<p>If you’d actually read any of this, you’d know that i haven’t talked to a surgeon yet.</p>
<p>Romani, no experience, but I do wish you the best, and I’m so glad they’ve finally figured out what’s wrong with you.</p>
<p>Oh man! About 2 weeks ago, I was admitted through the ER with a BAD gallbladder. My gallbladder was a mess. Many stones within the gallbladder, stones spilled outside the gallbladder, infection outside surrounding the gallbladder, and a stone blocking the duct.
My skin turned yellow and liver enzymes went through the roof (because of a stone stuck in the main duct).</p>
<p>Three days of IV antibiotics before they would entertain the idea of removing the gallbladder.
Admitted on a Wednesday night. Had a sonogram that night and and an MRI the next morning. Sunday morning I had an ERCP—a procedure where they do an endoscopy (scope down the throat), inject dye into the area and look for and remove the stone blocking the duct. Well, stone wasn’t there. It had made its way out of the duct just hours before the procedure. Gallbladder and stones were removed on Monday morning and I was discharged Tuesday at noon.</p>
<p>Get it removed. The pain can become unbearable. Don’t wait too long. Don’t wait for infections and the dumping of gallstones outside the gallbladder. </p>
<p>It really isn’t a bad operation. If it’s routine, you should be in and out of the hospital within 24 hours. Recuperation isn’t bad either. It’s easier than dealing with the gallbladder pain :)</p>
<p>One more thing—4 little holes, stitches that dissolve, topped with sterile strips.</p>
<p>Romani, I had mine taken out shortly after having my son. No amount of pain medicine could get rid of the pain. IMO the pain was worse than childbirth so if you have that kind of pain I would have it taken out asap because most likely the pain is not going to get any better and may get worse. I had it done with laparoscopy. The recovery time wasn’t too bad but in my case they missed some gallstones somehow and they ended up having to go back in later and flushed them out ( I highly doubt many people end up have that problem though).</p>
<p>I hope everything goes ok and you feel better soon.</p>
<p>I must say the pain was very bad for me too but the thought of removing one of my organ was far worst. Wishing you the best.</p>
<p>Romani, my H had similar pain to yours and got his gallbladder removed. It was a laparoscopic surgery, and I told him he looked like a human bowling ball because the surgery left 3 very small scars. </p>
<p>As others have noted, the important thing is to have the procedure while the gallbladder is quiet. If you have it when the gallbladder is very enflamed and painful, the physicians told us that you most likely would not be able to have laparoscopic surgery. You do not want to have “normal” surgery for the gallbladder. Most of the bad surgical recuperation you hear about are the “normal” surgeries which involve more discomfort and a longer recovery (5 weeks for normal, vs 2-3 days for laparoscopic ). </p>
<p>Just have the procedure as soon as you can arrange things. Plus I’ve always thought the best docs are the ones who understand what it’s like to be a patient, so consider this the start of your studies! All the very best!</p>
<p>I had mine out a couple of years ago. I had one attack and it was worse than unmedicated childbirth. Due to some unrelated family things I delayed surgery for two months (under surgeon’s supervision) By following a very low fat diet and minimizing alcohol I avoided any more attacks. Given this was over thanksgiving and Christmas it wasn’t easy. Surgery was laparoscopic and even though you are usually out of hospital within a few hours, I ended up in overnight.
All that being said, I was off work for 5 days, mostly because I wasn’t sleeping well and the incisions hurt. I took it easy diet-wise for a couple of weeks, but since surgery I haven’t had any issues with what I eat. </p>
<p>I have some cool photos of the HB and the gallstones and some ovarian cysts for my scrapbook. </p>
<p>If you feel at all in pain get back to the ER and then get the thing out. You’ll be glad you did.</p>
<p>romani,
I had mine out laparascopically about 5 years ago. Went on a scheduled bike trip with a bunch of friends two weeks later. 
I had the doc’s permission if I promised not to overdo it on the hills…Your body will let you know what it can do after the first couple of days.</p>
<p>Good luck! I haven’t missed mine at all!
Several little tiny scars…</p>
<p>That’s interesting, hayden. Thanks for the heads up! Wow I didn’t even think about scars or anything lol. </p>
<p>Thank you all for your support. I just really want this to finally be done with, once and for all. </p>
<p>I emailed my masters program contact and briefly explained that I might need to get surgery during orientation week. She said that we could work around it. (She responded at 11 PM on a Saturday, too! Lol) I’m actually far more concerned about missing class and orientation than about the surgery (yes, my priorities are skewed… I’m working on it!) Luckily, when I <em>do</em> start classes, even though I’m a commuter I can take a bus right to my building from the parking lot and I’m in the same building all day so I won’t have to walk much. </p>
<p>I’m kind of wondering though why it didn’t seem like she was pushing for surgery immediately. I have had this over the last year and a half on and off and she did give me some medicine and instruct me on what NOT to eat until the tests came back. She took away my butter! 
