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

[cherbear]

The doctor's office called and asked if I could come in at 1!


well...what do you THINK I said?




I get to go 2 hours earlier! Glad I had already planned on leaving at lunchtime! I will let y'all know how it goes!

 

[cherbear]

Well, my doctor's appointment couldn't have gone better! Not only did I get to go 2 hours earlier than planned, I also was the ONLY person in the waiting room! (as opposed to last time, when Mom and I took the last 2 seats out of about 50!) The woman at the desk told me "Well, there's only one doctor here today" and I said "well, there were just 2 here last time and the waiting room was full" (I'd expect the waiting area to be HALF full this time, unless it's because the OTHER doctor HIGHLY OVERBOOKS) but...I didn't argue further, I was just glad to be the only one there!

This doctor was SO much nicer, and much more compassionate and caring than the first. He looked through my file, and read my ultrasound, came back fine just like the NP at my PCP's office said. He decided to order a Gastric Emptying Scan for me, after I told him I hadn't been eating much lately and I get full really fast. He asked me some questions, the main one being "So, what would you say is the worst, most bothersome symptom you are having" and I told him it was the rib/chest pain that radiates into my shoulder---which led to me telling him the story about the BAD chest/back pain that felt like I was being pushed between 2 walls (like a heart attack) and as soon as I said that he also said he wanted to order a HIDA scan w/ EF. He asked me if I knew what that was...and I almost played it off I told him I'd heard of it...and that a friend recommended I get one.

I was thrilled when I called the diagnostic center and was able to schedule the HIDA scan for this Friday at 10:00!!! The Gastric Emptying scan will be done next Tuesday (but I may have to change it to Wednesday due to work scheduling).

Thank you for all your prayers. I was praying so hard that I'd be able to have the scan done this Friday, and now I can rest easy that I am gonna get it done before the weekend!!

Okay, now I have questions.

• Who here has had the HIDA scan with EF? (as opposed to CCK which supposedly causes vomiting)
• Anyone know the difference between HIDA w/ EF and HIDA w/ CCK?
• How long does it take for the HIDA w/EF?
• When will I find out results? Is that something that will be obvious, on the spot? Will they know what my % function is right away?
• Any info on this test would be appreciated! TIA!

 

[Poohbear123]

Best of luck to you Cherbear, I will be thinking of you this Friday!

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Congrats on getting your test tomorrow.
I know I had a HIDA scan. I don't know what all the other initial are. I know they injected a dye first and then an hour later injected the other stuff.
It was relatively painless. I felt nauseous but didn't vomit. The tech said that you don't vomit with it but feel like you want to.

Good luck and keep us posted. I'm glad you finally have someone listening to you.

 

[KigerKat]

Congrats on getting your test tomorrow.
I know I had a HIDA scan. I don't know what all the other initial are. I know they injected a dye first and then an hour later injected the other stuff.
It was relatively painless. I felt nauseous but didn't vomit. The tech said that you don't vomit with it but feel like you want to.

Good luck and keep us posted. I'm glad you finally have someone listening to you.

This must have been what I did, but I remember mine was with CCK. I never actually vomited, but I sure felt like I wanted to. I also remember I had to lay very still and hold my breath for a few seconds here and there. This was about 9 or 10 year ago, so I don't know if things have changed since then. I also felt miraculously better the next day, and all of my symptoms went away.

Good luck to you!

 

[cherbear]

Best of luck to you Cherbear, I will be thinking of you this Friday!

thanks!!

Congrats on getting your test tomorrow.
I know I had a HIDA scan. I don't know what all the other initial are. I know they injected a dye first and then an hour later injected the other stuff.
It was relatively painless. I felt nauseous but didn't vomit. The tech said that you don't vomit with it but feel like you want to.

Good luck and keep us posted. I'm glad you finally have someone listening to you.

dye first? okay. Well I hope I don't feel too nauseated. I hate that feeling, but if the test shows what is wrong with me (finally) then it's all worth it!

thanks for the info

This must have been what I did, but I remember mine was with CCK. I never actually vomited, but I sure felt like I wanted to. I also remember I had to lay very still and hold my breath for a few seconds here and there. This was about 9 or 10 year ago, so I don't know if things have changed since then. I also felt miraculously better the next day, and all of my symptoms went away.

