Gall Bladder Troubles

I had gall bladder attacks that were awful. So, I had my gall bladder removed a 5 years ago and I have had absolutely no side effects. The surgeon said that it was a quicker, easier surgery because I wasn't overweight. Actually, it was quite a tremendous relief because my gall bladder attacks were so frequent and painful (and I was/am also a healthy eater). The surgery was a pretty quick recovery and the scars are four tiny little slits (hardly noticeable when I wear a bikini). I can now eat whatever I want with absolutely no problems.

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J.,

my symptoms went away within the week following surgery.

good luck,
T.

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I had gallstone attacks all through college and as a young adult. I would get attacks whenever I ate large amounts of fat, particularly animal fat. So burgers, fries, ice cream. You get the idea. You don't have to be veg and certainly don't have to eat only raw fruits and vegetables, but you do have to watch how you prepare them. Stay away from butter and cream. Small amounts of olive oil should be fine. Pasta is great, just watch the preparation. Meat was generally okay in limited quantities if it was lean (e.g, chicken breast). I never had any issues with what I drank (as long as it wasn't a milkshake or similar. My grandmother got her attacks after drinking Brandy Alexanders (brandy w/ cream). lol)

That said, the best thing I ever did was get my gall bladder removed. Removal of the stupid thing gets rid of the very painful attacks. They remove the gall bladder laproscopically (one 1-inch incision and 3 punctures). Easy. You're typically out of the hospital within a day. I recovered in no time, but I have an easy time with these types of surgeries. (I had zero problems with my c-section too.) You'll need to eat a low fat diet for a little while after the surgery, and ramp up to your regular diet, but you can eventually start eating all foods. I do find that I still need to start out slow in the mornings, i.e., no heavy, fatty, meaty foods first thing in the morning. After that, all bets are off. I really enjoy my occasional burger & fries and my more common ice cream. :-)

Good luck!

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I know you have had a lot of response.......Let me tell you a little story - for 3 months I was getting really sick, intense pain in stomach felt like I was dying. Finally, after one night (1 am) puking in the bathrooom sink, I told my husband that there was something seriously wrong. Went to the ER - they said it was Gallstones. Then after going through the steps with the doctor and surgeon and ultrasound....it was confirmed that it was gallstones. The surgeon said I needed surgery, but before surgery for a week and 1/2 - I could only eat fresh fruits and veggies and grilled Chicken with no sauces. NO FATS AT ALL......that meant no dairy, no cooking oils, no dark meats, nothing with any fats. Let me tell you - I was hungry. You can only eat baby carrots for so long. Anyway - after surgery, the surgeon came out to tell my hubby that everything went fine, and that it was a good thing that I had the surgery - my gallbladder was so sick that I had about 3 more months till it would have poisoned me to death. I am glad that I had the surgery, because now I can eat most of everything that I ate before minus a few things. I have to watch out for the really fattening stuff, if it is really greasy or like Avacodos - I can't have otherwise I will run to the bathroom and sit for a while.

I actually lost 30 pounds in less than 2 months because of the severe diet change due to the stones. I have gained 15 back because I have found that I can have most fats.
I'm glad I got the operation - I would never want to go through that pain again.

I have four small scars from the surgery. Good luck.

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Back in '05, I had similar symptoms to what you are describing. I would have an "attack" once a month, not coinciding with my period, and it didn't matter what I ate. It could be juice, pizza, whatever. After 6 months of this, I finally saw my dr. I went to a gastroenterologist, who did an endoscopy to see what was going on with my gall bladder. I had the organ removed, laproscopically, and was back to work within 2 weeks. It was recommended that I eat things with fiber and lots of liquids while I was in recovery, and shortly thereafter. I must have lost about 10-15 lbs. Yes, you'll be able to go back to how you were eating. I don't have any problems. You liver has to learn to compensate for what the gall bladder did.

