Gallbladder-gall Stones

[jenvan]

Anyone have any gallbladder problems or gall stones? I have been having horrible stomach pains (unlike any I've had before) for about the past 7 days after I eat. Symptoms are in line with gallstones and I'm going to the doc tommorrow. Anyone have any in the past??

[sdore]

I didn't have stones but I had chloeestrolites <- sp. I had problems with my stomach. When I ate I would get sick, just a ache that was very annoyoing. Sometimes it would ruin my appetite and I wouldn't eat for days. It hurt a lot above my right ribs.

Make sure they do a hide-a-scan because thisis the only way that they found that my gallbladder didn't empty properly.

You need to watch your fat intake because it has to do with the bile that your gallbladder releases to digest the fat. So if you have to wait to get tests or to get it out do a low fat diet. A friend of mine at work had to maintain a low fat diet until she got hers taken out.

Hope this helps.

stephanie

[CMWeaver]

Yes, just before Thanksgiving.....I went in for the same type of pains you describe. It kind of felt like a "twisting" on the upper right side. This was coming not too long after me having mono so they thought it may be connected (the inflamed spleen putting pressure on other organs). Before they figured out it was the gallbladder, I took everything from phenergan to zofram for pain....none of which helped since it wasn't nausea! The CAT scan showed stones and I had surgery scheduled for a week later. I got the flu in the meantime and had to reschedule the surgery. The gallbladder ended up getting infected and I had emergency surgery to remove it.

Christine

[jenvan]

Stephanie & Christine-

Thanks for the info! We'll see what the docs has to say today....

[plantime]

Last summer, about half an hour after eating, I would get so sick to my stomach and my right side would hurt so bad I would have to lie down or pass out. This kept on, even after passing a gallstone. It took a couple of months to convince the surgeon to just take out my gallbladder! It was not inflamed or full of stones when it was removed, but autopsy on it later showed that it was diseased and badly scarred, so normal operation of it was what was making me so ill. It is not always stones that make it go bad, mine was just diseased!

[jams]

I am having my gallbladder out on May 9. I had an ultra sound on it April 19 which revealed a polyp. I saw the surgeon on April 27. The surgeon said the surgery was not based on the fact that I have a polyp but that I have a constant dull pain in my back & side. I also have a sharp pain in my front under my ribs. In the meanwhile, I am to stay away from fatty foods. (including cheese which is my life!) My surgeon said that your body doesn't need the gallbladder. The bile in the liver picks up the slack and that your body adjusts to not having the gallbladder with in a matter of a week or so.

Good luck!

[plantime]

Yes, you can live without your gallbladder. The only problem I have without it is that my liver does not produce bile on demand for digestion. That means that sometimes after eating dinner, it is breakfast time before food starts digesting. I now use a digestive enzyme when I eat a major meal. I forgot it once, and was miserable and in severe pain all night. I use Dr James Balch, Jr's, Super Enzymes, with bromelain, Ox Bile, pancreatin and papain.

[Guest HannahCal]

Yes I had my gallbladder out in 1988. Your surgeon is right you can live without your gallbladder but I have found that many people have difficulty after the gallbladder is taken out. If I had to do it over again I would not have it removed for me it was a mistake. Good luck to you if you decide to do this but do your homework first including talking with people who had this surgery.

[plantime]

Mine had to come out. It was bad, diseased and damaged. The problems I have now from its removal are very mild compared to what they were before! As long as I remember to take my digestive supplements, I am fine. For others, removal is a mistake. It really depends on what is actually wrong with the gallbladder. The sad thing is that sometimes, the only way to know is to remove it!

[jenvan]

Thanks guys... have my ultrasound this morning, so we'll see... Have a good day!

[plantime]

Keep us posted!

[DOCKLEARFAN]

Anyone have any gallbladder problems or gall stones? I have been having horrible stomach pains (unlike any I've had before) for about the past 7 days after I eat. Symptoms are in line with gallstones and I'm going to the doc tommorrow. Anyone have any in the past??

I have gallstones for over ten years now. The Doctor said they are "calcified" and they can stay in as long as I'm unaffected.

If someone has had the surgery what does the scar look like? The reason I ask is I heard on some surgeries a Doctor can just use three tiny holes and remove the Gallbladder without MAJOR SCARING...

The less "cutting" is always good in my mind!!

[plantime]

Mine was removed laparoscopically. I have 5 small incision scars. The biggest one took 5 stitches, and is in my bellybutton. The smallest two had one stitch each. The only one I can really see now is the one in my belly button.

