Desperate HELP! Gall bladder removal while pregnant... I really want it out !!!!

[shannonwooten]

I am 20 weeks pregnant.

Long story short, pain started in my right rib two weeks ago but I thought it was pain from my stretching belly. Then a week ago, I went to the doc and she said it was prob my gall bladder so she ordered an ultrasound. Results would have taken 3-4 days but I was in so much pain the next day, I went to the ER. The doc in the ER did an ultrasound... no signs of gall stones and all blood tests came back normal. ER doc said my gallbladder may not be working right but can't do the HIDA test since I'm pregnant... he told me to take tylenol and go home. BTW, Tylenold does NOT work at all.

I have been in severe constant pain the last 4 days. I vomited 2 nights the past few days. The pain will not go away at all... and after EVERY thing I eat (even if it is an apple or cereal) I have a gallbladder attack and I can barely move. I am having about 5-6 attacks a day.

I went to the doc (I see someone diff every time- military docs) today after a long excruciating weekend. Before even asking why I here, she said, "Why are you here? You know we can't do anything for you" I was shocked. She said "What do you want me to do?" I asked for at least some nausea meds cause I am vomiting more...so she left the room and came back and rudely said "Ummm they are in the pharmacy, you can go now"


I am at the point where I want to beg and plead any doc to take out my gall bladder. Does that sound odd? I know that the gallbladder can be taken out during the second trimester. I am so afraid this is going to get worse.

I am going to my reg doc (not associated with the military) and asking her to send me to a Gastro doc... good idea? Or do you think every one will tell me there is nothing to do? I can't stand this pain!! Has anyone else gone through this? Has anyone else had their gallbladder taken out while pregnant?

Thank you!!

[Chastityvonfea]

I am 34 weeks and Am having loads of problems with my gallbladder.. They claim there is nothing they can do.. And that it is not a medical reason to induce early.. However I have other health issues as well.. I plan to beg my doctor the next time to set up a date.. Even if if it is at 38 weeks do that I have a goal in mind.. Kinda a peace of mind that it has an end date and I know that that's as long as I have to deal with this.. The pain has gotten worse for me the farther in the pregnancy I have gotten.. I think to myself quite often that I can not make it... It hurts to eat sit lay.. I have found some relief with a heating pad on my back.. But it is temporary and on;y barely takes the edge off.

[harmoniouse]

I was scheduled for surgery a few weeks ago to have my gallbladder removed however my surgeon cancelled on me due too my pregnancy he said he will not do can be dangerous to unborn baby..

[harmoniouse]

I was scheduled for surgery a few weeks ago to have my gallbladder removed however my surgeon cancelled on me due too my pregnancy he said he will not do can be dangerous to unborn baby..

[harmoniouse]

I was scheduled for surgery a few weeks ago to have my gallbladder removed however my surgeon cancelled on me due too my pregnancy he said he will not do can be dangerous to unborn baby..

[susieq197827]

hi i am going to be 23wks and a couple days soon and then i will be having surgery to remove my gallbladder.  I am really scared about the baby can anyone give me some reassurance or guidance.  I would rather wait till i had the baby but the attacks are so bad.  i know i will most likely be ok but i just want to make sure my baby is going to be fine especially since it will only be about 23wks old if something would happen and have preterm labor.

[susieq197827]

hi i am going to be 23wks and a couple days soon and then i will be having surgery to remove my gallbladder.  I am really scared about the baby can anyone give me some reassurance or guidance.  I would rather wait till i had the baby but the attacks are so bad.  i know i will most likely be ok but i just want to make sure my baby is going to be fine especially since it will only be about 23wks old if something would happen and have preterm labor.

[maygirl0410]

I'm 33 weeks pregnant...and I'm having issues too...started having attacks at about 23 weeks..and I didn't know what was going on..but after puking my guts out I felt better...thought maybe it was just a bug..but then it happened again at 25 weeks..and that pain was so unbearable and I wanted to know what was really going on so I went to the er..gave me pain meds..and gave me an ultrasound of my gallbladders and of course I has stones and sludge acting up...they told me to watch my fat in-take..I did...but it happened yet again at 28.5 weeks...this time..pain started at 10:30pm...went to the er..got a bag of morphine..and it lasted till 2:00am...still hurt when I went home..but I was able to sleep. Now I have to eat less than 10-15 grams of fat a day..and I usually eat less than that cause I'm horrified it will happen again..its been a while...and I've been really sticking to the diet..and now today...I'm having pain..constant dull pain...for 2 hours now..heating pad helps a bit..the pain meds they gave me haven't helped lol...idk what to do..if it keeps up till late tonight I'm gonna call the doc..but..they always say there's nothing they can do cause I haven't had my baby yet...and if the pain keeps up I don't know if  I'll be able to handle it till he is born!..I just want it removed..but I don't wanna have a c section before..unless I absolutely have to....advice?..please!...I'm just confused..

