Gall bladder disease and men.. Another curiosity question..

[C.Ann]

Dson-in-law spent around 10 hours in the ER on Saturday for what they feel may be a failing gall bladder.. He had already been to an Urgent Care on Wed. night and was given pain meds until the earliest appt. at the gastro's office (the 7th).. The pain became considerably worse when he woke up Sat. morning though and he actually asked my DD to take him to the ER.. (That is a big deal.. He does not "do" ER's..)

Called the gasto's office first thing today and they are going to do the function test this Thursday morning..

Anyhow - it got to me thinking about the posts I have read here - and elsewhere - and it seems like it's almost always women I'm reading about that have had to have their GB's removed - including my own DD..

Is this something that is much more common in women than in men? And if so, why? Is there an actual "cause" - such as diet?

Curiosity getting the best of me again.. LOL..

 

[Hillbeans]

Dson-in-law spent around 10 hours in the ER on Saturday for what they feel may be a failing gall bladder.. He had already been to an Urgent Care on Wed. night and was given pain meds until the earliest appt. at the gastro's office (the 7th).. The pain became considerably worse when he woke up Sat. morning though and he actually asked my DD to take him to the ER.. (That is a big deal.. He does not "do" ER's..)

Called the gasto's office first thing today and they are going to do the function test this Thursday morning..

Anyhow - it got to me thinking about the posts I have read here - and elsewhere - and it seems like it's almost always women I'm reading about that have had to have their GB's removed - including my own DD..

Is this something that is much more common in women than in men? And if so, why? Is there an actual "cause" - such as diet?

Curiosity getting the best of me again.. LOL..

Both my Mother and Father had problems with their gallbladders, dad had his out about 20 years ago in his late 50's and mom died of gallbladder cancer at age 66. It does seem to primarily strike women, and as you read on here many women have problems during and after childbirth. I am sure it's a combination of diet and genetics. I know this sounds weird but neither of my parents drank much water, maybe 2 glasses a day, and I honestly think that drinking lots of water helps circulate things around - just my own thought.

 

[C.Ann]

Both my Mother and Father had problems with their gallbladders, dad had his out about 20 years ago in his late 50's and mom died of gallbladder cancer at age 66. It does seem to primarily strike women, and as you read on here many women have problems during and after childbirth. I am sure it's a combination of diet and genetics. I know this sounds weird but neither of my parents drank much water, maybe 2 glasses a day, and I honestly think that drinking lots of water helps circulate things around - just my own thought.

I'm sorry about your mom.. I've never heard of gallbladder cancer..

Hmmm.. He's not a water drinker.. Lives for coffee - soda once in a blue moon - no alcohol at all..

It will be interesting to see what the test shows.. He's been having quite a few issues for months now - which might or might not be related to the GB..
The severe pain was new though - totally unexpected - and really threw him for a loop..

 

[kwelch10377]

I have had my gallbladder out, so have my sister and my dad. I do know several other people who have it out and they are all women. Most gallbladder issues are related to diet, namely consuming fatty foods liked fried things and some dairy products can cause issue. Soda can also cause issues. Dairy usually did me in.

Gallbladder cancer isn't all that common and those who have it are usually older men, although I managed to be one of the exceptions. I had my gallbladder out in Feb and they thought I only had stones, but it turns out that I also had very early stage gallbladder cancer and I am a 32 year old female. The problem with it is that you usually don't shows any symptoms until it is an more advanced stage.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

my DH has problems with his when he eats greasy foods -- or rich foods.

It helps to eat a pear or apple -- to calm his down.

 

[C.Ann]

I have had my gallbladder out, so have my sister and my dad. I do know several other people who have it out and they are all women. Most gallbladder issues are related to diet, namely consuming fatty foods liked fried things and some dairy products can cause issue. Soda can also cause issues. Dairy usually did me in.

Gallbladder cancer isn't all that common and those who have it are usually older men, although I managed to be one of the exceptions. I had my gallbladder out in Feb and they thought I only had stones, but it turns out that I also had very early stage gallbladder cancer and I am a 32 year old female. The problem with it is that you usually don't shows any symptoms until it is an more advanced stage.

Oh no! Are you going to be okay? Do you have to undergo treatments for your cancer? How terribly scary!! How are you doing now?

What you mentioned about diet - he's a big fried food/spicy food sort of guy - who also eats pepperoni and sharp cheese almost every single night.. Could be that all of his "issues" (which I won't get into here) could tie in with the possibility of GB problems..

I'm still shaking my head over you having GB cancer at only 32 years old.. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers..

 

[C.Ann]

my DH has problems with his when he eats greasy foods -- or rich foods.

It helps to eat a pear or apple -- to calm his down.

For almost a year now he's been eating two apples a day.. One sometime in the morning - and the other in the evening.. Otherwise, his diet isn't really the best - see my previous post..

 

[krcit]

When I had my gallbladder out, the Dr told me they call it the 3 F's disease. Fat, female and forty, I wasn't fat or forty but I am female I am guessing that the stats would show it is more common in women but by no means limited to them. Just as an FYI, thyroid cancer is more common in women also.

 

[kwelch10377]

Oh no! Are you going to be okay? Do you have to undergo treatments for your cancer? How terribly scary!! How are you doing now?

What you mentioned about diet - he's a big fried food/spicy food sort of guy - who also eats pepperoni and sharp cheese almost every single night.. Could be that all of his "issues" (which I won't get into here) could tie in with the possibility of GB problems..