Good luck to you!

I'm having trouble finding information on how CCK is different from EF. Now I'm wondering if they are the same thing with different wording.

thanks for the info!

Yea, yours was a miraculous case! So strange! But glad you feel better!

I just looked at the clock and realized that at this time tomorrow, I'll be getting my HIDA scan!

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I just looked at the clock and realized that at this time tomorrow, I'll be getting my HIDA scan!

I'm sorry. I know you're in pain but this comment made me laugh. Hopefully the dr will have the results for you by Monday or Tuesday next week!

 

[donnajon]

DD8 is getting a HIDA scan Friday at 10 too! She has been having severe abdominal pain since last fall. Upper GI was normal. Endoscopy showed infection in her stomach but biopsies were normal. Ultrasound was normal. She tested positive for H. Pylori about two months ago but has gotten worse since treatment. They put her on carafate and now she has severe constipation! Hopefully both HIDA scans will show something so we can get these problems fixed! Good luck!

 

[cherbear]

I'm sorry. I know you're in pain but this comment made me laugh. Hopefully the dr will have the results for you by Monday or Tuesday next week!

okay I read it again and I still can't figure out why??? (Does my blonde hair deceive me?)

DD8 is getting a HIDA scan Friday at 10 too! She has been having severe abdominal pain since last fall. Upper GI was normal. Endoscopy showed infection in her stomach but biopsies were normal. Ultrasound was normal. She tested positive for H. Pylori about two months ago but has gotten worse since treatment. They put her on carafate and now she has severe constipation! Hopefully both HIDA scans will show something so we can get these problems fixed! Good luck!

wow....she's SO young! Since you posted early this morning, does that mean she is getting it NEXT Friday? I had mine this morning...it was not too bad.

I hope that she gets better soon! I know it can't be easy seeing her suffer. Good luck!

 

[cherbear]

I had the HIDA scan this morning, went back to work for an hour, and I'm home now.

It took about 2 hours for the whole thing. It was a bit uncomfortable, and I felt some pain, but nothing unbearable. I think the hardest part was staying still while I felt so much pressure on my right side. I couldn't talk, either. The tech couldn't tell me anything, but my gallbladder took nearly a full hour to "show up" on the screen as the big machine was taking pictures. He said if it DIDN'T show up at all in the first part of the test, that would mean it was not working AT ALL (0%) and they would not do the CCK. (Which by the way, is what I had---so EF must be synonymous with the term EF, or Ejection Fraction)

So, like I said, it eventually showed up. After about an hour and 15 minutes, they started the CCK injection. That would test the function of my gallbladder. It was put in through the IV, and took about 30 minutes. They took pictures the whole time, and when the drip was done, they stopped the test and said I was finished. The radiologist is to interpret the results today, and the results will be sent to my doctor within 24 hours. The other test results--for the one I am having done Tuesday (gastric emptying test)--will be dealt with in the same way, which is why I don't understand the "2 week" rule. I can understand 2 weeks for bloodwork, but the hospital guarantees results of radiology tests within 24 hours, so it makes no sense.

I asked if I could get a copy of everything, and they said I could get it tomorrow or Monday. I doubt that means I would know my results, because they probably will just give me pictures. They also can put everything on disk, so that is pretty cool. Has anyone else gotten copies like this? Do they give you your "results" too?

I am feeling the typical side/back pain now, I guess that stuff they put in me, and lunch are still passing through. Other than that, everything's okay. I feel so much better(mentally) now that I've gotten this test over with. We'll see what happens soon!

I made a follow-up appointment at 1:15 at the 2 week mark, which is Friday the 13th (how quaint ) which happens to be the day before my birthday --and I was taking off to do something fun with DH (he works on my bday). We will probably end up at the Mall of Louisiana or go somewhere in New Orleans to do some shopping after my appointment. I've got to do something fun, and eating is not so fun for me anymore. So shopping it is! I plan on having a nice post-birthday/post surgery?? meal when I feel up to it.
I'd love to go to Le Cellier........but that will have to wait til September!!