[jmhaynes89]

I am also 20 weeks pregnant and just got my gall bladder taken out 3 days ago.  it was an extremely frightening experience, but the relief of being able to keep food down, and not be in pain every single second of every single day is well worth it.  My baby has been more active, and seems to be happier as well, probably due to being able to get the nutrients i wasnt able to keep down before.  It is an extremely painful process, but a short one. I went into the ER Wednesday, had surgery Thursday, and was home Friday night.  The doctor said they couldn't do a HIDA test, ask them to test your pancreas levels, as these most often times become elevated due to a malfunction in the gall bladder.  I wish you the best of luck and hope you find relief somewhere.  Oh, and also do NOT eat ANY greasey, fried, or fatty foods.  Mine got so bad, i had to refridgerate soups, then scrape the fat off the top before i could eat them.  Best of luck!!

[lucekl03]

What kind of procedure did you have done and were you half awake?

[gary952]

Shannon - I have never been pregnant but I have have severe pain under right rib due to gallbladder.I was on motrin and tylenol which didn't help my severe pain.I was put on Tramadol for 3 weeks. I recently had a Hidascan to see if gallbladder is working properly. I won't get results until April 29. I was told that if my gallbladder is functioning less than 30% - then I would have to have surgery for gallbladder removal.I was also put on a low fat diet - which did help some.Since you are pregnant I doubt your doctor will prescribe Tramadol shich is a narcotic.

[christinaaguilar]

I am currently 27 weeks and just found out I have gall stones I was told surgery is to risky that if surgery was performed I would probably go into preterm labor I agree with you all about the pain it literally feels like your dying its a tightening under your boobs and you can only take in small painful breaths laying down on your back or sides is unbearable also I would get sore pains under my shoulderblades that would radiate to my right shoulder it helps to hold up your right arm it also helps to sit very still straight up moving around only seems to increase the pain throwing up seems to relief some of the pressure as well but only if you have to I'm not suggesting thowing up cause of any small discomfort  I had two attacks early in my pregnany I assumed it was just my body changing and nausea during my monthly visit my ob assured me it was normal  then one night I was craving lemons so I ate 4 (I know I know stupid move lol) the whole night I spent throwing up crying and in tremendous pain I was sick for 24 hours finally I agreed to go to the er they said I had gerds (gastrial esopagus reflux disease) aka horrible heartburn the er Dr prescribed pepcid 40 mg once daily till my due date within two days later I had a attack while at work back to the er the new er Dr did a sonagram of my gallbladder and diagnosed me with gallstones I am planning on having surgery in 9 weeks to deliver the baby then remove the gallbladder till then I have only been able to eat mashed potatoes corn and grilled chicken and soup chicken noodle and trust me if you thing yourgetting better and you try to eat something unhealthy you WILL probably have a attack its defiantly not worth the pain the er Dr told me dairy products can easily cause a attack cheese ,butter,ect. it is extremely important you eat healthy not only for your health but a attack can stress out your baby as well as infect your blood which can hurt the baby plus it does your baby no good if all the food your eating is being thrown up  the best thing I can suggest is try to get a second opinion if you know something in your body doesn't feel right it took multiple trips to the er and 3 drs before one got it right on what was wrong with me

[deanakay]

I am 7wk 5 days and i have been having these pains for almost 3 years...yes thats right 3 years!! tests never showed anything abnormal so they sent me home with no pain meds every single time.. then i get pregnant and it gets even worse..so my obgyn told me his surgeon team would look over my files and see if they want to take it out  but he told me there is a small window betwee 12 - 16 wks were im guessing its the safest.....that is if the team thinks its worth it to take it out..... i have been so nauseadted ,my upper bellly swells after every meal no matter what it is and the pain under my ribs is always there! he told me it was ok to take loritab 7.5 and phenegan also....i dont understand how it would be safer to beon these meds 2x a day for 9 months than to take it out asap and not have to take these....i hope this in some way helps you!

[trisha1703]

hi im just 6 weeks pregnant and i have gallstones for about 3 weeks now and finally seeing a doc tomorrow about having my gallbladder removed does anyone else know if ill be waiting longer for the surgery because my gallbladder is inflammed my back hurts all the time and i have attacks everytime i eat .i guess what im asking has anyone had surgery just when their in the 2nd trimester or earlier ?

[pumba18]

hi there i am currently 32w 6d and have been in and out of hospital for the last 8 weeks with severe attacks i have a gallbladder over half full of stones, this is my baby number 3 and i would rather give birth than go through this again any day, when i was first in hospital they said there was nothing they could do as i was pregnant roughly 26wks at the time. then back in again 2 days later they admitted me to monitor the pain after a 3 days stay they let me go again  at 30 weeks and several more attacks later they were talking about having baby then but i said no due to risks, then trying to sort out a c section around the 36 weeks they wont do it bcos of the risk???? but they were willing to at 30. i dont understand that. now they saying they wanna do suregery to remove gallbladder but i only have 7 weeks left of pregnancy but it urgent. i dont know how long it takes to get over that kind of surgery and then to have to deliver a baby not long after i am scared outta my wits and frustrated that if surgery could have been done this whole time why leave it till now.

