Anyone had gallbladder issues?

[tavernier]

76, healthy, slightly overweight but not obese, take no meds, still work full time. I started having right side abdominal crampy pains - not horrible but intermittent for a week - so I called doc and I’m booked for ultra sound this coming Friday. Not entirely certain gall bladder is the problem but symptoms seem to indicate this might be the culprit. I’ve never had any symptoms of this before, and I’m wondering how quickly stuff can accelerate to where I may need help for this before I have the ultra sound. The pain is mild, more like pressure, and I’ve been drinking lots and lots of water and staying active which seems to help. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through this since I’m clueless. And by the way, I am a retired nurse, and I know all about the theory, the diagnosis and the certain types of surgeries, etc., but I don’t actually know anyone who has been through the process.

[claudette]

1. With me

I never had any problems, but one night I ate hard-boiled eggs at dinner and by 10 PM was in extreme pain that I thought was food poisoning. Went to the ER at midnight because it got worse and an ultra sound was done. Laparoscopic surgery was done at 7 AM the next morning. Stayed overnight and was sent home the next day. No problems. Was told not to eat fat for 3 weeks. Also, I was told I had a stone the size of a peanut M&M. So glad it was fixed so quickly.

Compared that to one of my friends who had the "regular" surgery and she was in the hospital for almost two weeks.

[tavernier]

11. Wow!

Mine started very mildly but certainly aware that something is not right.
How long before you were able to be fully active after the surgery? I still work and would hope to return fairly soon.

[claudette]

12. To be honest

(and hope I'm not offensive) because of the "gas" they use to extend your body, once my bowels started working properly - in two or three days - I was fine - back to normal, except for eliminating fat (which I still limit).

One of my sisters had "elective" surgery to have her gall bladder removed and was back to work in two days.

On edit: I should mention that my doctor told me that gall bladder "problems" run in families, and that is why my sister went to her gastroenterologist to get tested and elected to have it removed before it caused severe problems.

[tavernier]

14. Good information

Thanks

[claudette]

16. Good luck!

👍

[SledDriver]

18. Almost the exact same experience here

But mine was triggered by eating chinese food the night before.

[claudette]

20. I guess we were

fortunate not to have suffered for any length of time before getting the problem resolved!

[SledDriver]

30. My first attack was in December

This was almost 20 years ago. Pepperoni pizza for dinner. By midnight I was doubled over in pain. Went to the ER, they didn't find anything. Said it was probably a muscle spasm and to take Motrin.

Fast forward to February. Chinese for dinner. Again doubled over in pain. Went to ER again. This time they did an ultrasound and found "tar balls" in my gallbladder. Kept me overnight, no further problems, so they released me. Made it 1 mile from the hospital and had to turn around and go back as the pain returned. Laparoscopic surgery the next morning. Stayed overnight again and was released the next day. Worst part, aside from the initial pain, was when they removed the drainage tube.

I was back to normal in a week.

Gallbladder runs in my family. One of my uncles had surgery back in the 80's and it was a HUGE incision, with staples.

[claudette]

31. Wow

I'm sorry it took so long for you to get relief. Glad it's all over and we were able o get the less invasive surgery 🙂

[Easterncedar]

2. I only know my mother didn't have her gall bladder removed in time

She lived to 93, but spent much of the last 2 years in really awful pain and illness. By then she was too old for surgery. It killed her.

On edit. Sorry, that wasn’t helpful. I suppose I would suggest from my experience getting a long term prognosis if you are diagnosed with gall bladder problems, so you might avoid the situation my mother was in. To be fair, she really didn’t want to be as careful in her diet as she should have been. The very occasional lapses with fried fat always had nearly immediate consequences.

[tavernier]

10. Good to know!

Hopefully if that’s the problem, I will have this thing removed before my next trip to Popeyes chicken.

