So I've managed to avoid coming on here for a while since I was keeping my health anxiety at bay somewhat. But after a visit with the consultant today (surgeon) for my gallbladder, my health anxiety has sky-rocketed and I'm honestly preparing myself for the worst already.
So three years ago (maybe four by now) I was diagnosed with a small gallbladder polyp around 3.6mm at the time. The guy doing the US said it was common, nothing to worry about, so I forgot for a while until last year when I realized I should probably follow it up. I had another ultrasound scan a year ago and found it had grown to 4.6mm or something, so roughly a whole mm more. It was a solitary polyp too, and the consultant said it's probably recommended for me to have GB surgery and have it taken out, but I wanted to hold off for two reasons - a) I have a multitude of other health issues and have no idea of the effects it will have on me afterward and b) because most of the time a polyp under 5mm is not necessarily a high risk of anything. Oh, and probably worth mentioning the last surgery I had was terrible and I had a really bad time recovering, which put me off going unless it's necessary.
So I had another ultrasound appt, in which it had grown sliiiiiightly more to 4.8mm maybe (still under 5mm tho and sonographer didn't seem worried). However, I went for my next follow up US a week ago (6 months after the previous) and I apparently now have TWO polyps, one is only 2mm, the other hasn't really grown.
Now everywhere online is telling me that multiple polyps are generally benign, that they tend to be commonly cholesterol polyps and that I shouldn't worry unless they grow over 10mm etc. The surgeon today was very blunt and didn't really do much to ease my fears, not answering questions I had and saying things that had no relation to what I was asking. One moment he said he couldn't say if it was a sinister polyp, and that the only way they know is if they take it out. I tried to explain the situation, and ask if the risks were low of me having anything sinister, also asking about the notion that multiple polyps usually are better than single polyps (Then again I have no idea why they grew at different times). He refused to say either way whether multiple polyps make a difference, and then kept talking about gallstones as well, even though I've been told it's not gallstones. So I got even more confused. In the end he said they couldn't see cancer on the scan so just get a follow-up scan in 3 months, (a lot sooner than the previous scan)
I had a lot of questions, mainly because I don't know what surgery would do considering my other conditions and if I generally was well I probably would opt for the surgery but I'm worried of the after-effects.
Immediately I'm jumping to conclusions that I'm already dealing with something sinister, a) because he's been pushing me to surgery so much and b) because they are making me go for a followup ultrasound in only 3 months when usually it's 6 months. In the meantime he says I have to personally research the pros and cons and risks of surgery and whether I want to have my GB out. I'm a bit shocked at that, seeing as I thought that the consultant usually is supposed to help you in answering questions rather than me going on Dr Google and trying to figure it all out myself!
In the end he said if I want a second opinion to get one, but I know waiting for another referral for so long is gonna probably make me even more anxious and worked up, and then I'll probably have the same result from someone else. Not to mention the hospital is the only one nearby and if I do opt for surgery I need to be able to get a taxi home.
I'm completely at a loss of what to do now, and keep thinking I should have gone for the surgery right away considering I've probably already got something bad and likely will end up with only a year or so to live. Although they say they're a common occurrence, I really haven't found many posts here about them, nor are there much really about them online other than scientific research studies. The studies seemed promising tbh, and even so, at my young age of 34 I know GB cancer is super rare, but the surgeon seemed to make me feel like I should be basically jumping in line for an operation right now.
Basically I just wanted to vent, I know there's not much advice anyone can give me, and I thought I was doing so well with the health anxiety stuff until he put this idea into my head haha. I have so many gastric symptoms that I've basically led myself to believe it's gonna be a bad outcome no matter what.
Has anyone had gallbladder polyps here? Has anyone had any positive outcomes?
Either way, thanks for reading, and sorry this got quite long.
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Originally Posted by Scass
