Do You Still Have Your Gall Bladder?

[Kat817 19]

Well, I am fair, fat, female, and forty +, I am not fertile tho, had a hsyterectomy several years ago. I still have my gall bladder, and have not had any issues with it in years. Many years ago I suffered for a period of several months, and I know that is what my problem was, I too had lost a lot of weight at the time, but I had no insurance, so was brushed off with one stupid diagnosis after another. Finally eased up, and settled down, and no problems since. My Grandma did the same thing, and she had a stone caught in a duct or something, and as soon as that moved, she was fine for for awhile. They removed hers a few years later when it flared up again. But her problems continued. Through ultrasound they found another stone stuck in the part of the duct that remained in the body, they romoved it and she was great! My entire family has had theirs removed...so I figure sooner or later I am headed that way. I am concerned about that, since my band was done in MX, I wonder if they will try to say it is my band, and brush me off again. Heck I hope I don't assume it is my band!!!

Kat

[lightnerbride 0]

Had to have mine out about three years after banding. The story is a bit scary in that it is what is most likely what lead to my band slipping, me gaining back 77lbs, having to be rebanded and still needing to lose 60lbs to get back to goal. I started having problems they associate with my gallbladder due to the weightloss. I had to have it out two days before Christmas and the normal staff surgeons in my small town where out on vacation. The fill in surgeon was suppose to be plenty qualified although he was clueless about what lap-bands were, so my mom brought in my x-rays from right after being banded that I was given for my records. Well I went into surgery, thinking it would all be done laporscopically and came out with a 5inch scar, a 10inch scar, and two different types of drainage tubings. He had trouble because I'd had previous abdominal surgery including Lipo, etc and couldn't seem to handle the scar tissue and adhesions. He cut completely through my bile duct and had to sew that all back together and put in a drainage tubing like they use to do back in the 1960's! Then he went to open surgery, where I guess he had to move around my liver and some intestines during which the band must have been bumped loose of it's sutures. He removed the gallbladder, closed me up and put in the usual drainage tube. Well I had no Fluid in my band (had it removed when I started feeling sick alot but wasn't sure if it was the gallbladder or something else) and I just couldn't handle much food. I got full real quick and sometimes liquid type things wouldn't sit right. I started vomiting and then almost instantly after that started I couldn't even keep fluids down some days, others I could handle little bits of Water.< /p>

Then it was nothing went down and I was hospitalized for dehydration and an x-ray showed that my band was resting on my esophagus and depending how it layed made a difference if I could take in fluids or not. My insurance wouldn't cover a cent if my hospitalization or anything showed my problems where bariatric related, so no hope to have it just repositioned. I had to have it removed. Then I waited to heal and knew I had to get rebanded because the weight was coming back on. I had lost 120lbs in less than a year with my first band and had maintained it for two years. I didn't want to end up back at my starting point. I was rebanded 4/3/06. I go tomorrow for my second fill. I hope the weightloss speeds up but with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, sleep Apnea, hypothyroid, etc things are more difficult this time around. Then my mother-in-law just got out of ICU yesterday from having brain surgery on 2 anuerisms and having a stroke following the procedure. She's still in the hospital and needing lots of help (hopefully going to a rehabilitation center soon) and then there is alot up in the air about her moving home alone. My father-in-law passed away four months ago. I am a big stress eater so hopefully the next fill will stop me in my tracks and the weightloss will speed up. Oh, yikes this was about gallbladders!!!

April

Dr. Frering 10/02

Dr. Covarrubias 4/06

[LeslieMush 1]

I got mine removed in 1998-after losing some weight (not much) on the Nutri System diet.

[showboatgirl 0]

I still have mine. I have stones, too. But, I haven't had any attacks, so I will keep mine a while longer.

[mslynn 0]

So 41% of us who struggle with obesity have had to have the good ole GB removed. But...most of us had it out preop...that is good news I think!

Mslynn

:wave:

[showboatgirl 0]

Gall bladder update. I had mine removed Aug. 9, 2006. I have been having some discomfort and my surgeon said that it would be better to take it out before i got really sick. While he was poking around in there, he checked my band. He said that my band is fine. Glad the surgery is over.

[NJC 0]

I am new to the site. This is my first posting, so HI TO ALL!!!

I was banded on 9/24/05. It was smooth sailing until my band adjustment of 2/14/06-I had a bad reaction. During the next 3 months, I was sick off and on. In May my LB DR scheduled GB removal surgery.

Long story short-It isn't the GB but an ulcer and bent esophagus. My regular DR would not give Med clearance for the GB surgery without tests, and lucky for me as she found the cause of my distress.

I am seeing the LB Dr in the AM to get this straightened out (litertally) and treated.

The moral of the e-mail is ask questions and get tested-even the best Dr can be mistaken.

If anyone has similar problems, let me know....

Thanks,

NJC

[SunshineGirl2 0]

Just had mine taken out 2 weeks ago-11 months post surg. Still sore but each day it gets better. The stone was HUGE so they couldn't remove it lap.... Never had any problems that I new of until the fri before surg. then it was alot of upper gastric discomfort x2 days.

[Bostongurl 0]

I'm having mine out on Jan. 23rd...so yes, I've been having some problems to say the least, not fun.

[robinlwade 0]

Mine is gone years of yo-yo dieting its been 20years

[4me 0]

I'm getting a HIDA scan tomorrow; terrible pain/indigestion/vomiting/nausea. Anyone who had gall stones or bladder removed...can you tell me what your symptoms were pre-removal?? Need to find out what my problem is since an upper endoscopy revealed nothing!!

[Elisabethsew 50]

An endoscopy won't diagnose a gallbladder problem because it doesn't see into the abdominal cavity. You need an ultrasound or a HIDA scan so you'll know tomorrow. Based on your weight loss, sex, age, and symptoms, it's a good bet that the gallbladder is the problem.

I developed HORRIBLE pain in the left chest. It was under the breast and went right through to my back. It felt like a heart attack. I was uncomfortable standing, sitting, bending... no relief from the pain and yes, the nausea is terrible. I feel for you because I know what you're going through.

By the way, in the medical field we refer to the 4 F's with gallbladder problems, Female, Forty, Fertile, Fat (with/without significant weight loss). You're no longer fat but your very significant weight loss places you in the "at risk" category. Keep us posted on your progress.

[LeeInDe. 0]

GB removed in November, 3 months prior to lap band.

I did not have classic symptoms. Occasional attack, 4 over 2 years. No right upper quad pain, intho shoulder. Mine was located in stomach area, and felt as though my stomach was going to blow up. Sometimes vomiting helped.

Usually eased off after about 1 hour, and happened after a heavy meal.

[kyethra 0]

For those of you who didn't have stones but did have troubles, what were your symptoms? In case this lingering stomach flu I have doesn't turn out to be stomach flu I'm supposed to get more gall bladder tests I guess, HIDA most likely since my ultrasound was fine. So I'm curious...

[Fran 1]

About one month ago I had terrible pains and thought I was stuck or that my band was coming out of my stomach. This happened two weeks in a row after a loss of about 50 pounds. The doctor told me to go to the hospital and the gallbladder had to come out. The surgery was nothing and there was little follow up care or pain. The pain from the bad gallbladder was worse than giving birth. I heard that when someone has bariatric surgery the gallbladder is removed automatically. I told the surgeon to take out anything that did not look good!! Post op-no problems. Be well all.

Fran:clap2: