Anybody had Gallstones?

[bsnyder]

I hope they can do it lapracopically! I hear that's much, much easier!

I had my gallbladder removed 18 years ago. I started having attacks right after my first child was born (by C-Section) but I had no idea what the pain was, and kept attributing it to the C-Section recovery.

Back then, this was major surgery, with a week or more hospital stay. I had a 3 month old baby at home and I missed him SO badly! I begged my doctor to let me go home on the 6th day, and he reluctantly let me. I also ended up with a 6 inch diagonal scar across my right side.

Good luck, and let us know how you're doing!

 

[off2disney]

I had my gallbladder removed last June (actually on my birthday). I had had an ultra sound of my liver several years ago and was advised that I had gallstones at that time, but never really had much of a problem with it. But I started having nausea and throwing up just about every day and went to my doctor. He asked me if my right shoulder had been bothering me (that was funny, b/c I had some rotor cup damage and thought it was just a flare up of that pain).. X-rays showed more gallstones. I had heard so many horror stories of the severity of the pain of trying to pass a gallstone, when the doctor recommended surgery, I told him to go for it. It was laproscophic with 4 little incisions (bandaid surgery, I call it). Went in at 6:30 am, went under about 7:15am, woke up in recovery about 10:00am and moved to a room in time for lunch. (Stayed overnight, but was mainly for observation, due to my diabetes). Filled my pain med prescription, but never had to take any of it. That was Friday morning, was back at work Monday morning. Dr. said I had 9 gallstones - so glad to have it out. Haven't hadany problems with food since then, except I can't eat cucumber anymore!

 

[minnie56]

Luvindisneyworld please check it out...my Mum (who passed away this past October) was always telling me my pain sounded like Gallbladder and yet the Dr's kept saying I had something called a 'dismotility' problem...kind of like an air lock in the stomach. Over the years I had numerous tests...but for some reason until now...nothing showed?

and Pooh71...that's exactly how they made my diagnosis in the hosp (prior to ultrasound) when they pressed my stomach upon a deep breath inhale...the pain was excruciating and went right through to my back. It actually radiated to my back for the duration...just awful!

now browneyes...you too...don't put it off. Inevitably it will 'pop-up' at the most inconvenient time and you will wish you had done something about it at a time of your choosing!

denisem...I hear the worst part of the recovery is the pain from the air they pump into you....yech!! But then again...after this pain for all this time??!!

and bsnyder...I remember my Mum having her GB out a long, long time ago and it sounded somewhat like your experience. For some reason they allowed her to 'keep' her stones (?) and we kept them in a jar in some sort of liquid for ages and I would proudly show them off to anyone who would give me the time of day!! No wonder I didn't have many friends!! That must have been some treat coming to my house!! I am glad the Dr let you go home a bit early to be with your baby tho...My babies are 16 and 19 and I'm already wondering how they'll be without me for a day or so!! (I think I give myself a bit too much credit for being sooo needed!!)

Anyway...thanks for your good wishes and I'll keep you posted!! I think I will have a wait to see the Specialist let alone have my procedure scheduled due to the SARS outbreak we are in the midst of here right now! Pretty scary...and I don't much relish the thought of going near a hospital at the moment I can tell you! All non-emergency surgeries are on hold anyway...so I think I have a bit more discomfort ahead of me!!

Thanks again!

 

[minnie56]

I was talking to someone the other day who cannot eat peanut butter since their surgery...go figure...but the way it is now...I pretty much can't eat any of the things I really like!
Thanks for sharing....

 

[phamton]

Originally posted by denisem
Took some prescription Motrin a few days for pain, but strangely enough my right shoulder bothered me more than the four incisions. (They cautioned me that is sometimes a side effect from the CO2 pumped into your stomach, which can hit a nerve leading to your shoulder).

Denise < --- hoping she can keep off the 25 lbs. she lost

I had my gallbladder removed about 3 years ago. I had been having attacks for a few years and even had trouble at WDW. I didn't know what the problem was but I thought it was proabably irritable bowel syndrome. I finally mentioned it to my doctor who knew immediately what it was. Went for the ultrasound for confirmation and had the surgery two days later.

