Tell me I'm doing the right thing "removing gallbladder"

HOLLAND · 10-14-2009, 11:34 AM

This coming Friday I'm scheduled to have my gallbladder taken out. A couple of weeks ago I had my 1st and only gallbladder attack. I went to have an ultrasound done and gallstones were found. My Dr sent me to a surgeon and now this Dr has scheduled me to have surgery on Friday. I don't know why I don't just go with it since the Dr says it's the only thing that can be done. He said that the stones were caused by my pregnancy. I asked him if he could give me something to disolve them and he said no. He said once you start to have gallbladder problems they never stop so the best thing is to have it removed. DH is doubting that I should have this done. He sent me lots of info yesterday that talks about how there are other options out there and that he's a little upset that the Dr said there was nothing else that could be done but to remove it. I'm breastfeeding so I don't know if the Dr feels that this is the easiest way to take care of the problem if I want to continue to nurse. He said that I don't want to leave it in there and it become an emergency situation because one of them begins to move.

I've talked to others that have had this surgery and they have all said that I should get it done. That I don't want to keep it if it's started to give me problems. My thing is that if it was caused by my pregnancy and the baby being up to high causing it not to function properly then it should work ok now since I'm not pregnany anymore.

I just need assurance that I'm doing the right thing by having it removed. I've been having twinges of pain since the attack. I've also been a little sick to my stomach and I've been getting heartburn.

I need some support here!!!!

CherryBomb9584 · 10-14-2009, 06:30 PM

Mine also stopped functioning...my doctor said it was from birth control pills..not sure about that one lol. I had no stones though. But I had attacks so bad all I could do is lay in bed and cry. I made the mistake of eating steamed broccoli and oh my goodness!
I had it removed (laproscopy) about 5 years ago and was out of the hospital that night. It wasnt that bad, Id say go for it. The pain will most likely get worse. Any questions about it, Im here

Lucky's Sara · 10-14-2009, 07:19 PM

In all reality, is a very simple procedure with little risk. You'll feel much better after having it removed and there really isn't much else that can be done to treat it other than watching your diet. Even that won't last forever. If you don't have it removed, the stones can travel and cause pancreatitis and that's much more painful and harder to deal with than cholelithiasis. Once you get pancreatitis, they can't remove your pancreas like they can your gallbladder. It can cause months of hospitilizations and medications.
Get that out, you don't need it!

beavetm17 · 10-14-2009, 07:24 PM

I had it done and I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia, but that is not likely to happen to you. I was pretty miserable after the surgery, however, I feel so much better now! My energy came back and significant improvement in my acid reflux. The only problem is that you should be near a bathroom after eating fatty food, especially with taking gloucophage, I found that my GI symptoms have gotten worse since the surgery. They are more annoying than painful. I'd say do it, you will feel better, I know I did.

Eumie · 10-14-2009, 09:36 PM

Trust me on this: You're either going to have this surgery now, or you're going to have it later and endure quite a bit of pain in the interim. There is absolutely no reason not to have the surgery. Once your gall bladder goes bad, there's no going back to it functioning properly no matter the reason for the disfunction.

twilightnight · 10-14-2009, 10:22 PM

I had mine removed 2 months after my daughter was born. I was it the worst pain of my life though including the birth of my daughter. One of the stones had moved from the gall bladder and let me tell you do not want to go through that if you don't have to. I was in the hospital for a week for them to keep an eye on the stone. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything just IV fluids. Thankfully I passed the stone and didn't have to have surgery to remove that too. Recovery isn't that bad either. Waking up after surgery is as bad as it gets. I was send home with pain pills and never took one...Once it was removed the little pain from the surgery was nothing compared to having the attack.

Lucky's Sara · 10-15-2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eumie

Trust me on this: You're either going to have this surgery now, or you're going to have it later and endure quite a bit of pain in the interim. There is absolutely no reason not to have the surgery. Once your gall bladder goes bad, there's no going back to it functioning properly no matter the reason for the disfunction.

Exactly!

TMLyons710 · 10-15-2009, 12:18 PM

As others have said, if you don't have it removed now, you will have to have it done later and it will be way more painful. I had my gallbladder out about 6 years ago (right after I turned 18 which is super uncommon). They have no idea why my gallbladder went bad at such a young age but it did. I have had other surgeries that went very very wrong due to anesthesia issues but having my gallbladder out was the best thing I ever did! The only pain I really had once I was over the initial waking up from the surgery was super sore stomach muscles for about a week. It just felt like I had done 5000 sit ups or something. Don't get me wrong, it hurt, but it was more sore muscles then the type of pain you generally think of after surgery.

