Argh! Surgery dilemma (gallbladder)

M

MCunningham

Cathlete
So, back in January, I went to the ER at about midnight after 3 hours of constant vomiting (about every 10 minutes) and upper back pain (not debilitating pain, but definitely nothing to shake off). While there, they did a CT and an ultrasound and diagnosed me as having gall stones and suffering from an acute gallbladder attack.

Pertinent facts:
1.) I just turned 30
2.) I'd never before had stomach pain/issues
3.) DH and I are planning to start a family later this year or early next year

Once they stabilized me and released me after an overnight stay, the ER physician recommended that I seek opinions of surgeons on the possibility of having my gallbladder removed.

Surgeon 1's opinion:
- Not sure I really had a gallbladder attack in January
- Still recommends removal because of my young age and the fact that the gallbladder does not currently seem necrotic/infected
- Heavily recommends removal because I will be trying to get pregnant, and pregnancy can apparently cause major problems in women who have gallstones (and who wants that additional complication during a pregnancy?)
- Told me that there is a way to dissolve gallstones, but it's lengthy and painful and they usually come back anyway

Surgeon 2's opinion:
- Also on the fence about whether the January issue was a gallbladder attack mainly because the pain factor wasn't HUGE for me, thinks it may have been food poisoning instead and discovery of the gallstones was incidental
- Recommends getting the surgery anyway because of the potential for infection/necrosis as I age (assuming I live another 50 or so years) and may not be as able to recover from surgery if I develop complications when I'm older
- Also strongly recommends taking care of it before trying to conceive because gallbladder attacks tend to increase during pregnancy and treatment options are limited at that point


So, although both surgeons recommend the surgery (it would apparently be laproscopic), I've been terrifying myself by reading stories of post-surgery issues online (explosive diarrhea, pain where the gallbladder used to be, weight gain, decreased energy level). However, since I'm not sure I actually had a gallbladder attack and I haven't had one since in the following 9 months, I've had the luxury of debating both sides, and I'm torn between going with what the surgeons recommend and knowing that my digestive system might be forever wacky and other problems might crop up. If I weren't considering pregnancy in a few months, I probably would wait to see if I had another (or my first?) gallbladder attack, because as it turns out, my grandmother has had gallstones for decades and has never had an attack.

Anyway, I'm still torn. My husband thinks I should do it, and my head tells me I should, but I've never had surgery before and I'm really quite terrified... plus, like I said, I feel almost like it might not be entirely necessary because I might not have had an acute attack yet.

So, my questions:
1.) What would you do, faced with my info?
2.) To those who've done it, please tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly. How has your digestive system/energy level been since? Do you regret the surgery?

Thank you in advance!

MC
 
Are you saying the gallstone diagnosis was correct but the gallbladder attack is questionable ?

My father in law had a gallbladder attack many years ago and he took many months to recover from the surgery. But he was in his 50's.

I would not opt for surgery unless there was a definable problem.
 
I had my gallbladder out I believe it was 2005. Beginning of November. I had been having an "ow" in the upper GI region for awhile which I chalked up to indigestion and stress. One night I came home from work feeling especially crappy and my upper GI area really hurting, but it wasn't my stomach. I ended up doubled over sitting on the bed and DH took my to the ER. It was the worst pain in that area that I have ever felt. I remember having to go to the bathroom in while I was in the ER, and doubling over in pain in bathroom. I couldn't even be upright long enough to sit and pee!! The put some lovely stuff in an IV and I felt soooooo much better. I wasn't nauseated though, just in a world of hurt. They did an utlrasound and found some gallstones, and diagnosed as a gallbladder attack. I had lost a decent amt of weight just prior to that, and they said a large weight loss can get your gallbladder out of whack. My dad also had gallbladder issues and it runs in the family. So that gave them the diagnosis.

I went for a follow up w/ my GP who sent me to a surgeon (one who had fixed my dad's leg anuersym years prior so I trusted her) and told me it was my choice, but she recommended it. I knew I never, ever, ever wanted to go that pain experience again, so I did it.

No problems whatsoever. I was in the hospital in the morning and home by 2pm. It was laproscopic w/ the disclaimer that if anything went wrong, she'd have to open me up. I have 1 scar in my belly button and 3 along the bottom of my right ribcage that you wouldn't see if you weren't looking for them.

I obviously don't remember any of the actual surgery. I know when I first tried to sit up, my ab muscles felt like they had been trampled by an elephant. I had to use my arms to get up, instead of just sitting up. But I was mostly just really, really sore. I was told I could eat whatever I want, but to take it easy for a few days. I went home and spent most of the afternoon dozing on and off on the couch, with my husband standing guard and wanting to play nursemaid. The only thing that REALLY hurt was that first night when I went to go to bed and lay all the way down, I had a really sharp pain that lasted maybe 30 seconds as my muscles all tried to unkink. That was the most painful part of it all.

The next day I just lounged around the house, ate normal food, and was tired and a little sore. My belly started to balloon up and my shoulder started to hurt from all the air they pumped in during the surgery so they could see. I seriously looked 6 months pregnant, I called the Dr but they said it was normally. By day 3 I was going batty stuck up in the house, and made DH take me to the mall to look at Christmas trees. I was slow and stiff and I'm sure I looked like hell in my schleppy elasticity pants (I couldn't button my jeans) but I went. I was tired when I got home, but was ok.

I stayed home the next week, with a couple trips out by myself and felt good, but tired. I had a follow up so she could look at the incisions. Then I had another follow up to take out the stitches. I asked to go back to work, she told me no. I had to wait. She said it was better to stay home and rest. I did. I almost went insane from being home. I finally got released back to work right after Thanksgiving. I think I ended up w/ 3 weeks off. I felt it could have been less, but it probably was the right thing to do. I would have worn myself out.

So, I really didn't have any problems. I was sore for maybe a week, but nothing serious. I think I took Vicodin for the 1st 3 days maybe. I tired easily for probably the 1st 2 weeks. I was back to easy workouts pretty quickly, it was a little longer for ab work. But I was able to get up and at least walk around right away. I wasn't put on any dietary restrictions, and have never had a problem. I don't eat too much really greasy or really fatty foods to begin with, though. But if I eat the occasionally grease bomb it doesn't do anything to me other than make me feel yicky for eating crap. But the digestion is all good.

If I recall it was 2 or 3 days before I could take a shower - back to the water, and then then a week or so before front to the water and 4 or 6 weeks for a bath, to let the incisions heal. The scar in my belly button was annoying against my pants button for maybe a month, but that was my biggest annoyance/complication - if you can even call it that. I also sleep on my stomach and couldn't for a couple weeks - felt weird. That drove me crazy!

So yeah, no worries, no problems for me.

Nan
 
I find the location of your pain interesting. Not that I have knowledge of several people who've had gallstone pain, but here's my story.

I was in my early 30's when I had to have my gallbladder removed. I started having severe pain immediately beneath my xyphoid process at the base of my sternum. It would hit anytime without warning and be completely debilitating. One night, I started having the pain and vomiting. AFter about 3 hours of suffering, I finally called someone to take me to the ER. They found gallstones and admitted me. The next morning I had it removed laproscopically. I went home the next day, was walking immediately after surgery and recovered and was back at work within a week.

The danger and worse recovery comes if the gallbladder becomes infected or inflamed to the point where it can't be removed laproscopically. Then, you're looking at major surgery and 6 weeks recovery.

I think it's easier when younger and if they think that this could be a problem as your pregnancy progresses, believe me, you don't want to have any kind of surgery while pregnant. This brings up significantly more risks and issues that will affect not just you, but also your baby.

Something to consider while making your decision.

Ultimately, it is still your decision and not an easy one.

I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers as you work through this.
 
ImFiddY said:
Are you saying the gallstone diagnosis was correct but the gallbladder attack is questionable ?

My father in law had a gallbladder attack many years ago and he took many months to recover from the surgery. But he was in his 50's.

I would not opt for surgery unless there was a definable problem.
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When I was a kid (back in the early - mid 80s) my dad would wake up at night in serious pain, throwing up, all that fun stuff. He finally went to the hospital and they took out his gallbladder as emergency surgery. Said it was swollen up the size of a football!!! He had the it done the traditional way (I don't think there was laproscopic back then) and I remember him having a huge row of staples all across his stomach. I don't recall specifics because I was maybe 6 or 7, but I know he spent a few days in the hospital. I can't recall much after that as far as recovery time. As a little kid, I probably wasn't paying much attention.

