primary care doctor too and see what she thinks. I just wanna get going with that baby thing!

[2old4]

I was diagnosed with gallbladder disease when I was 6 months pregnant and put on a fat-free diet for the rest of my pregnancy. I was warned to be very careful because if there was a rupture, there could be danger to the baby. The diet stopped the gallbladder attacks but what do pregnant women with nausea eat? Toast & crackers. I had no idea at that time I had Celiac. I was sick for most of the pregnancy but when the baby was born, he was fine, and a pizza 2 weeks after his birth brought on an acute attack that caused surgery. Surgery was not bad, out same day, sore for a week. I would recommend getting it done and moving on with your baby making.

[gf4life]

I had my gallbladder removed about 6 years ago. I haven't missed it! I had nausea ALL the time. I thought it was diet related and did everything I could do (except cut gluten, I didn't know that part yet ), then I thought it was pregnancy related (when I had my 3rd), but months after my daughter was born I still had horrible nausea everyday with occasional stomach pain. They tested my gallbladder and found it to be full of stones. They scheduled me for surgery, but I had a severe attack 10 days before my surgery and had to go in for an emergency surgery. They were worried it was either going to rupture or the stone that was stuck might get out and cause other problems. I was sore after the surgery, but the nausea was gone almost immediately. I haven't regretted having the surgery. All the women in my family have had there gallbladders removed, they all were probably Celiac as well! I was the oldest to have mine out at 26, all the others were younger than that. It is probably some genetic defect that causes the stones to form because we all were different weights, and had different diets, also this is spanning 3 generations that I know of. I hope my daughter (or sons) don't get it. But it is totally easy to do life without a gallbladder. Much easier that living with a diseased one...

[Guest MyKidsMom]

I never knew I had gallstones or any other problem until I had an acute attack 2 months before my daughter was born. My doc said we could do a c-section because I was in unbelievable pain - waaaaaaaay worse than either of my labors! But I really wanted to have my baby "naturally" and to keep her in my tummy until she was full-term. I was in the hospital a week because my gallbladder would not "unsieze" and then bed rest the last two months, but it was worth it. My daughter was fine, they kept monitoring her for any signs of stress. My doc said we could have had my gallbladder out early in the pregnancy when I first had back pains, but we thought the back pain was from something else (I had no history of problems in my family).

I know people say to do a gallbladder/liver flush but if you are planning on getting pregnant, I personally would get it out now. You never know if you will have an acute attack. Mine came on without any warning or history and I was throwing up for 5 hours continually when I was almost 8 months pregnant. It was the absolute worst experience of my life!

I wondered about permanently removing one of my organs, too. But now after talking with several people I found there are a lot more people wishing their doc would remove theirs. I haven't talked with anyone who has regretted it. I did have some post-surgery problems such as I could no longer tolerate fatty foods and had chronic D, but that was when I looked for another reason and discovered celiac.

Hope this helps and does not make you more anxious...I just wish I would have had a little warning for what happened beforehand. It was very scary at the time!

[Guest Robbin]

I have terrible nausea, acid and sometimes pains in my right side if I eat fatty meals. I have already had 2 children after many, many problems with infertility. I am amending my earlier post to say if you want to get pregnant soon, get it out. Babies are much too important and precious. If it weren't for that, I would not go for it right away. I agree that we need our organs! Just don't let a dr. push you into something you have even the teeniest doubt about.

[Guest BERNESES]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. She isn't pushing me either. She's left it totally up to me. Best, Beverly

[Rachel--24]

What causes gallstones? How do you know if you have them? Isnt there a way to get rid of them w/out taking your whole gall bladder out?

[munchkinette]

Are gallstones and gall bladder removals common for those with celiac disease? Dang, my grandmother had hers removed. That's one more issue I've heard about on this forum that she also had.

[gf4life]

Here is what this website has to say about what causes them:

Open Original Shared Link

What causes gallstones?

Cholesterol Stones

Scientists believe cholesterol stones form when bile contains too much cholesterol, too much bilirubin, or not enough bile salts, or when the gallbladder does not empty as it should for some other reason.

Pigment Stones

The cause of pigment stones is uncertain. They tend to develop in people who have cirrhosis, biliary tract infections, and hereditary blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, in which too much bilirubin is formed.

Other Factors

It is believed that the mere presence of gallstones may cause more gallstones to develop. However, other factors that contribute to gallstones have been identified, especially for cholesterol stones.

Obesity. Obesity is a major risk factor for gallstones, especially in women. A large clinical study showed that being even moderately overweight increases the risk for developing gallstones. The most likely reason is that obesity tends to reduce the amount of bile salts in bile, resulting in more cholesterol. Obesity also decreases gallbladder emptying.

Estrogen. Excess estrogen from pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy, or birth control pills appears to increase cholesterol levels in bile and decrease gallbladder movement, both of which can lead to gallstones.

Ethnicity. Native Americans have a genetic predisposition to secrete high levels of cholesterol in bile. In fact, they have the highest rate of gallstones in the United States. A majority of Native American men have gallstones by age 60. Among the Pima Indians of Arizona, 70 percent of women have gallstones by age 30. Mexican American men and women of all ages also have high rates of gallstones.

Gender. Women between 20 and 60 years of age are twice as likely to develop gallstones as men.

Age. People over age 60 are more likely to develop gallstones than younger people.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs. Drugs that lower cholesterol levels in blood actually increase the amount of cholesterol secreted in bile. This in turn can increase the risk of gallstones.

Diabetes. People with diabetes generally have high levels of fatty acids called triglycerides. These fatty acids increase the risk of gallstones.

Rapid weight loss. As the body metabolizes fat during rapid weight loss, it causes the liver to secrete extra cholesterol into bile, which can cause gallstones.

Fasting. Fasting decreases gallbladder movement, causing the bile to become overconcentrated with cholesterol, which can lead to gallstones.

Here is another nice article about gallstones. It also includes all the options for treating gallstones, from surgery to using shockwaves to break up the stones, getting a shot of some solution in the gallbladder to dissolve the stones, and more. It might be worth looking into the options before having surgery.

Open Original Shared Link

[Rachel--24]

Thanks for all the info. Mariann.

[Mr J]

I would look into flushing the gallbladder/liver out. If it's full of stones that's the way to go. Don't cut anything out of your body please since it's needed...

I've done the liver flush. Open Original Shared Link to my post to the yahoo gastroparesis group

some irrelevant content regarding my car engine

[debmidge]

Has anyone tried or used "Actigal" it's a prescription to breakdown the stones.

other than nausea, what are symptoms of an attack? Any particular back pain involvedd?

[nettiebeads]

Has anyone tried or used "Actigal" it's a prescription to breakdown the stones.

other than nausea, what are symptoms of an attack? Any particular back pain involvedd?

Oh yeah, back pain! It's below shoulder blade (kind below the bra line area) and concentrated on the right side, mostly. I've had my attacks cause pain in my back starting on the right and then the left hurt also. Felt like I had been run over by a truck. BIG truck. I wouldn't wish the pain of an attack on my worst enemy (if I had one). My dr thinks that since my attacks are very infrequent that he'll keep my gallbladder in until I'm having more problems. It's going to come out eventually, I know.

Annette