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J.:

I had to have my gall bladder removed when my son was 8 months old. I had all the symptoms that you have and they would come and go. What I did not know was that I had these symptoms in different degrees for over 20 years prior to having it removed and that the pregnancy actually made the symptoms worse. I can tell you that after I had the surgury to remove the gall bladder I am able to eat a normal diet. It took a month or two for my body to adjust to not having the gall bladder but then after that I could eat whatever I wanted. The danger in not having it removed if this is truly your case is that a gall stone could get into the duct that leads to the pancreas and cause pancreatitus for which there is no cure so I would recommend getting it out. I know for me it was the best decision that I ever made.

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Gall stones are cholesterol so eating more like a vegetarian will diminish symptoms. My husband had his out last year and has had no more attacks, his surgery was laproscopy and he healed within days. He does have high cholesterol and is overweight. You can eat everything again but remember that if you eat a high cholesterol diet the liver will have to do all the work without the extra bile that the gall bladder would have normally held and your stools might be a bit loose for a while. I say get rid of it and suffer no more, good luck.

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this is my advice as a doc. get an ultrasound to find out if you have stones or sludge or a dysfunctioning gallbladder wall. if it is a large stone get the surgery. if it is small stones or sludge find yourself a naturopathic doctor who will be able to help you get rid of the problem.

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I had my gall bladder removed after my second child. They did it laproscopically (sp?), and I had no side effects at all. I have gone back to eating a regular diet, including some fatty foods. The pain was too unbearable to withstand...it came to that finally! Good Luck, sounds like you're doing all the right things.

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Hello J.,

I had my gall bladder removed on the 5th of July. I felt fine with in 4 days, but couldn't lift my boys for 3 weeks, luckily my in-laws (mother, father & sister) were all in town so they could help take care of everything. By the way, I have 4 boys (twin 16 month olds, 1- 5 yr. old & 1-22 yr. old step son). As for my diet, I haven't had any problems eating anything I want to at all. I am much more comfortable now then when I was having attacks.

Best of Luck to You!

C.

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Girl! Go get that thing removed! Your symptoms will disapear and your life will return to normal! My gallblader was a virtual sandbox, over 400 tiny stones. I was in agony almost all the time. I had the surgery, and was relieved of pain almost right away. Now all I have a few little scars and no problems what so ever. Talk to your Dr. and stop torturing yourself with needless worry. You have a young child and a teenager, isn't that torture enough! Just kidding!!! Your so busy you don't need to be bogged down in pain. Recovery is quick and you'll be able to get back to your active life.
Of course listen to your Dr. and all surgery has some aspect of concern.
Good luck to you.
God be with you.
Mandy

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Hi Jeanette,
I would definitely recommend trying a cleanse before you decide to have surgery. I am an acupuncturist, and have known many people to effectively cleanse stones from their gallbladders. There are a few different cleanses---usually variations on apple juice or apples, lemon juice and olive oil. I found this one online. www.kitchendoctor.com/healthconditions/gallstones/gallbla...
Hope you can find something that works---be prepared to take some time for the cleanse and call around to L.Ac's, ND's or even chiropractors or nutritionists in your area if you have questions or want some additional input---and if you opt for surgery, I hope it works out perfectly for you!
All the best for you,
Jennifer

Here's a coincedence. My daughter just had an ultrasound because she's been having the same symptoms you describe. She hasn't talked with the doctor yet but the tech told her the walls of her gall bladder were thick indicating that it was probably not working. She thinks that she'll probably have to have surgery to take it out.

Gall bladder problems run in her birth family. Her aunt had her's out about a month ago. At 2 weeks post surgery she said that she wished she'd had it out years earlier. She has been having no pain. Surgery pain is taken care of with OTC acetaminophen and she only takes that once in awhile. She told my daughter to not mess around with trying to control symptoms with diet. She once more has energy and feels so much better in general. She also said she can eat foods she hadn't had in years.

One of my friends had her gall bladder out several years ago when they were doing the surgery by opening her abdomen. She had pain and gas for quite awhile. Once that subsided she was glad that she'd had it out. She has been able to eat anything since the surgery and has had no pain.