Laproscopic requires a lot less healing time. But it is also going to be individual. A lady I worked with at the time had hers done laproscopically after me and she was out for 6 months. Was it her? Was it the surgeon? The hospital? Bad luck? And she continued to have digestive problems after. Maybe it really wasn't gallbladder issues? There's really no way to know. I've always been a relatively quick healer.

Nan
 
ImFiddy,

Yes, I am saying that the gallstones are definitely there (both a CT scan and an ultrasound confirm-- I saw the pictures), but no one is 100% sure that I had a gallbladder attack because I didn't have the severe pain that usually accompanies a gallbladder attack.

Both surgeons told me that gallbladder removal is the "standard of care" once gallstones have been diagnosed, so there is a problem, I'm just not sure that my gallstones have actually created a problem for me yet, hence the reticence.


Nan,

Thank you for the details of your story!! I wish that my problem was so clear-cut, that way I could make the determination to have the surgery without so much second-guessing! I'm so glad to hear that you've recovered well!! :)

MC
 
Tricia,

Thanks for sharing your story!!! I'm so glad to hear that you recovered well and quickly.

I think the points you brought up are why I'm *kind* of leaning towards the surgery-- the potential pregnancy complications and the fact that if I wait until it gets really bad, I will most likely have more surgical complications and a longer recovery.

Do any of you regret it? Like, is there any reason why you just feel like you wish you hadn't done it?

I just keep hearing horror stories about how "nothing is the same" afterward (mainly with digestion/bowels and energy) and it's scaring the heck out of me. I'd just hate to have this done and then regret it later because I didn't technically *need* it (because I'm not having the recurring pains that you and Nan described).

MC
 
I had my gallbladder removed when my second daughter was 8 months old, and if I'd had the option, I'd have preferred not to do it during that postpartum period. We were still nursing, so I had to deal with the logistics of pumping and tossing milk immediately post-op; and I wasn't able to lift her for 3 weeks, so I had to have someone with us during that time. Inconvenient! But otherwise recovery was not bad -- soreness, the shoulder pain and bloating for a few days, tired from anesthesia -- but no complications. It's been 15 years (!!), and I have no regrets about having had the surgery. I don't have residual digestive issues or any other problems.

It's a personal decision, of course. Certainly an elective surgery would be preferable to an emergency procedure. And I don't doubt that pregnancy plays a role in gallbladder issues for some, so it might be nice to just nip it in the bud!

I'm sorry your choice isn't clear cut -- I know that's tough. Good luck as you decide what to do!
Allison
 
MC - No, no regrets! It was the best thing. The doctor told me that the duct that attaches the gallbladder to the liver takes over the task of the gallbladder. I've had no continued issues except for a very rare recurrence of mild pain in the same spot, but it goes quickly and isn't anywhere as bad. Actually, I don't think I've even had that pain in about a year or more. Other than that, I've had no problems whatsoever.

Here's a good article: http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/gallbladder/a/gallstonessymtr.htm


MCunningham said:
Tricia,

Thanks for sharing your story!!! I'm so glad to hear that you recovered well and quickly.

I think the points you brought up are why I'm *kind* of leaning towards the surgery-- the potential pregnancy complications and the fact that if I wait until it gets really bad, I will most likely have more surgical complications and a longer recovery.

Do any of you regret it? Like, is there any reason why you just feel like you wish you hadn't done it?

I just keep hearing horror stories about how "nothing is the same" afterward (mainly with digestion/bowels and energy) and it's scaring the heck out of me. I'd just hate to have this done and then regret it later because I didn't technically *need* it (because I'm not having the recurring pains that you and Nan described).

MC
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Thank you ladies all so much for your input. I'm leaning more and more toward the surgery and feeling better about it after hearing your stories!

Thank you so much for making me feel better about the choice! :)

MC

P.S. Thank you for the great article-- very helpful!!
 
I had my gallbladder removed over a year ago now and I am so glad I did. No regrets, feel great, no weight gain, etc.

I had a gallbladder attack when my 2nd son was about a month old, went to the ER, was diagnosed and sent home with pain meds. I was told to follow up with a surgeon, but after not feeling pain again, I let it go.

Fast forward 3 years, soon after y 3rd son was born, I began to feel the discomfort again, except it never completely went away, just varied in intensity. When my son was 7 weeks old, I couldn't take it anymore and I drove myself to the hospital from work. I had surgery the following morning, was told I must have an extremely high tolerance for pain because my gallbladder was distented, infected, and hard. My surgery took longer than normal because my gallbladder was stuck to my liver and it was difficult to remove.

The recovery was rough for the first three days, but nothing compared to the pain I was in before the surgery.

The only thing I regret is not getting it done sooner!
 
I have had several surgeries for what they initially thought was gallbladder problems. The first of my surgeries was gallbladder removal and it was an incredibly easy surgery. In fact much to my surgeons chagrin I was back teaching group fitness 3 days after surgery (lesson learned, don't ever do that again:eek:). Unfortunately that wasn't the root of the problem so I ended up having a couple of other surgeries that were truly horrible. But the gallbladder surgery itself was a piece of cake and other than the pain of surgery day almost a non-issue.

Whatever you decide I hope the entire issue resolves for you easily.

Shayne
 
I had gallbladder surgery this past year. It came about very suddenly with no history of problem beforehand. I woke up in the middle of the night with feeling of severe heartburn and it spread to kidney, liver, and back pain. My stomach was very distended and hard. I couldn't get comfortable lying down and spent alot of time pacing. I had alot of vomiting and very severe pain and it became impossible to sit down. I went to the hospital with a fever of 103. I had a complicated gallbladder so I'm not sure if the fever is a normal symptom, but all other symptoms listed above are common signs of gallbladder attack. I did have laproscopic after antibiotic treatment. After surgery, my stomach was swollen and I had the normal pain. I had to sleep with pillows propping me up for about 8 days (bottom got very numb) and there was still discomfort. Once I was able to sleep on my side, my recovery seemed to speed up. The nurses told me to walk as much as possible to speed up recovery. It took me a month to fully regain my appetite, no lifting for 3 weeks, and I lost hair. It's normal to lose your hair for up to 3 months after surgery, it doesn't happen to everyone. I had none of the post surgery nightmares you describe, not one. I have no digestive issues and I can eat all the foods I ate prior to surgery. I will say that I did not eat anything for 4 days prior to surgery and maybe that's why I had no bathroom issues during recovery. I have less stamina when exercising only, but I believe there are other contributing factors, not just the surgery. I had no choice, but thankfully no nightmares for me and no regrets. Something really strange....I never realized just how much my mind is in overdrive while I sleep... until I had this surgery. Your mind is always working, but it will be in the deepest resting state you will ever experience in your life. I wish I could wake up on a daily basis with that feeling of such deep rest. It's hard to explain...but I so wish I could experience that part of the ordeal again! Wishing you the best.
 
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When my mother was 80 and 235lb she had this surgery. Because of her age they kept her overnight. Other than that she did great no problems at all.
 
I had my gallbladder removed in December 2004. I had lost some weight a few years before that which is one of the contributors to gallbladder attacks. I remember I was sitting at my desk at work and all of a sudden I got a terrible pain in my chest. I thought I was having a heart attack. I went to the nurse at work who did some tests (including an EKG) and concluded I wasn't having a heart attack, but she insisted I go see my doctor right away. By then the pain had subsided. The Dr also agreed it wasn't a heart attack and said it was probably heartburn or acid reflux and sent me home with a prescription for one of the acid reflux meds.

Fast forward to that night. I went to bed feeling OK. But then I woke up around midnight with the WORST pain in my chest. It felt like a 50 pound weight was lying on my chest, and it also felt like my ribs were going to explode out of my chest. I went to the ER, and after a bunch of tests (including a chest Xray) the Dr said I had gallstones and that my pain was most likely a gallbladder attack. I also had some bloodwork done and several of the tests for the Liver function were outside of the normal range.

The ironic thing was at the time, I was dating a surgeon :D It was extremely helpful to have someone so close to me who did this for a living and knew everything about it. For obvious reasons he didn't do the surgery, but one of his work colleagues did. I had the surgery about 5 days after the initial attack. I never did have any attacks after the first one. I had laparoscopic surgery and I was in and out the same day. For laparo they blow you up like a balloon so afterwards I remember feeling sharp pains in my body and feeling extremely bloated. That went away within a day or so and was probably the worst part of the whole thing for me.

I think I had the surgery on a Wednesday. By the weekend I was up and walking around and going places...wearing stretch pants of course :D I went back to work on Monday...again wearing the stretch pants. About a week after the surgery I started doing the elliptical...very low intensity and not exerting myself very much at all. Within 3-4 weeks I was pretty much back to doing all my normal workout activities (weights, step, running, etc) and fitting back into my normal clothes. I honestly don't remember having any issues or complications.

