Is gallbladder surgery necessary?

[NicoleK1]

I'm scheduled to have my gallbladder removed in February, but I'm wondering if it is necessary since I am feeling fine.  Back in Sept. I had my first and only gallbladder attack and went thru all of the testings.  When they did the ultrasound in the ER they couldn't see any stones.  My Dr. then had me take another ultra sound along with the HIDA scan.  It took the ultra sound lady a long time, but she finally found a stone that was in the neck of the gallbladder.  When I went to do the HIDA scan (the same day), none of the dye could go into my gallbladder because the stone was blocking it.  Since I was feeling fine and only had the one attack I asked the gallbladder specialist if it was necessary to have the surgery.  I beleive he said that I need to do it because it is something that won't go away, and eventually I would have another attack and may need emergency surgery where they may need to cut me open verses electing to do it now laproscopically.  I really do not want to do it if I don't have to.  I've changed my eating habits (no fatty foods) started exercising, and lost 45lbs.

[mamato2kids]

I had to go to the ER yesterday morning at about 2am  because the pain was so so intense and I have a really high tolerance for pain. I was diagnosed with Biliary Colic. I have my ultra sound tonight at 7pm. i have had 4 more attacks since the first one last night at 6pm which lasted until 5am! I was miserable. I threw up a lot today and can not eat or drink anything not even water.

Do not try the Grapefruit cleanse it does not work it made me have another more severe attack right after. Try antacids , chew two then suck on one it helps with the sharp pain. Also sitting in front of my fire place helped to sooth the pain.

Good luck to you. Hope I can have surgery so I can eat again. Oh also I do not have a high fat diet at all. I recently started eating breaded Cod and Haddock and juicing citrus juices and that is when it all started to trouble me. I most likely have a few stones or one whopper of one because my pain is through the roof on the scale when it is peaking.

Again Best of luck to you.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Any structural abnormalities of the gall bladder like stones or polyps need surgical correction. The stones can chronically irritate the gall bladder wall and cause inflammation and pain. Also, this chronic irritation is a predisposing cause for gall bladder cancer. If the stone is placed in the neck of the gall bladder, it can cause retention of bile, with stasis and consequent infection. So, the best option would be to have an elective gall bladder removal.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[shell921]

You should look into gallstone/liver cleansing. Google this. Even once you get your gallbladder out your liver will still make gallstones. What are you eating?
Your high fat diet is causing gallstones. Go low fat vegan.
Try eliminating your gallstones with an olive oil/grapefruit juice flush before having surgery!

[femmy29]

Hi Nicole,

You're welcome.  I wish you the very best on your upcoming surgery.  The surgery is very routine and safe.  I was out of the hospital the same day.  And soon you'll have the freedom you had before your gall bladder made you sick.  I ate my first slice of pepperoni pizza in months!!!  And I feel normal after eating it!  My next test is ice cream but I'll wait until tomorrow to try that. Feel free to message me if you have questions or need support.  :)

femmy

[NicoleK1]

Thank you for your reply. You gave me a lot of good information.  After thinking about it and reading you post I think I will just go ahead and do it.  Glad to hear your surgery went well.

[femmy29]

Hi Nicole,

I just had my gall bladder removed on the 22nd and I am recovering very well.  I had a massive gall bladder attack earlier this month but was able to ride it out and not call for emergency services...but it got really close to dialing for an ambulance.

From what I have researched and read is that once you have gallstones whether it is one or more (I only had one stone), more stones are likely to form and cause more severe symptoms, which can be life-threatening.  My gall bladder also had sludge, which means more stones were in the making.  These gallstones can block the bilary duct and cause bile to back up to the liver and then the liver releases the bile into the blood stream causing jaundice (yellowing of eyes and skin).  Additionally, a gallstone can block the cystic artery causing pancreatitis which can lead to a permanent malfunctioning of the pancreas that may result in diabetes or cancer.  And lastly, the gall bladder can begin to form polyps that can be cancerous and that can spread to your liver.  So, for me it wasn't just about preventing more gall bladder attacks, it was about improving my overall health through the removal of this sickened organ.

I am overjoyed with how well my surgery went and how well I am recovering from it.  I am glad I did it and I am looking forward to a great year next year.

So I think there is more to consider than just a change in diet to prevent gall bladder attacks.  

femmy