My gall bladder flared up when my twins were 3 months old. I had them remove it, once they figured out that was the issue. I went in twice, anyways, since it has been removed I have had no issues. It was a laproscopic procedure that took an hour or so and I was released the next day. Lifting was a little tough right afterward but it was do able. I started taking a Belly Dancing class about 4 months after and if we were extremely strenuous in class then my muscles would be sore at the incision site. But other wise it has been the best surgery I could have done.

Hope that helps, good luck Mama!

S.

THe surgery is done laparoscopically and in most cases as a same day procedure. I inserted a site that will give you enough information to help answer your questions.
http://www.sages.org/publication/id/PI11/

J.,

Diet and supplements are huge and it sounds like when it was giving you relief but the lifestyle you want. As far as supplements go I don't know what you have tried yet but you need to look into Reliv, because the health results that people get, my friends and family included, is just phenomenal! A patent nutrition that acutaully gets to the cells and regenerate healthy cells. As a distributor, you can contact me for more information. I would love to help.

D. J.
###-###-####
____@____.com

J.,
About 10yrs ago my mom was having gall bladder trouble too. She didn't tell anyone because my niece and nephew were flying down to visit her for a week and she was afraid that if my sister knew she was ill that the kids wouldn't come.

My mom became very ill. She was vomiting all the time,running fevers, diarrhea and started passing out. She ended up in the hospital for about 1week. She ended up having surgery because her gall bladder began to become gangrene.

I don't know if this is the solution for you, but what I do know is that taking care of her after the surgery was difficult. The up-side to this is that since the surgery, she has had no complications or illnesses. She also eats a normal diet.

I wish you the best of health.

Hi Jeanette,

You could do a natural galbladder flush with olive oil and cocacola. This works, as my godmother did it. I believe the recipe is 1 tsp olive oil and 6 oz of coca cola. Personally, I think surgery is a last resort thing. :) Hope this is helpful!

Blessings,

K.S.

I had my gall bladder removed 3 months after the birth of my first child. I would have excruciatingly painful attacks, especially if I ate foods with fat in them.

After removal I am a new woman. I have often said the attacks were so painful that I'd rather have a dozen more births than one more gall bladder attack.

See your Dr. and at HIS/HER recommendation schedule surgery. If it really is your gall bladder (I'm not a Dr., so I cannot say) you will be amazed at how much better you will feel.

Best of luck!

If I was in your shoes, I think I would request an ultrasound to see how big the gallstones were. If they are big or blocking a duct a would opt for surgery. If they are smaller, I would go and see an ND and an Acupuncturist and get on a cleanse to help pass the stones. Even big stones can be dissolved with herbs or acidic foods, until they are small enough to expel.
People seem to do fine without their gallbladders. Better than before if they are filled with stones, BUT if it was an unecessary organ, it wouldn't be there in the first place. I really believe this!
In Chinese Medicine, it is said that the gallbladder energy gives you your courage. Do you want to be without your "gall"?
It may be necessary to remove it, but if you can wait, I really would try other options first.

I had my gall bladder out in 99. I was 24. My attacks came on fast and strong and had to have mine removed within a week. At first I was great and then maybe a year later I started having trouble with needing to go to the bathroom NOW! I can't stress the right NOW part enough. Sometimes even just a glass of water would send me running. I didn't watch my diet at all then. I started asking around in a round about way (no one wants to share to the world their bathroom problems) and I found out that most people who had their gall bladders removed had the same problem. It's been 9 years now and it still bothers my stomach. The thing that did help the most was getting enough fiber in my diet, I even took metamucil for a while. I think I read adults need 30-35 and we typically get less than 10. So I switched to wholegrain cereal with more than 4 fiber per serving, and breads brown rice and pasta. I will not tell you it helped 100% but it is better and I don't have to road map every bathroom on the way from here to there. So, I know that's only semi helpful but it's what happened to me. Sorry

Dear Jeanette,
Try not to have your gall bladder removed, your body needs it. One piece of advice other than constitutional treatment is to
1. Take a lot of enzymes when you go to eat cooked food. I can recommend good ones.
2. Search for a good gall bladder flush and do it as much as needed and recommended.
Be well,
Liz
Classical Homeopath

Are you sure it's your gall bladder? The only symptom I remember is the excruiating pain. I first tried to watch what I ate, but ended up in the emergency room several times anyway; they had to give me morphine for pain relief.