[KarenS]

3. years & years ago,,,,

in my 30s

I was misdiagnosed or not listened to by my PCP,,,, severe and vomit inducing pain,,,, started limiting my food on my own for awhile,,,, finally went to a gastroenterologist, had an ultrasound and I had gallstones all lined up in the tube that goes from gallbladder to intestine plus backed up nearly into my pancreas,,, back then they removed gallbladders (the old fashioned way),,,, they said I will take a long time to digest fat with a fatty meal,,,, the surgery then was hard but it was better that the pain,,, I am 73 now so that was half my life ago,,,,

on edit:
to get by for now, don't eat too much fat,,,, that's what kicks in the need for the gallbladder to give the intestines digestive help with the squirt of bile.

[tavernier]

9. Thanks

for the advice! No bacon for breakfast today.
I already had a half a cup of blueberries, and they’re sitting very well.

[2naSalit]

25. Yes, avoid fat and fried anything...

Until you get this resolved. Also MSG, if anyone still uses it, is really bad. I became aware of my gall bladder when I ate Chinese food with MSG and I had horrible problems for a few days. I'm not very big and all my organs have serious demands on them. What I had, aside for abdominal pain was a swelling faces. especially around my eyes. I think I'm allergic to MSG, perhaps.

I just avoid the foods that aggravate my gall bladder and do have few episodes which happen when I can't say "no" to onions rings or something.

If advised to have it removed, I'd do it.

[tavernier]

26. Oh, it's history

Assuming that’s the diagnosis of course.

[2naSalit]

27. I kind of meant...

That I would have mine out if my doc suggested it. But also kind of advice.

[tavernier]

28. Well received!

Fat and Fried are no longer part of my vocabulary.
Now to try not to smell the bacon my kids are frying in the kitchen.

[Pluvious]

35. I've posted a tip (see #33) you might find helpful...

[Pluvious]

34. I've posted a tip (see #33) you might find helpful...

[MutantAndProud]

4. I have a golf ball sized stone and they left it in

From being on a badly formulated nutritional supplement when I was super sick years ago. They decided to leave it in, since I can mostly manage if I don’t go crazy with certain types or levels or fatty foods. Why, I don’t know. I feel like I’d get fewer cramp sessions if that had taken it out and I just processed less fat but I just assumed my gastro doctors only generally knew what to do. I’ve been a Guinea pig for a while so I just assume it’s all torture ‘for science’ anyway.

[tavernier]

7. Are you high risk

for surgery? Can’t imagine any other reason for them to stall it.

[MutantAndProud]

8. Not anymore

I was for a while. There have been many many questionable healthcare decisions in my record but no one seems to bat an eye anymore

[CincyDem]

21. I managed a golf ball for about 3 years.

If I had an episode brought on by a lapse in food judgement or a hidden “fat treat” buried in some meal, I could almost predict to the 15 minute mark when the pain would subside.

Then I fell off the wagon severely with a pizza late lunch and a surprise slug of sesame oil when I wasn’t paying attention at a happy hour.

Lost all predictability.

When to doc, got scheduled for lapro.

Supposed to take an hour. Two hours later we were done and he told ms cincydem this was the closest he’d come to having to open up a scheduled lapro. Happen in emergencies but usually not in scheduled.

So. Stay in the wagon but if ya fall off, don’t dawdle cuz the golf ball can go bad fast.

[MutantAndProud]

22. Oh I know pizza can be murder

I’ve had a hard time finding a care team after moving that is available sooner than six months out on the primary side but I retained my gastro doctor so if I actually *need* it…

Some states’ healthcare support feels like what I imagine prison medical care is like

[tavernier]

23. 3 years, wow!

I’m only at a week and a half and I’m ready to have it out! Not that the pain is horrible, but it’s there, it comes and goes, but it never entirely goes.

What exactly did you eat that did not trigger your pain?
I’m seeing very mixed advice on internet sites and therefore I’d rather get it from someone who lived it.

