Who here has had gallstones and/or gallbladder removal? UPDATE:FINALLY GOT THE HIDA!

[cherbear]

You can see the stones on the ultrasound pics My ultrasound was of all my internal organs.. quite interesting, but also quite painful when they were doing the gallbladder area as they press down so darn hard.

Do you guys get to bring your ultrasound/xray pics home with you? Here we do. We either wait for them to be processed followint the ultrasound/xray or we can drop by and pick them up the next day. We aren't supposed to open them as they are sealed, but I sometimes like to take a peek at what the notes say Then I have a bit of heads up before I take them to the doc.


ETA I was put on a fat free diet for a month prior to having the surgery and I lost 4kig and have lost a further kilo since

He ordered a "whole abdomen" ultrasound on me, too. I guess it's best to look at everything while they are there. He did say it was mainly to look at my gallbladder though.

I have no idea. I guess in some places you can ask for them. I will ask and see if they give me a copy.

I hope I can lose some weight too! I've been having a rough time of it lately with all this mess. It doesn't help that I am always bloated. But even not eating as much I'm still the same weight.

Thanks for all the info!

I did. The ultrasound tech was a bit hesitant but eventually showed me the stones. I couldn't tell how many there were, but I could see them. The tech said they aren't supposed to "diagnose", so she wasn't supposed to tell what she saw. I didn't get any pictures.

I still a little sore from that "in grown" stitch removal, but all in all doing well. CB, hope you get some results from your ultrasound, one way or another.

Yea...they all say that. They are not supposed to but they will "hint" at it right?

I hope you feel better soon!

thanks! I will know in about 17 hours. (yes I am counting down )
gonna go see a movie tonight to keep my mind off of it all..

I had gallbladder problems starting before I was 16. The pain was amazingly awful. When I was 23, I had 3 attacks over the course of a month and the surgeon removed it. Since then, I have had problems with IBS-like symptoms.

I often have urgent bathroom needs, especially after eating. Also, if I don't eat a meal, the problem is 10x worse at the next meal. This is because the bile is constantly flowing and not regulated by the gall bladder. Not eating=bile not getting used up in digestion.

I have also had recurrences of the same pain. It took weeks and a few attacks to determine I have sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. The GI doc does not know if that was actually part of the original problem or if it is new. The attacks are rare, but when I get them I need an anti-spasmotic medication.

I think you're on the right track. They need to ensure that the gallbladder is the problem before they take it out. The actual surgery was easy for me, so you shouldn't be worried there.

Good luck!

It sounds like you have really had a rough time! I am sorry you had to go through all of that. So do they think your condition could have something to do with your dysfunctional gallbladder being in your body all that time?

 

[cherbear]

I'm going now....wish me luck!!

 

[pixiechick]

I'm going now....wish me luck!!

Let us know how you make out.

 

[Just Jan]

I had an ultra sound Friday afternoon as I think I am having gall bladder issues also. I meet with my pcp Tues afternoon.

I now believe I have been having problems off and on for 15 years, but put the pain off to just stomach acid. Last week though, I had 2 attacks that left me in GREAT discomfort! I was awakened with pain at midnight and suffered through it until 5 am. This happened Monday and Wednesday. I still am tender under the ribs in the right side and back. Dr has me eating low fat foods at the moment. The night of the first attack I had nachos for dinner second attack I had pizza. OUCH!

When do you meet with your dr to review the results of the ultra sound?

 

[cherbear]

I had an ultra sound Friday afternoon as I think I am having gall bladder issues also. I meet with my pcp Tues afternoon.

I now believe I have been having problems off and on for 15 years, but put the pain off to just stomach acid. Last week though, I had 2 attacks that left me in GREAT discomfort! I was awakened with pain at midnight and suffered through it until 5 am. This happened Monday and Wednesday. I still am tender under the ribs in the right side and back. Dr has me eating low fat foods at the moment. The night of the first attack I had nachos for dinner second attack I had pizza. OUCH!

When do you meet with your dr to review the results of the ultra sound?

So did they find stones? Or is it just dysfunctional?

Pizza and salad was my last one. Yeah, OUCH is right!

By the way, that ultrasound HURT! I had no idea they had to push THAT hard. I just had to keep thinking, this is for a good reason, this is for a good reason. I could see the screen at an angle if I craned my neck just the right way. The screen was on my right so when I had to turn on my left side so she could look at the gb from that angle, I was looking practically behind me. That part really hurt by the way.

After all that, I sure hope they saw SOMETHING that will give me answers once and for all!