The good news is that you can't have a gall bladder attack if you don't have a gall bladder.

J.,

My mom started having attacks when she was about 6 months pregnant, and about 1 month after my sister was born she had her gall bladder removed. She felt it was the best thing she ever did. She was able to go back to a varied diet right away and hasn't felt any side effects since. The surgery itself was very minor. Best wishes!

Wow..just 10 days ago I had my gall bladder removed, a simple surgery (50 minutes) I'm almost back to normal...,I am 82 yrs. You should respond to the 'day surgery' very well. I'd say, don't hesitate..it only gets worse! Prayer changed things for me, and will for you, too.

Hello J.,

I recently had the same problem. I did decide to go ahead and have the surgery and was blissfully happy with my results. It does take about a week or two to get back to eating normally. I have found that I do not have to restrict my diet at all. The foods that would activate my gall bladder attacks do not bother me at all now. From my understanding you gall bladder will never completely get better the attacks will just come more and more if you do nothing. I do hope this has helped you.

WHile I admire those that have treatments and very very carefully watch their diet to control gall bladder symptoms, I was not able to do this. I had mine removed and it has not been an issue at all. This was around 3 years ago. It can be dangerous to leave the gall stones there as they can get caught in the bile ducts and cause infections. I was able to resume eating as before, but I still avoided excessive fats like fried foods (better for me anyway). If I do eat them on occasion I do not experience the same pain/discomfort...just an extra trip to the bathroom. Good luck with what you decide.

I got a little bored after reading through so many responses...but I thought I would add one more anyway...I think that very few people who wrote in with opinions are probably doctors (neither am I), so my advice would be to talk to a doctor...In terms of having the gall bladdar removed, I had mine removed (emergancy surgery) exactly one year ago after several attacks that were spread out over about a year long period (didn't know that was what the pain was until the final one in August when I actually went to the emergancy room). If you let it go, you can end up with serious problems (I had pancreatitis - not spelled right I am sure) on top of the gall stones. The surgery was easy, the recovery was fine for me - only took meds for 2 days, was out with friends the night after the surgery...a bit tired for a few days, but after all the post op stuff went away (less than a week for me) everything was back to normal...someone said you should eat vegetarian, I am a vegetarian (have been since 1994) and still had attacks...every person is different, no real reason why it happened to me, but it did - it's out now, and things have been absolutely fine! Good luck!

I've had gallstones since I was 16 years old, have a normal BMI and low cholesterol. In my case, I'm fairly certain my problems are hereditary, as both my mom and brother have had theirs removed. I've been able to keep my flare ups under control with diet and have managed to avoid surgery for 15 years (and through 2 pregnancies) now. I don't know what your "normal" diet is, but I have had to permanently cut out fried foods, many acidic foods like peppers and coffee, very fatty foods (avoid fatty cuts of meat, lard and other animal fats,) and a lot of dairy products. I haven't had a flareup now in several years, so it seems to be working for me.

That said, both my mom and brother have to avoid a lot of those foods post-surgery, so I look at it in the same light as someone who has a food allergy or intolerance and accept that's just the way it is.

Hi J.,

In answer to your questions:
My question is: has anyone else experienced this and has anyone had their gall bladder removed? Yes, I had mine out about 15 years ago.

If the gall bladder is removed can I expect the symptoms to go away and can I return to a normal diet? For me, it took care of most problems, I still have to be careful not to overdo it on really oily food (like when we go over to my folks house and my dad adds oil to his hamburger for Spaghetti and tacos--ick) and garlic bread, but as long as I don't overdo, even those foods don't give me trouble.

Good luck to you!

