Gall Bladder Question - Updated 10/27

[chell]

Anyone around here had gall bladder attacks? What symptoms did you have? How long did it go on before you had to have anything done about it?

At least since August I've had a pain in my upper abdomen and at first I thought it might just be a gas pain or something similar. When it didn't go away after a few days I figured it must be my gall bladder but I tried my best to convince it that it was fine and to stop bothering me. During all this time I've had several "stomach bugs". But now I wonder if that just wasn't from my gall bladder acting up.

Today when I went to my Rheumy I told her how I have been feeling and she wants me to call my family doctor for an ultrasound.

I'm looking to see what kind of experience other DISers have had. Good or bad.

The thoughts of having mine removed scares me BIG time. If it comes to that I would have to go to the city my sisters live in to have it done because I wouldn't want to go through it all alone up here. I need someone to come stay with me and comfort me and love me and treat me like a queen.

Since birth I have never been in a hospital over night. The only surgery I've had is the removal of my wisdom teeth and that was traumatic enough.

Thanks for listening and any experience you can share is greatly appreciated.

 

[Disney_1derland]

I have gall bladder disease, have had it for at least 5 years.

My attacks happen at night when I'm asleep. They start out like a dull pain under my ribs on the right side and get worse and worse until I can barely breathe and the pain radiates around to my back and I feel very bloated while it's happening. It can last from 1-5 hours and usually will peak then subside slowly. I do NOT have pain all the time, it is only when the attack is actually happening.

My gall bladder is not inflamed but I do have stones. If it's your gall bladder and you have pain all the time then I'm guessing yours might be inflamed (which is bad and would require surgery immediately). Mine's not inflamed so I choose to keep my gall bladder and deal with the infrequent attacks.

 

[TnKrBeLlA012]

My daughter had her gallbladder removed when she was sixteen. She was having severe pains in the middle of her stomach and it would move up into her chest. The pain would sometimes last for hours. In the beginning we thought it was heartburn or gas. Eventually the pain came more frequent and more severe. I took her to the emergency room twice before they did an ultrasound. When they did the ultrasound they found out it was her gallbladder. All I can say is the pain was so bad she was given morphine. After the procedure was done my daughter did say the recovery was somewhat painful. It lasted about a week. Everyones pain tolerance is different. She is doing fine now. Certain foods still do bother her. She has to watch what she eats. (Most of the time she doesn't.)

 

[nativetxn]

I thought I was having a heart attack. The discomfort was right at my sternum and felt like there was a fist grinding into me.

I had my gallbladder removed in 1999. I'm very glad that I did.

 

[dixipixi]

I had my gall bladder removed about 10 yrs. ago. I had a sudden attack. The doctors couldn't believe that I had not been "having problems". Mine was so full of stones that the ultrasound couldn't get a clear picture. So, the dr. didn't know if it had ruptured or not. I had to stay in the hospital for 3 days. 1st day for a strong antibiotic IV just in case it had ruptured. 2nd day for surgery, and 3rd day just to be sure I was ok ( I didn't take the anesthetic too well).

The surgery part was easy compared to the attack. Like I said, mine came on suddenly. It was the worst pain I've ever had (and I've been through childbirth). I thought I was having a heart attack or something. It actually got to the point where I could not catch my breath.

So, if you can have yours removed before you have a really bad attack, I would recommend it. The worst part of my surgery was that I had a 1 yr. old at home to take care of (kinda hard when you're not supposed to pick up anything).

Hope everything works out for you. Good Luck.

 

[bcsmom]

I had my gall bladder removed about a year ago. I was 8 months pregnant when the pain started sooo I thought I was in labor a few times. I felt like I was having a heart attack, but I am only 30 (not that it matters much). It mainly would start hurting at night, and was very painful in my right upper chest/back/shoulder area. It was so painful when I was having an attack I would tremble. Anyway my surgeon said it irritated it when you eat spicy or greasy foods, well I live in Louisiana so hello!!!! I had mine removed by laproscope, it was not bad at all. The surgery lasted about 45 minutes, and I only took pain med when I woke up once. Also, my scars were very tiny, four small incisions. You can barely see them now. Good luck.

