topic Re: Gall stone question/surgery? in Wellness

Gall stone question/surgery?

petepetey — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:01:20 GMT

I want to say first YES I have seen doctors and will continue to do so.

Have any of you had your gallbladder removed because of gallstones. If so, did the problems you had resolve? Are you happy or not that you did the surgery?

I just learned I have stones. They were discovered by an ultra sound. I don't have major problems now and was surprised I have them.

Is there a diet that you need to follow?

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

brii — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:09:55 GMT

I had my gall bladder removed in August. I didn't have stones though. I had a polyp on my bile duct. I was always nauseous and always felt bloated/full.

The surgery was in the morning and I was home that afternoon. I had it removed laparoscopically with a few small incisions that were taped (no sutures).

I had mild discomfort that night and into the next day and I ate very light foods that were easy to digest. I did notice that my stomach was swollen for about a week.

I eat a very healthy diet - lean meats and veggies mostly. I don't eat a lot of fried foods or greasy foods. That's best to avoid after having your gall bladder removed.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

millieshops — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:16:51 GMT

Years and years ago, before there was laproscopy, I had my gallbladder removed. I'd had pain when a stone became lodged in a duct. Horrific pain, so I was okay with surgery.

In those days, gallbladder surgery meant a week in hospital, and even today I'd choose that over my pain. What I don't know is what the risk is that your stones might move into a duct. That, as well as any other possible side effects of having "silent" stones, you'd have to get from someone more knowledgeable than I am.

I had no negative effects after the surgery once that big wound healed - although had I been a bikini wearer before the operation, I would not have been after. Not a problem with laproscopy though.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:16:57 GMT

During my first pregnancy I started having pain, but didn't know what to attribute it to. A month after delivery, I had an episode that wouldn't quit. Long story short, ultrasound revealed stones, which I apparently had during the pregnancy, so I had surgery (old school slice across my belly). I had a lot of emotional stuff going on at the time, and for a little while after I was back home, but overall I am glad I had it done. I've said many times that I'd go through the pain of childbirth ten times rather than experience that gall bladder pain again.

If you want to try to manage it with diet, you need eliminate fats or go extremely low fat.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

Brigitta — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:44:13 GMT

I had my gall bladder removed last year because I had stones and was in a lot of pain. It was absolutely the easiest surgery I've ever had. I had 4 small ( 1/2") incisions which healed very quickly. I had no discomfort at all. I have found, however, that I should not eat many high fat foods. If I do, I feel sick and get a lot of gas. So you learn what you can safely eat. I highly recommend this surgery because of the strides that have been made with laparoscopic surgery.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

tototwo — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:49:19 GMT

I remember when friends and co-workers would have their gall bladders removed decades ago, they were told to stay on a special diet for the rest of their lives. That isn't the case anymore.

My gall bladder was removed 3 years ago laparoscopically - 2 teensy incisions and I was back home by noon. Easy peezy. I did not have stones but other internal problems -- my symptoms stopped immediately after surgery. I asked about having to be on a diet and was told that wasn't necessary. Both my doc and the surgeon told me that a special diet following gall bladder removal is not necessary.

I went back to work 3 days after surgery and never had any ill effects. Guess I was lucky.

Good luck to you!

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

petepetey — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:55:46 GMT

I've been to so many doctors in the last 6 months I can't count anymore. Not one thought gallstones.

IBS, was one diagnosis and anxiety was the most diagnosed with me. Of course I have anxiety big time now because when a doctor tells you that is what you have, you get it!

I had a CT scan due to the pain of ibs and then an endoscopy ultra sound and that doctor saw the gallstones.

I have weird pains, can't eat certain foods etc. So far it has not been very bad that I am ready to do anything. I do have an appt. with a surgeon though to discuss my future.

It's funny when my problems first started my mother suggested gallbladder problems. Moms know best!

Thanks for the replies here!