I did ask the Ultrasound tech if she sees anything, and she kept telling me she was not allowed to say anything. After she was done, I said, "sure you can't tell me ANYTHING?" and she was VERY reluctant but said "well, the radiologist has to read it, but as far as I can tell, you're fine"
So more than likely there are no stones (at least I can be pretty certain I'm definitely not FULL of them)
Afterwards my mom was speaking to her friend who recently had her GB out (and she had all the same symptoms as me including the lettuce) and she said the Ultrasound tech told her the same thing but the Radiologist read it and said it was dysfunctional. So I guess I can't go by what the Tech said.

I will call the doctor Monday and make an appointment to get my results. When I saw him Wednesday, he had said "Have these done, and come back and see me in 2 weeks." So, I will see if they happen to be open on Memorial Day since I'm off. That would be perfect. And I will try to get it in the morning. If I get the first appt there is less chance I would have to wait like I did last time.
I'm assuming he will call me if he gets the results and decides he wants to see me sooner?

Well, I just hope the rest of this goes smoothly.

I am sorry it took me this long to update y'all, but I had some sad news last night that my grandma got in a bad wreck and is in Intensive Care now. She broke her neck and may be paralyzed from the chest down for the rest of her life. I visited her today, and it was not easy seeing her like that and holding her hand when she couldn't even feel me touching it.

Can this month get any crazier?

 

[Tat2ddisneymom]

There you are! I was looking for you!!

 

[Tat2ddisneymom]

Oh, no. I see you still really have no answers. I'm so sorry, Cheri.

I can't believe I didn't hear you say anything about your grandmother. Is this the first you've posted about it? I'm so sorry. If you need ANYTHING...I'm here for ya! You still have my number, right? My phone's always on. I mean it. I'm just a phone call away. If you wanna talk, I'm here for ya.

 

[NJMomma]

I am sorry it took me this long to update y'all, but I had some sad news last night that my grandma got in a bad wreck and is in Intensive Care now. She broke her neck and may be paralyzed from the chest down for the rest of her life. I visited her today, and it was not easy seeing her like that and holding her hand when she couldn't even feel me touching it.

Can this month get any crazier?

Hoping for the best for your Grandma

 

[Just Jan]

So Sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hang in there.

I won't get any results from Friday's ultra sound until Tuesday's dr appt at 4:30. I chatted with the us tech during the exam. I knew she wouldn't/couldn't tell me what she saw so I didn't even ask.
The exam was pretty painless, except when she went directly over the gall bladder. It wasn't extreme pain, just discomfort.

We talked about Disney World a bit. She went last April, but said she wished she had done resesarch ahead of time!!

I work in a dr office and I can tell ya, we are always open! We are only closed on the 6 major holidays and Memorial day is a day we are closed. So if your dr office happens to be open, that would be a huge bonus

 

[lmillercrew]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother. I hope that she will be o.k.

 

[cherbear]

There you are! I was looking for you!!

yup, I'm here

Oh, no. I see you still really have no answers. I'm so sorry, Cheri.

I can't believe I didn't hear you say anything about your grandmother. Is this the first you've posted about it? I'm so sorry. If you need ANYTHING...I'm here for ya! You still have my number, right? My phone's always on. I mean it. I'm just a phone call away. If you wanna talk, I'm here for ya.

it's okay, I was prepared for that. The radiologist still hasn't spoken, so I will have to see what the doctor says he's found out when I see him.

thanks! I do have your number. I really appreciate that.

Hoping for the best for your Grandma

thank you!

So Sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hang in there.

I won't get any results from Friday's ultra sound until Tuesday's dr appt at 4:30. I chatted with the us tech during the exam. I knew she wouldn't/couldn't tell me what she saw so I didn't even ask.
The exam was pretty painless, except when she went directly over the gall bladder. It wasn't extreme pain, just discomfort.

We talked about Disney World a bit. She went last April, but said she wished she had done resesarch ahead of time!!

I work in a dr office and I can tell ya, we are always open! We are only closed on the 6 major holidays and Memorial day is a day we are closed. So if your dr office happens to be open, that would be a huge bonus

thanks!! I am trying

Tuesday is not bad! Since my doc said "come back in 2 weeks" I guess I will have to make the appointment for 2 weeks later. Maybe he didn't think there would be anything pressing?
Maybe your US tech didn't push as much as mine did. She kept saying she was sorry, but I guess she needed to push that hard to get a good picture. Or maybe mine is just worse off?

That's cool that you got to talk Disney with her! Mine seemed very focused on what she was doing so I didn't talk too much. I really didn't want to mess her up at all. I can't afford to have to do this again!

