Inactive Gallbladder only 17%, what should be the symptoms

[loosingit]

My gallbladder is only functioning at 17%.  My doc says it is the cause of all my problems.  I have all kinds of stomach problems.  Gas; indigestion; acid reflux; pain; can't miss any meals; IBS symptoms.  All that is bad but the worst is when I am "sick" I am exhausted and have NO energy.  I have weeks of no symptoms and feel pretty normal and then weeks of bad and feel like I'm dying.

Have any of you had Biliary Dyskinesia (lazy gallbladder)?  Could it be causing my fatigue?  Did you feel better afterward?

Thanks

[Moodle123]

I just had my ultrasound and bloodwork yesterday. Waiting on bloodwork and possible Scan. Did your back hurt? Mine hurts so bad as well as my abdomen. I am so tired I can barely function and I do have some chest ache as well. I hate waiting! I have done these tests so many times I am just wanting answers. I am so glad you are better!
Any info from anyone is appreciated ;)

[LadyTanis1]

This month I began experiencing horrible abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, inability to eat or sleep, heartburn, etc.  I was diagnosed with GERD about 10 years ago but have never had gallbladder issues.  Just started taking Aciphex PPI for the heartburn and acid reflux which has helped me sleep at night.  Just completed the HIDA scan and came in at a low 11% functionality.  Doctor recommended surgery to remove gallbladder.

I only weigh 135 lbs - female, 5'3.  I eat very healthy, always avoid fried foods and fast foods.  I try to eat organic but do love meat.

My question is whether or not removal of the gallbladder for folks with LAZY GALLBLADDER has worked?  (All sources say that people with gallstones need surgery, but this is different from a "Lazy Gallbladder."  I've heard bad things about people with LAZY Gallbladders having surgery.)  I've also read that laproscopic surgery can cause complications such as the bile ducts being blocked?  I'm wondering if a conventional surgery is preferable - especially for people with lazy gallbladders.  

[Lagaile]

My gallbladder was working at 1% when I had it removed. I felt like I may die. I was very sick. After the surgery I actually felt great. I had laser surgery and only 4 little cuts. All my sickness went away immediately afterwards. It's worth it.  :-)

[Lpita61]

Laser surgery?? Are you sure you don’t mean  laparoscopic ?

[loosingit]

That is great your improving your diet and loosing weight.  That will help with your long term health and that is worth the pain now.

I'm male, 33, 6'1", 185 lbs, USA.  Been slowly getting worse for about 2 years.  Finally decided something was wrong and went in to check it out.  Of course my doc says cut it out, but I don't like jumping to conclusions.  I like your idea of high fat to jump start the lazy bum.  I also thought I may wait a while and have another HIDA to be sure that is actually what is going on.

I'll tell you something else.  I'm afraid if I have it removed I could get worse and once you cut you can't uncut.  That is probably is not a rational fear, but a fear none the less.

I have an appointment with a GI Thursday.  I want him to look into my stomach and my colon to see what is going on.  That will help in my decision.

Dustin

[GhostOf1901]

I've gotten different opinions. One doc says chuck it. The other says keep it until you can't stand it anymore. I'm getting close to the "cant stand it" mark, but living with this gallbladder has given me one massive gift: weight loss. I used to weigh 324 lbs. No I'm at 240, and counting. Also, my blood pressure went from 160/100 to 100/60, and my cholesterol from 164 to 128. As for the weight, doc wants to see me at 200, and I'd like to be at 180, which he says may be too light (I'm 6ft, or 1.84m, whichever's most comfortable for you). Anyway, the gallbladder isn't doing all the work, but I know that it has helped, so why not clean up my diet to make it happy and make myself healthier at the same time?

In short, doc says chuck it, I say keep it for now. Yeah, I know there's a 90% to 95% cure ratio for lazy gallbladder by cutting it out, but I'm going to take as much advantage as I can from this situation. I might even have another HIDA/CCK done to see whether my hypothesis is right. See, fat causes the gallbladder to react, so having a lot of fat in your body will cause the GB to be more sensitive and spasm much more often/quicker. If weight is lost and fat levels are reduced, will the function begin to slowly improve? The doc says that while it may not work, the hypothesis makes sense, and he's OK'd me to experiment on myself a bit to see whether I'm right. If I am, then he may see it as a possible alternative treatment for those who are averse to surgery.

[loosingit]

Thanks for the info on malnourishment I hadn't considered it.

[loosingit]

Is your doc recommending removing your gallbladder?  Mine says remove it.  I looked at some studies on SearchMedica

http://www.****.***

and they say the cure rate for removal is very high 95%.

I don't like meds/surgery, would prefer not to have them.

[GhostOf1901]

Biliary dyskinesia? Got it. EF of 19%.

Could it be causing fatigue? Absolutely, especially if you're taking medication for your acid reflux. See, when you don't push out enough bile (and, in the case of SOD, which can be the root cause of biliary dyskinesia, enough pancreatic fluid), you don't digest food as well as you should. You're probably eating less now than you have in the past. In addition, you're probably not getting all of the nutrients from your food. The result is that you're getting less nutrients than you're used to, and therefore getting fatigued.

You may want to try a low-fat, high-protein/high-carb (fruits/veggies, not breads) diet (10%, 40%, 50%, respectively) to see whether that helps out. You can also try to seek alternative resolutions, such as acupuncture with a good acupuncturist who is also knowledgeable with herbs; aryuvedic medicine (in combination with yoga) is also very helpful.

Having had a lot of the same symptoms as you (and a few others, since I also have delayed gastric emptying (borderline gastroparesis), I know it can be annoying as all heck, but realize that if all you have is biliary dyskinesia then it really isn't all that bad, and while the gallbladder will likely not be restrengthened, this might be a great chance for you to develop extra healthy eating habits. (I'm sure your eating habits are considerably better than mine were before I started with this whole mess.)

Good luck.