Ultrasound Scan "Update", Gallstones-Should I Have Surgery Or Not

[muzicdejay]

:) Well Finally Got My ultrasound scan results today, Doc said its good news, evrything was fine however there does look like theres a few small gallstones there!
Ive now gone "4 weeks" pain free apart from the odd dull ache so the Doc said its up to me if i want surgery or not as a lot of people with Gallstones have a few weeks of pain then never get trouble with them again!
She said i could hang on & see how i go or go ahead & she will sort an appointment with a surgen.
She didnt seem at all concerned which really has put me at ease so ive suggested hanging on & see how i go as another major HA with me is the thought of having surgery!
She did say if i get any more trouble with the gallbladder all i have to do is call her & she'll sort out the surgery for me!
Now having thought about it im wondering if i should just have the surgery anyhow just to make sure i dont get those crippling pains back but as ive gone 4 weeks now & been fine Im not sure what to do???????:weep:
ANY ADVICE From you guys as to what your thoughts are would be MOST appreciated!

[linjoy]

Hi,
I had gallstones many years ago when it was a big operation,I think it is key hole surgery these days.Eating a fat free diet helps alot and someone told me that when you get the pain stand on your head and it dislodges the stones from blocking the bile duct ( I did't try it myself and probably not a good idea if you are not athletic )
I felt fine afew weeks after my op.and can eat anything now without trouble
I had mine for 7 years so I was glad to have the operation I suppose it depends on how severe the pain is and how often you get it .
Perhaps leave it for now but I think at some stage you will have to have the op.
Hope I have been of some help all the best what ever you decide to do
Linda X

[Pudding]

Hi Muzic

I had my gall bladder removed this time last year. I had periods of pain for about 10 years on and off and nothing ever showed on the scan then this time something did show and it was a polyp. I was told it would mean surgery because although a polyp is obviously not cancerous they can sometimes turn into it so I didn't argue with them. 'Get it out' was my thought! It was a very positive experience actually, they used the keyhole method so I only had 4 or 5 tiny cuts and I felt absolutely no pain for at least 4 days and then when I did get any it was just like mild bruising pain. I was only in hospital overnight and I had my surgery at 1pm, they said had I had it in the morning I could have gone home that day. I too was terrified but then I came to my senses and told myself that I would not be awake and would not know anything until it was all over and that seemed to do the trick.

I can't help you make a decision as that is up to you but please don't be afraid if that is the only thing stopping you. At least once it's done you should have no more trouble. Good luck!

Fran

[barbn]

I was in the exact same boat as you quite a few years ago - and this was when the surgery was huge - you stayed in the hospital for a few days etc...I started having issues and then it would go away. The Dr. said I could have the surgery or wait. I waited - why have it if you don't have to. One day I got really uncomfortable and gave the Dr a call - he set everything up for me - went in and had it done and everything was fine. Again, this was the "big" surgery - now a days they only make a couple of small holes and you aren't as uncomfortable. Recovery time is MUCH better. I say, if you aren't in any pain - then hold off. You may not ever need the surgery. If it starts to bother you - no worries - give the Dr. a call and set up the surgery. It is really pretty simple surgery and you'll be back to normal in no time (with very little side effects). I do have to say, now that I don't have a gull bladder, I do have to watch what I eat a bit more or my tummy gets upset, but that is about it.

[alicegreen]

I have had the operation done the keyhole way and it was fine. I had an overnight stay then felt fine within a week.

I would say that if you have just had one episode try a low fat diet and see if that helps, your doctor is right in that you may never have a problem again.

Standing on your head makes no difference, as if you have a stone in the bile duct, as the bile ducts move with waves of peristalsis like the rest of the GI tract. It will either need to pass through or it gets stuck, which is excruciating and caused jaundice. Lots of people will be found to have gall stones on a routine scan, and will never ever have any problems from them.


HTH x

[Trish]

Hi

I had my gallbladder out August last year after so many painful flare ups. It was done by keyhole and i was allowed home the same day, and only with slight discomfort.

Unfortunately for me after a week i ended up back in hospital with an infection where my gallbladder was and to be honest i felt very poorly. My gallbladder they said was 'quite a mess with gallstones and sludge' and that sometimes an infection can happen after the op.

Having said all that it was the best thing i could have had done, no more flare ups....and no rolling around the floor in sheer agony!

