~Trixie~

P.S. Just remembered: If you are already banded, you should probably avoid taking Advil along with any other NSAID. Definately see your doctor though. Good luck!

Hi! I had my gall bladder removed last summer after over 2 years worth of attacks. They can get worse as the stones grow or more develop. My attacks were to the point where they would last anywhere from 5-8 hours a night, I would vomit, and ANYTHING that I ate would trigger an attack regardless of the fat content. I would suggest that you see your doctor, which will refer you to a GI doctor and/or for a sonogram. It is really important to take care of it since more serious problems can arise and it is just so darn painful and unpleasant! Depending on the size and quantity of gall stones, there are some homeopathic flushes that you can drink in order to soften and pass the stones. Conventional doctors frown upon them as there is a possibility of the stones getting caught in the bile duct, leading to further problems, and that the underlying cause of the attacks is not treated. In addition, most doctors will recommend removing the gall bladder when there are stones and active attacks because they deem the gall bladder to be diseased, hence the gall stones. In the mean time, you can alleviate some of the symptoms with Advil, (try not to abuse it like I did...I was taking 8 a night through out that time and wound up with gastritis) a heating pad, peppermint tea, hot showers, and walking around. I hope this nerdy little rant helps you and that you feel better soon!

How did you fair with Dr. Kaczmarski? He's doing my surgery later this month?

Hi everyone...or should I say, "Aloha!" I have a few questions for you guys if you would be so kind to answer them. I currently live on Long Island in NY and am getting banded at the end of November. My husband and I have left our hearts on Oahu and are looking to move there sometime this summer once we have saved up enough money. #1: Will we as transplanted mainlanders be welcomed into a community? #2: When we do finally move, will you guys be able to recommend a doctor to do fills? Thank you so much for your honesty. I wish you all success with your new lives!

Ann, Dr. Kaczmarski is doing my surgery at St. Catherine's in Smithtown. Where are you having it done? Best of luck to you tomorrow! Try to take it easy tonight! ~Trish

I have the same fear of anesthesia, Ann. The fear was so bad that I put off gall bladder surgery for 2 years and lived with pain instead! Don't worry, though. You will wake up tomorrow and will tell us all about your experience when you get home. What part of NY are you from? I'm on Long Island.

Congratulations, Phil! I'm glad that your surgery went so well and that you didn't have the dreaded gas pain. Keep us posted on your progress!

As I have unintentionally offended someone, I have deleted this thread.

First off: YOU GUYS TOTALLY ROCK!!! :cheer2: Secondly, I just ordered the Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery book because I do like to cook some more involved recipes. I find it to be gratifying...and I have also noticed that whenever I do cook a meal that takes more time to prepare, I actually do eat less of it. Hopefully after I am banded and able to consume real food this will continue to be the case. Thank you guys for bringing up the cookbook topic. I definitely would not have thought of it myself!

Thanks for the heads-up, Longhorn! How are you feeling? Will you be on mushies by the time Thanksgiving rolls along?

Isn't it so sad that we feel ashamed of doing something good?! :confused: I'm in the same boat that you are, Stephanie, except I'm not telling ANYONE. The only people who know are my doctors and my husband. I can't even trust my mother for fear that she will blab the news to my entire family like she has with other sensitive issues. Luckily, my surgery is scheduled for the Monday after Thanksgiving so I should only have to worry about Christmas. Question: I don't have my next appointment with my surgeon until 2 weeks before the surgery so I don't know the procedure; is a liquid diet required for pre-op? If that is the case, then maybe I'll have to ship my husband to spend Thanksgiving with his parents alone after all. :phanvan

Thank you for starting this thread! This is something that I often worry about. I have to attend a support group meeting this Monday, and if I muster up enough nerve, I will ask for suggestions and post them.

I just got my insurance approval today, and I am scheduled to get banded on November 26th! I am so friggin' excited!!! :bounce:

My surgeon wants me to lose 20 lbs. by the time my "two weeks before surgery" appointment rolls around (11/13/2007). He instructed me to do this in September, and as the ever chronic procrastinator, I waited until this past Monday to start dieting. I don't have to tell you how stupid of a decision that was! Oh, and did I fail to mention that I had gained an additional 10 lbs. since that initial meeting bringing the actual weight loss requirement to 30 lbs.?! Silly me. I have been "cleansing" and "fasting" since Monday, only ingesting Clear liquids and herbal tea. As of this morning, I have dropped 10.5 lbs. Not too shabby, although the majority of the loss has been Water weight. It hasn't been a cakewalk, but I figure that it will help acclimate me to what is to come once I am banded. My surgeon wants me to have a BMI that is less than 50 going into the surgery. He says that losing weight before the surgery will help shrink my liver, resulting in fewer complications and hopefully, a quicker recovery. As if this wasn't incentive enough, he also threatened that if I had failed to get my BMI under 50 by the two weeks before date, I will have to give myself a self-administered shot of blood thinners every day until the surgery in order to thwart the chance of blood clots and stroke. This seems rather extreme to me since I am relatively muscular and do not have major health issues. Has anyone else heard of this or had to give themselves these shots?

You're home already and on the computer?! You're going to heal in no time! Feel better and try to get some rest...and when you're up to it, please let us know how your surgery went.

From what I understand from the other posts that I have read, GasX does not help with the type of gas pain that will be experienced since it is not related to the stomach/intestines. What a lot of people have recommended is using a heating pad and walking tons to help alleviate the gas pain. I wish I knew that last summer when I had my gallbladder removed! I hope all of you have speedy recoveries!