Gallbladder - Lone Tree,IA

Updated on December 23, 2011
A.S. asks from Lone Tree, IA
9 answers

Has anyone had gallbladder sludge/stones/disease but no severe pain? I have had elevated and fluctuating liver enzymes for some time and will be seeing a specialist in January to try to figure things out but in the meantime, I think I might be having gallbladder issues rather than liver issues. I have a dull pain on the right side near my breast bone. I also have a pain on the right side under my shoulder blade and towards the center of my back. The pain comes and goes and, while it is bothersome, it is not terrible. My mom had her gallbladder removed this year and she was in quite a bit of pain prior to removal. Have you had your gallbladder removed without having suffered attacks? Thanks!

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S.L.

answers from Champaign on

I had mine removed in November. I had pain, but only once was it a "stop me in tracks kind of pain", the rest was just the same type of pain you stated. I was very nausous and threw up more than I would have liked. After finding out i had no stones, blood work was normal, they did and hida scan to find out my gallbladder in fact wasn't functioning normal.

Since I've had it out - i've had no problems at all. I'm glad that i never got the severe gallbladder attacks many people have had.

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J.M.

answers from Sheboygan on

I just had my gallbladder removed at the beginning of October. My situation was similar to yours - fluctuating liver enzymes, and a dull, aching pain in my right side that would come and go. I had been to the doctor several times regarding it, because even though it wasn't severe pain, I knew something was wrong. It took years, a switch of doctors, and a wonderful nurse to finally suggest that I have my gallbladder checked. When it was finally checked, we found that my gallbladder had been chronically inflamed (probably for years!), and tight full of stones. This was the beginning of September, and we scheduled removal for Oct. 5. I went in for surgery, had it removed, and was told afterwards that if I had waited even one more day, I would have had pancreatitis and been extremely ill, as I had a stone stuck in the bile duct. I haven't had much pain since removal, but am learning what I can and can't eat. Anything really greasy or fatty (such as McDonald's) is a big no-no now, which is fine since I need to lose weight anyway! lol I would suggest that you ask to have your gallbladder checked if you think it may be the issue.
After reading some of the other postings, I do also have to tell you this. Changing your diet may help to some extent, but if you have a lot of stones, it may not help at all. I did a complete dietary change, and was still experiencing pain. Stones are dangerous because there is a risk that one may travel into the bile duct causing an obstruction, which can lead to extremely severe side effects, including sepsis. Always consult with your doctor to help you decide the best course of action for you.
Good luck to you!

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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

it's not uncommon to in fact have BOTH gallbladder issues and liver.. remember, they are right next to one another and play a major role in helping to break down the fat. in fact, I have read that those with gallbladder issues usually have issues with cadiovascular disease, the idea being that there is too much fat in one's diet and the gallbladder is the first to speak up.... (well so to speak) and then the other organs follow suit if one's diet is not cleaned up...
before you ever consider having your gallbladder removed.. first try eliminating fatty foods from your diet. but fat can be found in numerous places, so don't just look to the meat but even things like too much chocolate can totally irritate the GB.. for me, whenever I over indulge, both my liver and gallbladder ache... once that happens, I know I over did it.. I try to not let it get to that point... however, once in awhile it does happen.... if you are having GB problems.. let that be your redflag.. even if right now, your liver is not showing the signs..... I truly believe that if one organ is affected..... so are the others.. even if more subtly..

wishing you the best

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C.P.

answers from Albuquerque on

I found out early this year that I have gallstones... after one weekend of really bad eating followed by 2 nights of terrible pain!! 3 doctor visits and 1 ultrasound later, they decided it was "lots of gallstones" and recommended surgery. Stubborn as I am, I did some research and decided to try other "natural" ways of preventing attacks--eating healthy, avoiding attack-prone foods, upping my exercise regimen. And, here I am 9 months later feeling like my regular (pre-attack) old self! Sometimes I do eat things that don't "agree" with me and I will get pains that feel like what you describe or bad heartburn, but for the most part, I've been feeling pretty good.
The easiest way to test it is to cut out as much fat/oil from your diet as you can! I was eating salad, turkey sandwiches, and plain veggies for a few weeks and noticed results immediately!
Good luck, I hope the specialist can figure it out and that it's not anything worse!

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A.C.

answers from Madison on

I also had high liver enzymes. Mine wasn't my gallbladder, though. Well, that's not quite right; it was my gallbladder, but by doing some specific things, I cleared up my pain and whatever was "ailing" my gallbladder and didn't have to do surgery.

What did I discover? I went to a naturopathic doctor and had him run lab tests. It was discovered that I had Severe Heavy Metal Toxicity that was making my liver work overtime, resulting in the high liver enzymes. Because the liver and the gallbladder work together, anything affecting the liver is also going to affect the gallbladder. I did 3 or 4 detoxes, flushed out the toxins and my liver, and my liver enzymes went down and my gallbladder was okay again (because the gallbladder got flushed out as well).

If you'd like to keep your gallbladder (because there is a reason it's in your body) and avoid surgery, I suggest contacting a Naturopathic doctor and finding out from him/her what could be causing the elevated/fluctuating liver enzymes and take the necessary steps to "cure" yourself.

One thing the allopathic doctors won't tell you is that, after you have your gallbladder removed, you SHOULD be taking enzymes for the rest of your life (you might even need to take enzymes now, if your body is deficient in some). Your gallbladder is there to help digest your food; without it, your body doesn't have certain enzymes it needs to digest your food properly. Therefore, things like cabbage or lettuce or beans or greasy/fried foods will be h*** o* your body, because your body doesn't have the necessary ingredients it needs (enzymes) to break the food down for your body to use. (In the case of my mom and dad, if they eat any of those foods it's an almost instanteous trip to the bathroom.)

You can heal yourself without surgery. Please look into alternatives.

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A.K.

answers from Phoenix on

Your galbladder may not be functioning properly. This can happen even if there is no obvious stones.

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E.M.

answers from Louisville on

yup my pain was just like you said i actually went in b/c i had a hernia after i had my baby and thats when they found the gallbladder issue.

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D.M.

answers from Joplin on

me and my mother both had our gallbladders removed. I felt the pain in like the whole upper part of my stomache under my chest was bloating when I would have an attack and it would be very painful and I would have to just roll around for what seemed like forever for the pain to calm. my mom however just felt it in her ribs,hers was also very painful. we both waited way too long for something to be done it became so toxic in our system that we had to wait for the levels to go down(me personally a week)before they could perform surgery to remove it. for some people if not to severe can be well handled by their diet,etc. that is fine,but if you start having severe pains and believe it is your gallbladder you need a ultrasound done to confirm it and get the surgery. like,I said I am not against trying to help yourself naturally ...... as said foods high and fat do usually cause and trigger attacks. I will not lie to you,you can still have cramps and pains after the surgery ...... due to not having the gallbladder there anymore and it is h*ll in the bathroom for a long time aftewards those who have had the operation know what I mean...lol. but,to me it was life threatning and the pain was too much to handle. worth it to check it out.

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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

My doctor thinks I might have some issues, too, but I haven't had any diagnostic tests. I've never had bad attacks either, but I have had similar symptoms to yours.

I'm trying my very best to hang on to my gall bladder. I've changed the way I eat some, started digestive enzymes, and after Christmas I'm going to get serious again about losing weight. Last spring I lost 13 pounds and my symptoms basically disappeared. Now that my weight is back up I'm noticing it again.

Good luck.

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