I have had the gal bladder sugery and yes the symptoms go away, however, and Im not going to lie to you, it wont be pretty. I dont know if this happens to everyone else, but Milk goes right through me, and not the good way, Soda does it too. There are some foods that will just go right through you. I imagine its probably different for everyone. I dont mind trading the pain for having to use the restroom. That pain was worse than child birth.

I had my gall bladder removed a year ago this week, when my son was 8 months old. I had heard that pregnancy can increase gall stones, and it seems that many women have problems soon after having a child. I recommend the surgery, I have had no problems since. The attacks prior to surgery were excruciating.

I was told to schedule the surgery and put it off a little and ended up needing somewhat of an emergency surgery, I was having constant attacks after eating almost anything.

Try a gallbladder cleanse before you consider surgery. The gallbladder is important and while you can live without it, you should try to keep it if possible. If I had known about gallbladder cleanses 10 years ago, my husband would still have his!
D.

My sister had her gall bladder removed and in the beginning she had to watch her fat intake, but after a while she was able to eat normally again. It's been three years now and she is on a completely regular diet. I'm pretty sure she would reccomend the surgery. She said the pain she was having was worse than labor, which she had gone through just three months prior. Good Luck!

I had my gallbladder removed 3 weeks after having my 1rst child by C-section (not fun having 2 surgeries back 2 back). I have been fine since however in retrospect, I would have done things differently. I wish I had kept my gallbladder and gone to see a naturopath. They have a variety of ways to help such as gallbladder flushes and such. But what's done is done! Good luck figuring out what's best in your situation.

S.
www.hazelaid.com
All natural, organic, handmade hazelwood necklaces for the relief of eczema, acid reflux, & teething pain for babies and their families.

Been there and NEVER want to go back. Have the surgery! It was the best thing I ever did. My attacks led me to believe I was having a heart attack. I had my surgery 25 years ago and they cut you stem to stern...now they do it arthroscopically (not sure if I spelled that correctly). My daughter just had hers out that way and it has been a dream for her. After you have it out, you play rather a can I eat this now game, but once you find out it was fine. The only thing that I really can't tolerate is cabbage. That was a great trade for the pain. Good luck!

I had to have mine removed 2 months after my son was born - the medical people told me that of all the removals they do, almost all of them are on pregnant or brand new moms......something about pregnancy causes gall stones to form, and they don't go away. You would still have some symptoms after removal due to the fact that the gall bladder is basically a bag that holds bile from the liver and dumps it into your stomach on demand when you have hard to digest/fatty foods in there. Without the gall bladder, the bile just runs into your stomach all the time and I find that if I don't eat regularly I get too much bile which feels the same as an attack. If I eat too much fatty stuff at once the same thing 'cuz I can't get a big shot of bile to help digestion 'cuz there's no "reserve" or holding tank anymore. I find that when I feel an attack coming if I can chug a lot of water it seems to dilute the bile and goes away - I also never go anywhere without Zantac. The surgery was simple - tiny little incisions 'cuz they don't have to open you up anymore, they stick the microscopic stuff in you and I didn't even have stitches, just tape and was an easy recovery (well, as easy as it gets with a 2 mo old baby!) I'm glad I went for it!! I also had them tie my tubes while they were in there, got a 2fer! :)

Try this website. It has helped my 23 year old daughter who also has gall bladder attacks. She was examined and received an ultrasound by her doctor BEFORE she tried this to make sure she did not have gall bladder stone blockages.

http://www.gallbladderattack.com/

Hi,
I had the surgery when my baby was less than a year old. It was the easiest procedure. I was a little sore walking out of the hospital, I drove myself home, took it easy for a few days (no lifting) and was able to eat normal food again without the severe pain. 10 years later- still no problems. I highly recommend a Weight Watcher diet from now on - low fat- high fiber- it's easy to maintain your weight. Have you noticed that if you eat a little fat, the gall bladder flares up? I had only 1 incident- but the pain was worse than childbirth!
You have to really try hard to find the scars, too. Good luck!

ps. you're not supposed to drive home after surgery, but I figured I drove myelf to the emergency room in the middle of the night, I could do this.

