Anyone have gallbladder issues?

[krystee]

I was in the ER last night after being in excruciating pain for 24 hours, and it turned out to be my gallbladder. They were going to admit me and remove it, but then decided to have me see a surgeon tomorrow and see what he recommends. Anyone have it removed? If so, how was the procedure/recovery? If you have not had it removed, how do you mange it (what kind of diet, etc)?

For now, I am on strong pain meds and eating a diet of dry toast. Fun.

[krystee]

Yes, I have five gallstones. I want to get it out because we're going to be TTC soon, and I do NOT want another one of these incidents when I'm pregnant and unable to take copious amounts of pain meds. I asked if I could stay last night and have it removed this morning, but they said it wasn't emergent since I didn't have a blockage/infection.

[degal99]

I had mine out almost 4 years ago. It was done as a lap, and I was back to classes after about a week. I had food and stomach issues for probably about a year to two years later. But I mostly knew when I was eating something I shouldn't and planned for it. Now I can eat about 99% of what I want with no issues though.

[Deleted]

If you're going to TCC soon, get it out now. I hear it gets much worse during pregnancy.

I had mine out in 2007, laproscopically. I won't lie, the procedure wasn't fun, but surgery recovery rarely is. Give yourself 4-5 days at home to relax and recover before going back to work, etc if at all possible. That said, having it out was a great call, I don't miss it or the pain it caused.

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask.

[Deleted]

Aug 20, 2012 9:23:23 GMT -5 degal99 said:

I had mine out almost 4 years ago. It was done as a lap, and I was back to classes after about a week. I had food and stomach issues for probably about a year to two years later. But I mostly knew when I was eating something I shouldn't and planned for it. Now I can eat about 99% of what I want with no issues though.

Oh, I should have mentioned this too. Took me 2-3 years for my stomach to return to normal, now I am pretty much fine unless I eat a greasy meal first thing in the morning (diner breakfasts, etc).

[shopgirl07]

You're going to have to have it removed. The only reason not to would be if you're too old or sick to make it through surgery.

I had mine out 20 years ago this month, pregnancy was what caused mine.

[krystee]

Wow, I had no idea that food issues would last a year to two years. Craziness! Hopefully this will be the catalyst I need to really drop my weight. What are the foods you ate most frequently while you were having issues? I need ideas on what to eat for the next few days. Are plain chicken breast, rice and green beans okay?

[incognitotoday]

Chiming in here. I have had two 'bouts of painful nights of severe pain ... my mom thinks it may be gallbladder related. I called my Dr and he recommended Gas X or something of the like, not sure if what I had explained to him was exactly my gallbladder.

These two nights were July 15th and August 10th. Both intense pain. Since those two nights - NOTHING.

If you don't mind, can you explain your "pain" (where it was, how long, etc.)?

Sorry for the TMI, but my pain was from what seemed to be my sternum to my belly button, and then along side my back left (from say my lower bra strap to where the top of my underwear began). Random, I know. I didn't know (if on those nights) I was going to throw up or have diaherrea. I had neither. But, the pain was OMG awful!

Just curious.
TIA.

[krystee]

I had what felt like a giant flaming ball of pain in upper center of my stomach (right below my chest). When they pressed on my lower right area of my stomach, it really hurt as well. They did a blood test and found my liver results were elevated, so between that and the pain, they ordered an ultrasound and that is how they diagnosed it.

The pain was so ridiculous I couldn't sleep, couldn't find a position to sit in comfortably, cried every few minutes, etc. I felt like I had some flaming creature trying to burrow its way out of my stomach.

[degal99]

Aug 20, 2012 9:51:56 GMT -5 krystee said:

The pain was so ridiculous I couldn't sleep, couldn't find a position to sit in comfortably, cried every few minutes, etc. I felt like I had some flaming creature trying to burrow its way out of my stomach.

This exactly is what my pain was like except mine was more in my chest/sternum area. I didn't get the traditional nausea and vomiting that a lot of people get. I got this huge crushing pain in my chest that would wake me out of sleep.

A less significant symptom (to me) was a feeling of "fullness" after eating in my left lower abdomen. When my doc mentioned that it really was kinda neat how it fell into place.

And yeah, the doc's didn't mention the length of time to expect stomach issues (I think the surgeon told me about 6 weeks), but I knew a couple people who warned me that it would probably last a lot longer.

[incognitotoday]

Aug 20, 2012 9:51:56 GMT -5 krystee said:

I had what felt like a giant flaming ball of pain in upper center of my stomach (right below my chest). When they pressed on my lower right area of my stomach, it really hurt as well. They did a blood test and found my liver results were elevated, so between that and the pain, they ordered an ultrasound and that is how they diagnosed it.

The pain was so ridiculous I couldn't sleep, couldn't find a position to sit in comfortably, cried every few minutes, etc. I felt like I had some flaming creature trying to burrow its way out of my stomach.

THIS! Wow, I am wondering if it is gallbladder related for me.

[mellie35]

I had an attack in February. I went to the ER and they diagnosed me with gallstones. I then went to visit with my regular doctor and he sent me to a surgeon. When they found out that I wanted to TTC, they absolutely told me to get it out. You do not not want to deal with this while pregnant, especially emergency surgery.

I ended up having mine removed in March. It was outpatient laparoscopic surgery. My doctor was amazing and was able to get it out with only one incision. So, my recovery was pretty easy. I took Motrin for a couple of days afterwards. And, I don't really have any food issues anymore.

Until you have surgery, you just need to eat a lowfat diet. I would avoid fatty meats and dairy as much as possible. Nothing fried.

So, I would highly recommend the surgery. It is a fairly routine procedure and you will feel a lot better. They had told me once you have one attack, it is just a matter of time before you will probably have another one.

Good luck!

[Roc A Bee]

I had mine out August 1st. So the procedure is fresh in my mind. It was laparoscopic at a surgical center. I was released an hour after my surgery; I had no nausea afterwards. I went back to work one week after my surgery, but I felt good enough to return after 5-6 days. I just had pain when sitting up or laying down.

It was so frustrating when I had gallstones because I couldn't pin point foods that would lead to an attack. I would eat something once and be fine, but the next time I had it, I would have an attack. It was awful!

My friend had gallstones that ended up blocking her pancreas and causing pancreatitis which lead to a 5 day stay in the hospital. I so scared of that, so I had it removed as soon as possible.

I was fully functioning within one week of my surgery: cleaning out, working, doing laundry, etc. I exercised for the first time last night, but was told not to do any sort of core work out for a month.

If you have any more questions, pm me!

[Roc A Bee]

My pain was right under my boobs in the center of my chest. It would also radiate to my back, and I had a lot of back pain. I was first put on Nexium for acid reflux, but eventually had an ultrasound and that was how I was diagnosed.

I will say that so far, I do not have issues with food. I am able to eat whatever I want. I haven't tested it too much as the foods that set me off last time don't sound good anymore.

[kershnic]

I had mine out last year before we started TTC because I had already been diagnosed with gallstones and my doctor said it would get worse and could be an emergency in pregnancy. I had surgery on Friday and went back to work on Monday a week later. I was able to enjoy my time off by Thursday or Friday, though still tired easily. The first few days after were uncomfortable when I tried to move, especially getting in or out of bed. Pain meds help. I forgot to take them one day and tried to go see a movie. It was sort of hellish. But I didn't have the long-term gi effects like others have mentioned at all, and it sure is nice to never worry about gallbladder attacks again.

[twodogsandababy]

We are dealing with this exact situation with H right now. He was in the ER on Friday and saw the ship's surgeon this morning and they decided not to remove it because they are deploying in a week. He is furious. And I am super frustrated that he will continue to be in pain. He also has a kidney stone that is playing into the decision though, but he is on percocet and still pretty uncomfortable. Good luck to you! Our friend had hers removed last week because she had a blockage and she was up and doing great a few days later.

[Deleted]

I had mine out probably about seven years ago. I was to the point that I ate practically no fat and was still getting horrible attacks. I had surgery and it was such a relief to get it over with. The pain recovering from surgery was a million times less than the pain of the gallbladder attack. It was a very easy surgery and easy recovery, with just a few days of soreness after.

[WOT?*]

I had mine laparoscopically removed in '03. The surgery was minor compared to the pain I was in before. Get it taken care of sooner rather than later so (a) you're no longer in pain and (b) it doesn't develop into other correlating problems.

[trufflefries]

Hmm. This is making me wonder if I need to make an appt to get mine checked too. I had an "incident" (attack?) at the end of July where I had pain right below my chest that radiated to my back, was up all night, threw up a couple of times. I also had really gross burps. Then last Monday out of the blue I had to run to the bathroom to throw up twice (no, not pregnant). I have been taking zantac for the past 2 weeks and normally take OTC prilosec because I deal with chronic acid reflux, but now I'm wondering if my gallbladder could be a part of the equation and never realized it. With my acid reflux I get a lot of burning sensations but have never thrown up prior to the end of July/last week.

ETA to ask: How often do you need to have issues with your gallbladder for removal to be considered?

[krystee]

sunandstars--apparently only once, as long as a blood test and/or ultrasound confirm that you have gallstones or an infection.

[krystee]

Just finished my food journal for today and I ate 441 calories. That can't be good, given that I have also had six pain pills. I just can't bring myself to eat anything. Guess I am going to be losing some weight!

[emilyj]

Aug 20, 2012 9:37:03 GMT -5 krystee said:

Wow, I had no idea that food issues would last a year to two years. Craziness! Hopefully this will be the catalyst I need to really drop my weight. What are the foods you ate most frequently while you were having issues? I need ideas on what to eat for the next few days. Are plain chicken breast, rice and green beans okay?

They don't always - I had my gallbladder out about 2 years ago. In the lead up to having it out, I couldn't tolerate anything fatty or spicy. I ate a lot of plain chicken, plain noodles or rice, lean pork, tilapia I could handle with no problem...anything other than those things and I was dying.

When I had it out, I pretty much laid on the couch for a week, and had smooth recovery. I was still sore the second week, but I think by the end of the 2nd week I was pretty much back to normal.

As for food issues afterwards? Never had any issues. I ate a bland diet that first week, but after that? No problem. I don't have any problems to this day (but I generally don't eat a lot of fatty/greasy meals anyway). Spices don't give me any trouble.

[10nille]

My DH had his out and one of the things he eventually started taking was a bile salt supplement. It made a big difference for him and he is willing to take it even though he said it was a nasty tasting pill.

[vccake]

I had mine removed a few years ago. Recovery was just uncomfortable, not painful. I am thankful that I had no issues post-op.

I didn't have stones but they said everything was like the consistency of toothpaste in there.