If you need anything don't hesitate to ask...that's what we are here for. I truly hope you decide to go through with this. Good Luck!

northwoodsgirl · 10-15-2009, 05:24 PM

I agree with everyone else. It's better to get it done now than have it done later and possibly in an emergency situation. I had my first attack when I was 24 & was in horrible pain. The doctor said I was constipated and sent me home. 5 months later I had my 2nd attack, one of the stones had started to move and I had to have surgery right away. The pain was so bad that morphine wasn't helping. After the surgery, my stomach muscles were sore for a week but I was back to classes 2 days after. Having the surgery now will save you later pain.

Just wondering, did your parents have problems with their gallbladders? My doctor told me it may be hereditary, esp. among women in the family. My mother had hers removed after her last pregnancy & my sister just had hers removed.

tshaffpa33 · 10-15-2009, 06:21 PM

my husband just had his gallbladder out on Thursday and was ready for work on Tuesday. He is doing fine. He went for a year in so much pain. His doc was the opposite, wanting to test everything else .. even tho we knew the gallbladder was bad from a Hida scan. he did a scope and found he had ulcers.. so we had to treat them first. it was HORRIBLE.

My husband was in soo much pain everyday!!!!!

the gallbladder won't get better, and with stones you are in an even more precarious situation.

Feel confident your makin the right decision. there MAY be alternatives, that your Dh found on the internet.. but trust your doc before you trust google!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Samie · 10-15-2009, 06:39 PM

Everything everyone's said is right on the money. Not taking it out now, will result in more money, more pain, and more problems later. It can become infected, and end up leaking toxins into your abdominal cavity as well, which can be fatal if not caught rather quickly. This is a rare complication but it is still a possibility. There are many many other complications that can happen by not getting it out. I'm all for alternative treatment, but for this one, I'd go with Western Medicine.

Mom2KassAutumn · 10-20-2009, 04:07 PM

Do the surgery..You'll be glad you did...

beachlover · 10-21-2009, 01:19 AM

I had to have my gall bladder taken out 3 months after I had DS, also a result of pregnancy. Your digestion slows down while you are pregnant, so the bile ends up forming stones-that's why a lot of times you have to get it out while pregnant, and later on. I was actually having attacks while pregnant and just thought I was having terrible gas due to being pregnant! As with others, I would go ahead and get it out. If not now, you will have more attacks and you will have to have it out anyway. Good luck!

GlitterStar · 10-23-2009, 07:30 PM

Yep, I'll add my concurrance....get r done, lol. Many woman get gallstones right after pregnancy, not sure why, but it's not uncommon at all. Many women who don't even have kids them get, for some reason, gallstones and gall issues are more prevelent in women. And once they start, you might have long periods of time where you have no issues or pain, but eventually...it WILL start again and they become more frequent with less time between episodes and each episode get's progressively more painful and lasts longer each time as well.

Your DH is right, there are meds that can dissolve them, which might work for you now since you're just starting to have problems, but eventually, even the meds won't be able to dissolve the stones and you'll still end up having it out.

The surgery is safe and simple and you'll be back up and to your normal routine in a matter of a few days to a week. So do it and never have to worry about future pain - which trust me - is EXCRUCIATING!

JuicyDevil · 10-23-2009, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HOLLAND

This coming Friday I'm scheduled to have my gallbladder taken out. A couple of weeks ago I had my 1st and only gallbladder attack. I went to have an ultrasound done and gallstones were found. My Dr sent me to a surgeon and now this Dr has scheduled me to have surgery on Friday. I don't know why I don't just go with it since the Dr says it's the only thing that can be done. He said that the stones were caused by my pregnancy. I asked him if he could give me something to disolve them and he said no. He said once you start to have gallbladder problems they never stop so the best thing is to have it removed. DH is doubting that I should have this done. He sent me lots of info yesterday that talks about how there are other options out there and that he's a little upset that the Dr said there was nothing else that could be done but to remove it. I'm breastfeeding so I don't know if the Dr feels that this is the easiest way to take care of the problem if I want to continue to nurse. He said that I don't want to leave it in there and it become an emergency situation because one of them begins to move.

I've talked to others that have had this surgery and they have all said that I should get it done. That I don't want to keep it if it's started to give me problems. My thing is that if it was caused by my pregnancy and the baby being up to high causing it not to function properly then it should work ok now since I'm not pregnany anymore.

I just need assurance that I'm doing the right thing by having it removed. I've been having twinges of pain since the attack. I've also been a little sick to my stomach and I've been getting heartburn.

I need some support here!!!!

I had mine taken out when I was 17......I must say, thats when My weight gain started...........I went into surgert 150 lbs exactly 1 month later I was 180 when i went back to the doctor for my check up* and it's been a down ward spiral every since...