Anyone Ever Had Gallbladder Issues?

I had my gallbladder removed because I had a billion gall stones. That seems to be the real defining issue as to whether or not you have it removed. I passed several stones, which is kinda like labor. It was a very easy, straightforward surgery with a very quick recovery. You still have to watch your diet at first to see how you respond to certain foods, but I think it's worth it.

I had gallbladder issues three years ago and ultimately had my gall bladder removed. I ignored my symptoms for months-the bloating and nausea-until it became so unbearable that it was interfering with all aspects of my life. By the time I had the surgery I had lost over 10lbs and was pretty sick. My surgeon did laproscopic gall bladder removal and the whole thing took less than two hours. I have very small scars now and it took about a week for me to heal. Hope this helps.

I had Gallbladder issues almost 7 years ago. It was 5 months after I had my son. I was told that sometimes a pregnancy can cause this, i never researched it so i have nothing to back that up. I, however, had to have mine removed. The surgery is outpatient surgery and i can hardly see my small one inch scars. The side affects aren't that fun at the beginning, you really have to watch what you eat. I had a problem with cheese and greasy foods and soda. It went right through me. My doctor told me I could take meds for that but I didn't want to. I changed my diet for a while which was for the better and slowly put some of those thing i could not eat at the time back into my diet. I hope this helps in deciding what to do. Good Luck!

J.
I'm sorry for your discomfort - though I have not had problems with my gallbladder, I have had several friends who have. My parents both had surgery years ago - very uncomfortable - HOWEVER.. my brother in-law just had this done last week.. and no big cuts.. I think he said it was three little incisions - Laparoscopy is a surgery that uses a thin, lighted tube put through a cut (incision) in the belly to look at the abdominal organs. Another plus it was performed as an out patient - and he was able to return to work after the weekend. I know this really doesn't help you -- but I wanted to say if surgery is the answer - it is a whole lot better then years ago. Best of luck.

Hi J.,

I had issues with my gallbladder and like you I did not want to have surgery and I was even skeptical of the diagnosis. Maybe you could see if you can have an ultrasound done. I did and that verified the presence of gallstones. I was very apprehensive of the surgery but it was done laproscopically so it went alot more smoothly than I thought and it was a quick recovery.

Take Care,
Pam

I have and have had mine removed...all my life I have always had stomach aches (don't know that is related or not) my mom always said I had a nervous stomach. Starting on my wedding day I started to feel nauseous (jitters probably right?) well the vomiting started on the honeymoon and still stomach aches. I had to lay down on my side all the time. After a month of vomiting and losing weight, my dr.'s finally believed I wasn't pregnant or allergic to my husband that I had been living with for 2 years (ha!)and sent me to a gastroenterologist. After many tests they found out my gall bladder was not contracting correctly and was "diseased" as they called it. There is a history of gall bladder stones, cancer, etc... on my mom's side and my grandmother had gall bladder cancer and my mom and aunt have had stones, etc... and had it removed. Bottom line, it could be many things. Get the tests and make an informed decision from there. I have just those few small scars and I felt a ton better from there! No more stomach issues! YEAH!
Good luck!

I suffered with gallbladder pain 30 years ago. Ended up having surgery--full of gallstones. Diet didn't work for me. With modern techonology the surgery is usually done by laser now and you feel very little if any pain. My brother and sister both had theirs removed by laser and were back to work in 2-3 days.

I had the same thing happen to me and I have know others who had the same problem. I am sorry to say that the only permanent solution that I know of is surgery, which I had done. Please don't put it off. One acquaintence waited too long until his gall bladder actually started to die inside and it ruptured. He was very sick and had to have emergency surgery. It took him a lot longer to recover.

They do it laproscopically these days so you have very little scarring and a quick recovery...if you do it before the problem gets worse. I don't know about your case, but in most cases there are stones inside the gallbladder. The only way to absolutely get rid of the stones is to physically remove them. There are medicines that can be used to dissolve small stones, but I've never heard of someone being totally cured by just medicine.

Good luck, J..

D.

Wow, J., I was just up in the middle of the night reseaching this. I think I may be having the same problem-just realized it yesterday. I had an awful event Sunday night and thought it was a stomach virus my daughter had passed on, but I'm having continuing symptoms (and they're pretty horrible). I actually am a surgical nurse and have assisted with several laparoscopic gallbladder procedures in the last week. I concur with the other posters that I would have the procedure if needed. The benefits outweigh the risks. It's a fairly "common" surgery and typically an outpatient experience. I'm with you on trying conservative measures, first, but depending on what your doctor finds, you may need to go directly with the surgical procedure. Good luck... we may be in at the same time:-) K.

I had my gallbladder removed in 2005. It was a week of not being able to do what I wanted and absolutely NO driving. For me, that was the biggest deal.

If you want to manage this with diet, it's simple. NO FAT and NO DAIRY. Stay away from anything sweet and you'll do well. What they don't tell you is that you need to stay on this no fat no dairy diet for the rest of your life. A sweet now and then is fine, but trust me... you'll feel better if you stay away from it all.