I will let y'all know if I hear anything next week. And of course I'll be back to update on the test Tuesday. That is supposed to be easy (eat a bowl of oatmeal or grits and they take xrays as the food travels to the stomach). It takes an hour and 1/2 according to the tech that did my HIDA scan today.

 

[NJMomma]

CB, Sorry you are still having digestive troubles

Make sure you keep us all updated on your test results.

I didn't have to have those testss - they found the stones on the ultrasound and that was that. Good Luck with everything and happy b-day in advance

 

[sb4k]

I find this so amusing that I find this post right in the middle of all my stomach problems. The pains started months ago (around December) and would just happen right after my period. Basically by April they are daily. Been to my regular doctor who did an ultrasound and protonix medicine. Nothing. Went to a specialist who put me on prevacid and did a scope of the stomach. Nothing. Finally had the HIDA scan. During the second part after they inject the CCK - pain like every symptom I've been having for months. Results - gallbladder functioning at 12%. So it's coming out on June 18th. Seeing my gyn. about the wacky timing with my period. About every person my husband talked to said the same thing. My gallbladder didn't show anything until the HIDA scan. I'm guessing because of insurance they have to take you through the steps. I'm trying not to freak out about the surgery. I've never been put under before. Also praying my recovery is easy. I told my boss I'd see her a week after and I'm sticking to it!

 

[RachelNinja]

Hi cherbear! Glad to hear that you had your HIDA scan. I had my gallbladder removed in January of '07. During my senior year of college, I kept getting sick with really bad stomach pain and terrible nausea. Then during my first year of grad school, I was so sick that I missed 3 weeks of school in a row, which is highly unusual for me. I didn't take a medical leave because it was the end of the semester, and I wasn't about to give up the work I already put in!

I've had a gastroenterologist for a few years and I've been diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus as well as ulcerative colitis so when I started getting pain again, my doctor had a feeling it might be the gallbladder. I went to get a million ultrasounds/sonograms throughout all the stomach pain, but they never showed ANYTHING.

The worst gallbladder attack I had sent me to the hospital. I was at home, extremely nauseous and unable to breathe. I was lying on the recliner in the living room wheezing. When my mom took my temperature and found out that I had a 101.7 fever on top of all of that, she called my doctor who told us to go to the hospital right away for fear that there was fluid around my lungs. It's so terrible that everyone who has gallbladder issues always thinks it's a heart problem or a heart attack. I mean, the attack is terrible, but I think the unknown makes it that much worse!

Of course, nothing was discovered after staying in the hospital for 6 hours or so. My GI doctor sent me for the HIDA scan after another endoscopy showed nothing. And then BAMMM ... tons of pain during the test, which ended up being a GOOD thing because then it meant that we knew what was wrong!

It was the first surgery I've ever had (I'm 23), but I was strangely calm. I had a ton of people supporting me and a ton of people praying for me so I think that really helped a great deal. Unfortunately, though I don't want to scare you just in case you do end up having the surgery, the time after the surgery was the worst experience in my life. I was in so much pain in recovery. The nurses said that because I was so thin (I lost a lot of weight while I was sick and didn't eat ... it was the bad kind of losing weight because I dropped 14 pounds unintentionally in only 2 weeks), they had to pump a lot more carbon dioxide into my system. That caused a lot of pain as the air is trying to escape your body (the shoulders actually hurt a lot because of it).

The vicodin that was prescribed ended up causing more nausea so I took extra strength tylenol instead. I was actually taking part of a study on the effect of anesthesia on girls around my age (to see if there was a market for a post-anesthesia anti-nausea drug for my age group). The carbon dioxide as well as the anesthesia was what made my recovery absolutely horrible.

I think the anesthesia problem is individual though. My friend's friend who also had the surgery a year before (the first time I heard about the surgery) recovered in like 1-2 days and was so bored being at home. I took about a week to recover enough so that I could leave the house. Someone at work just had the surgery and it took her about 4 days for things to start looking better.

