Gall Bladder Gone Bad, Part Deux

[NerdyMHC 76]

I wrote about my gall bladder being naughty a couple of weeks go and I am here to give an update. This last Wednesday, I woke up for work and felt extremely nauseous. I was in my kitchen, adjacent to my bathroom, and I felt some horrible gas making it's way down my GI tract. I let it out, going against the cardinal unspoken rule of over trusting a fart...Let's just say it wasn't my brightest hour...lol...I had the worst diarrhea and nausea.

I cleaned up and then went and sat on the couch because every step I took made me feel sick. Then the pain began. It started under my right rib cage and spread all over my back and abdomen. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced. I could barely stand. My husband, a nurse, told me it was my gall bladder and had to put on my shoes for me so he could bring me to the ER. I writhed around the car in pain, like I was possessed. We only live about 2 minutes from the hospital and my husband ran the two stop lights on the way there. I was hyperventilating and my limbs started going numb because I was about to pass out. I thought I was going to die!

We got to the ER and the pain had begun to subside, and I was shivering violently because it was cold and because my adrenaline was high. They took blood, urine, and I had an ultrasound, which showed "biliary sludge" and gallstones. The ER doctor called my surgeon, who told her that gall bladders are notorious for going bad in WLS patients. I had an appointment with my surgeon yesterday and I have surgery to get this bad boy out on Monday morning.

I am so happy that it went so smoothly. I have been having gall bladder attacks for a month and I was told by several people that there were tons of hoops to jump through and I would have to experience several bad attacks before they would take it out.

So yeah...That's my story about how my Gall Bladder went bad! Maybe it'll help somebody out there!

[Alithinos 19]

Did your surgeon have you taking something to help prevent gallstones/gallbladder problems post-surgery? Mine has me taking Ursodiol twice a day - I think for at least the first 6 months. A friend of mine who had the same experience as you (and who had the surgery two years ago) was not on Actigall or anything post-surgery. She had her gallbladder removed pretty much at the two year mark and believes she started having gallbladder issues about 6-9 months out.

[doxieville 799]

Wow, that sucks! Sorry you went through this!! At 6 weeks i had a few pains and my doc took out my gallbladder. No hoops. No fuss. I hope you continue to recover nicely! Don't overdo it.

[rdt210 82]

My doctor had me do an abdominal ultrasound and upper Gi series as part of my pre-op tests (I'm still in my 6-month supervised diet phase). Anyway, the ultrasound showed that I had gallstones and I had told him that I had some pain along with it (though nothing at all what the original poster experienced!! i actually didn't know what it was until he asked me some questions - the pain came and went so I just thought "hmmm that's weird".)

Because of the gallstones, he suggested we remove the gallbladder prior to my sleeve surgery - he said once it starts giving you problems, you never know when it's going to "blow up" (and he didn't want that to happen). No hoops whatsoever to jump through (I have Blue Shield ***) - I was authorized within days and just had my surgery this past Wed. It was my first surgery ever - it went very well, I have no pain at all. Well, that's not true - it was done lapriscopically (sp?) and the incision in my belly button is still quite sore 3 days out, but not enough to take pain meds.

I wish you a speedy recovery!!