(I already am allergic to chocolate and don’t eat meat- butter was my last indulgence >.< lol) </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t have a regular doctor. I do have a gastroenterologist aunt though who I’ll see this week though so I’ll run it by her in a few days.</p>
<p>I don’t know why she didn’t push it. Perhaps she doesn’t really understand how much pain you are in.</p>
<p>Romani, You’re going to feel so much better when you get that bad gallbladder removed.</p>
<p>Don’t fear the procedure. It’s not bad at all. You’ll be a little sore when you wake up from the procedure (kind of like a muscle pain), but nothing like the pain of having a gallbladder attack. They’ll give you pain meds. I was up and walking within an hour of being brought back to my hospital room. It’ll be painful to stand up/sit up straight for a day or two. Listen to your body and rest when you can after surgery.</p>
<p>For a day or two after the surgery, you’re going to be sore, but it’s not terrible. It’ll hurt to cough or sneeze (hold a pillow tightly across your abdomen). You’re not supposed to lift more than 15 pounds for a week to ten days. The surgeon recommended a low fat diet for the first week.</p>
<p>You should be able to attend classes three or four days after the procedure. </p>
<p>PS–I bet you could get admitted through the ER (if you go into the ER for pain) and have the surgery ASAP (similar to if you went to the ER for appendicitis). This is what happened to me and the Head of Surgery performed my surgery. I didn’t have any previous diagnosis of gallbladder problems.</p>
<p>Like I said, the issue right now is that I’m alone. Both my parents and fiance are several hours away and I currently have no friends in the area. I would be leaving my dog alone without someone to care for her and I don’t want to do that if I can just hold out a few more days until my fiance returns (Thursday when we’re supposed to leave on vacation). </p>
<p>If it happens again though, I’ll call 911 and someone in my family will have to bite the bullet and come get me.</p>
<p>One interesting side benefit BIL gained from removing his gall bladder is he’s no longer lactose intolerant! He can’t figure it out but it makes him happy!</p>
<p>WHAT?! </p>
<p>OMG that would be an incredible side effect. I’m not completely intolerant (yet) but I can’t drink milk or eat ice cream without paying for it. Lactaids help (I think)… but they’re a pain to remember lol. </p>
<p>I do miss milkshakes.</p>
<p>ETA: After a quick google search, it appears that sometimes lactose intolerance is misdiagnosed and was actually gallbladder issues in the first place. Oh me, oh my I hope this is a thing.</p>
<p>Yes, he was pretty intolerant and now can eat anything his diabetes will allow! No one expected it but he’s a very happy man!</p>
<p>Hahaha, kudos to him! I hope he’s enjoying his (sugar free) ice cream :D</p>
<p>Good luck to you. You will feel so much better once you get that bad gallbladder removed from your body. Don’t worry about the surgery or the recuperation. Focus on the fact that once it’s gone, you’ll feel better than you’ve felt in a long time.</p>
<p>romaningypsyeyes, what you described happened to me about 25 years ago.
I don’t remember all the details. During my regular checkup my blood test results showed elevated bilirubin count. As a result I was referred to a specialist who then sent me for an ultrasound scan which revealed several stones. He referred me to a surgeon and warned me that I shouldn’t be ignoring my condition. He even told me the story of Andy Warhol who had died a few months earlier while recovering from gallbladder surgery. I was in the middle of an important project work and I didn’t feel anything unusual. So I never made an appointment with the surgeon. A few days later one or more of those stones decided to take the exit and I can’t forget the pain I felt. I was immediately taken to the emergency dept and a few hours later they took out the gallbladder. I felt VERY weak for a few days and it took me about 3 weeks or so to start feeling normal.</p>
<p>Oh I should also add that the other thing I’m very much flipping out about is the cost of the surgery and tests. I have very basic insurance (all I can afford) and currently don’t have a job (interviewed for several over the last week- just waiting on callbacks). It only covers 70% of the costs (nothing until after deductible). </p>
<p>Part of the reason I put this off so long is that starting on the 26th, I would be able to use my university’s doctors and lab tests free of charge (all covered in our health fee). It really wasn’t because I <em>wanted</em> to be in pain… I just didn’t think it was THAT serious and I couldn’t afford it. Sigh :(</p>
<p>Bummer about the insurance. But I’m wondering how many tests you will actually need. I would think most of the tests would have have already been done. I’m not sure if you are saving any money by waiting…</p>