[drea]

I had my gallbladder removed when I was 18. I did not have gall stones, it just was not working properly. The surgeon said it was "diseased." They were clueless as to why that would happen to someone so young. I think it was the celiac, or possibly the undiagnosed Lyme disease I had.

[Jnkmnky]

I injured my back last fall. An xray showed my back was going to be fine...but my gallbladder was a disaster. I had no symptoms. A week later I had the laproscopic surgery to remove my gallbladder. It was three teeny-tiny incisions. But I have to tell you...all this talk of laproscopic surgery being soooo much better and easier is a bunch of hooey. I was DYING from the pain. Sorry to scare anyone. I was told I could go home the same day after surgery because laproscopy was so easy and wonderful HA!! I was in so much pain, I was hooked up to an IV full of pain meds for a solid 24 hrs. Everyone's different, though. I only mention this because it sucks to think you'll be walking out of the hospital the same day because that's what they're telling you is possible. Only to find you can't even use the bathroom without assistence for 2 days! I was fine within a week, but it definitely hurt. Post gallbladder is fine. I experience NO difference. For the first two weeks, I definitely noticed if I ate anything with fat in it, I was in the bathroom almost the second I finished eating, or drinking. After that, I can eat a stick of butter and be on my merry way. It was really no big deal for me. My doctor was awesome. He reassured me that LOTS of women get their gallbladder removed and very few people have serious issues afterwards. He was telling me in his ten years of doing this, he'd not had ONE patient need to follow up with meds as a result. I think complications of eating/living are rare. Serious when they happen, but thankfully rare.

[Jnkmnky]

My good friend is a nurse and when I asked her if I should have the gallbladder removed since I wasn't feeling any pain anyway, she said, "YES!" She told me stories of patients being brought in to the hospital in mortal agony experiencing gallbladder attacks. Some thought they were having heart attacks and some compared it to the pain of labor. She said I was lucky to not be experiencing the pain and to not risk it considering the condition of my gallbladder. It's nice to have a friend with that kind of perspective.

[drea]

Jnkmnky, I am sorry to hear about your horrible experience with laproscopic surgery to remove your gallbladder. I had the laproscopic procedure done also, but it wasn't that bad. I went home the same day and was eating the same day. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't totally pain free, but compared to my other surgeries, it wasn't that bad. I guess it depends on the person and the surgeon who performs the procedure. I just don't want anyone to be freaked out and panic if they have to have it done.

[Jnkmnky]

I understand. I don't want anyone to be told it's super easy and end up like I did. I can't believe it was so the opposite of what I was told to expect. Rather than the drs telling patients they can expect to go home the same day, they should be required to explain everyone reacts differently and that they MAY be in enough pain to warrent staying overnight. My sister told me her friend was doing laundry the day following gallbladder surgery.... I looked like I'd been hit by a truck the next day!

[jenvan]

well, thought i'd follow-up with this thread, since i started it a while back... my abdominal pain has gone away--praise God, so my gallbladder and my oddi sphincter must be okay now--those were the 2 theories given to me by the docs. one interesting thing my old gi doc said was that nowadays, gallbladder surgery is a test in and of itself. that shocked me! he said that unless you have disease or stones that show up on an ultrasound, the chances of your pain being relieved by having your gallbladder removed are low. i have talked to several people who confirmed this with their own experience. glad to see it has worked out for some of you though...

[Misa]

I'm currently treating (peppermint oil, malic acid and magnesium) suspected gallstones, get a tight, painful feeling after eating fatty meals, and while doing research stumbled across the reasons for developing stones (high cholesterol, liver congestion, calcification), but also that food allergies could contribute........So I guess going with an untreated glutenallergy can make you prone to develope them.....

Misa

[Jnkmnky]

My dr said lots of women have gallbladder problems after pregnancy. He seemed to stress this was a major contributing factor in gallbladder problems. Since my gallbladder removal, I've heard from lots of women that they had theirs removed shortly after childbirth. I was surprised.

[Guest BERNESES]

I found out I had gall stones in February while being tested for Celiac's. There is a high correlation between Celiac's and gallstones. I haven't had any pain up until recently. I got food poisioning (not glutened for a change, but actual food poisoning!) about three weeks ago and I have been having mild pain. I should probably get it checked out as i've heard that the pain from a gall bladder attack is equal to the pain of giving birth.

I have two friends who had theirs removed in their twenties and they are fine.