But despite that horrible experience, knowing how I would feel after the surgery ... I would definitely go through that tough experience again to know that I can live the rest of my life without experiencing another gallbladder attack! It's WORTH IT. I still stay away from certain foods because mentally I feel like they will stay make me sick even though I'm gallbladder-free, but it's so great to have options with food!

It took me a while to get an appetite back though. For the longest time, I couldn't really taste anything for over a year (my grandfather who also had the surgery had the same problem too). It was only recently that I started being able to taste things again! My mom can now ask me to taste food to see if it needs more salt or sugar ... beforehand I'd always be like, "It needs mroe salt!" But even with that one year of lack of tasting ... I'd STILL have the surgery.

Okay ... so I ended up writing a LOTTTTTT more than I intended ... haha, sorry about that! Even if you didn't read all of it, please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I hope you get some answers (and fixes) soon!

I plan on having a nice post-birthday/post surgery?? meal when I feel up to it. I'd love to go to Le Cellier........but that will have to wait til September!!

YES! That meal will taste SO MUCH BETTER when you know you can't get sick from it and you can actually enjoy it!

 

[donnajon]

DD8 had hers today as well. I work midnights so I was at work when I posted last night. I was about to die by the time I got home at 2 and then had to get up at 3 to go get the other two kids! She did well during hers - and I thought about you when Lauren was doing hers. She fell asleep which helped her be able to be still. She felt a little nauseated during the cck part but was better by the time it was over. She wanted to go to the hospital cafeteria and get a piece of chocolate cake as soon as the test was over! The tech guy said they would read it this afternoon and if I could pull any strings I might get the results today. I probably could have but all I wanted to do was come home and sleep so we will find out Monday. It is probably going to be normal. It is sad when you want something to be wrong - at least that way we can fix the kid!

 

[kmp1191]

I never had all the tests you're having. I had an attack in August of 97....couldn't breath, major pain...the works. DH took me to the ER and the Dr. on call listend to my lungs and said I had pluresy. (sp?) He put me on motrin 800mg and over the next year, every time I had pain, I'd take a pill or two. Almost a year to the day later, I have another MAJOR attack....DH takes me to the ER....different Dr. on duty....they do an x-ray and ultrasound and 2 days later I have laproscopic surgery. Recovery was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Although for the next month I continued to have alot of pain. GI Dr. said it was "healing pain"....he also said it was "trapped gas". Finally one day when I doubled over at work and had to go to the ER AGAIN, they did an ultrasound and found more stones in my bile duct. A few days later they do another procedure and laser zap them out. No problems after that....unless you count having DD 91/2 months after the second procedure.
I tell everyone that I traded a gallbladder for a daughter!


Good luck to you! Hope everything comes out ok!!

 

[cherbear]

CB, Sorry you are still having digestive troubles

Make sure you keep us all updated on your test results.

I didn't have to have those testss - they found the stones on the ultrasound and that was that. Good Luck with everything and happy b-day in advance

man you are lucky...that's what I was hoping for. But I hope this test found something!! It'd be nice if I could get results this week...I will try!

I find this so amusing that I find this post right in the middle of all my stomach problems. The pains started months ago (around December) and would just happen right after my period. Basically by April they are daily. Been to my regular doctor who did an ultrasound and protonix medicine. Nothing. Went to a specialist who put me on prevacid and did a scope of the stomach. Nothing. Finally had the HIDA scan. During the second part after they inject the CCK - pain like every symptom I've been having for months. Results - gallbladder functioning at 12%. So it's coming out on June 18th. Seeing my gyn. about the wacky timing with my period. About every person my husband talked to said the same thing. My gallbladder didn't show anything until the HIDA scan. I'm guessing because of insurance they have to take you through the steps. I'm trying not to freak out about the surgery. I've never been put under before. Also praying my recovery is easy. I told my boss I'd see her a week after and I'm sticking to it!

did you have pain/pressure during the first hour of the exam? (before the CCK) I did...it was very uncomfortable and I didn't want to lay flat anymore but I knew I had to bear through it so that they could find out what's wrong.

