We leave in 9 days and Im extremely ill. Prayers appreciated.

[hambirg]

Have you considered the idea that God has already answered your prayers by providing you with a clear diagnosis and a skilled professional that is very practiced in surgically resolving that illness?

I have to agree with this. I suffered severely for two years before I had a diagnosis. They did an ultrasound early on and I didn't have stones so they ruled out gallbladder, but mine was just not functioning, like yours. It will only get worse, unfortunately. I finally had my surgery and have never had problems since. Have the surgery. . .please.

If you do go to Disney in your current condition, remember that it is not just fatty foods that will trigger attacks, but portion size as well. Once I was diagnosed I had to wait a month before my surgery (insurance issues) and I got by on toast for breakfast, a 1/2 sandwich for lunch and about 1/4 plain chicken breast and about 3 green beans for dinner. I still didn't feel great, but it did help.

 

[jamimb]

It's not silly to ask. Family is extremely important and quality family time is a way to build a strong bond within your family. Children who have parents who spend quality time with them and instill solid morals and values in them are less likely to turn from those morals and values. They have strong bonds with their parents and often think of how their parent's would view their decisions before making them. It's extremely important.

Here's a verse to maybe ease your worry about asking God to heal you for a vacation. It's much more than that, but listen to these words...

Matthew 7:7 (NLT)- "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

He is the master physician and can fix ANY situation regardless of how big or small we think it is. We are His divine creation and He loves us and wants us to be happy and blessed. When Mary went to visit Jesus' tomb in the garden after His crucifixion, she naturally found His tomb empty. When she encountered Jesus in the garden, He called Mary by name. We are more than just another face in the crowd. More than a number. He knows us by name.

If He cares that much for us to know the numbers of hairs on our head, surely He can heal His beloved child.

Your in my prayers!

Thanks so much for your prayers and for reminding me that he hears and answers!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Im just trying to find a less traditional path to health before I yank something from my body that I need.

Ever since humans learned to domesticate animals and cultivate and preserve crops, we haven't needed a gall bladder. If we ate like many wild animals, eating once every few days, week, or months, we'd need a gall bladder to store bile until we needed to digest something. But now that we eat three or so times a day, we don't need an extra store of bile. Our body can make all that we need, when we need it.

And having seen loved ones descend into debilitating illnesses that had no cure and/or could not be diagnosed, I have a hard time appealing to God to resolve your diagnosable, and very likely curable condition, so you can go to Disney World. Maybe I'm being grouchy this morning because I was just telling the story of my mother's passing to someone, but in the grand scheme of things, praying for something like this seems to diminish the significance of prayer.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

More prayers coming your way! I truly hope this all works out for you and you're healthy once again!

All the best to you,
Heather

 

[jamimb]

Ever since humans learned to domesticate animals and cultivate and preserve crops, we haven't needed a gall bladder. If we ate like many wild animals, eating once every few days, week, or months, we'd need a gall bladder to store bile until we needed to digest something. But now that we eat three or so times a day, we don't need an extra store of bile. Our body can make all that we need, when we need it.

And having seen loved ones descend into debilitating illnesses that had no cure and/or could not be diagnosed, I have a hard time appealing to God to resolve your diagnosable, and very likely curable condition, so you can go to Disney World. Maybe I'm being grouchy this morning because I was just telling the story of my mother's passing to someone, but in the grand scheme of things, praying for something like this seems to diminish the significance of prayer.

WOW! Thats'a about all I can say right now is WOW! Im in a lot of pain right now and that is certainly NOT a silly reason to pray! I have a very intimate relationship with God and pray over virtually everything. I have even prayed for the loss of a child's beloved stuffed animal one time(which I found) My condition may very well be treatable OR I could go in there and have the gallbladder removed and the pain not subside and only end up feeling worse because I develop chronic diarrhea and bile reflux for which I may have to take meds for for the rest of my life. If I had stones or typical gallbladder pain there would be no question as to whether I would remove it or no tbut since I dont I am afraid of doing something that cannot be undone without first trying to solve the problem by less dramatic means.

The matter of not needing a gallbladder... are you serious?? I have known some people who have had there's removed who are fine but I know a lot more who have chronic diarrhea, bile reflux, gas and bloating as a result of not having a gallbladder.

If you don't agree with praying over something so trivial no one is forcing you to but why be so snarky and hateful when all I want is to be relieved of this pain and not have to disappoint my daughters by canceling our trip! JEESH!!!! Is is really important in the grand scheme of things , no but it's important to me!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

We'll leave the prayer debate aside.

I have known some people who have had there's removed who are fine but I know a lot more who have chronic diarrhea, bile reflux, gas and bloating as a result of not having a gallbladder.

More with problems than with good outcomes? Really?

This thread, started by you, has comments from a lot of people who had similar symptoms as you describe, with mostly positive outcomes.

