3 ms·
I had to have mine removed last year. Prior to that, I had about 2 years of periodic extreme stomach pain, which felt kind of like the pain you would have afte
by derekp7 12y ago
I had to have mine removed last year. Prior to that, I had about 2 years of periodic extreme stomach pain, which felt kind of like the pain you would have after drinking too much strong whiskey. The first time that it got really bad I went to an acute care center, they said it was either ulcer or gastritis. Eventually, after about the 4th trip to the doctor I ended up on the ER due to the extreme pain. They did an ultrasound test, and found gall stones logged in the duct leading to the stomach. Meanwhile I was put on a zero fat diet until the surgery (since fat activates the gall bladder and pushes on the stones in the duct).
Now this is something that gets me upset. Before the surgery, I had to go in for another test, where they observe the gall bladder by injecting iodine. Then after 2 hours the radiologist said there is a second part of the test which activates the gall bladder, so they could observe that. I then asked him what the effects of that would be, since the stones are logged in the duct, and I was on a no-fat diet due to it. So he calls the surgeon, then comes back and says "We are skipping that second test -- if we went through with it, you would have been in so much pain that we would have to hospitalize you". Again, this is an example of needing to know enough about your own condition, and not leave all the details in the hands of the professionals.
- freshyill 12y agoI had mine removed two years ago and my experience was similar. The first time it happened, it felt like just an odd kind of hunger—it seemed like my stomach was just telling me to feed it. Then I was fine for about four or five years before it would come back periodically over two years or so, getting worse each time. The second time I went to the doctor about it, they did some bloodwork and found that I had an elevated white blood cell count. It was two days after the appointment and they called me up (I was still home sick) and told me to get to the ER immediately. They considered operating that night, but said I'd have a better chance of getting a laparoscopic surgery if I waited for the infection to subside. They injected me with some really good painkillers and eventually sent me on my way. I was on antibiotics for a few weeks before surgery. As it turned out, the stones were still too big, and the whole thing was still a mess, so my surgeon just had to just cut me open. He later told me it was one of the worst gallbladders he'd ever seen. Instead of one night in the hospital, it was five days, and then another few weeks of recovery at home. Overall it was pretty rough but I haven't found that it has affected my ability to digest fat much, if at all.