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

ChynnaBlue — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 18:02:57 GMT

I did a few years ago. I was experiencing extreme pain and sometimes vomiting before the surgery. After the surgery, I was back to normal. There's no special diet for after, but your body will not be able to process fats the same way, so if you eat a lot of greasy, fatty foods often, you will get diarrhea. Just be careful and don't eat pizza or burgers every night and you should be fine.

My surgery was quick and they let me stay in the hospital overnight, which was good because I live alone. The next few days I had to take it easy, eat bland foods, and there was some pain with movement, especially sitting up from a lying down position, twisting to get the alarm clock, or sneezing/coughing. (For months I held my stomach when I sneezed because it felt like I was going to tear the scar open and my intensiveness would squirt out the hole. That was NOT at all a risk, it just felt like it.) I think I had my surgery on a Tuesday, worked from home on Thursday and Friday and was back in the office on Monday.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

Jessa9 — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 18:12:00 GMT

I had my gall bladder removed 2 years ago because of two big gall stones. I have had no trouble at all and I ate everything that I ate before. Good Luck to you.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

Vivian — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 18:15:23 GMT

In 1992 I was one of the first patients in my area to have laparascopic gall bladder surgery. I had had gall bladder attacks which necessitated the surgery. Everything went very well. I've had no problems. I try to eat healthfully although I admit my yearly trips to France are not low fat. Nevertheless, eating well, exercising, keeping my weight within nornal range all help to keep me feeling well. Bottom line is find a surgeon who has done many of these procedures and follow instructions for diet & exercise and you should be fine.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

tansy — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 02:39:17 GMT

I had mine removed laparoscopically in July. I was having intense episodes of vomiting but no pain otherwise. I do have to watch how many nuts I eat but that's about it. This was the easiest surgery I have ever had.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

Mary Bailey — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 02:45:12 GMT

I had mine removed about 5 years ago. It was easy. The pain I had before surgery was excruciating. I had stones. They had to do another incision to vacuum out stones that spilled out of my gallbladder.

I read that some people can't eat certain things after surgery. I have no problem with any foods.

I haven't had any pain since.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

Marimsw — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 03:09:50 GMT

I'm in a similar situation. Had an ultrasound for an unrelated issue and Dr said I had a pretty large gallstone. I have no pain or any problems. Sent me to a gastroenterologist and he said it's standard to just leave the stone if you aren't having problems. The stones also run in families - not necessarily due to diet. My daughter had an attack when she was 12 and had to have her gall bladder removed - Dr said that was VERY unusual.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

Carmie — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 03:40:39 GMT

I had surgery to remove my gall bladder about 7 years ago. I had awful, painful attacks, usually right after lunch. I would be in so much pain that I couldn't stand up. (salad dressing)

The attacks lasted about 30 minutes and I would have several a month. I didn't want surgery, so I lived with it.

After about a year of this, I had an attack while on vacation that lasted all night. (I ate spareribs) I didn't want to awake my husband, so I just put up with it. It was one of the worse nights of my life,

When I got back home, I made an appointment to have it removed. The surgery was a cake walk. No discomfort at all.

The surgeon told me I had two golf ball sized stones. I feel 100% better. I would not hesitate to have my gall bladder removed if I had pain.

If there was no pain or problems, I would leave well enough alone.

The surgeon told me the gall bladder makes bile. The bile is released into the liver when we eat fatty foods. If we have stones, sometimes they clog the duct and the bile can't flow through. When this happens, the body seizes and spasms to remove the stone. That is what causes the pain...feels like a charlie horse on the upper right side. Once the stone is out of the way, the pain stops immediately.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

PalmTree11 — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 03:42:12 GMT

Had mine removed almost a year ago. Like others have said, fatty foods are a no-no afterwards. I followed a pretty strict diet after surgery. Eventually I was able to eat junk food again. Lately I have been having issues. Not sure if they are due to gallbladder or possible gluten intolerance. All I know is my body definitely knows the difference between healthy and unhealthy! Surgery itself was super easy. I was at the point before surgery where I couldn't keep anything, even water, down. When the surgeon went in he found the gallbladder was very close to rupture and has been so swollen for so long that it has fused with surrounding tissue so I was a little more sore than the average patient. Honestly, not bad at all. I was a little hunched over for the first few days and sore, but just like I had worked out my abs really hard. I just wish I had taken my issues more seriously and sought medical help sooner! Best of luck to you, and let us know if you decide to have the surgery.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