[Srkdqltr]

5. When doc says it's time, have it out. Don't wait the stone only gets bigger

Bigger and more difficult to remove.

[tavernier]

6. I'm no hero

I would just as soon have it out right now before it becomes a problem bigger than just intermittent pain and pressure.

[Srkdqltr]

13. You don't have to put up with it. Have it out.

[Think. Again.]

15. Mine was an emergency procedure...

In my early 50's, the pain started at the beginning of a week and by Saturday night SEVERE pain landed me in the emregency room, where at first they didn't realize what the problem was. Emergency removal surgery that night.

I spent a few days recovering in the hospital (they told me the bladder itself was very bad, whatever that means, apparently it had been going bad, unnoticed, for a while) and had a drainage hose of some kind removed about a week later.

Since healing from all that everything has been fine. No change of diet, no bowel difficulties, no real difference from before the trouble began.

Wishing you the best.

[tavernier]

17. Thanks!

I’ve been trying to speed up the process of getting the ultra sound and the doc appointment… so far I’ve been able to reduce the time by a week by going to a different location for the ultrasound, hoping to avoid a situation like yours. It seems as though an emergency is the only way to get this done quickly. Fingers crossed I can drown this sucker in gallons of water and avoid all the trigger foods until I can have it out. … if of course that turns out to be the problem.

[lark]

19. Yes, I had gallbladder problems 35 years ago.

I had reflux and it was being disguised by that for many years. I had been on a low fat diet for awhile and was doing good, but then treated myself to a Blizzard. I didn't even get half of it down before the severe pains started. 3 hours later, pain was unrelenting, so off to the hospital. In the x=rays the bright reflux hid my gall bladder so they thought it was just my stomach. I threw up the medicine they gave me, proving it wasn't my stomach, they did a different kind of xray and yep, my gallbladder was full to the top of ground up dust from stones and infection. If I hadn't gotten there that night, the infection would have moved further and I'd have to have major surgery.

[tavernier]

24. Geesh!

I would hope the diagnostic equipment is better lately!
What you describe is a nightmare.

[Chernevog]

29. I actually

Had the procedure done years ago when I was in my 30s...that's becoming more common because of poor diets and fast food...I had the full surgery, before endoscopic surgery became common...fortunately endoscopic surgery makes it much easier

[Warpy]

32. It does sound like a low level grumbling gall bladder

The ERCP doesn't sound like it made anybody's day, but they all said dreading it was worse than the procedure, which they slept through. The descriptions online don't tell you anything from a patient's POV, the dry descriptions often terrifying to civilians. I can tell you that it's done under short acting anesthesia. You won't be around to feel anything.

I mention that one because it was the gold standard where I worked, the HDA and MRI missing some types of stones and/or some pancreatic problems.

[Pluvious]

33. Here is a VERY HELPFUL tip for those of us with no gallbladder...

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned this, as I've met a few others without a GB and told them about my "discovery," and they were like "of course."

JUST yesterday, I took a friend to lunch, and ate a bit too of some fatty yummy food...

I'm driving him home, and say "I can't stay, forgot my bile salts and I'm hurting."
He goes, lemme call my GF, she doesn't have one either, and I'm sure she's got some that I can take.

And just like that, 4-5 minutes after taking one of her tablets, I'm no longer feeling the unhappy tummy.

Also, it's a Big Nice Help to prevent the next day's runs... heh (TMI, I know)

So, DYOR, and get yourself some tablets.

I have found that if I consume over 5 grams of bad fat, I need some salts - as a doc will tell you,
the liver provides a steady drip of bile into your pipes - but it's not enuf for a pizza pie lol

Hope this helps

[KarenS]

36. Thank you

Never heard of bile salts,,,, I'll have to try them out.

[Rebl2]

37. Had gallbladder

surgery in early 2008. Had some tests late 2007 and they discovered no stones, but that my gallbladder was pretty much no longer functioning. They used laparoscopy to remove it and they did it as outpatient.