Gallbladder removal: friend or foe?

[cyncitygirl 100]

I had a gallbladder attack on my first day of work at a new job! It was embarrassing and painful. Sooo painful! Now I have to decide if I want to get my gallbladder removed before my old work medical insurance ends at the end of this month. Some people (incl Kaiser Dr) says the only long term solution is to remove it while some people say Hollistic medicine can dissolve gallstones. I am 5 months post op and have a good diet. I can't afford o have these attacks uninsured while I wait 90days for new insurance to kick in. Has anyone had good or bad experiences w either western medicine or Hollistic treatment of gallstones?? Thank you!!

[Dannipo 86]

I have heard removal is better, but everyone is different. But do you really want to chance another attack before you new insurance kicks in. Or miss radom days because of attacks. I would just go for removal to get it over and done with. But that's just me! Good Luck

[brandnewbie 42]

I can't speak to being gallbladderless post sleeve, but I can tell you that gallstones are much more painful than having it out. :-) It is a laproscopic procedure and recovery is pretty minimal compared to other things. Once it is gone if you do eat less than innocently your body might rebel a lil, which can be a good thing to keep you in check. Just remember when you are sick to keep drinking fluids because bile in its pure form, really unpleasant. Sorry if it's TMI, just cpl things I wish I had known b4 mine. Still worth having done because they are once in a while annoyances compared to mind numbingly painful consistent attacks.

[Lissa 2,631]

I had to wait almost 9 months for my gallbladder surgery after it was determined that it WAS my gallbladder causing my problems. I started out taking Tylenol for pain, then progressed to Vicodin and Percoset just to be able to work on a daily basis... and I was taking 4-8 pills a day even though I am adamantly opposed to pain meds in any form. That's how bad my pain was by the time my GB was removed. If I had a choice, I'd get the GB out asap. Those pain meds are not cheap and, without insurance, you might be hurting because you can't afford/don't want to purchase those meds. FYI, I flushed ALL the pain meds I had in the house two days after my GB was removed because I was worried about the possibility of addiction and because I wasn't in actual pain anymore. I was in the hospital less than six hours from pre-op check in to discharge by my doctor. I ate a cabbage roll about an hour after surgery with no ill effects. It was probably the first real meat I had eaten in weeks because all meat made me sick for several weeks pre-op. Good luck!

[BriDawn 79]

I had mine removed when I was 16. I had been on the Bernstein diet, lost way weight too fast and ended up with gallstones.

I'd definitely get the removal. Honestly, the gallstone attacks I had were the worst pain I'd ever experienced. And I had very little complications after removal. I sometimes get diarrhea if I eat a fattening meal (before my sleeve that is!) but other than that, I wasn't feeling any different.

[lwilliams65 102]

Who wants to tell me what gall bladder attack symptoms are? I think I may have some problems with my gall bladder. I have a drs appointment set up for tomorrow but I'm still curious to know symptoms

[BriDawn 79]

Who wants to tell me what gall bladder attack symptoms are? I think I may have some problems with my gall bladder. I have a drs appointment set up for tomorrow but I'm still curious to know symptoms

Mine started with feeling like I had no energy at all. I was in high school and missed day after day because I was literally falling asleep on my desk. Then I woke up one day and had terrible upper back pain as well. I only had two actual attacks. It felt like a horribly stabbing pain right under my left breast. It would make me double over and just sob for the half hour or hour it lasted. Super unpleasant.

[Lissa 2,631]

My worst gallbladder attack had me convinced I was dying. It started with some pain under my breastbone, kind of like the over-full feeling we sleevers get when we eat too much. Over an hour that pain escalated until I was convinced I was dying. I called my pulmonologist and asked if I should go to the nearest hospital to be checked for a heart attack even though I didn't have jaw or arm pain... and he said Yes. I was driving on the turnpike at the time, so by the time I got to the next exit, I had an overwhelming urge to vomit. After I got sick (both ways) in a gas station bathroom, I felt immensely better and called the pulmo back. He told me to go to the ER if the pain came back. By the time I had that pain again, I had read someone else's account of a GB attack here on VST and realized what had happened. After that I had almost constant aching pain that increased in intensity until it felt like I was being constantly stabbed through with a sword until I had my GB out in February, 2013.

[newme-in13 37]

I would say, have it removed. I initially tried the holistic approach, and 5 months later I was in the hospital having it removed after becoming deathly sick. I feel so much better now!!

[SMO 193]

I thought I was having a heart attack. It was pain under my breastbone radiating around my right side. The first attack I had was at night. My husband was at work and I was curled up in the fetal position panting for 45 minutes. I thought I was going to have to go to the ER. He is a nurse so when he came home I described the pain and he said it was probably GB. I had an ultrasound and they said no stones. Meanwhile I had horrible acidic diarrhea everyday and was unable to eat meat for months. I finally went back to the doctor and had a GB function test. The note I got from my doctor said it was normal. Another couple of months and I insisted on seeing a gastroinerologist. He asked why I was there and I explained what was happening and the "normal" tests. He looked at the results and informed me they were not normal. He scheduled me with a surgeon and once it was out, all my symptoms disappeared. I had mine done pre-sleeve and am happy I did. I am hoping the sleeve will be my last surgery.

[cyncitygirl 100]

Thank you all for answering. I'm pretty convinced to go and get it removed now. Yes the pain is unbearable and very scary! It lasted for hours!!! My question is are you experiencing any side effects from having your GB removed like IBS or nausea or abdominal pain? I realize it may be difficult to decipher the pain from GB or sleeve but I guess I'm asking is your quality of life worse, the same, or better? Thank you for your time!

[mistysj 1,940]

Get it out. That's the only way to ensure you don't have any more attacks. Besides attacks it can get infected like an appendix and burst. Bad news. It is not an important organ.

[SleeveNZ 219]

At 5 months out I had 3 attacks over the space of a week. Horrible, horrible, horrible attacks lasting no longer than 2 hours. I had an ultrasound and I have gallstones however I have not had any attacks for 2 months so I've decided along with my surgeon to have a "wait and see approach" - I have been told that the attacks can be an isolated event and then never happen again. The reason I dont want my gallbladder out is the side effects after - I dont want to **** my pants if I treat myself one day and have a fatty meal. Healthcare is free here in New Zealand though so I can be a bit more liberal in my decision.

[Cat360 47]

For me I had no pain, i just couldnt figure out why i couldnt keep anything down...everything I had would come up..i went to the ER and the doctor pushed on where my gall bladder was and it was painful.I was like what the heck was that!! He kept me and told me that my gall bladder wasnt functioning at all. I had it removed and it changed my life. Get it done ma,you will feel better.

[Cat360 47]

Oh and yes rich foods make me have to run to the bathroom but my stomach was always sensitive. I take imodium if I am going to a function and not sure what they are serving.