Awww man...thanks for telling me that. I've never tried to make a doctor's appointment on Memorial Day, so I wasn't sure. I guess I will ask anyway, but if they are closed I might make the appointment for this week instead. I just don't understand why he said 2 weeks!! Ugh!!

Sorry to hear about your grandmother. I hope that she will be o.k.

Thank you!...

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[cherbear]

I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

thank you!

I did get a bit of good news yesterday about her. When my mom was visiting her, she wiggled the toes on her left foot!!! The doctor was in shock. The power of prayer is amazing, and can move mountains! I will try to keep y'all updated on anything else I hear. She should be going into surgery early this week for her neck.

 

[cherbear]

So, as y'all know, I had the ultrasound Saturday. The ultrasound tech said the radiologist would read it that same day. When would my doctor actually get the results? Since he said wait 2 weeks, I'm assuming he's not worried about it. But I don't feel good, and I really don't want to wait til next week. I wish I could go and find out today, but I'm sure that's not an option. What should I do? Call the doctor today and schedule the appointment? Can I ask about the results when I call? Any advice would be VERY MUCH appreciated.

 

[KigerKat]

cherbear - I am so sorry about your grandmother!! I really hope the best for her. I'm so happy to hear that she was able to move her toes - that sounds like a great sign. It's just so horrible to be in your condition and worried about your grandmother as well...

And I would think you doctor would have your results sooner than 2 weeks. It wouldn't hurt calling them today and seeing if you can get in before 2 weeks. I wouldn't listen to the US tech telling you that everything looked fine. That's why they're not allowed to say anything, they could give false hope or a false diagnosis. Either way, you really need to know soon what's wrong with you!

I really hope the best for you! Here's another

 

[Beca]

Your symptoms definitely sound like gallbladder problems. I had those same symptoms about 2 years ago....they came on suddenly (or so, it seemed to me) and were BAD!! I much prefer naturopathic medicine to traditional, so I did a gallbladder cleanse, and then I began taking milk thistle for my liver (the gallbladder supports the liver, so when it gets clogged, so does the liver). It is still AMAZING to me how many stones I passed from the cleanse, and I have not had any problems since.

Good luck!!

 

[cherbear]

cherbear - I am so sorry about your grandmother!! I really hope the best for her. I'm so happy to hear that she was able to move her toes - that sounds like a great sign. It's just so horrible to be in your condition and worried about your grandmother as well...

And I would think you doctor would have your results sooner than 2 weeks. It wouldn't hurt calling them today and seeing if you can get in before 2 weeks. I wouldn't listen to the US tech telling you that everything looked fine. That's why they're not allowed to say anything, they could give false hope or a false diagnosis. Either way, you really need to know soon what's wrong with you!

I really hope the best for you! Here's another

thanks so much! It aint easy, that's for sure. There is just SO much going on at once! There was evidence of an attempted break in at our house a couple days ago (they tried to cut off the alarm) and thankfully they didn't get in (I was home! ) And now my Check Engine light is on in my car.

I still haven't called but I think I will in a few minutes when I get a chance. Guess I shouldn't have asked her at all? I won't get her in trouble either way.

thanks!

Your symptoms definitely sound like gallbladder problems. I had those same symptoms about 2 years ago....they came on suddenly (or so, it seemed to me) and were BAD!! I much prefer naturopathic medicine to traditional, so I did a gallbladder cleanse, and then I began taking milk thistle for my liver (the gallbladder supports the liver, so when it gets clogged, so does the liver). It is still AMAZING to me how many stones I passed from the cleanse, and I have not had any problems since.

Good luck!!

wow...I read some stuff about those methods (they called them "new age" medicine) I heard that traditional doctors really shy away from that because it can be VERY dangerous to pass stones! A lot of times people have problems with stones getting caught in the bile duct, which is a big reason why people end up with emergency surgery. I sure hope that it doesn't ever cause you problems! What is Milk thistle?

I wish you the best keep the sickness away! Personally, I'd rather just have this thing yanked out. To each his own, right?

 

[Beca]

wow...I read some stuff about those methods (they called them "new age" medicine) I heard that traditional doctors really shy away from that because it can be VERY dangerous to pass stones! A lot of times people have problems with stones getting caught in the bile duct, which is a big reason why people end up with emergency surgery. I sure hope that it doesn't ever cause you problems! What is Milk thistle?

I wish you the best keep the sickness away! Personally, I'd rather just have this thing yanked out. To each his own, right?