I am glad you finally had the test that showed what is wrong. It's amazing how long so many of us have to endure all this crap until they finally find what's wrong.

I am sure you will be fine in the surgery. I've never had any surgeries, except on my mouth (impacted wisdom teeth removed) so I'm a little nervous, but I know the trade-off will be worth it!! Good luck with your surgery, and I hope you will check in before and after! I will be here to give you encouragement whenever you need it! I KNOW how you feel!!

Hi cherbear! Glad to hear that you had your HIDA scan. I had my gallbladder removed in January of '07. During my senior year of college, I kept getting sick with really bad stomach pain and terrible nausea. Then during my first year of grad school, I was so sick that I missed 3 weeks of school in a row, which is highly unusual for me. I didn't take a medical leave because it was the end of the semester, and I wasn't about to give up the work I already put in!

I've had a gastroenterologist for a few years and I've been diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus as well as ulcerative colitis so when I started getting pain again, my doctor had a feeling it might be the gallbladder. I went to get a million ultrasounds/sonograms throughout all the stomach pain, but they never showed ANYTHING.

The worst gallbladder attack I had sent me to the hospital. I was at home, extremely nauseous and unable to breathe. I was lying on the recliner in the living room wheezing. When my mom took my temperature and found out that I had a 101.7 fever on top of all of that, she called my doctor who told us to go to the hospital right away for fear that there was fluid around my lungs. It's so terrible that everyone who has gallbladder issues always thinks it's a heart problem or a heart attack. I mean, the attack is terrible, but I think the unknown makes it that much worse!

Of course, nothing was discovered after staying in the hospital for 6 hours or so. My GI doctor sent me for the HIDA scan after another endoscopy showed nothing. And then BAMMM ... tons of pain during the test, which ended up being a GOOD thing because then it meant that we knew what was wrong!

It was the first surgery I've ever had (I'm 23), but I was strangely calm. I had a ton of people supporting me and a ton of people praying for me so I think that really helped a great deal. Unfortunately, though I don't want to scare you just in case you do end up having the surgery, the time after the surgery was the worst experience in my life. I was in so much pain in recovery. The nurses said that because I was so thin (I lost a lot of weight while I was sick and didn't eat ... it was the bad kind of losing weight because I dropped 14 pounds unintentionally in only 2 weeks), they had to pump a lot more carbon dioxide into my system. That caused a lot of pain as the air is trying to escape your body (the shoulders actually hurt a lot because of it).

The vicodin that was prescribed ended up causing more nausea so I took extra strength tylenol instead. I was actually taking part of a study on the effect of anesthesia on girls around my age (to see if there was a market for a post-anesthesia anti-nausea drug for my age group). The carbon dioxide as well as the anesthesia was what made my recovery absolutely horrible.

I think the anesthesia problem is individual though. My friend's friend who also had the surgery a year before (the first time I heard about the surgery) recovered in like 1-2 days and was so bored being at home. I took about a week to recover enough so that I could leave the house. Someone at work just had the surgery and it took her about 4 days for things to start looking better.

But despite that horrible experience, knowing how I would feel after the surgery ... I would definitely go through that tough experience again to know that I can live the rest of my life without experiencing another gallbladder attack! It's WORTH IT. I still stay away from certain foods because mentally I feel like they will stay make me sick even though I'm gallbladder-free, but it's so great to have options with food!

It took me a while to get an appetite back though. For the longest time, I couldn't really taste anything for over a year (my grandfather who also had the surgery had the same problem too). It was only recently that I started being able to taste things again! My mom can now ask me to taste food to see if it needs more salt or sugar ... beforehand I'd always be like, "It needs mroe salt!" But even with that one year of lack of tasting ... I'd STILL have the surgery.

Okay ... so I ended up writing a LOTTTTTT more than I intended ... haha, sorry about that! Even if you didn't read all of it, please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I hope you get some answers (and fixes) soon!

YES! That meal will taste SO MUCH BETTER when you know you can't get sick from it and you can actually enjoy it!