YMMV
LBC

J.,
It only gets worse, I tried postponing because of exams in school and I ended up having to to emergency because of the pain. This was when I was 27, they didn't do it laparoscopic then, so I have scar from my breast line down to my bellybotton, the recovery was terrible. My neighbor couple years later had it laparoscopic and she was home raking leaves from her backyard the day after. I had a friend who was controlling his with diet and I couldn't stand his breath, it was terrible. It is a very simple procedure nowadays. Don't be afraid. I had 27 stones, size of a big redbean. I never felt anything before my first crisis. I always wondered how those stones were formed without me feeling anything. Just that shooting pain in my right abdomen and also on the back.
Good luck.

My husband and I have both had ours out. It was very easy surgery and we both had very quick recoverys. If I never have to have the pain I had when my gallbladder was acting up again I'll be happy. I got to the point that even water was making my stomach hurt so bad I was doubled over in pain.

My advice is to get it out. It'll be the best thing you ever did.

I had gallbladder problems and went with surgery. They really didn't give me any other options and I was in a lot of pain. The surgery was relatively easy to deal with-- just three small incisions, which healed with very tiny scars. The recovery was a only a little bit painful, and certainly nothing compared to the pain of passing the gall stones! Within a few days I was back on my feet and able to do all the things I did before surgery. In essence, any surgery carries risks, but in my experience this one is comparatively minor and well worth it.

You mention that your doctor says it may be the gall bladder. Of course, you will want to know for sure before you consider an operation. They can do an ultrasound to see if your gall bladder is fulled with gall stones.

Good luck! Feel better soon!

You can try diet, but to be honest, the surgery is the best to go. My gall bladder was so bad it almost burst. Usually the surgery is outpatient but mine required 7 days in the hospital because I waited too long because they thought I had reflux instead and my gallbladder almost burst. PLEASE, PLEASE don't wait until you are losing so much weight because you are not digesting your food at this point. The surgery was a breeze and I felt so much better.

Keep in touch.

How bad is your pain? I've had gall stones for almost 7 years and the pain is completely crippling at it's best. The only thing that helps is strong meds from the ER when it happens and while I was pregnant that was out of the question so I just had to struggle through while the stone passed. If you are having regular pain, I would definetly suggest getting the surgery.
I rarely had issue with mine (once a year maybe), though the last episode I had was the worst and I had been eating the best diet of my life. I said had because I just had my gallbladder removed in June. I wasn't nearly as anxious about it as I was with my C section surgery and recovery was only 3 days and I was completely fine except I wasn't allowed to carry my son too much.
Four tiny incisions and then it's over... for me the benefit outweighed the cost, but you have to decide what's right for you. If you have any other questions, just ask.

Hi J., I had my gall badder removed a year ago. Before that I had gastric bypass surgery. Because I had lost alot of weigh real fast it caused problems with my gall bladder. I to was real scared to have surgery. Mine went well. I also have diverticulosis and when my pain started I thought it was that but the pain didnt go away and I had more test done and thats when they found it was my gall bladder.
Who is your Dr. Do you have any idea who is going to do the surgery? I had Dr woghlmuth (not sure of the spelling) he is with the norfolk surgerical group and a great surgeon.
L.

I had my gall bladder out last year. I had no symptoms until one night... Mother's day, as a matter of fact, I had terrible stomach pains... I threw up all night and had terrible diarreah as well. We went to the ER the next morning and I had surgery the following day. The way I understand it, if you have less severe symptoms to begin with, it's really just a matter of time before the big one hits. My mother had hers out following bouts of gall stones for years.

My advice is, if the doctors reccommend taking it out, do it. The surgery is easy to recover from - I had mine 3 months after a C-Section - no problem. There are three tiny scars that have faded greatly in the year since the surgery, and if you put scar cream on them, I'm sure it would be even better. I didn't really have the choice of waiting because my symptoms were so severe, but I certainly wouldn't want to wait for a severe problem with it. Have it out. Save yourself a great deal of pain, potentially.

Now, I have no restriction on what to eat, but I still try to eat a healthy diet. I just don't have to worry about the pain associated with eating the wrong thing. :)

Good luck, don't be afraid, it's really not that bad. The recovery from surgery was WAY better than the night of terrible pain spent in the bathroom!

J., I was hesitant to post this because I truly don't want to worry you unnecessarily, but I felt like I had to pass along my sister-in-law's experience: She was diagnosed with gallbladder problems, with symptoms similar to yours, but it was a misdiagnosis and sadly, she turned out to have pancreatic cancer. Please get that ultrasound everyone's mentioned, to see if it really is gallstones (which is still by far the commonest and therefore the likeliest scenario, so don't make yourself worse with worry). Get a second or even third opinion, and ask about being tested for pancreatic or ovarian cancers--you may need to be assertive with your doctors about it. Of course cancer is probably unlikely, but because the symptoms can be similar, it is worth checking as early as possible, based on my family's experience.

