Call Out to all you gallbladder peoples

[tsco]

I am at a cross road in deciding to remove my GB.  I need help.  I had a HIDA 1.5 yr ago .  It was 20%, no stones.
I have wierd or vague symptoms (I think).  Does any of this sound like GB problems??  I get a sicky feeling randomly during the day, feel weak, stomach feels hungry, legs weak,  I never puke so I don't know what nausea means. It feels like low blood sugar but I check and sugar is OK.  If I eat crackers or something small it goes away. When I had my HIDA I had the similar feeling.  I fluctuate between diarehha (yellow) and constipation.  At various times my stools are very light and have been grey a couple of times. I get bad indigestion especially with alcohol. I have a lot of gas, burping, etc.  Seems about anything I eat upsets my stomach at random times.  Not always but sometimes several day runs.  I don't have any pain.  Sometimes with a bad case of indigestion I get center chest pain radiating into shoulders and neck.  Sometimes I have a tinge of pain in gallbladder area but rare.  I need opinions.  Are these vague symptoms?  My doc is leaving it up to me.  20% and no stones is that acceptable or diseased or just not working very good?
Thanks

[jmbirds]

the pain we are still experiencing is called chondritis mine is intercostal chondritis ususlly brought on by virus or trauma and having gallbladder sx can bring this about i have alot of rib pain but i was told we could have granuals caught in the bile ducts  i was told alot of times this can flare up and you need more tests done something about the granules shift and cause a blockage bile ducts run between the pancreas and liver  spleen area and i guess all 3 organs can cause a physical   changes once the GB is removed  the vitaminshoppe sells the pancreatic enzymes that i use it replaces the enzymes we altered the  amelyse lipase and protease enzymes  i felt better taking these enzymes and it took about  6mos for me to feel normal and i learned what foods trigger a problem  so i started up the enzymes again  since my colonoscopy wiped me out i';m trying to get my system to simmer down , i dont' like those   20  pills you take for the colonoscopy my stomach feels very yucky like i swollowed seasalt  so pancreatitis is always possible . i think its a liver panel that measures these enzymes but like any organ we can have sluggish function and normal tests making us nutso

happy to learn more

[Cheri70]

gnorb,

I continue to have the cramping, like labor pains every few weeks in my lower left abdomen - which is more often than I was having it prior to surgery.  That plus a tearing in my lower abs were my only symptoms (at first they treated me for crohn's, then said I did not have it).  Since removal I have had added daily nausea, upper left sided pressure pain - this can feel anywhere between being kicked to just having someone pressing their fingers hard in just under my ribs.  I've had two occasions of stabbing pain in this area - this was intense and brought me to my knees.

I've lost around 40lbs, the weight loss was rapid at first but now it's pretty slow, but I'm still losing.  I eat low fat and sometimes non fat but the symptoms do not go away.  As of about a month ago I've started to get diarrhea at random times also.. about once a week it seems.  The kind where you have to get to a bathroom NOW or else.

The nausea is the worst, I think, because it's almost constant.  On occasion it will go away for an hour or so, but not usually very long.  I'm also exhausted, maybe because I don't sleep very well.  Even more frustrating is being treated like a hypochondriac.  Prior to all of this I was active (still am).  I am a business owner and mother of 3, I still run around like crazy but some times this can make me have to cancel or be late to some things.  I don't have time for this! :)

[GhostOf1901]

Can you elaborate on your post-removal symptoms?

[GhostOf1901]

I'm in a similar situation as you in that i'm alternating between taking it our or not. Stool colors range from clay to gray to green to brown (usually the last 3). Occasional bloating and heartburn. Got the nausea thing, too, though I find it's usually caused by too much acid in my stomach (I also feel a discomfort in my back). Currently on Prevacid to handle the heartburn (and nausea), and I've found bile salt capsules work as well for digestion, though taking more than needed can at times cause looser stools than the "normal" consistency.

I'm not brave enough to eat greasy foods or drink alcohol with my dyskinesia, so I don't know about any side effects there.

As to whether you should keep it or dump it, just about everyone i know who has had theirs removed said it was a good move. Because it's not causing much pain in my case (only rarely, when it "acts up", usually because I've eaten foods I shouldn't have for an extended period) I'm not about to chuck it, but that decision may change. I'll be re-evaluating my decision at the end of this year. The biggest vote for change is the problems with digestion, mostly a burning feeling in the stomach after eating, and heartburn. While I have been diagnosed with GERD, the doctor said that "given [my] condition, I should expect a 90 - 95% chance of eliminating symptoms." Of course, I'm not a big fan of organ removal, no matter how useless they claim it is. (Also, it's done wonders fo my weightloss, though I'm starting to see some signs of nutritional deficiency, either because of the gallbladder or the Prevacid or both.)

By the way, my EF% was 19%, no known stones, polyps or sludge. I'll be requesting a re-test next year to see whether anything's changed.

[AlanPi]

20% is low, and it will only get lower.  I have similar symptoms like yours with a 7% EF gallbladder.  Alternating bowel habits could mean IBS, or caused by stress.  I was prescribed Librax and took 3 pills, and the stress and bowel symptoms were immediately reduced.  I ate some greasy foods again and the symptoms returned.

I don't have stones/sludge either, but if the gallbladder is not functioning, it's best to take it out so it won't cause other issues.  You will be taking on a chance of 5~10% of people experiencing PCS - post cholecystectomy syndromes, but I am taking my gallbladder out soon so I don't take on other risks...

[Cheri70]

I will differ with jmbirds, I'm worse after gallbladder removal - no stones, but my EF was 0%.  I don't think my gallbladder was causing my problems but because it was not functioning they took it out.  I believe, from reading other stories of non functioning gb, that the EF could vary.  If they did another HIDA scan a month later, would it had still been 0%?  Could something else cause my GB not to function?  I'm guessing so since I've had more pain and new symptoms since the removal in Nov 07.

I don't want to give advice not to have it removed, because every body is different.  I do want to advice doing loads of research and asking the doctors tons of questions before going the easy route and removing the GB (surgery, btw, was simple and a quick recovery).

[jmbirds]

well can you live with this crazy senario of unpredictibility or do you want to feel human again?
i had years of running to the drs for abdominal pain nauseaus diarrhea  constipation  headaches ,pain  pressure bloating  chest pain back pain anxiety getting depressed irritiable moody nasty antifreeze green or yellow liquid clay stool normal stool always feeling yucky afraid to eat out afraid to leave my house afraid to work cause i just never knew if i would make it or not  great feeling of what if i have an accident i went into DUMP syndrome was i a hypochondriac or did i really have a problem?  all my u/s  tests blood and stool were normal yet my organs hurt if you put pressure on them
soo i took pancreatic enzymes and that helped but i was sick of being sick so i had my gallbladder out 3/07 and the surgeon said i had a sluggish gallbladder  full of polyps benign  no stones  soo it was done with a laproscopy i was fully capable of moving around i only took motrin 500 mg for my mild pain  and i was good to go in  3 days  but i dump alot  so i had to take the enzymes to help balance out the change so
would i do it again ABSOLUTELY who wants to be sick 24/7 so stay away from greasy foods and oils  unless your on the enzymes thats my story i'm 43 female

i am soo glad my dr said you have gallbladder diease i don't care if your test are normal you have all the symptoms 6 mos prior they found gastric polyps  benign then i had gall bladder polyps benign and i have thyroid issue multinodular goitor hypo symptoms  so far i'm cancer free but its a never ending story  so feel  human again or normal or NOT?