Gallbladder Surgery or Alternatives

Hi L.~

I have had my gallbaldder removed. It was done when I was 24 (11 years ago). It took the (very poor) doctors close to a year to diagnose the problem since I didn't fall into the typical category of gallstone sufferers.

By the time I had the surgery, my gallbladder was completely blocked and surgery was my only option. I had the laproscopic surgery....4 small incisions. If you were to see my stomach now, you can't even see the scars.

I felt a MILLION times better within 1 week of surgery (that let me know just how bad I had felt with the gallstones) The laproscopic is the best option if you can.

My gallstone pain did disappear after surgery. I did recover quite quickly. My stomach/bowels are a bit sensitive, but not tragically so. I do not have diarrhea all the time, though seriously high-fat meals make my stomach a bit upset. There is, in fact, a medicine specifically to help people who have had their gallbladders removed if the bile in their system effects their bowels. My Doctor had me try it recently...it prevented any diarrhea at all.

I wish I had an alternative suggestion. I do recommend a second opinion (and even a third) if you are uncomfortable with the second dr. as well. I can tell you that it was impossible to eat..and excruciating when my gallbladder was blocked.

The surgery was relatively easy in comparison. I'm happy I did it. I wish you the best of luck! Happy to answer anything else I can for you!

Hi L.!

Last June, my brother-in-law simply "dropped" (while tending his garden) from the pain of a passing gallstone. Surgery for gallbladder removal was scheduled immediately and his gallbladder was found to be nearly completely crystallized! While his situation is not the norm, a single blocked bile duct (if blocked for an extended period of time, can be fatal. SOOOO If your situation is not DIRE, check out this web address:

http://www.relfe.com/gall_stone_cleanse.html

I might try it myself!!!

Blessings,
R.

L. - Stay off the internet and get a referral for a doctor you trust - one with a good reputation.

I had my gall blatter removed last July due to numerous large stones. I had had no pain or complications but the doctor said elective surgery would be much safer than an emergency surgery if I had one lodged causing pain.

It was a non-event. I have 4 very small incisions. It was out patient surgery. No naseaua and No diarrhea - no nothing. By bowel movements are a bit softer than before but actually that is better than consipation I occasionally had before. I was off work a week I think and really enjoyed the rest but no discomfort or complications.

My GP recommended a very good surgeon from St. John's in Creve Coeur. I was very please with the doctor.

The internet will tell you all the possible dangers. Rather search so you understand what a gall blatter is and how it workks. It is good to be informed but you should not let what you read overshadow what a reputable doctor recommends for YOU!! There are dangers every time we step out of the house or stay in for that matter. You can live in fear or live life with good common sense and enjoy your family!

If you need a referral to the doctor who is very respected and who did my surgery, let me know.

J.V.

Hi L.,
My doctor yelled at me the other day for reading too much on the internet instead of talking to him first. He said too many people know just enough about medicine to scare themselves to death. I am always trying to self diagnos off the internet and I spend many sleepless nights until I can get to the doctor to have all my fears easily explained and find out that I am not going to die of some rare disease.

On the issue of the gallbladder, don't let it get out of control before you finally do something. My dad just had his removed and in the right time. His doc wanted him to go in the hospital on Christmas eve for emergency surgery because the gall stones had clogged up the passage to his liver and were causing his liver to go into problems with exzyme levels. This could be a pain you can tolerate but it could be risking your liver functioning and when your liver fails there is nothing that can save you except a transplant. I am sorry if I am scareing you but I have seen a few family members die of liver failure and it is a horrible way to go (alot of suffering).

Have your gallbladder removed if that if what your doctor is recommending. You need to take care of yourself so you can be healthy to play with your kids and not worry about having an attack that could keep you from attending a ballet recital, a kindergarten graduation, or what ever events that come along that are of importance to your children.

Good luck and take care!

I had mine done 3 years ago. I still had pain and nausea for a couple of months but still have a problem eating high fatty and meat products. Since I had 3 children the recovery was hard, my baby was 8 months old. My mother had the same surgery 2 years later and was perfectly fine, I would try to eat a lower fat diet, as in no trans or saturated and more veggies and fruits and see how you feel, I would think you could wait for a while unless you have a stone stuck in the duct which would be jaundice among other things, you could always get a second opinion, maybe from an osteopathic doctor since they are less likely to recommend unnecessary surgery! Good luck and if you do get it done, plan on eating healthy the rest of your life because that is all that your tummy can tolerate!

Hi, Rhonda. I can understand your hesitation to have surgery and you are wise to talk to several doctors and consider all of your options because you have time and can. However, speaking from experience, sometimes the more you research on your own, the more horror stories you will find too. My mom,too, had gall bladder surgery for stones, unexpectedly, but that was more than 20 years ago. She recovered well and had little if any pain afterwards. Surgery has changed immensely since then! My husband, who had emergency surgery and had a "very sick gall bladder" (his doctor's words) had laproscopic (sp?) surgery and was on the football field coaching high school players within 48 hours, albeit on pain meds for the surgery itself. He does have more frequent loose bowels, but mostly because he also has had part of his colon removed due to cancer.
I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago, same small incisions as my husband. No complications or diarrhea problems. I didn't have stones per se, just incredible indigestion. That is almost all gone now, with the exception of certain foods! I do notice that some foods do cause diarrhea more easily than before, but not enough to cause problems. Both my husband and I are high school teachers so something like that would be impossible in the classroom setting.
I would suggest that you find a doctor with whom you are confident and whom you trust. If you are not in severe pain that is detracting from you life, talk to people in your area, see who has had similar issues. My brother is a physician and he says that most women who are 40+, still menstruating and are overweight are likely to have gall bladder problems! I laughed ... that described ME! Actually, he said the three F's ... Fertile, Forty and Fat! :)
Blessings in whatever you choose! Maybe they will just dissolve on their own and you won't need to worry about surgery at all!

What most people don't understand about galstones is that these stones form in the liver but become calcified in the galbladder. Having the stones removed from the gall bladder does not change the condition that is inspiring the liver problems, which is most likely causing all your other issues.

One of the best nutritionists in the St. Louis area is Dr. Duane Marquart at Primary Care Chiropractic. He not only provides excellent care for your personal health, he provides great (free) educational oportunities for you to learn how to resolve almost all of your health issues without meds or surgeries. He is also amazing with children and offers special programs for kids (affordable). He can be a liver's best friend!!!

I have battled galbladder/liver issues for years. I am 50, feel great and have been able to avoid the surgery my mother required at 35. Her's had to be completely removed. Although I did do the liver flush as Dr. Hulda Clark advises in her book, The Cure for All Diseases, I was pretty sick at the time and was willing to go through the parasite cleanse and the kidney cleanse she recommends doing first. It takes a bit of doing, but the results were fantastic! I also do not recommend other forms of liver flushes. Once the stones are calcified in the galbladder, they can get stuck in the bial duct and cause acute pain (unbearable). I was able to flush the calcified stones from my galbladder and hundreds of the still soft ones from my liver quite successfully using Dr. Clarks methods. Other methods are not always safe. Within two days I had a bounce in my step I had not had since I was 12! I did it all with no meds, surgeries, or expensive procedures.

If you really want to get better, you need to learn how to keep your liver happy! Removing the galstones is just the tip of this iceberg.