KarenQVC — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 04:49:35 GMT

I had it done because the imaging looked like it was going to turn bad--no symptoms. Laperoscopy was fine. Stayed overnight in observation. I wasn't advised of a diet, but I couldn't do heavy lifting or working out for 6 weeks--and the doctor said he wasn't kidding around about that.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

Kachina624 — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 05:05:36 GMT

On 11/11/2014 petepetey said:
I've been to so many doctors in the last 6 months I can't count anymore. Not one thought gallstones.

IBS, was one diagnosis and anxiety was the most diagnosed with me. Of course I have anxiety big time now because when a doctor tells you that is what you have, you get it!

I had a CT scan due to the pain of ibs and then an endoscopy ultra sound and that doctor saw the gallstones.

I have weird pains, can't eat certain foods etc. So far it has not been very bad that I am ready to do anything. I do have an appt. with a surgeon though to discuss my future.

It's funny when my problems first started my mother suggested gallbladder problems. Moms know best!

Thanks for the replies here!

I had gallbladder surgery the old fashioned way in 1970 after a horrific attack. The reason I immediately scheduled the surgery was that an attack can occur anytime and I didn't want to risk it when I was away from home or at a very inconvenient time. If you've had one attack, you're assured of having more. Now getting rid of gallstones is a cinch, and there's no reason to hesitate. One less thing to worry about. I've never had any side-effects and eat whatever I want.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

Climbergirl — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 08:02:51 GMT

I had gallbladder disease for a few years but was never correctly diagnosed until a large stone lodged in my bile duct. The pain was unbearable and I wound up in the hospital for nearly a week with pancreatitis. This happened at the worst possible time, just about to start a new job and no health insurance. Shortly after that I had my gall bladder removed, surgery was a breeze - laparascopic - and I went home the same day. My 19 year old daughter was having stomach pains and thankfully they found right away that she had gallstones also, and she opted to have her gall bladder removed. Surgery was also quite easy for her. I am glad she was quickly and correctly diagnosed, so that she didn't have to go through what I did. We don't have to follow any special diet, but do try to eat healthfully.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

fromthebronx — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:36:46 GMT

Hi Pete, I had gallbladder surgery in 1995 when I was in my early 40s. I knew I had stones, but I figured I could put off the surgery (as several family members had done). Lo and behold, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, after a vegetarian Chinese food meal, I ended up in the emergency room with pain that just would not go away. After extensive testing, the docs discovered that I had a bile duct obstruction (a large stone had lodged in the duct). I was admitted to the hospital, placed on an IV, and had the surgery (a hybrid laparoscopic/open procedure) the following Monday. The surgeon told me if I had not come to the emergency room and had continued to eat and drink and go about my business, I probably would have been dead by Monday. My advice to you is that if you ever have pain which is more severe than usual or lasts longer than usual, go to the hospital ASAP.

It's been almost 20 years since the surgery, and since then my tolerance for greasy foods has gotten worse and I have also become lactose intolerant. This doesn't happen too often, but it does affect a certain percentage of patients and is called post-cholecystectomy syndrome.

I wish you the best.

Re: Gall stone question/surgery?

pattypeep — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 16:11:59 GMT

I had mine removed about 10 years ago. After I was diagnosed, the Dr. refused to let me postpone the surgery due to a vacation we had planned. I took him seriously, and had the surgery laparoscopically and went on vacation two weeks later. I didn't understand the seriousness until a number of years later when my BIL almost died from pancreatitis. He was in the hospital for seven months and the bills ran over $2,000,000. Yes ~ two million dollars. Insurance topped out. Thank goodness he recovered. I would not ignore gall stones.