 

[2BigKIdz]

I have gall bladder disease, have had it for at least 5 years.

My attacks happen at night when I'm asleep. They start out like a dull pain under my ribs on the right side and get worse and worse until I can barely breathe and the pain radiates around to my back and I feel very bloated while it's happening. It can last from 1-5 hours and usually will peak then subside slowly. I do NOT have pain all the time, it is only when the attack is actually happening.

My gall bladder is not inflamed but I do have stones. If it's your gall bladder and you have pain all the time then I'm guessing yours might be inflamed (which is bad and would require surgery immediately). Mine's not inflamed so I choose to keep my gall bladder and deal with the infrequent attacks.

I have the same, it has been quite some time since I had an attack, thank goodness. It is very painful!

My best friend just had her gall bladder out last month. It was day surgery and she was able to get around the next day okay, was sore but otherwise fine.

 

[DMRick]

I had mine out a couple years ago. I had no idea I had a problem with it. I had intense pain, couldn't stand, and went to the doc's, they did a scan and she said you'll be having this gall bladder out in two days, OK? I did, and I spent one night in the hospital and went home. A few days recuping, and I was fine.

Looking back, once it was out, I realized it had affected me in lots of ways. We had gotten a new truck about a year earlier and although I had ridden in it lots, this one long trip was horrible. My stomach "jiggled (other than the usual fat LOL) and was very uncomfortable. I told my hubby we had to get better shocks. I also had a lot of back aches, and heart burn. My chest around my sternum hurt on and off. Once the gall bladder was gone, the truck rode nicely, and all the other pains/heartburn are gone.

 

[jbthi]

My symptoms were about like Disney_Iderland. I put up with it for 25 years before I did something about it. I had the laproscopic surgery about 8 years ago. I am a big baby when it comes to having things done to me and I was scared to death. It was a breeze!! I had so much scar tissue that it took a much longer time, but the doctor said he was determined he was going to do the laproscopic.

I wanted to go home that same day but because I was a diabetic they made me spend the night. I just missed 4 days of work.

Eggs and cheese were the main things that affected me before the surgery. If I threw up or tried to force myself to, I would feel better. The final straw for me was it hurt so bad that I passed out. The pain was a little different and I started wondering if I was having a heart attack.

 

[grinningghost]

Had mine out this past July. Went to a 4th of July party, ate like a pig, had a great time. Got home, felt sort of bloated, like I ate too much. Then all of a sudden, it turned from bloated to SICK, SICK, SICK! Had stuff coming out both ends (I know TMI, but that's what it was) constantly, had horrible chest pains, thought I was going to die. Got very weak, couldn't walk or stand up.

Went to the ER in the AM (should have went much sooner, but DH was out of town and I wanted to wait for him) - had the ultrasound, they found stones, lots of them and an extremely inflamed gallbladder.

They FINALLY got me some pain meds and anti-nausea meds after several hours. I'd been throwing up the entire time I was there and honestly wished I would just die.

My gallbladder came out the next day and I couldn't wait for that moment. I never felt so sick in my life - and that includes childbirth, MS attacks, you name it - this was the worst.

My DD just saw the doc today because she's been complaining of pain under her ribcage. She's only 16, but I'm not taking chances. She has to go for an ultrasound. I don't want her to ignore it and end up like I was. And I NEVER had any previous symptoms before the Big One.

Good luck to you. I'm so happy mine is OUT!

 

[KellyLynn]

i also had gall stone when pregnant, I was horrible but can't say it was the worse pain I have felt. I had my DS3 in may and had the out in June! I heal very fast so I was out of the hospital the same day and by the next day I was up and feeling a little sore but i wasn't anything bad.

 

[minnie56]

I had gallstones and they bothered me on and off for about 5 years before I had a full blown attack and ended up in Emerg.

I had it removed almost 3 years ago and it was nothing! Trust me, if it gets bad it will 'rear it's ugly head' at an inopportune time and you'll wish you had elected to take care of it at a time of your choosing!! Get the U/S and really, it's a Laprascopic procedure and a fast recovery!

Good Luck and keep us posted!

