Bad gallbladder

[purr]

Well after 2 days in the hospital from being dehydrated from C-diff, I found that I have gallstones and my gallbladder is only operating at 15%. Since I have no/little symptoms I have the option of waiting it out and not going to get it removed yet.

Anyone here have their gallbladder removed? I'm only 24, techically underweight, but I have had 3 kids and gallbladder/digestive problems run in my family.

The doc said that he rather not take it out if I'm not having symptoms so I guess thats a good thing.

I'm just glad to be home!!

[I_Make_Mistakes]

1. It is a piece of cake surgery if they can do the laposcopic (sp?).

This was how it was explained to me, 1). It all depends on the location of the gallbladder (it sits in the liver) whether lap. can be done or not 2). If you wait till a full blown attack comes on then you have less chance of lap. surgery. The old surgery requires a large incision around the mid section and possible movement of the liver which makes recovery much longer.

I had a small stone, but iv antibiotics can cause gallbladder problems so it was removed as a precautionary surgery. They cut a 1 inch in cession over the belly button, a 3/4 inch incision about 4 to 5 inches north of the belly button and a 1/2 incision to the right midway between the other incisions. That's it, and I felt better after it.

I had bronchitis but elected to go ahead with the surgery so my recovery took a little longer (the coughing was aggravating the stitches) a week. I know people who went back to work 3 days later.

You heal better when you are young, why wait for it to become a problem, you really don't need it.

[purr]

2. I dont want to have surgery unless absolutely necessary...

IV antibiotics can cause gallbladder problems? WOW.. didnt know that!! When I had my kids I had iv antibiotics each time. I wonder if oral antibiotics can do the same thing.

How long did your surgery take? My doc says I can get constant diarrhea with my gallbladder out. My grandmother had hers out around my age and she still has the runs every day.

I dont really have any issues other than a pain right under my sternum occasionally and then the pain in my right/left shoulder blade.

Was yours an outpatient surgery?

Thanks for replying :)

[mopinko]

3. my hubby just had his done

piece of cake is an exaggeration, imho. some people are right back up, but most people take at least a week, usually closer to 2. compared to the old way, yeah, but compared to a walk in the park, no. it is VERY painful.
however, the longer you hang on to it, the tougher the operation can become. inflammation leads to scarring, that has to be carefully removed. plus, should that stone decide to move, 1. it is extremely painful, and 2. if it becomes lodged in the duct, the surgery becomes far more difficult and urgent.
very few people have digestion problems afterward, and they can often be controlled with diet.
i am wondering about this myself. i have a small stone that is not bothering me, but i know it is waiting for me. blech.
and look at it this way, it is coming out. when it starts to really bother you, you will be sorry you waited.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

4. Mo I had bronchitis when mine was taken out, with an immuno

compromising life time condition, so I have to ask, "Did your husband have mitigating circumstances?". My coughing did tear around the stitches, I had already accepted that consequence. The Lyme had ravished my body for 3 yrs. prior and I was not going to take one more day of damage, because they could stop the forward progression (more damage) but not reverse the damage already occurred.

I pm'ed purr (because I answered her questions, but Purr if you wish to publish my response that is okay with me). Yes, if you never had surgery before, it might seem devastating, but, the minute I hit my room, I knew the only way to get out of the hosp. was to hold down liquid and walk. I walked the entire ward, last room, and called work less than 3hrs after they put me out and 15 minutes after I got to my room. In case you need to know, I was 38 at the time.

So, with the bronchitis (tearing my stitches which was a worry for my surgeon) and the extra large belly incision (had been diagnosed with endrimetriosis (sp?) which was a lie, but they had already done a lap. Thru the belly button, so my incision had to be larger because of possible scar tissue interference).

I am sorry, but I have walked a week on a broken ankle, if pain is unfamiliar you might actually think it is really bad. I had my GB out before my aunt, sister and dad, and they had a very easy time, after talking to me! Their experience was less than mine, and they were thankful for my candidness.