MDs falsely assume that the gall bladder is an "accessory" organ mainly because they are not sure what it's there for. This doesn't mean it's not important. In my opinion, God does nothing creates nothing in a body without good reason. NOTHING in your body is superfluous. They say the spleen is superfluous as well. Well, the spleen helps fight of the body's infections!

I had a gall bladder removed back in 1989, it was the start of some major digestive health problems that started about a year later. I would NOT do it again if I had the same problem again. I had stomach pains, diarhea, suddenly I couldn't eat wheat or dairy. The symptoms were seemingly endless.

My sister had the same issues with belching, stomach pain, and gall bladder pain as well. I told her not to get surgery. When on my advice she first took a tablespoon of vinegar, she found that her stomach pain which she had had for 24 hours disappeared within the hour! Gall stones appear due to a combination of too much fat in the diet and insufficient digestive enzymes to break down the fat. Most MDs are not aware of the part that it's caused by a lack of digestive enzymes as well for some strange reason.

Most people can't handle eating tons of radishes (which can disolve the stones), so I would go to a good naturopath if I were you. It's amazing what they can do. They will put you on some enzymes and things to calm and possibly even disolve the stones! You may be one of the lucky ones who doesn't have any digestive problems afterwards, but you may have chronic fatigue afterwards. You don't know. I say it's better to keep it. However, you have to seek help RIGHT AWAY, because like the appendix, it can burst and cause a whole host of other problems.

I took my sister to a health food store in her area, and they gave her digestive aids and other aids to help calm the bladder, aid in digestion, and to this date (1 year later) she went from frequent pain and needing surgery to stop the pain to not needing the surgery. I also have heard from Super Supplements people that if you eat a LOT of radishes, it helps the problem as well.

God bless you and hope you find a solution soon.

My sister had her gall bladder removed. It is a surgery but it isn't a big deal. She could eat anything she wanted afterwards.
Before her surgery, she was really watching what she ate, so she hadn't been in pain for awhile. Right before the surgery, she thought "do I really need this?", so she ate a big dinner of fatty mexican food. YES, she needed the surgery. :) And she is glad that she had it removed!!!
Now, she can eat whatever she wants again!

I had one of those laprascopic gall bladder surgeries in 1996 when I was 49 years ago. They call it a day surgery, but mine was scheduled in the afternoon so I ended saying over night. I haven't had any trouble at all with my diet since. I am a nurse and would recommend it. Chris P

I am a Aqua Chi foot spa caregiver and I would advise you to call 1-800-349-6962 talk ask them if they know if there is a Aqua Chi caregiver in the area.

I have given Aqua Chi"s to a lady who was scheduled for surgery and after 5 treatments she didn't have surgery.

It is not a cure but it will help with cleansing the gallbladder.

If you want to talk to me ____@____.com
S.

Hi! I also have gall bladder troubles and all the doctors I went to suggested surgery saying it would take care of all my troubles. I researched this and found out that some people end up with diarrhea for the rest of their lives and other problems. In the end I sought out acupuncture and chinese herbs that help alot!! I had to go once a week for about a month and then once every two weeks, then once a month for a while. The herbs I take every day and they really help. I also take Magnesium and this helps too. Every spring I do a liver cleanse that I get from my acupuncturist and this helps too. I tried everything to avoid surgery and I feel pretty good. I eat well, however I notice some gall bladder symptoms come back if I eat too much fat (like cheese and french fries) or too much sugar. All in all, acupuncture was very helpful for me to avoid surgery and all the risks involved. The herbs cost 5.95/month, and are well worth it.
Good Luck!!

J.:

I had the same issues that you describe. I had all the testing done to find out what was wrong and the tests showed that there was nothing wrong with my gall bladder. I continued for about a year to eat a very limited diet. I also was like you and had a normal BMI and weight. Finally a year later my doctor was convinced that it was gall bladder due to family history and I had the surgery. I eat normally now and have not had an episode. The surgery was fine and recovery was quick for me. I was back to work a week later.