My friend had the same thing and she had surgery where they basically just sucked out her gallbladder her recovery was only about a week and then she said she felt better then ever. She hated having to follow a special diet because she could not eat any of her favorite food sand when she did she was in serious pain. I could get the name of her surgeon if you want.
Good Luck:)

I had the same issue but surgery was the only thing that took care of the problem. It wasn't bad though. It is outpatient and the recovery time is pretty short. I was only in bed for a few days and was back to work within a week.

I had my gallbladder removed and sometimes I still have the pain. I have had neck surgery and another surgery. By far, the gallbladder surgery was the worst in the world. The gas they blow you up w/ takes a while to get out of your body and "for me" I had a very difficult time w/ it. There is a lemon aid cleans you can do that should pass the stones w/out edges. This comes from a book I use w/ my essential oils, "Reference guide for Essential Oils by Connie and Alan Higley" "Drink 4oz. distilled water w/ juice from 1/2 lemon every 30 minutes for 6 hours straight, then take 2 Tbs. extra light virgin olive oil w/ the juice from 1 full lemon. Repeat daily till stone passes." This is especially ment for kidney stones but it should work for the gallbladder too. I wish you the best of luck! My family is moving to Oakland from Germany in October. Keep us updated!
D.

I had my gallbladder out in 1993. It was scary, but not bad. I was home in one day and a little sore, but recovered easily. I had severe re-occurring pain that would last from 15-30 minutes and then go away for a day or two. I thought I was going crazy. The Dr. said my pain was when the smaller stones passed out of the gallbladder. Before I had surgery, they did an ultrasound to check - perhaps that should be your first test.

Hi J.,

While there are a lot of comments about having the gallbladder out and the surgery being no big deal, the gallbladder serves a very specific function and my philosophy is that if at all possible, do what you can to correct the issue and to keep it. I definitely support the suggestions for acupuncture and chiropractic. Additionally, there are a number of holistic and herbal methods to cleanse and clear out the gallstones. If you google the topic and include natural remedy or holistic or some variation, you'll find a wealth of information on the subject.

Ultimately, you need to trust yourself and come to your own conclusion as to how to address this. If you're unsure, think back to other good decisions and how you felt in your body. There is a pattern to what yes's and no's feel to each one of us. This is the only way to fully trust your decision and to find what is right for YOU, no matter what anyone else says to do.

Best to you!

S.
knowyourselfloveyourlife.com
adhdholisticsolutions.com

Hey J.,
My friend had hers removed shortly having giving birth (weeks after) and it turned out that the gallbladder was not infected as they thought. So, she continued to have the same problems of upset stomach and cramping. She was able to control it through diet though. Either way--the docs told her it was her gallbladder and it turned out not to be the problem. Best of luck with you!

Hi J.. I would highly recommend Acupuncture if you are trying to control/reduce your symptoms. Combined with dietary modifications, you could probably avoid surgery. Even if you did end up resorting to surgery, Acupuncture would help increase your healing and restore balance after surgery. If you'd like more information, please feel free to email me!

Hi J.

I had my gallbladder removed about two years ago. Prior to it being removed, I was always nauseated, pain in the stomach. Ran back and forth to the ER several times before they diagnosed gallbladder issues. When I went to the doctor at wits end with the pain, he told me all of my tests had come back normal but I still have symptoms of gallbladder issues. I told him to remove it. He did and it ended up that I didn't have gallstones but I had inflammation on the gallbladder which caused the same pain. I don't regret the surgery, because I no longer have the pain. I wish you the best. Remember, the longer you wait, the worse it's going to get. Take care of yourself. GOD bless!!

Hi! I had my gallbladder out 1 week before my wedding! My symptoms were much the same, pain that felt like a burning in my abdomen. I had an ultrasound done and they found gallstones in there. The surgery is outpatient, my Dr cut 4 holes in me (1 in my belly button) and they dermabonded the outside and stitched the inside. The surgery itself wasnt bad but the pain afterwards was (I dont have a high pain tolerance though). Nothing that couldnt be helped with some pain meds. If you attempt the diet it is very bland so unless you want to eat bland foods for a long time I would get the surgery. I got married 8 days later and was able to enjoy my honeymoon. My aunt who is a nurse was concerned that one of my gallstones would get stuck in the duct and that would cause complications so that may be something you want to take into account as well. Good luck with everything!

Yes...and it is sooo painful. I found out mine was related to my birthcontrol. My gallbladder was having some sort of adverse reaction. I went through the dr appts, ultrasound, etc. and was getting ready to schedule surgery, when I decided to just stop taking anything and everything including my vitamins one at a time and it worked! Although, my mother had gallbladder surgery and it is an outpatient procedure now and is minimally invasive. They make three tiny slits to put the instruments in to remove it. GOOD LUCK!