[mopinko]

5. it was mostly a pain issue

and it sounds like you have a high tolerance. he just had his a couple of weeks ago. he is 44, and pretty much of a health care virgin. you sound like me, one bullshit medical experience after another. maybe you are hardened. i wonder how it will go for me.
of course, he has heard from everyone he works with about their surgeries, and they do range from stories like yours to people who took a month to get back on their feet. (this one required the involvement of a boneheaded husband.) and the surgeon did agree with you- for some people it is a piece of cake, for others it takes weeks.
i do know that if those stones start to move, that is extremely painful for anyone. usually the attacks are short, although intense. but a friend of mine had a 6 hour attack, during which the stone moved 6" down the main duct. her surgery ended up taking 4 hours, as they had to fish out and remove that duct.
purr, if you are having pain regularly, that means you have inflammation that could be causing scarring that will make your surgery more difficult. i would urge you to get a second opinion. i'm sure with 3 kids you are not looking forward to a week in bed, but really, you don't want to have an attack driving those kids on the highway or something. they are really debilitating. the first one hubby had got him an ambulance ride to the er, cause it looked like a heart attack.
i can only get worse. i would not wait.
good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

6. MO there are 2 different surgeries. The laprascopic(sp?) and

the old fashion incision from mid-front to mid-back (that one is bad). It depends on the location of the gallbladder and they can not even tell until they open you up! (The gallbladder resides in/near the liver). From what I have heard about that surgery is the liver gets a little jostled (minor sickness) but the incision is quite large and requires extra recovery time. I believe my doc. said that only 5% of patients nowadays require that surgery.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

7. OK Mo Silly question, was he in a movement of the stone painful

episode, when it was removed?

If so, that confirms my belief, the sooner the better. If, not, yes their are people who have never endured pain, and I think the more immunity we build up the better. I was 6yrs. old when they took out my adenoids and put tubes in my ears. I recovered and was helping the nurses deliver treats back then.

I broke my ankle the first time at 12 and walked 3 blocks home, no one even knew till I closed the door of my house.

I broke eight fingers at 13 (I was a gymnast and was practicing vaulting over over two male friends for the show at school on cement and they thought it would be funny to duck) I was so high when they ducked I never touched them, flew compete ly over them and hit the cement hands first. The only fingers that didn't break were my thumbs, but I swam in a meet the next day, with no hands that day and still got 2nd.

HS - Total knee (every ligament, tendon, cartilage had to be re done). Ankle casted 2 times and was still a stand out athlete.

HS teams. Field hockey, basketball, track and a cheerleader.

That was the beginning, so yes, I think we do become pain adverse and build tolerance.

I hope you didn't think I was in any way maligning your husband. I find now, (older) when people break something, at our age (it is like the world just cam tumbling down!).

I have since broken my ankles twice (and didn't include the 17 sprained ankles) falling through a storm drain leaving work that required almost 6" of stitching around the knee and resulted in a spinal (minimal spinal fracture) and 1 cervical bulging disk and 2 lumbar bulging disks, plus, Lyme disease, mono, the shingles, a black widow spider bite, a broken foot and toe, and now, ankle reconstruction, Lyme is back (not confirmed), viral pericarditus, and maybe another broken toe tonight which is why I am up late, I am going to ice again and take 1/2 of a percocet I have left from the surgery.

Damn, if I can live through this anyone can. It is not the pain, it is the suffering, as I tripped on the vacuum cord tonight, (I still can not weight bear but live alone and have to try to clean my house) and I fell on my face, I said God what is enough suffering for you as I cried. My parrot now, between the ankle broken 6/28, surgery 7/7, pericarditus would have to look up (ER vist 3 weeks ago) and the fall tonight, started crying and moaning in severe pain.

It is sad, but a true reflection on my life!

I am sorry for the rant, but damn it felt good. If any of you can come close, unload. I don't think I have ever done this before, just said my life has sucked!

[mopinko]

8. no, the stone was quiet

he had a couple of episodes that were enough to convince him he had to do something. there was a lot of scarring, tho. it was over 2 hour surgery.
he is a master of denial. he has lead sort of a charmed life. in the 24 years we have been together, he has only even been to the doctor a handful of times. and half of those were in the last 6 months.
your story is a lot worse than mine, but i do have lots of stuff that i have had to deal with, including chronic pain for the last 10 years. it's funny, tho. i had my share of broken bones, etc as a kid, and my pain mechanism is definitely weird. i remember breaking my arm, badly, and looking at it and thinking 'this ought to hurt, but it doesn't' i also had 5 babies without a drop of pain meds, or a thought that i wanted them. i was given many drugs for fibro, and they either didn't help, or made it worse. screwy. pain is a screwy thing.