 

[jamimb]

We'll leave the prayer debate aside.

More with problems than with good outcomes? Really?

This thread, started by you, has comments from a lot of people who had similar symptoms as you describe, with mostly positive outcomes.

My main symptom is severe burning on the left side where my stomach is located. I don't remember anyone here mentioning that. The only reason the drs presume it is gallbladder is because after lots and lots of testing the only thing found was a low ejection fraction during a hida scan of my gallbladder and even that was borderline low (low is below 35 mine was 29) The doctors were like it may be gallbladder related maybe not so you see why Im hesitant to have it removed. You might want to get all the facts before presuming to know anything about my medical condition.

And yes I know several people who have had the surgery that have had life altering complications. SEVERAL so it's not just an isolated event.

Seriously your willingness to kick a girl when she's down is unlike anything I've ever encountered. Many people on this thread have encouraged me and made a bad situation feel slightly better. Why respond at all if the thread is so repulsive to you?

Also Im stressing because we have free dining for this trip so to have to reschedule would cost us 1000 we dont currently have. So in addition to the tremendous pain Im in I am worrying about disappointing my girls (and husband who was really looking forward to attending his 1st Star Wars weekend) and finding a way to pay for dining now.

 

[jecskc]

The Dr was frank with me and said I had a 50/50 chance of it taking care of my pain. My fear is that Ill have it removed, it won't ease the pain, and Ill end up with other issuses (like bile reflux) because I dont have a gallbladder. I wanted surgery to be my last option!

I had the same problem. I felt terrible for MONTHS and they did not find stones or anything. They did a test called a gall bladder ejection fraction which shows whether or not your gall bladder is emptying into the small intestine like it should. Kind of as a last resort. They called me that evening and said it needed to come out the next day. If you have a diseased gall bladder, it could cause liver damage. They did a liver panel after my surgery and my liver was fine, but they said that if left too much longer I could have had irreversible liver damage.

You can live without a gall bladder. You can't live without a liver. And when I DID have the surgery ??? I felt better INSTANTLY !!! The minute I woke up from the procedure, I had pain from the surgery, but I just FELT better. And I was back at work in 8 days.

Quit being stubborn and have the surgery !!! It is a very easy out patient surgery. Just pull it out through the bellybutton. It is very routine and you will be feeling pretty good in a week.

Whatever you decide, I hope you feel better soon

 

[traceym]

Prayers are going out to you.

I do however want to mention that I too had the same symptoms as you when I was 18. I had my gallbladder removed and have never experienced the major side effects you mentioned and I am currently 35. The only side effect I have is experienced only if I eat very greasy food and that is the loose bowels. So, I don't eat greasy food...problem solved.

I have tried alternative medication for other things and had a positive outcome. I pray that whatever you choose to do works for you.

 

[ckmom97]

I don't think your prayers are silly at all. One of the things I've learned as I have gotten older is that God cares about the small problems in our lives as well as the big. I look at it like a parent/child relationship. If one of my kids is hurting, upset or disappointed about something, I want them to come to me. God, as our Heavenly Father, also wants us to share our pain and heartaches. I will be praying for relief from your pain and for wisdom in the decision on whether or not to have the operation. God bless!!

 

[Swank]

Prayers and good thoughts.

 

[jamimb]

Some you you will never truly know the power your warm and encouraging words have had on me today! I thank you so much!!!!

 

[jorose01]

I am very sorry you feel so terrible! Stomach issues are the worst. And very hard to explain to people who have never had issues!

I was wondering if your dr. ever mentioned pancreatitis? It is the inflamtion of the pancreas that causes horrible pain. Please ask your dr. about it.

Good Luck! I will keep you in my prayers.

 

[LisaTC]

jamimb -- praying for your circumstance. I was in a similar position and thought I knew the right thing to do and got advice and made my decision. Then somebody gave me this story:

Once apon a time there was a man that lived by the river. He heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town. The report said that the whole town should evacuate immediately. But the man said, "I'm religious, I pray. God loves me. God will save me." But the waters began to rise. A man in a rowing boat came along and he shouted. 'Hey! Hey you! You up there. The town is flooding. I can take you to safety.' But the man shouted back: "I'm religious, I pray. God loves me. God will save me." A helicopter came hovering overhead. A guy with a megaphone shouted. 'Hey! You there! The town is fully flooded. Let me drop down a ladder and I will help you to safety.' But the men shouted back that he was religious, that he prayed, that God loved him and that God would take him to safety. The man then drowned. When he got to the pearly gates of St Peter, he demanded an audience with God. 'Lord,' he said, 'I'm a religious man, I pray. I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?' God said, 'I sent you a radio report, and you turned it off. I sent you a helicopter and you send them away and finally I sent a guy in a rowing boat to help and you sent him away and now you ask me why I didn't help you? You weren't listening...