I highly recommend the surgery. I have felt great ever since.

Best wishes to you!

K.

I had my gall bladder removed 2 months after my first child was born. At the time the surgeon told me there was a 30% chance the surgery wouldn't solve my problems.

However, it did seem to solve my problems, with no noticeable side effects that I can tell. 6 years later and I've never had another attack and I can eat normally. Still, I wish I'd have looked harder at non-surgical ways to resolve the issue because I don't believe in unnecessary surgery. At the time though, I was a hormonal, distraught, suffering mess! (I'd had 5 months of attacks by the time I had surgery) :-) And I just did what the dr.'s advised.

The surgery and recovery were no big deal at all.

Best of luck with your troubles!

Hi J.,
I have also had gallbladder problems. I ignored them for years, until an attach sent to the ER. They did an ultrasound
and my gallbladder was totally full of stones. I was told I needed surgery immediately and was scheduled for surgery within two weeks. The surgery was easy, out-patient, and within two weeks there was no discomfort at all. Symtoms all went away. As you probably know the gall bladder is just a holding place for the bile the liver makes. You can do without it.
I have discovered that I also do better when I take digestive aids I get from a ND. Some of these deal with the digestion of fats and proteins.
Hope this is heldful.
Marilyn

As you ask this question, I am into the 2nd week of recovering from gallbladder surgery, so I do not know the long-term benefits yet, but can tell you I feel better already. I had an attack at the end of July and it was so horrible that after 2.5 hours of constant pain my husband took me to the emergency room. They figured it out right away and I stayed on a strict diet until August 12th when surgery was done. My recommendation is get the surgery done as quickly as possible. Your gallbladder is considered an "accessory" organ and your body is able to function without it. Something like 97% of gallbladder surgery is done laproscopicly (with a scope) and only requires 3/4 small incisions, it is an outpatient procedure, and only takes about an hour. HOWEVER, the longer you wait, the more chance you have of your gallbladder getting more inflamed, enlarged, and more gallstones. This was my case (even though I had only one attack before getting it taken care of) and instead of 1 hour, my surgery was 3, and my incisions are larger. Wait too long, and worse case scenario is that they do surgery the old-fashion way and cut you open. Also, keep in mind that the gallbladder is full of bile as it functions to break down the food you eat, if it was to burst, this can cause death (not meaning to scare, just sharing the facts). Once the gallbladder is removed, the problems go away. You can return to a normal diet after a few days, though I have friends who have found it is still a good idea to stay away from certain oils and fats. Good luck with your decision. Feel free to message me back if you have a more specific question and maybe I can answer....

Hi J.. I had to respond to your post becasue a couple of weeks ago I had a horrible gall bladder attack and I was in so much pain for almost 24 hours straight. It felt like severe trapped gas pain but it was above my belly button area. I am a believer in alternative medicine and I called my chiropractor and naturapath when this happened. I had some supplements at home from my chirpractor that help w/ gall bladder and I took some and a few hours later, I was fine. I get that pain now every few days and i take more of the supplements. I need to take them more regularly so that I can fix the root cause instead of just putting off the symptoms. Gall bladder surgery sounds like a drastic measure, so I would encourage you to go see someone who can treat this from a more natural perspective like an accupuncturist or naturapath or chiropractor who works with supplements. My chiropractor is Dr. Jim Bartley and he is fabulous and treats the WHOLE body and doesn't just do adjustments. http://www.appliedkinesiologyclinic.com/

You already have a lot of responses, so I'll try to be brief.

I have always had, and still have, a basically healthy/low risk lifestyle -- no smoking, drinking, good weight, etc. Thought I was having ulcer problems because it acted up mostly after large, rich meals. Felt like a sharp, stabbing pain from front thru to the back where my ribs joined in the middle of my upper abdomen.

December 2006 had increasing pain for 2 days. ER. Ultrasound showed many gall stones ("Enough for a nice necklace!") and inflamed gall bladder. Immediate surgery because pain meds weren't effective enough.