Of course I read it all!! I like reading about everyone's experiences with this!

I am sorry you had such a long road before and after surgery. I never heard of the taste-less experience. I hope I don't lose my sense of taste, because my free dining Disney trip is in less than a year and I'd really like to enjoy all those free meals!

Did you feel pain BEFORE the CCK was injected? (you did have CCK, right?) Like I said above, I had some pain in the first part of the test, it was a lot of pressure on my right side. I had a little pain during the CCK, but no nausea. I felt lots of pain LATER in the day too.

This will be my first surgery, too. (I'm assuming it will have to come out) I am not too nervous about it now because I'm just ready to have this thing out! If/when I actually have to schedule it, I will probably start to freak out a little--though I am hoping I can remain calm and retain my composure.

DD8 had hers today as well. I work midnights so I was at work when I posted last night. I was about to die by the time I got home at 2 and then had to get up at 3 to go get the other two kids! She did well during hers - and I thought about you when Lauren was doing hers. She fell asleep which helped her be able to be still. She felt a little nauseated during the cck part but was better by the time it was over. She wanted to go to the hospital cafeteria and get a piece of chocolate cake as soon as the test was over! The tech guy said they would read it this afternoon and if I could pull any strings I might get the results today. I probably could have but all I wanted to do was come home and sleep so we will find out Monday. It is probably going to be normal. It is sad when you want something to be wrong - at least that way we can fix the kid!

aww you thought about me? I was thinking about you and your DD too! The first thought was that if it's this hard for ME to lay still this whole time, it can't be easy for an 8 year old! I'm glad she fell asleep. I tried to, but I just couldn't. I surprisingly didn't feel nauseated during the CCK. The tech told me that most people don't have a big problem with that---though I told him I had heard differently.

That would be GREAT to get the results Monday!! They also told me they'd be reading it the same day. I hope it's not normal (you know what I mean by that) though she is just SO young to be going through all this! If mine comes out normal, I will bawl my eyes out, I think I will go through an emotional breakdown. I just can't handle going through any more tests.

I think because your daughter felt nauseated during the test, it will not be normal. How long did it take for her GB to show up on the screen during the first part of the test??

Good luck with whatever the outcome! Please let us know what happens!

I never had all the tests you're having. I had an attack in August of 97....couldn't breath, major pain...the works. DH took me to the ER and the Dr. on call listend to my lungs and said I had pluresy. (sp?) He put me on motrin 800mg and over the next year, every time I had pain, I'd take a pill or two. Almost a year to the day later, I have another MAJOR attack....DH takes me to the ER....different Dr. on duty....they do an x-ray and ultrasound and 2 days later I have laproscopic surgery. Recovery was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Although for the next month I continued to have alot of pain. GI Dr. said it was "healing pain"....he also said it was "trapped gas". Finally one day when I doubled over at work and had to go to the ER AGAIN, they did an ultrasound and found more stones in my bile duct. A few days later they do another procedure and laser zap them out. No problems after that....unless you count having DD 91/2 months after the second procedure.
I tell everyone that I traded a gallbladder for a daughter!

Good luck to you! Hope everything comes out ok!!

So when the gb is removed, they don't take out the bile duct with it? Did they just miss those existing stones the first time?

congrats on your daughter...you got a good deal!

thanks!! I hope it "comes out" too

 

[MarieS]

I had my gallbladder out 9 days ago. I didn't have gallstones, but chronic nausea and failed the HIDA test. For those of you that had yours out, how was your recovery? I was feeling fairly well--though tired--but yesterday the nausea came back. I am eating very small meals, about 4-5 times a day, low fat. I don't know if I just need to give my system more time to recover or if this really wasn't the cause. Any advice? Thanks!

 

[cherbear]

I had my gallbladder out 9 days ago. I didn't have gallstones, but chronic nausea and failed the HIDA test. For those of you that had yours out, how was your recovery? I was feeling fairly well--though tired--but yesterday the nausea came back. I am eating very small meals, about 4-5 times a day, low fat. I don't know if I just need to give my system more time to recover or if this really wasn't the cause. Any advice? Thanks!