Just something to consider regarding your surgery and pain and think on...blessings to you.

 

[FigmentChick]

Prayers are on their way, but you should check in with your doc, too.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I have known some people who have had there's removed who are fine but I know a lot more who have chronic diarrhea, bile reflux, gas and bloating as a result of not having a gallbladder.

And yes I know several people who have had the surgery that have had life altering complications. SEVERAL so it's not just an isolated event.

Do you actually have a good count of who had it and who has not. You may only know about the bad outcomes, not the many who've had it done and had very good outcomes. I bet most of my current friends have no idea that mine was out 10+ years ago. My life has changed so much since then (death of parents, marriage, kids, new neighborhood, etc.) for many people I am now close to it (my gall bladder episode) hasn't come up in conversation.

Seriously your willingness to kick a girl when she's down is unlike anything I've ever encountered. Many people on this thread have encouraged me and made a bad situation feel slightly better. Why respond at all if the thread is so repulsive to you?

Because maybe you need to hear the brutal facts and tough love. There are times in life when you need to hear things you don't like. This might be one of them for you. Maybe I'm doing for you what I hope someone would do for me.....

So here are some brutal facts:

1. Quite a few people have had these gall bladder issues misdiagnosed - I was one of them.
2. A diseased gall bladder does not heal...it can only harm you.
3. The surgery is usually simple, and most (1) (2) people find the later complications (if any) well-worth the pain relief - I am one of them.
4. Your doctor was confidant enough in your diagnosis to schedule surgery. Doctors take an oath to do no harm, and s/he sincerely did not believe s/he'd be harming you by going through with the procedure.
5. You've chosen not to have the surgery, but continue to have pain. No other problem has been identified. You've tried alternative solutions, but your pain is back.
6. A ruptured gall bladder could kill you.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Why have you not had the surgery?

My DR thought I was crazy for not having it removed 8 months ago and says the only thing to do is have the surgery. He also told me that there is only about a 50% chance it will take care of the issue at all because no stones are present. I really just dont understand because up until a few days ago I was feeling great! Better than I have in years and no Im not eating and laying on the couch with an ice pack on my stomach all day. I am barely functioning here! I have pretty much lost all faith in conventional medicine so Im trying some new supplements and asking God to intervene!

Your prayers and kind words have truly meant a lot to me!!!!!

I'll pray for you, but you really need to have it removed. I would do it ASAP too so that you will have time to recover before your trip. I had mine removed 13 years ago and I have been fine ever since. I just would not risk having an attack on vacation and ruining it for everyone. I would feel so guilty for not taking care of it sooner.

 

[leeliani]

I suffered from pain for 8 years. My symptoms were not typical either. I actually thought I had an ulcer. I tried to treat it on my own and the pain would go away for a awhile, but it would always return. It finally got so bad that I couldn't eat anything without pain. Some tests were run and they found out that my gallbladder wasn't functioning properly.

I opted to have the surgery because my last episode with it lasted 3 months and I couldn't stand the pain anymore. I was stubborn about it because I was worried about all the side effects of living without a gallbladder, but it got so bad I was willing to deal with whatever happened.

I have been without a gallbladder for 5 months now, and I can't remember when I felt so good. I wish I had done it sooner. Yes I have gas and other issues sometimes, but only when I eat high fatty foods. If I watch what I eat I have no problems at all.

My advice to you would be to go to the ER and have them do the surgery now. Don't wait. You will feel good enough in 9 days to go on your trip. I too believe in the power of prayer, but I believe that we have to listen carefully in order to know what His answers are for us. I pray that you will know what is right for you to do. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Sugar Jones]

I had my gallbladder removed in April of 08. I had many large stones, it was my only option.

The surgery was a breeze and recovery was quick, however...........about 4 months after my surgery I started having all the problems you are worried about.


I suffer from bile relfux, chornic diarrhea & constant nausea All that has also lead to severe Anxiety issue as well. If I could go back and find away to have had the stones removed and not my whole gallbladder i would do it.


I'm not trying to put a damper on your situation because you could very easily have yours out and be 100% better, and i really hope that is the case for you. If you are in that much pain, it may be in your best interest to have it out.

I don't know what to tell you, but I will say a prayer for you

 

[robinb]

Add me to the list of people who think you should bite the bullet and have the surgery ASAP. You have been in so much pain that you have not been able to eat and I suspect that you have been short on sleep too. How long do you think you can go on without eating or sleeping? Honestly, I don't think that a 50% chance of success is all that bad. That's a 50% chance that you will feel well enough to go and enjoy your family vacation. What chance do you think you have today without the surgery? From reading your post here and your previous post from September I would say that chance is swiftly approaching zero.

BTW, what does your family think? Does your DH think you should have surgery? Your parents?