Trish

[muzicdejay]

Hi,
I had gallstones many years ago when it was a big operation,I think it is key hole surgery these days.Eating a fat free diet helps alot and someone told me that when you get the pain stand on your head and it dislodges the stones from blocking the bile duct ( I did't try it myself and probably not a good idea if you are not athletic )
I felt fine afew weeks after my op.and can eat anything now without trouble
I had mine for 7 years so I was glad to have the operation I suppose it depends on how severe the pain is and how often you get it .
Perhaps leave it for now but I think at some stage you will have to have the op.
Hope I have been of some help all the best what ever you decide to do
Linda X

Hi Linda, Thanks very much for replying, Thats a big help, ive been eating low fat diet so thats probably why ive been painfree for past 4 weeks, goin try add a few more various foods over the next couple of weeks & see how i go on!
"7 Years"? My God, Dont know how u coped for that long but if manage to stay pain free then ill keep away from surgery but like you said, eventually ill probably have to have it removed at some point!
Glad ur ok now huni, Thanks again for gettin back, jase, xx:blush:

[muzicdejay]

Hi Muzic

I had my gall bladder removed this time last year. I had periods of pain for about 10 years on and off and nothing ever showed on the scan then this time something did show and it was a polyp. I was told it would mean surgery because although a polyp is obviously not cancerous they can sometimes turn into it so I didn't argue with them. 'Get it out' was my thought! It was a very positive experience actually, they used the keyhole method so I only had 4 or 5 tiny cuts and I felt absolutely no pain for at least 4 days and then when I did get any it was just like mild bruising pain. I was only in hospital overnight and I had my surgery at 1pm, they said had I had it in the morning I could have gone home that day. I too was terrified but then I came to my senses and told myself that I would not be awake and would not know anything until it was all over and that seemed to do the trick.

I can't help you make a decision as that is up to you but please don't be afraid if that is the only thing stopping you. At least once it's done you should have no more trouble. Good luck!

Fran

Thanks Fran, your reply is MUCH appreciated!
I guess your right, id be asleep so wouldnt know anything anyhow, its the actual thought of the anaesthetic which scares me, never had an op before, think its that thought of not been in control??
Glad you got yours sorted out tho, the more i think about it the more im toying with the idea of getting the surgery! GOD, WHY cant i just be normal & get it done, people have surgery all the time & hears me worrying over been put asleep! lol.
Thanks again for your reply!
Jase,:doh:

[oneofus]

Had mine taken out by keyhole surgery about three years ago, and I'd had just one bad bout of pain and one minor lot of back ache. The doc's advice was to have it out, not the most pleasant experience but I was sore for a week or two and back on my feet within three. Just don't catch a cold, my daughter kindly gave me one and every time I sneezed or coughed it was agony on the stitches. Oh! I nearly forgot, avoid NHS food like the plague!

But as for "someone told me that when you get the pain stand on your head and it dislodges the stones from blocking the bile duct" I'm glad I didn't hear that when I had my stitches in I would have burt my side laughing LOL. I''ll pass the advice on to the next person I come across with GB trouble and see what happens :-)

[Bexmumto3]

I had my gallbladder removed last May, still got the little beasty stones in a pot as a momento, lol. My first episode flared up close to the end of my 3rd pregnancy, not that I knew what it was at the time, I had many episodes of excruciating pain before finally being diagnosed. I had them removed by key hole surgery & had an overnight stay as I was on the afternoon list, it was uncomfortable but they dosed me up on several different painkillers which did help, the worst pain wasn't the actual area that had been operated on (unless you coughed) it was the shoulder tip/blade pain where the carbon dioxide is still in your system (they have to inflate your tummy to do the procedure via keyhole) this lasted for about a week after & I have been pain free since.
I followed a low fat diet before my op, pork & red meat are supposed to be some of the worst foods to set you off too, I did read that if you are having an attack that drinking water to try to help dilute the bile & that eating an apple when you can feel an attack starting helps.
Please try not to worry I know that is easy for me to say now, my worst fear was that I would never wake up from the anaesthetic, it is most definately the feeling of not being in control of the situation that makes it worse.
I made sure that I did even more things with the kids in the run up, I kept telling them all how much I love them & made my husband promise to tell them that every day if I didn't wake. I told the anaesthetist my fears & he was absolutely fabulous, all the staff were & in just over an hour I was awake in the recovery room & I remember looking at the clock & thinking I made it & that the huge box of chocolates that I hadn't been able to eat at easter were sitting waiting for me at home, lol

You will be fine & it is well worth having them removed if they are giving you trouble, I do miss mine a bit as when I had them I lost just short of 5 stone because of my restricted diet, since the op I can eat what I want again & I've pulled almost 3 stone of that back on again, I wish I had kept them until I reached my target weight !!

Good luck, hope that helps a little xx

[countrygirl]

I found out I had gallstones over 20 years ago but they don't bother me so I don't bother them! I had one attack of pain all that time ago but at that time no stones showed up on scans but after about another 5 years when I insisted on another scan just because I was worried it was found I had hundreds of small stones stcked up like tower blocks but they don't bother me. I have a scan every 2 years to check for no complications and know the foods I can't eat like pastry and melted cheese.

I was told that huge numbers of people have gallstones and don't know about it but obviously if they are giving you pain or you get complications then you need it out.

If you can stick to low fat diet or find out what irritates your gallbladder and get no more pain then just wait and see maybe like me have a scan and liver blood test every year or two to make sure all is well but if you are finding it hard to control attacks then worth having the surgery.

The keyhole surgery is mostly fine but I was in hospital two years ago with a girl who had terrible complications after keyhole and ended up having very big operation to repair damage caused during keyhole so as with any surgeyr there is always the risk of complications so for me its a case of if they don't bother me I won't risk the surgery but if they did or I got complications then I would go for the surgery.