 

[Chattyaholic]

I had my first gall bladder attack when I was pregnant with my son in '76. My doctor said "oh it's just the baby pressing against your rib cage." So I "dealt with it." The pain was bad enough that I would go to bed and curl up in the fetal position. It hurt so bad.

Had another attack AFTER my DS was born, so the doctor sent me for tests then called with the results and said I had a "whole rock pile in there" and scheduled me for surgery.

This was in '77 so I had the "old fashioned" surgery where they took out my gall bladder AND appendix and left me with an 8" scar. Recuperation was difficult and painful but it was still worth it to never have those attacks again.

 

[canwegosoon]

I had my GB out after my pregnancy too. I got sharp stabing pains in the back..like under my shoulder blades in the middle of the night. Went to ER 4am...told I needed my GB out ASAP. They put me on the schedule for surgery that day 2pm had it done...Lap...very easy, no problems. They said I could have been discharged except they had to observe me for so many hours, so they kept me over night. Out at 8am. Recoevry good too.

 

[Hillbeans]

.

I'm looking to see what kind of experience other DISers have had. Good or bad.

The thoughts of having mine removed scares me BIG time. If it comes to that I would have to go to the city my sisters live in to have it done because I wouldn't want to go through it all alone up here. I need someone to come stay with me and comfort me and love me and treat me like a queen.

Since birth I have never been in a hospital over night. The only surgery I've had is the removal of my wisdom teeth and that was traumatic enough.

Thanks for listening and any experience you can share is greatly appreciated.

First of all, I hope that you're feeling better today!

Not wanting to scare you, but just please take your gallbladder very seriously. I know i'm a broken record anytime anyone posts about their gallbladder, but 2 summers ago my 66 year old mother passed away from a very fast moving form of Gallbladder cancer - it's very rare, but she had gallbladder problems for years and either couldn't or didn't want to have hers removed. She was only "sick" for 7 weeks and died. I just wish years ago I had done my research and talked her into getting it removed. She had gallstones and gallbladder attacks for years, but for some reason she put off surgery because her gallbladder was wrapped around another organ and it would have been surgery instead of the easier scope surgery they can do for it now. Many many people have gallbladder problems and it's rare to develop cancer in that organ, but I just wanted to share my story (not to scare you) but just so you're aware of yet another reason to go to the doctor and get checked out.

Best of luck to you.

-Hillary

 

[JenDaveBrendan]

I had mine out in March, after putting it off for 2 years (I was like you, never had surgery/been in a hospital). I ended up getting pancreatitis from my bad gallbladder (which can be life threatning). I never felt good either.. having it out was the best thing I ever did. They didn't know exactly what was wrong till I had it out - my gallbladder was infected, inflamed, and my bile was crystalizing in the ducts. Had it done at 8 am and was sent home around 6pm the same day. I did stay out of work for 2 weeks. The worst part for me was not the incisions, but passing the gas they pump your stomach with - my back/chest was painful for about a week. Since then I have had absolutly no problems, and can eat whatever with no side effects. I just wish I didn't put it off!
Jen

 

[chell]

Thanks everyone! Tomorrow afternoon I have an appointment with my general physician to get a check-up and to have the ultrasound ordered.

When I stop to think about how long I have been having these pains it has been at least 4 months. A girl I work with had the same problem as Jen and never knew she had any gall bladder problems in the past that she was aware of. That sure did scare me.

Hillary I appreciate your response and honestly. It helps to hear all the stories good or bad.

Again thanks everyone!

 

[chell]

Friday afternoon I saw a general physician and he agreed that I need to get an ultrasound. He sent in the order for me to have it done next week. Hopefully they will call me Monday to schedule an appointment.

He pressed on that area about 3 times, I think, and it hurt me sooooo bad last night.

Again, thanks everyone for your responses!

 

[Hillbeans]

So, so proud of you that you went to the Doctor and got checked out!!

Keep us updated on your ultrasound results.

 

[Antonia]

Just wanted to add that DH had the ultrasound and it turned out good. However, the doctor did a HIDA scan of the gallbladder and found that it was not actually functioning properly. So DH had it removed in September and he was out of work almost three weeks (but he had a hernia repaired too). He did fine and the recovery wasn't bad at all.