I don't really have any side effects from not having a gall bladder. I did notice that I belch more than I used to. But I also drink a ton of diet soda which certainly doesn't help the belching :D I also can't eat a lot of fatty foods, especially fried foods. They don't agree with me. Which is OK because I never ate much of that stuff before the surgery and of course it's best to not eat that stuff anyway. I can eat high fat foods such as peanut butter, nuts, olive oil and most sweets :):) with no problems at all. I have one scar, about 1/2 inch, that is slightly noticeable.

So having said all that I'm glad I had the surgery. That attack I had was incredibly painful and I sure as heck didn't want to suffer through that ever again. Who knows what would have happened if I had let it go. My surgeon boyfriend had lots of examples of gallbladders that got infected and situations which were much worse than mine. This is the most common surgery (they call them cholies??) that general surgeons do.

As the others said, ultimately it's your decision. I just wanted to give you my story to let you know that I had it done and it turned out fine for me. Take care.
 
I used to wake up with the severe pain, and got to the point I couldn't eat anything but vegan food...no animal products whatsoever. It was, incidently, less than a year after having son #1. Recovery took a few weeks, but I, too was nursing, but didn't have to pump n dump...interesting. DH had to lift the baby for me though.

A friend had her gallbladder issues flare worse during pregnancy and had to eat straight vegan then, and low fat, so it was hard for her to gain what she needed.

I am glad I had the surgery. No major after issues. I do notice I have a harder time digesting larger amounts of meat or fatty food now, but that's about it. The lap. way for me too...do your surgeon research and go with your gutt, no pun intended. Mine really listened to me, including my issues with bandages and antibiotic allergies... Good luck to you.
 
Thank you all so much for sharing your stories! I think I'll go ahead and schedule the surgery for early October. Thank you sincerely for putting my mind at ease. :)

MC
 
My view on this is a little different. I had gallbladder stones and was also told by a surgeon that he would recommend to get the gallbladder removed. To me that is not surprising, that's what surgeons do, they cut.

I ended up deciding against it. I know that comes as a surprise :p Surgery for me would have been the last resort if everything else fails because I believe most organs are there for a reason and removing them will just create a whole rats tail of other problems that then will have to be "remedied" with more surgeries or drugs/medications.
I ended up going on a cleanse that is traditionally used in Europe and Chinese Medicine to remove the gallbladder stone and remove them it did!! :eek: It wasn't very painful, but it was uncomfortable.

Of course there are risks to this, as there are risks to surgery. If the gallstones are too big they technically could get stuck. I did it under the supervision of a naturopathic doctor and it worked well for me.

But this is just my view on things, I don't go on drugs or have them cut unless there is no other option. I think everyone has a different threshold and in the end we are all responsible for our health and need to decide what we are comfortable with and what makes sense to us and what doesn't. I am sure whatever you decide will be the right choice for you.

Good luck and best of health in whatever you decide.
 
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hiitdogs said:
My view on this is a little different. I had gallbladder stones and was also told by a surgeon that he would recommend to get the gallbladder removed. To me that is not surprising, that's what surgeons do, they cut.

I ended up deciding against it. I know that comes as a surprise :p Surgery for me would have been the last resort if everything else fails because I believe most organs are there for a reason and removing them will just create a whole rats tail of other problems that then will have to be "remedied" with more surgeries or drugs/medications.
I ended up going on a cleanse that is traditionally used in Europe and Chinese Medicine to remove the gallbladder stone and remove them it did!! :eek: It wasn't very painful, but it was uncomfortable.

Of course there are risks to this, as there are risks to surgery. If the gallstones are too big they technically could get stuck. I did it under the supervision of a naturopathic doctor and it worked well for me.

But this is just my view on things, I don't go on drugs or have them cut unless there is no other option. I think everyone has a different threshold and in the end we are all responsible for our health and need to decide what we are comfortable with and what makes sense to us and what doesn't. I am sure whatever you decide will be the right choice for you.

Good luck and best of health in whatever you decide.
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I really like the quote "that's what surgeons do, they cut." It's so true!

I'm curious about your cleanse....was it a fast? I ask because a friend of mine had a frightening gallbladder episode recently -- I would like to hear more about it if you are willing to share.
 
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