Let's hope you just need more recovery time. Some seem to take longer than others. I can't give you any advice because I haven't had mine out (yet) but I hope you get to feeling better real soon!

 

[MarieS]

Thanks cherbear! Let us know how the emptying scan goes if you have it. This is something my PCP mentioned having me do. I had an endoscopy last year that showed mild GERD. The GI doc didn't think I should be needing Nexium( just something milder and OTC), but heartburn kicks in bad when I stop taking it. I just wish I could get rid of the nausea. Ugh!

 

[RachelNinja]

Of course I read it all!! I like reading about everyone's experiences with this!

I am sorry you had such a long road before and after surgery. I never heard of the taste-less experience. I hope I don't lose my sense of taste, because my free dining Disney trip is in less than a year and I'd really like to enjoy all those free meals!

Did you feel pain BEFORE the CCK was injected? (you did have CCK, right?) Like I said above, I had some pain in the first part of the test, it was a lot of pressure on my right side. I had a little pain during the CCK, but no nausea. I felt lots of pain LATER in the day too.

This will be my first surgery, too. (I'm assuming it will have to come out) I am not too nervous about it now because I'm just ready to have this thing out! If/when I actually have to schedule it, I will probably start to freak out a little--though I am hoping I can remain calm and retain my composure.

Yay, glad you read it

In terms of the taste thing, my grandfather experienced it as well as another older lady at my church. I don't know if this has ANYTHING to do with it, but we're all Chinese. I have never heard of anyone else who has experienced it who wasn't Chinese. Haha, I don't know if it's related, but I just thought I'd throw that in, just in case. It's not that I couldn't taste, I just needed to eat more flavorful things while other times, things were actually TOO flavorful (some things ended up being really salty to me while it was bland or normal to my mom). But again, like I said before, I was still able to enjoy a LOT more food, even if I couldn't taste as well as most.

Haha, kind of off topic, but I hope you take lots of pics when you're on DDP!

I don't know the CCK or EF thing ... I think mine was EF? But it hurt after they injected it. Even though I felt like it had to mean something if there was pain, I had to go into it thinking that everything would be okay, that everything would come out negative. I had gotten negative results on every other test I had, and I knew I would be REALLY upset if I had my hopes set on this being the answer and it wasn't.

Keep us updated about the potential surgery! In general, I know that most people are nervous before surgeries, but for some reason, I'm really calm before surgeries and medical tests. I think it's because, at that point, there's nothing worry can do. Plus, I focus on the relief afterwards. I really had God's comforting peace because all the doctors and nurses before the cholecystectomy said, "Wait, is this your first surgery? You're really calm." I was sitting there waiting with my robe, booties, and shower cap thing on and chatting with my mom.

If you do have the surgery, I believe you'll be fine. You've got a huge bunch of DISers on your side rooting for you

For those of you that had yours out, how was your recovery? I was feeling fairly well--though tired--but yesterday the nausea came back. I am eating very small meals, about 4-5 times a day, low fat. I don't know if I just need to give my system more time to recover or if this really wasn't the cause. Any advice? Thanks!

I'm going to say it might just be your recovery. I was so nauseous for days afterwards. I actually thought I may have split stitches when I sneezed so I had to go visit my surgeon the day after the surgery so he could check it. I was feeling VERY weak, and he asked what I ate. I told him I had a little bit of soup and he kind of yelled me to eat more. He said he knew that I was really nauseous, but I needed to eat to help speed the recovery. That may have been why it took me longer ... the nausea prevented me from eating, which in turn made my recovery longer. Hopefully your nausea will subside, but I guess from the doctor's point of view, just try to eat as much as you can.

In a previous post, I wrote that I was actually taking part in a study for anti-nausea meds for post-anesthesia patients. So it also could have been the anesthesia. Your body could also just be getting used to digesting without the gallbladder. Either way, give it some time ... hopefully the nausea will disappear! I'll keep you in my prayers I feel like people who have gallbladder problems are kindred spirits