I think I had a gallbladder attack!

[TennJenn 9]

Friday afternoon I experienced severe (I mean extremely severe!) pain under my ribs on the right side & it radiated into my back. It came on suddenly & intensified rapidly. I couldn't stand up straight I was hurting so bad. (I have a very high tolerance for pain, but this kicked my a$$) My dh was home fortunately so he was going to drive me to the ER, but I told him I couldn't make it. DH called the ambulance & within minutes of getting off of the phone with them, the pain just went away.

The first thought that came to my mind was a leak! I admit I was terrified. But then when the pain just disappeared, I figured it probably wasn't a leak (especially because I don't have any other symptoms). The paramedics came in & did and EKG...my heart was perfect. They agreed that it didn't sound like a leak since the pain stopped. They said it sounded just like a gallbladder attack. So, I did some research later on it & sure enough that's what it sounds like to me. They said sometimes it takes several "attacks" before anything shows up on the tests.

I knew gallbladder attacks were somewhat common in WLS patients, but I'm only 1 month post-op. Anyone have any experience with this? I do plan to discuss this with my PCP...I'm just trying to hold off on going in until my 3 month post-op appointment. We've had a lot of medical issues in the family the past few months & the bills are racking up...It's been a pretty bad year for us this year! :biggrin0:

[DownInSocal 12]

I have not had surgery yet and never had a gallbladder attack but my husband has.

The first time it happened I almost called an ambulance. He was in extreme pain I thought something awful had just happened and he was going to die. It scared the crap out of me. Had it gone on a few seconds more and I would have called but I was trying to get him safely out of the shower because that is where the first one happened. And then just like you the pain just stopped, poof, gone.

He had h pylori and stones that passed.

[TennJenn 9]

Did he have any more trouble? Have his gall bladder removed? I never want to experience that pain again!

[shanda7182 5]

Did he have any more trouble? Have his gall bladder removed? I never want to experience that pain again!

My mom had a gallbladder attack about a year ago. She said that pain was very severe, so severe, they thought she was having a heart attack. They told her that she will need to have it removed but she has not had any more severe attacks, therefore, she "isnt that bothered" by it. However, over time, it could lead to serious problems. For now, avoid greasy, high fat foods (which im sure, you already are) since you are post op VSG. My mom, has lead a relatively healthy diet since and has not had any more problems.

[jilljesalyn 0]

Friday afternoon I experienced severe (I mean extremely severe!) pain under my ribs on the right side & it radiated into my back. It came on suddenly & intensified rapidly. I couldn't stand up straight I was hurting so bad. (I have a very high tolerance for pain, but this kicked my a$$) My dh was home fortunately so he was going to drive me to the ER, but I told him I couldn't make it. DH called the ambulance & within minutes of getting off of the phone with them, the pain just went away.

The first thought that came to my mind was a leak! I admit I was terrified. But then when the pain just disappeared, I figured it probably wasn't a leak (especially because I don't have any other symptoms). The paramedics came in & did and EKG...my heart was perfect. They agreed that it didn't sound like a leak since the pain stopped. They said it sounded just like a gallbladder attack. So, I did some research later on it & sure enough that's what it sounds like to me. They said sometimes it takes several "attacks" before anything shows up on the tests.

I knew gallbladder attacks were somewhat common in WLS patients, but I'm only 1 month post-op. Anyone have any experience with this? I do plan to discuss this with my PCP...I'm just trying to hold off on going in until my 3 month post-op appointment. We've had a lot of medical issues in the family the past few months & the bills are racking up...It's been a pretty bad year for us this year!

I had my gallbladder removed three weeks after the birth of my first child. My first attack was when I was pregnant....hit me in the middle of the night, horrible pain and discomfort. Called and woke doc up and she told me to take a Zantac. I didn't know it was a gallbladder attack until my second, and last attack, that landed me in the emergency room. The pain was relentless and there was nothing that would make it go away. I had so many stones blocking my bile duct they had to do a procedure to crush them prior to having my gallbladder removed. The removal was very much like the sleeve procedure as far as the laparascopic thing so it really wasn't that bad. I guess I would say that it was a good three months between attacks, but I hear that's not that case for everyone. I feel for you b/c that pain is no fun AT ALL!! Hope you are able to get it taken care of without too much discomfort.

Jill

[DownInSocal 12]

Did he have any more trouble? Have his gall bladder removed? I never want to experience that pain again!

