OMG! I'm in shock. So you know in my Boozin' & Grubbin' trip report....

[minniecarousel]

My DDIL is actually hoping to have hers out. The poor thing has been fighting with sometimes severe abdominal pain, bouts of vomiting. She doesn't have stones & her HIDA scan was the low end of normal, but something's gotta give! She can't keep feeling so poorly.

To the OP: I hope you get relief soon!

 

[vettechick99]

Thanks again everyone! It sounds like it won't be too bad. I appreciate your stories.

I've never noticed greasy foods bringing on an attack, but I always feel crummy after eating fried foods lately. I used to love chicken fingers and now I can only have one or two before I start to feel gross. So I've gotten used to limiting stuff like that.

I have our school's winter break at the end of February - would that be a good time to have it done or wait til summer? I can do it that Wednesday probably and have the rest of the week to recover. I just don't know what to expect.

I'm most sad that I won't be able to pick up DD for a while. That's gonna be so hard!

 

[epcotfan]

Whatever you do, don't read my "THREE WEEKS NOW IN HOSPITAL - Prayers for Dad Update Post 65" thread.
Good Luck.

 

[mtemm]

my h had his out, same thing, stomach pains, they went away, the came back...always seemed to come back after he was away on a business trip and had filled up on rich foods and such. they finally diagnosed gall bladder issues and he had his out. he's fine now, it was a bit tough recovery, according to him, but it wasn't that bad I don't think. he had never had any surgery so I think anything would have seemed hard for him, honestly. they did tiny incissions...small holes (he had laproscopic surgery), but he did feel beat up a bit. certain foods give him diarrhea now, but other than that he is totally fine. he doesn't even avoid those foods, he just knows what to expect. lol.

good luck!!!

 

[FormrCastMbr]

I have our school's winter break at the end of February - would that be a good time to have it done or wait til summer? I can do it that Wednesday probably and have the rest of the week to recover. I just don't know what to expect.

I'm most sad that I won't be able to pick up DD for a while. That's gonna be so hard!

Hi, I would schedule for Feb...I have known a couple people that have put the surgery off and then wind up having emergency surgery...please don't worry though. Talk to your doctor...they will give you better advice.

Your daughter is precious BTW!

 

[Csaks]

My wife had hers removed as well, I second everything DisneyMissy posted, it sound's exactly like Amy's case. She has a few little scars on her tummy and was in and out of the hospital the same day. She also said the gas part was the worst part of it. She needs to look out for certain foods or she gets some discomfort, she can eat anything but has to watch the amount.

Hers flared up just a few weeks before our 2004 trip. The doctor told her to watch for the foods that she noticed made it flare up and she could go on our trip. She wasn't going to miss Disney for a little gall bladder but she ate some stuff she knew she shouldn't at Le Cellier and paid for it that night.

Good luck to you and I would also would like to say I love your trip reports, they always put a smile on our faces.

 

[zalansky]

VC - sorry to see the news but glad you were diagnosed finally. I had an attack one time when I was 21 and it was very painful but I didn't have it removed. My sister had hers removed a few years ago and she went back to basically boozin' and grubbin' within a few weeks. I am sure she has to limit certain foods but I've never noticed. Good luck and feel better!

 

[vettechick99]

I'm so glad it's been diagnosed, too! It's been over 10 years of ER visits and doctor's misdiagnoses. Finally a solution!

I am very eager to talk to my doc and get some more info on the surgery and all that good stuff. I only talked to his NP for a few minutes and was too shocked to ask her any questions.

Thanks again for the support.

Your daughter is precious BTW!

Thank you! She's the light of my life.

Good luck to you and I would also would like to say I love your trip reports, they always put a smile on our faces.

Ahh, those were the days huh? Next trip will be a Dumbo marathon and screaming for (or at!) characters.

 

[Costumesaremylife]

I'm 29 and I just had my gallbladder out a little over a week ago. I went to the doctor after being ill for 48 hours straight, I couldn't keep anything down, sleep, lie or sit down without being in extreme pain and throwing up. The doctor told me I had acid reflux. Well three hours after that I was in such extreme pain that I went to the hospital. I had an ultrasound and finally they gave me morphine, amazing stuff. The surgeon came in and said It has to come out asap.

Anyway I had the surgery the next morning and was out of the hospital a day later. I didn't have the gas problems that others have spoken about. I haven't eaten any fried foods, but I have eat fatty foods ( I'm trying not too, but it's hard!) and I don't seem to have any ill effects. The only thing that bothered me was some Gingersnaps that I had were too spicy. Anyway, I suggest getting it done the sooner the better. There's no need for the pain and suffering.

 

[mytwotinks]

I was asking my husband what a gallbladder did and he just reminded me that my dd10 had hers removed when she was 6 weeks old. I had totally forgotten. She had a tumor removed and they took her spleen and gallbladder with about 90% of her liver.

I was never given any special diet instructions and she eats whatever she wants so I would assume that you should be back to normal after your surgery.

