Advice Please--facelift In A Week And Now Gallbladder Issues

[Foxbins 625]

I wondered if I would be one of the 30% who has gallbladder problems after a quick large weight loss. I got my answer this morning when I started feeling nauseous and then like I had acid in my tummy. I took an H2 blocker and it didn't help, so I figured it wasn't acid. I continued to feel worse as the morning wore on, with a lot of pain in my upper right stomach quadrant radiating in to my right back and shoulder blade. It hurt a lot and I have a pretty high threshold for pain. Finally took myself to the doctor about 1:15. My regular doc was on vacation but the one covering ordered a bunch of stat labs and an abdominal X-ray series. The x-rays are clear, no sleeve problems or anything else ruptured or abcessed, but the labs were off the charts for pancreatitis due to gallstones. By the time all the labs came back there was no one in ultrasound to confirm the stones so I go back tomorrow morning. The doc is talking like if they find stones I see a surgeon and my gallbladder comes out. I have a facelift scheduled in Costa Rica on Dec. 1! I come back to the states afterward on the 15th.

Does anyone know if the recovery from a gallbladder removal done on, say, Friday, would let me fly to Costa Rica on Wednesday? Or can I take my chances that I won''t have another attack and get the facelift first and schedule the gallbladder surgery right after I get back? The pain was awful and I don't want to go through it again, but I've got a lot invested in Costa Rica right now. Is there something I can do to prevent another attack?

[copchick187 0]

I had my gallbladder out a few years ago. I don't know about flying. You would have to ask the doctor. I was sore but not in any pain after 3 days. I stopped all pain med after 3 days. I will tell you that from the first pain attack, I had to wait 3 weeks until they removed it. When I went to the ER, they said it would have to be removed but I had a touch of pneumonia and they refused to take it out until my lungs were clear. I had to stay on a strict NO FAT diet while waiting. That sucked. I lived on Angel food Cake. Talk to your Dr and ask if you can delay having it removed. Hope this helps.

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

I waited six weeks from diagnosis to having my gallbladder out. During the six week period, my diet became more and more restricted. At the end, I was only eating milk toast, buttered noodles, and potatoe Soup. By five and 1/2 weeks out, I was in coninuous pain from the gallbladder, whether I was eating or not. The doctor wanted to move up the surgeon, but I didn't want to as I was having a second unrelated surgery at the same time as the gallbladder surgery. I made it to have my gallbladder out as scheduled, but the doctor who did the surgery told me, after looking at my gallbladder, that it would have ruptured if I waited another 24 hours.

Ask your doctor / whoever is reading your labs there recommendation. It depends on how easy your surgery is going to be and how quickly you recover if you will be well enough to travel.

[Foxbins 625]

Just an update--I saw the general surgeon yesterday and due to the acute pancreatitis I had, he is recommending surgery sooner rather than later so I am having my gallbladder removed on Tuesday. I briefly considered flying to Costa Rica on Wednesday, but I don't think I could stand in the customs and immigration lines without extreme difficulty so I am postponing my facelift. Too bad! I was all prepared with time off from work.

[DroppingAcid 0]

Hope it goes well for you and we are so glad you figured it out!

Hi thank you all for posting this. Could some our symptoms be GALLBLADDER? Although I have had the Sleeve Plication, I am going through the same thing, even though I had a great, experienced, diligent surgeon who also fixed my hiatal hernia. PPIs, Anti Acids, Apple Cider Vinegar and Tums do not help me at all, and acid medicine should really fix it if ACID REFLUX is the problem. I've been tested for HPolyri, had an endoscope, even been on stomach ulcer medicine. It doesn't matter what I eat or drink or if I have a completely EMPTY stomach (Water on an empty stomach is especailly bad for me), the acid keeps firing and I have burning, gnawing pain from about 2 inches above my bellybutton upto my throat. Sometimes I have a pain on the right side, above my belly button, chest pains or backpains, but it is much more rare. The acid running between my rib cage upto my throat happens on and off throughout the day and night, into morning on an empty stomach and the burning wakes me up at night. Some people have reported getting relief from acid after their gallbladders come out. Usually fatty foods can could pain/discomfort when you have gallstones, but salads/raw veggies can as well. I usually have the worst symptoms from vinegar, citric acid, egg yolks, and bacon but cheese is no problem. My younger sister had an issue with veggies and had the acid reflux symptoms and they were relieved when she had her gallbladder out.

Have any or all of you had your gallbladder out? I have stones, and a few of the doctors say that getting the GALLBLADDER OUT will take of this acid problem. Since I had acid all my life, I didn't know it was a problem, I just thought that was what hunger was.

Now, 3 doctors seemed convinced that my acid problems are due to the Gallstones I have. I had an Upper GI where you swallow the barrium, and the results were "ACID FIRING CONSTANTLY" throughout the exam. One of the doctors, the surgeon changed his tune about Acid being fixed by gallbladder and said I should probably research to something else handle ACID converting over to the regular Gastric Sleeve or getting a Wrap (where part of the stomach is wrapped around the esphagous to protect it when acid comes up, this would not solve the long term weight loss issue and has it own set of problems) but I could not have both. I am wondering why he thinks getting a normal sleeve will help with the acid. Maybe having less stomach = less acid? At this point, I don't even know if CAN convert to a regular sleeve, I don't know if my stomach has stretched far enough yet or if a surgeon will do revision surgery. I am also researching if regular sleevers have ONGOING ACID issues too, so thank you for your posts.

I told my gastro doctor and my surgeon about my "hunger pains" before and after surgery. Because I dealt with what I thought were "hunger pains" my WHOLE LIFE, I thought that was NORMAL. I thought STOMACH PAIN & BURNING, GNAWING FEELING = HUNGER. Usually when I eat something, it takes away the pain. Even now eating seems to help a little. But now, the pain comes back much quicker than before. At surgery I found out I have stomach polyps (this was before I ever took a PPI.) I had many tests, including a colonoscopy and no other polyps in the colon, only stomach. I had to make a decision on whether or not I should have 85% of my stomach out forever or folded over and sewn (at the time doctors seemed to think Plication was reversible, I doubt that it is due to scar tissue.) In the end, I went with plication, because I was afraid someday the polyups would cause a problem and I might need more of my stomach. I am happy to say I've almost lost ALL of my necessary weight, and although I know my sleeve had stretched alot, I am happy that I utilizee my powerful tool. (I can eat a small plate of food or probably 1 1/2 to 2 cups of food.) Someday I know if want a smaller stomach I will probably need to convert to a regular sleeve, but it is still a little scary.

Let me know your feedback and if you haven't had a Ultrasound for Gallbladder, it might be a good idea. I had the hida scan (that made my gallbladder look fine), MRI, colonscopy, gastric emptying study but no ultrasound for gallstones and barium test until recently after I lost my weight. I think what I may do is try to have my gallbladder out first by a surgeon who also does sleeves too so he can look at what I've got and let me know if it is even possible down the road. Or I wonder if it is better to get it done sooner, although I would think a year is enough to get scar tissue from current surgery.

Hope this helps and give me your feedback!