The nurses warned me about the shoulder pain. I had experinced that pain after another surgery I had 10 years before. The shoulder pain was terrible when I had it 10 years before so I was dreading it. I felt great after surgery and went back to work a couple of days later. I never had any shoulder pain. I asked my doctor at my first post-op visit why I didn't have pain in my shoulder. He said that after the surgery that he filled the cavity with sterile water to displace the air. Any water still left in the body would be absorbed with no pain. I then asked why the nurses warned me about shoulder pain and he said that very few doctors did that.

BTW the main causes of stones form during pregnancy or losing weight.

Bev

 

[Chattyaholic]

I had my gall bladder removed back in '77 when I was 20 years old. I had attacks while I was pregnant with my son and my doctor said "oh, it's just the baby pressing up against your ribs!"
Well, the attacks continued after my son was born. The last attack I remember I had eaten a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli and I threw up something like 20 times in a 24 hour period, and the ONLY time I wasn't in pain was when I WAS throwing up!! It was horrible!! Finally had testing done, and my doctor said "there was a big rock pile in there" so out it came and back then it was a week-long hospital stay and about an 8" scar (they took the appendix too) and a 6-week recuperation!!! Nowdays most people don't even have to stay overnight, it's out-patient surgery and very little pain. So much better!!! Good luck to you, and keep us posted.

 

[Pooh93]

Yes, the pain was horrible! Worse than giving childbirth, imo. I began having attacks after 1st dd was born. First time I had one, I thought I was having a heart attack, going to die and never see my dd grow up. Just a little dramatic... Mine were taken out laparascopily. I had it done on a wednesday, stayed 1 or 2 nights in the hospital and was back to work on monday. I would not want to go through that gallstone pain again.

 

[bsnyder]

I remember at the time, the doctor telling me that there is a high corrolation between pregnancy and gallstones. After reading this thread, it sounds like a lot of us developed problems after pregnancy. Interesting!

And Chatty, they took my appendix too! One less "spare part" to have to worry about!

 

[pajamommy]

I remember at the time, the doctor telling me that there is a high corrolation between pregnancy and gallstones. After reading this thread, it sounds like a lot of us developed problems after pregnancy. Interesting!

How about developing gallstones and having attacks when you're 8 months pregnant- that's what happened to me!! It was sooooo awful! I had the worst attackes, the pain was like a vice going all the way around my torso. This was my first pregnancy, and they did an ultrasound after ruling out everything else. I had to just change what I ate for the last weeks of the pregnancy, but even then it didn't always help and i'd have the worst attacks. The week before my due date, I had an attack that lasted 24 hours and was still going strong when I went to the OB and they admitted me to the hospital and started giving me iv fluids and morphine. They decided to induce me that night, and were giving me prostaglandin gel, and for 3 days nothinbg happened. On the 4th day of being there, they gave me the pitocin drip, and after 8 hours of that, again nothing happened!! They ended up sending me home, but having me come back every day for the gel, and a week after I was first admitted, I finally had my DD.

Okay, then it gets worse!! I went home with DD after 2 days in hospital with her, and then a day and a half later, I have the worst attack ever! The ambulance had to come get me, and I ended up back in the hospital for 9 more days, without my newborn!! They basically had to pump everything out of my stomach via a tube down my nose/throat into my stomach, and then do the surgery, so that's why I was there so long, and it also didn't help that I had just given birth 3 days before!! I had the 3 incision surgery, and was feeling better right after, and can eat anything I want now. Well, there's my little story, sorry its so long!!

 

[bsnyder]

Ugh, Jen! That sounds like a nightmare!!! I'm glad you're better now!

 

[aunties]

My gall bladder attack was far worse than the surgery. I can remeber pacing the emergency room saying to myself, "if this is what labor is like, I am adopting". I have been told be those who have gone through both, labor is far easier. I had the three little incisions, which did cause a good laugh. My sister and her family were staying with us for awhile, and the day after I came home, I heard my 4 year old nephew answer the phone with "Guess what! Aunties got staples in her belly button!"

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[laurenk]

I had my gall bladder out last May. The surgery is a breeze compared to that PAIN I honestly thought that I was dying.

I do have trouble eating on certain days, and there is no rhyme or reason to what food gives me problems...hopefully this will be corrected next week. I am having another procedure done because it seems that there are stones stuck in my bile duct that were not removed.

After my surgery I had called the surgeon and said "I know this sounds crazy, but I am still having attacks" They told me it was incision pain

I have been having attacks about every 3 months, until very recently. My last one lasted on and off for about 15 hours. I CAN NOT wait until next week when they blast those babies out!