A friend of mine had it out last year and she was tender for a couple of weeks, but she was soooo glad she did it. She was also misdiagnosed through several ER visits.

Good luck! I'd just lay down on the floor and let that cute little baby crawl all over me if I were you!

 

[kim929]

I had my gallbladder out after I had my 3 child. At my routine physical I mentioned to my dr how my shoulder (more like shoulder blade) hurt, like I hit it or something. He sent me for a sonogram. who knew shoulder pain was a symptom. so I never had an attack. I guess I'm a lucky one. I agree with other posters the most pain I felt was from them pumping me full of gas. It hurt the most in my shoulders. Like I had been carrying around 100 lb weights for days. I stayed in the hospital 3 days. For the most part I have no problem with foods. Every once in a while I'll eat something and have to run to the bathroom. Good luck

 

[Julia M]

I had my gallbaldder out when dd was 5 months old.

Prior to it being removed, the attacks were so bad, I thought I was having a heart attack. But since they never happened at the doctor's and I apparently didn't describe the symptoms accurately enough, it was never diagnosed. Luckily, friends came over one night and when they saw the excruciating pain I was in and the "quick" recovery; well, my girlfriend diagnosed me.

AT the time, I thought that the recuperation was quite difficult, but in retrospect.........it was just our situation.

I had gone back to work (part time) just a few weeks before surgery. DD was not adjusting to the schedule and would NOT take a bottle. So my mom would bring her to me to nurse once at work (teacher schedule) and then she'd be up multiple times throughout the night nursing.

Not the best situation!

Anyway, it's been 13 years since my surgery. About my only issue is being careful not to eat very rich or fatty foods on an empty stomach

Julia

 

[Carolinagirl1063]

Have that surgery ASAP! I have never looked back, have to had to follow a special diet.

 

[vettechick99]

I have a surgical consult tomorrow. I have a feeling they are going to pressure me to get it done ASAP but I really need to wait until Feb 22. I have that week off and really don't want to use up my remaining sick days I have on this. Ah!

So I still haven't been able to ask many questions of them yet, but she did say it's outpatient so I can do it all in one day. But wanted to ask y'all - if you had this done and a c-section, was this easier?

 

[Virgo10]

I have a surgical consult tomorrow. I have a feeling they are going to pressure me to get it done ASAP but I really need to wait until Feb 22. I have that week off and really don't want to use up my remaining sick days I have on this. Ah!

So I still haven't been able to ask many questions of them yet, but she did say it's outpatient so I can do it all in one day. But wanted to ask y'all - if you had this done and a c-section, was this easier?

Oh lordy, the gallbladder surgery was a 1000 times easier! Even taking into consideration I was 26 and 28 when I had my sections and 58 when I had the GB surgery, there's no comparison. I was walking around 6 hours after having the GB out and driving 5 days later.

A couple of very small incisions in comparison to one good sized one with the section makes a world of difference in how you feel.

 

[piglet too]

I went for 7 years undiagnosed- well I was diagnosed but not correctly. I had an "ulcer", "indigestion", "excessive stomach acid", "hiatial hernia" - you name it. I would be in the ER several times a MONTH but they NEVER did a scan while I was in a full attack because this started when I was 21 and after all people that young just don't have gallbladder issues @@.....

This was me, except I was 18 when I started having the attacks and was 24 when they finally did a HIDA scan on me. Mine was only at 20% and it turns out my stone was pencil shaped in the duct and NEVER would have been found by u/s. My surgeon still talks about my case to this day.

OP ~ as far as which is easier, c-section or this, that is all going to depend on you. I would say the GB surgery was easier than my second c-section, but harder than my first. But, I also had complications with my GB surgery since my one lung partially collapsed.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I
I was in really sad shape at that time as I had a stone blocking my common bile duct which was wreaking havoc and I had been having almost constant attacks for 3 weeks at that point - despite that my recovery was great.
Good luck!

This sounds like me...I was miserable during my whole last trimester of my pregnancy, and after. Fianlly when my DS was 3 months old I had the surgery. The surgery was nothing compared to the constant misery I had for 6 months. In my case, hormonal fluctuations in pregnancy definitely triggered it. It is fairly common. I had a hard time being diagnosed when I was pregnant though because the little guy had squished all my organs around so that all my pain was in my back! Not typical gall bladder symptoms.

Good luck, the surgery is not bad if they do it laparoscopically, and as for diet afterward, I occasionally have some diarrhea (TMI sorry!) if I have greasy food...but nothing horrible.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

AND I did have Csections and this was WAY easier...just tender at the incision site, but I was 100% fine and functional the next day.

 

[ZPT1022]

"hot poker in the gut pain"...

Thank you so much for this post. Reading this totally sounds like some problems that I've had off and on for years, but have always attributed to my GERD. I am definitely going to bring this up with my DR. Sure as heck doesn't hurt to do an ultrasound especially since I will already be at the hospital for surgery next Monday anyhow. Again, THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for this!!!


OP, hope that they will let you wait til February and that it all goes smoothly for you.