That night we found out that my gall bladder had been inflamed to 4X its normal size. A gall stone had blocked the duct. Surgeon said we were fortunate I came in when I did so it didn't burst.

I have no regrets. But I didn't have much choice, either. ;) Now I can eat so much more variety than I used to. If I have rich, high-fat foods regularly (ice cream, creamy sauces, etc.), I have intestinal issues (aka: "the runs"). I don't know how much is due to IBS/spastic colon, though. Drinking plenty of water helps immensely.

Good luck!

Since you are in the medical profession, I am sure you have thought of this, but just in case (and for the other readers).

Has a doctor confirmed your research? My father had very similar symptoms but it turned out to be pancreatic cancer. This is a very deadly cancer and the sooner it is caught the better, so if you haven't, please go straight to your doctor to confirm with a CT scan, etc. With pancreatic cancer, the ability to do surgery means the difference between living 9-12 months and 5 years, and the ability to do surgery gets slimmer by the week....

Sorry to sound so scary, but urgency is critical with some issues and I worry anyone reading this might think "oh, so that is what those symptoms are, I will change my diet" instead of seeing their doctor. I hope it is in fact your gallbladder, since that seems to have a very high success rate with surgery.

Hi J.,

I too have had gallbladder problems over the past 10 years. However, a diet change alone will not solve the problem. There is a simple gall-stone removal program in two of my favorite books that I use. The first is 'Herbally Yours' and the second is 'Own Your Own Body'. There are many others on line for the gall-stone cleanse, but the formula is usually the same drink raw apple juice only for three days. (I use Winco for mine each fall.) Eight ounces of apple juice should be taken every hour or two during the day, and repeated for three days. At the end of each day an enema can be taken. On the morning of the fourth day, take 3-4 ounces of fresh lemon jiuce mised with 3-4 ounces of olive oil is stirred thoroughly and drink (the oil flushes the softened stones from the gallbladder). This should be repeated again at noon. Many people actually get rid of a pint bottle full of stones - small pea to thumb size--75-100 stones at a time. Apple juice softens the stones so that they can pass through the small duct of the gall bladder.

This may be totally new to you, but this has saved my life and my gallbladder too. And at first I had to do this two or three times to rid my body of all the stones. Mine seem to be from fat, fried foods (which I limit) and lack of protein digestion. I now follow a food combining program that keeps me healthier. (Wayne Pickering - food combining chart - on line)

Good luck. K.

I had gall bladder attacks after my 1st daughter was born. My Dr. recommended surgery. My ND suggested that before attempting any cleanse I have an ultrasound to confirm the size of any stones and the size of the duct the stones would need to pass through. A blocked duct is dangerous business! The ultrasound revealed grit rather than fully formed stones. I decided that I could avoid the surgery and attempt other routes. I took on a strict diet that starting out at <10% fat. over the years I was able to gradually become less strict (Less than 10 % fat is not nutritionally sustainable over the long hall.) These days my diet is fairly normal.

I started having gallstones when I was in my 3rd trimester with my son. At 31 weeks it began putting me into premature labor. A small piece of cheese would set off an attack immediately. I had to completely remove all fat from my diet. After I had my son I had my gallbladder removed. For the most part I can eat what I want. There are only a couple small things that can bother me but it does not set off any attacks. The procedure is very simple with very little downtime. I had my surgery in the morning, was back home about 2 in the afternoon and was taking care of my 1 month old son by myself that evening. Best of luck to you!

I had my gallbladder removed 4yrs ago due to the same symptoms, however I was also passing stones that were the size of marble shooters and in excruciating pain. As soon as my gallbladder was removed the pain was gone and I was able to go back to my regular diet, the only thing is, is that I need to watch my fat intake. So no fast food or rich foods. AS long as you follow your doctors advice you should be fine and able to be back on your regular diet. One other thing, when the pain get real bad lay on your left side and put your right arm up over your head, this will help relieve the pain.
hope this helps.