You know he had "mini" attacks before the big one in the shower that we did not realize were probably small stones passing. He would eat chicken wings or some other equally bad for you item and have pains. I did not think much about it. I told him to stop eating bad for you crap.

Then came the shower incident. I feel for you and your husband because that was terrifying. He said the pain was gone and did not want me to call an ambulance or take him to the hospital. He did say I could call my mother who is a nurse. She said it sounded like a gall bladder attack and he needed to be seen by his PCP. He said "yeah I will make an appt" Being male he waited. He had another attack and I threw a fit. He made an appt.

His PCP sent him to a surgeon. The surgeon had him do an empty of the gall bladder test (I can't remember what it was called). All the suspected stones had passed and the gall bladder was functioning perfectly according to the scan. He ordered a scope to see what was going on in his stomach since his gall bladder was good to go. The stomach tissue samples showed h Pylori and he had the start of an ulcer. He also had some small non cancerous tumors removed around the opening to the gall bladder. He kept his gall bladder and has no other attacks. He takes an acid reducer daily.

I would suggest talking to your surgeon. Anything that makes you have enough pain to call an ambulance is serious enough to warrant further investigation. I seem to remember reading that WLS patients have higher than normal gall bladder problems but I won?t stand by that since I can?t remember where I read it.

Keep us informed!

[*susan* 1,709]

Wow, that must have been a very scary experience to go through. Please follow up with your doctor and let us know how things go.

[MacMadame 81]

I had my first attack on my honeymoon. I thought I was going to die! I also figured it was food poisoning. I had them every couple of months after that and by the time I'd think about going to the ER, they'd be done. I only went to the ER when I had one two days in a row. They diagnosed me immediately!

I felt kind of dumb having waited so long, but they can be over so fast and it doesn't bother you in the meantime.

I got scheduled for a surgery date about 6 weeks into the future and had one more attack before it happened.

I'm glad I got it out, but I don't think it's a big deal to wait either. Some people take Actigal to try to dissolve the stones instead of having surgery, too.

[*susan* 1,709]

Wow, what a lovely surprise to have on your honeymoon!

[cajun 46]

Been there done that. At least I won't have to worry about having my gallbladder taken out during or after my VSG when I have it. Already long gone! And yes....it makes you think you are going to die!

[Jachut 487]

Ugh, I suspect I'm having rumblings from my gall bladder too. My whole weight loss journey (banded) has been so utterly trouble free and smooth, so four years down the track, I'm not suprised *something* would happen.

I've had this pain a couple of times since about a year out - it starts as a hint and steadily intensifies, its right in the centre of my ribs, so the first few times I thought it was my stomach - it always happened after I ate ice cream so I thought the cold caused me spasms or cramps or something - it will get steadily more painful, feels like a kind of squeezing, gripping pain, and it radiates - up my throat, into the roof of my mouth and the other night it was my neck and ears! Nothing you do relieves it - you know how most abdominal pain, like period pain or wind pain, you can curl up and around it and that helps, well I cant do anything for this. It often strikes me during the night.

For me, its never gotten more than about a 6 on the pain scale, certainly not frightening or call the ambulance stuff but mightily uncomfortable. Then it suddenly just goes away.

I've been maybe 7 months without a hint of it then suddenly int he last few weeks, its happened twice and felt like its about to happen about 3 or 4 more times.

It makes me nervous becuase I'm anxious one day I'll have a really BAD episode somewhere embarrassing like at work. And I dont want another stomach surgery - lol, I'm SO vain I know but more scars - take another 2 years to heal up like my band scars did and there goes my bikini stomach, lol. By the time I'm 44 or 45 I think I'm officially too old for a bikini.

[MacMadame 81]

I'm 52 and have a bikini. Two pieces are just easier to pee in. :confused1:

You should talk to your doctor about your pain. It might be gallbladder and be something you can put off but it might be something else.

[*susan* 1,709]

Bikini's are out of the question for me. I keloid really, really bad. Thanks mom, for passing that on to me! My tummy looks like a war zone.

[Malaika 50]

Bikini's are out of the question for me. I keloid really, really bad. Thanks mom, for passing that on to me! My tummy looks like a war zone.

I have a tankini - it's a two-piece but the tummy area is covered!

[MacMadame 81]

I had a tankini but it flaps in the jacuzzi. And even in the pool sometimes it would turn into a balloon.