I have also heard that some people have had problems with cleanses (of course, I did not hear that until AFTER I cleansed....probably a good thing!!). I know there are some naturopathic healing centers that will do a "monitored" cleanse for you, but I have never done that. I think they use Epsom salts to open the bile ducts to make the stones easier to pass...I don't know if I could consume Epsom salts though. And yes....people should definitely do what makes them feel comfortable.

Milk thistle is an herb that helps cleanse the liver. The gallbladder is the backup storage tank for the liver. When the liver produces excess bile, it is sent to the gallbladder, and then the gallbladder sends it back when needed. One theory of gallstones is that the bile produced by the liver is too thick because the liver is "sluggish" and overworked. Therefore, when the bile reaches the gallbladder it forms stones. I have heard of people who have made their gallstone problems disappear because they treated their liver instead of their gallstones. I don't know that I think it is such a good idea to ignore symptoms, but eventually they went away. I started treating my liver because I had bad liver pains when I was pregnant, and tests showed some of my liver enzymes were elevated. I started taking liver herbs when I began to have gallbladder problems because I think liver and gallbladder problems go hand-in-hand. I have stayed on these herbs recently because I think my liver needs all the support it can get. Just recently, I have been on anti-fungal meds that are KNOWN to cause liver problems (diflucan and ketoconizole), and as a result had to have a liver function panel. My liver showed to be in perfect shape...I was shocked (pleasantly)!!

I would ask your doctor....but, you might want to consider taking some liver support herbs such as dandelion root or milk thistle. There are lots of good blends on the market at Whole Foods. Treating the liver is a slow process.

Good luck with all this....gallbladder problems can be just miserable!!

 

[Just Jan]

hello Again,
Call your dr's office in the morning. Tell the receptionist that you had a gall bladder ultrasound Saturday morning at (facilities name) and you would like to make a follow up appt to go over the results with the dr. Tell them that you're not feeling well and anxious to get the results. If they don't have an appt as soon as you would prefer ask is they have a wait list that you can be put on. If they don't take the first avail appt they have and ask if you can call periodically to check for cancelations.
I hope this is helpful.
Jan

 

[cherbear]

I have also heard that some people have had problems with cleanses (of course, I did not hear that until AFTER I cleansed....probably a good thing!!). I know there are some naturopathic healing centers that will do a "monitored" cleanse for you, but I have never done that. I think they use Epsom salts to open the bile ducts to make the stones easier to pass...I don't know if I could consume Epsom salts though. And yes....people should definitely do what makes them feel comfortable.

Milk thistle is an herb that helps cleanse the liver. The gallbladder is the backup storage tank for the liver. When the liver produces excess bile, it is sent to the gallbladder, and then the gallbladder sends it back when needed. One theory of gallstones is that the bile produced by the liver is too thick because the liver is "sluggish" and overworked. Therefore, when the bile reaches the gallbladder it forms stones. I have heard of people who have made their gallstone problems disappear because they treated their liver instead of their gallstones. I don't know that I think it is such a good idea to ignore symptoms, but eventually they went away. I started treating my liver because I had bad liver pains when I was pregnant, and tests showed some of my liver enzymes were elevated. I started taking liver herbs when I began to have gallbladder problems because I think liver and gallbladder problems go hand-in-hand. I have stayed on these herbs recently because I think my liver needs all the support it can get. Just recently, I have been on anti-fungal meds that are KNOWN to cause liver problems (diflucan and ketoconizole), and as a result had to have a liver function panel. My liver showed to be in perfect shape...I was shocked (pleasantly)!!

I would ask your doctor....but, you might want to consider taking some liver support herbs such as dandelion root or milk thistle. There are lots of good blends on the market at Whole Foods. Treating the liver is a slow process.

Good luck with all this....gallbladder problems can be just miserable!!

well,....thanks for the info, but it doesn't seem I have gallstones (the tech would have seen them) so more than likely my gallbladder is just not working (emptying) properly. I suspect I will need it out no matter what.

hello Again,
Call your dr's office in the morning. Tell the receptionist that you had a gall bladder ultrasound Saturday morning at (facilities name) and you would like to make a follow up appt to go over the results with the dr. Tell them that you're not feeling well and anxious to get the results. If they don't have an appt as soon as you would prefer ask is they have a wait list that you can be put on. If they don't take the first avail appt they have and ask if you can call periodically to check for cancelations.
I hope this is helpful.
Jan

thanks! I actually called this afternoon, and after some fighting I managed to get in next Wednesday with ANOTHER doctor in the practice. My doctor is out all next week and they wanted to schedule me for week AFTER next! I tried to get in this Friday since he'd be out next week but they said that was too soon! I said, well there's NO WAY I am waiting til the 4th! So I got it for next Wed. at 3:15! I can't wait!!