I'm still shaking my head over you having GB cancer at only 32 years old.. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers..

Thank you so much for you thoughts and prayers

Since the cancer was only in the inner most part of the GB it did not spread and where so it looks like all the cancer was taken out with the GB. I am in the process of getting some tests done now to make sure everything though. It was very rare how it developed, so I am going to have to do follow ups every 6 months or so so make sure it doesn't develop elsewhere. My GB is a little famous in the Boston GI medical community. I do feel very lucky bc I had put off getting it taken out for more than a year and was doing ok for awhile with a change in diet (no fatty foods, but worse of all no ice cream), but then starting having issues again and I couldn't take it anymore. If I decided that I did not want it taken out at all, who knows what would have happened, but I try not to think of that too much.

I would imagine that the foods he eats are causing the problems, even if it isn't his GB chances are what he is eating could be causing issues elsewhere in the GI area. For me I could eat something and not have any problems, but eat the same thing again at a later time and have an attack. It was the worst feeling in the world, it felt like I was having a heart attack. Nothing helped the pain, all though (and this is a little gross) if I made myself sick it helped with the pain not lasting as long since there wasn't anymore food in me to continue the issues.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I'm a guy and had mine out in 97. I have an uncle who had his out in the 70's. I'm not sure if it's a problem that exists for one sex or the other--may just be more women responding here because there are more women members?

 

[krcit]

When I had my gallbladder out, the Dr told me they call it the 3 F's disease. Fat, female and forty, I wasn't fat or forty but I am female I am guessing that the stats would show it is more common in women but by no means limited to them. Just as an FYI, thyroid cancer is more common in women also.

Oops, i was wrong..it's the 5 F's.....fair, fat, fertile, female and forty.

 

[bumbershoot]

What you mentioned about diet - he's a big fried food/spicy food sort of guy - who also eats pepperoni and sharp cheese almost every single night.. Could be that all of his "issues" (which I won't get into here) could tie in with the possibility of GB problems..

Definitely could be.

For almost a year now he's been eating two apples a day.. One sometime in the morning - and the other in the evening.. Otherwise, his diet isn't really the best - see my previous post..

He might want to watch when he's eating apples. If you've ever seen books on "food combining", the one my mom had was by the Diamonds (Marilyn and...her then husband, last name of Diamond), they talk about how apples especially can start to ferment if you eat them *after* heavier foods, which can then cause stomach upset of varying degrees...

... the Dr told me they call it the 3 F's disease. Fat, female and forty...

Yep, that's the mnemonic I learned! And yes, fertile shows up in there, but the base one is FFF.



OP, he might think about changing his diet! Having the GB out doesn't always fix the problems, get rid of the pain, and people have to change how they eat anyway, once they have it out...might as well try it NOW, see if that works for him. Good luck!

 

[DVC-Don]

I'm a dude and had mine out in late 2005, I was in my early 50's back then. No stones or anything, they said it just failed. The pain was the worst I've ever had although I mellowed out nicely with the morphine they gave me on several of my visits to the ER before it was figured out. My daughter says I kept talking (and laughing) about the white haze. She said "That's fine Dad, just don't go towards the light".

 

[Hoodie]

Diet has a lot to do with it, but as for the women vs. men - they actually think that estrogen is a contributing factor to creating gall stones. I just had mine out, less than a year after I gave birth. I had no gall bladder problems until the attack that led to surgery. When I mentioned that my son was not yet one, my doctor said "that explains it". The extra estrogen during pregnancy triggers gall stones. It's actually the 2nd most common surgery for pregnant women (after appendectomy) and around 15% of women have gall bladder surgery within a year of giving birth.

Probably more than you wanted to know, but I was hit with a ton of information when I had mine out because I had no history of problems and wondered where it came from!

 

[C.Ann]

Oops, i was wrong..it's the 5 F's.....fair, fat, fertile, female and forty.

I love this!! Maybe if I toss this at him I can at least get a chuckle out of him.. Last night was bad - he hardly got any sleep at all because he was in pain..

The pain was the worst I've ever had although I mellowed out nicely with the morphine they gave me on several of my visits to the ER before it was figured out. My daughter says I kept talking (and laughing) about the white haze. She said "That's fine Dad, just don't go towards the light".

Now that is funny!

Diet has a lot to do with it, but as for the women vs. men - they actually think that estrogen is a contributing factor to creating gall stones. I just had mine out, less than a year after I gave birth. I had no gall bladder problems until the attack that led to surgery. When I mentioned that my son was not yet one, my doctor said "that explains it". The extra estrogen during pregnancy triggers gall stones. It's actually the 2nd most common surgery for pregnant women (after appendectomy) and around 15% of women have gall bladder surgery within a year of giving birth.

Probably more than you wanted to know, but I was hit with a ton of information when I had mine out because I had no history of problems and wondered where it came from!

Nah - not "more" than I wanted to know.. It's one of the things that I love about the DIS - it's a learning experience almost every time I log on..

Thanks all!

 

[Piecey]

Another vote for the hormones during pregnancy- that is what I was told, too.

I went to the ER at 21 weeks with DS1 and they did an ultrasound and I had several small gallstones. They asked if I'd ever had pain or anything before, I said nope, and they said I probably was only having issues due to my pregnancy.

I was only 21 and an average weight. I craved salads like crazy with DS1, that is what I ate practically every night... so I attribute it to pregnancy.