 

[minnie56]

For sharing your tales of woe! Good to know I am not alone.

I have my appointment with the surgeon on April 30th...so if it has to be done...lets do it! This is no fun...watching everything you eat that's for sure!

 

[Blondie]

I've been having gall bladder problems for years now.

I've had two ultra sounds over the last 5 years, and they don't see anything!

What my MD thinks is that I have stones that are as small as a grain of sand, and when I have an "attack" is when they are passing. Gall Stones that small can pass without any further complications. Bigger stones that try to pass can cause lots of problems involving the pancreas.

There is also something called a "sluggish" gall bladder which means it doesn't work properly, but is free from stones.

I'm just waiting for that big "attack" and will go to the ER to be checked and hopefully scanned at the right time so they'll be able to see the stones! Then I can get the darned thing removed once and for all!!

Good luck to you!

 

[Patabel]

I just had mine removed a week ago today......and I must say I am very pleased how easy it was and how well I feel.

I was fortunate enough to not had any "major" attacks...I just felt not right all the time, had many of the same symptoms as denisem. Since my symptoms covered a multitude of possibilities, my doctor sent me in for tests, including ultrasounds, and voila.....stones! (After the surgery he told my DH that the gallbladder was in bad shape, and from that appearance, obviously I had been having issues with it for quite some time...who knew!)

Anyway, I have one "major" incision at the navel (it's actually very small) and three other tiny incisions on the abdomen....it looked just like the picture on the medical brochure the surgeon gave me. It was outpatient, and they did put me out....since it is considered major surgery. Since mine was done at the end of the day (not by choice, just how the schedule was set up) I was home in bed for the night when any issues of the CO2 would have occurred.

As most everyone else said, it really was very easy. Surgery was Tuesday, by Saturday I really was back to normal.

As for being scared, you bet I was....but I am SOOOO happy with how things worked out. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Good luck to you!
Pat

 

[nativetxn]

I didn't read all of the replies to this question.

I had gallstones and had my gallbladder removed. The surgeon was positive that he could use the laparascope and I would only have three tiny incisions made.

Unfortunately, for me, I had had too many surgeries and when they got in there they found that I had to have the old fashioned kind of incision. It was not bad though. The surgeon made it as small as possible. I think it's only about 5" long. Compared to the incisions they used to make to remove a gallbladder it is absolutely miniscule. I had three nights in the hospital and then I was sent home.

The surgery was definitely worth it. The pain I had before the surgery was terrible, I don't have that pain any more

Katholyn

 

[dturner]

I had my Gall Bladder out a year after my C-section, only had one problem with gall stones and that was enough, felt like really bad indigestion that wouldn't go away. They did that 3 incision surgery the same day. I was scared because I thought I was too young to have my Gall Bladder out (35 at the time) but the doctor assured me that you don't really need your gall bladder so I did the surgery. I went home the next day. There was pain for about a week. Haven't had any more problems and that was back in 1997. Can't even see the incisions now.

Good luck you will be just fine and you'll feel so much better once it's done.

 

[Jomrog]

Originally posted by bsnyder
I hope they can do it lapracopically! I hear that's much, much easier!

I had my gallbladder removed 18 years ago. I started having attacks right after my first child was born (by C-Section) but I had no idea what the pain was, and kept attributing it to the C-Section recovery.

I had a nasty gb attack 1 wk after my c-section about 1 1/2 yrs ago. I had some pain under my ribs during the pg that I blamed on the baby. After having the baby, the pain remained. Then, after a spaghetti dinner, the big attack. It was the worse pain I have ever experienced in my entire life. I layed on the couch, frozen & crying. I couldn't breath or talk. It was horrible. I thought I was just having a tough time recovering from the c-section. I was walking hunched over for the entire week prior. I had no idea.

Anyway, the following day, the admitted me into the hospital and scheduled the laproscopy for the next day. They gave me shots for pain in my hip (no fun). The next day, the aneshtesized me & did the surgery. I was walking around the hospital that night and actually (finally) was able to smile. Keep in mind though, I was still on pain meds.

They released me the following day (Thanksgiving day) and it took me about 2-3 days to feel great but I definitely felt better right after surgery. They gave me pain pills that I could take even though I was nursing my newborn. I had to pump while in the hospital.

I have never had another attack and am so glad that they did the surgery.

Good luck.