[Nicmic32]

Hello I am 20 weeks pregnant and just had my gallbladder removed yesterday after several severe attacks. The potential stress to the baby from infection is just as risky as the surgery itself. My doctor said that if I waited that an attack in the third trimester could actually put me in premature labor. Also, the pain was keeping me in the hospital and I could not keep food down well Enough to provide to proper nutrition for my little guy. The surgery itself was not bad- and they monitor the baby throughout. I was alot more sore post op than I had anticipated but that is because you don't want to get the amount of pain control you normally would if not pg. My surgeon has performed second trimester gb removals twelve times and all of the babies have turned out fine w/o complication. The pain of attacks are worse than labor and infection from them can be extremely dangerous to your baby. I tried the low fat approach to no avail. In fact it was the pg hormones not food that aggravated the attacks. If I had waited till third trimester it would have been he'll for both me and baby boy. I feel, along with every doctor who saw my diseased gallbladder, that I wad walking around with a ticking time bomb, and I am so relieved to have it out. Deceber 19, 2009

[jacqueline1984403]

I am 21 weeks pregnant and I guess I am lucky I was vomiting for the first 3 months we just thought it was morning sickness. Then I started to have pains in my lower ribs and my middle back. I called my ob/gyn and they said to come in. My doctor said do you still have your gallbladder I said yes he said that this was probably the problem so he sent me to the hospital for a gallbladder ultrasound. Well they said my gallbladder is full of stones. So that was the day before thanksgiving. I have been on a very low fat diet since then. Now a week later I saw the surgeon today I am going in for surgery in two days. My ob said that this would cure the pain and everything else. They gave me pain meds though I have loratabs they not the strong ones but they help. So as of now I would say to get a different doctor.

[erinmd1981]

hi i am 12 weeks 5 days pregnant and i was having constant pain in my lower right side for some time but recently in the past 3 days they have become serve and horrible....my husband took me the ER the other night and they said I have numerous gall stones and I need to have surgery as of yesterday....I told them no i wanted to talk to my OB...the reason I wasnt getting the surgery right then was because i needed to know the options and the risks it could cause to the baby....i had a miscarriage in november and i am so scared that something will happen to my baby....if anyone has any advise or has had this procedure it would be greatly appreciated

[Matthew007]

:S yikes I feel bad for you...

I know when they remove gallbladders they usually do it laproscopically so they usually make 3 incisions (man I can't spell sorry) and one of them is right near the belly button..sooo..yeah I can understand why they wouldn't or any of them wouldn't even want or dare operation on a pregant woman.

There is another way they remove it, the old way, mass stitches, major surgery non-laproscopically..but it requires quite a bit of stay in the hospital and again you're pregnant so that makes it more risky.

the hard part is usually people with gallbladder problems need to avoid fats and heavy oils that make the gallbladder contract but in your case any diet change should be done with doctors advice and such.. but you could ask your doctor if it's ok if you go on a super low fat diet...i'm even hesitant to suggest googling a 'liver cleanse' but i wouldn't do it without talking to your doctor first.

I don't think it would hurt to talk to a GI specialist though at all..especially if it gets super bad like you are going through.  Good luck let us know what happens :S

[kirstym]

Just came across you while searching about pain in upper area still.I had my gallbladder removed when i was 26 weeks pregnant with my son this is going back 7 years now but all you describe was happening to me,  the pain was actually worse than child birth so i feel so sorry for you !!I was so lucky as when i saw my consultant @ the hospital he referred me to the consultant who removes the gallbladders.He had only done this on 1 other patient while pregnant and obviously told me i could have gone in to premature labour etc but i know it sounds selfish but the pain was getting really bad like yourself. If you want any more questions answered just write back -kirsty

[shannonwooten]

Yes, I am going to try a different doc! I am going to my reg doc, that isn't associated with the military... and ask her to refer me to a GI doc. Someone else who is pregnant said they were on some kind of meds to help with the pain, but unsure what it is... so I know there is something the doc can do for me!!
Thanks so much for your response! I know they can take gallbladders out but only in the second trimester if someone is having multiple severe attacks which I think I am having since I am always in pain and in horrible pain after every thing I eat!

Thanks!

[Ariom63]

I have had mine out...but sorry not while pregnant. but in the end I was like you..just take the darn thing out.  No way to live when you get those attacks.  

Can you try going to a different doctor?  If you read my posts, I always say if I am unsure or my regular doc won't or cannot help me, seek out an alternative one.  Why should you suffer while being pregnant?  That is even worse.

You are right Tylenol doesn't help me...HOWEVER because you are pregnant they are just being cautious. I didn't take anything...well my surgeon (doctor) gave me Toradol, and I hated it.  So stayed on very low fat diet and made it without pain till my surgery date.  YES  very good idea ...go to a different doctor.  A GI specialist!!!!  This is your life and your babies!

Please let me know how things go..I hate hearing someone being so young and going through so much during this time.  

Wishing you the best of luck!
Moira