How did your results discussion go?
How did your results discussion go?
Turns out I have 3 gallstones, with the largest being 9mm. They also found a polyp, which they said could be reviewed in 12 months with a scan if the gallbladder isn't removed. I also have 'mild hydronephrosis' of my right kidney, but that is most likely due to a condition I suffered from and was rectified when I was a baby, and is simply one of the lingering side effects which is a slightly enlarged kidney.
From here my local GP has referred me to chat with a surgeon to discuss the best course of action, which I imagine would be to remove the gallbladder.
I have a slight concern about removing the gallbladder (surgeries scare me), but given it can be a keyhole procedure it shouldn't be too bad, and if it needs to be done it needs to be done.
I had my gallbladder removed and hands down it was the easiest surgery I have ever had. Personally, I would rather have it removed then to continue to deal with the pain as it can and often does get worse as time does on and if your unlucky like me and one of the stones keep getting stuck in the neck when the gallbladder is full that’s terribly painful.
In the meantime while you are waiting for consult with surgeon and weighing your options, try to eat as low fat as you can as this will help you lessen the attacks.
Thanks for your kind advice and helping put my reservations at ease.
The partner of my girlfriend's sister had his gallbladder removed three or so years ago and he echoed your thoughts. He had many small gallstones, whereas mine are three big ones.
Thankfully the symptoms have eased somewhat and I can have some fatty meals, but I can't go over the top. I went out for a pizza the other night, and was awoken at 2AM with severe heartburn/reflux and abdominal discomfort. Is that what you experienced, or was your on another level?
In the beginning yes it was as you describe. I had no idea what what was going on. It started as here and there, uncomfortable but not anything I couldn’t handle. As time went on though it started happening more and more and the discomfort started to become less and less tolerable. I kept going to the doctor, going to the ER getting cat scan after cat scan and never got any answers. I will never forget the last gallbladder attack I had. It was Father’s Day and I had taken my husband to lunch at a Mexican restaurant near my house and had invited people over for a BBQ later that eve. About 3.5 to 4 hours after lunch I was at the grocery store picking up what I needed for the BBQ and by the time I neared the check out line it hit me. It was literally the worst pain of my life!! I can’t even really put into words what it felt like. I initially thought I was having a heart attack at 28 years old. The pain was all in my upper abdomen, spread up and across my chest and straight through to my back. It felt as though some had punched me in the stomach several times until they broke through the skin and then we’re grabbing and twisting my organs. The pain was so bad I could hardly breath and I really thought I was gonna die. I was hysterical in the store, I’m sure people around me didn’t know what to think. My husband got me to the car and drove me to the ER. I screamed and cried the entire way. I couldn’t even sit down, I was on my knees facing the back of the seat. When we got to the ER they couldn’t even get me to sit still long enough to get a blood pressure reading so they gave me a shot of morphine. This made my pain 10 times worse. I started screaming at the nurse asking what she gave me because it made it worse. She said it was impossible because she gave me a strong dose of morphine. I later found out that an increase in pain after being given morphine can be a sign of gallbladder trouble because it causes spasms in the splinter of the odie (spelling?).
They had to eventually give me a strong sedative so they could perform an ultrasound.
They ended up finding three fairly large stones, one of which was stuck in the neck of my gallbladder preventing the bile from flowing out.
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