How big is an average gallbladder?

[cyko9]

Hi, I am a 29yo female. I was dianosed with 2 large stones 1/11/07 after having gall attacks.

I won't type out a long story right now because I am ill and crying, I know, sad.

I found a lump at the beginning of this year near my belly button which was very tender, saw 3 doctors, including the surgeon that will eventually be taking it out, only to be told it was my bowel.
I knoew it wasn't as it was still there when my bowel was dead empty after drinking the fluid prior to a colonoscopy.

Finally got an ultrasound last week, it is my gallbladder, all 30cm of it and it is now 5 cm from my pubic bone.
Went to emergency only to be told that if I turn yellow to come back :(

I am not yellow, but I have been having hot flushes,feeling ill, finding it hard to breathe at times, feel like I have a babies foot under my rib.

My questions are: Can an enlarged gallbladder effect the lung(as in space) ?

                            How big is a "normal" gallbladder?

                            My gallbladder is 30cm long and 4cm wide, is it full of bile?
                            And what are my chances of not having a massive cut if it bursts?
                            Is this abnormally big? It has grown to this size since an ultrasound in december.

                            I have a stone stuck in the neck, is this dangerous?

Any answers to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated as I'm not getting any from the health proffesionals.

Kind regards, Barb .

[cyko9]

I forgot to add, I am on a waiting list, I just worry it will be too late by then.

[boron]

Gallbladder is positioned under the liver, that is under the bottom rib of the right rib cage - about 12 cm to the right from the middle body line.

Normal gallbladder is about 10 by 3 cm. 30cm large gb - this is huge!

Stone in the neck of gallbladder may press on the bile duct and thus prevent bile flow from the liver into intestine. So, it is dangerous only if blocks the bile flow, otherwise not. Anyway, gallbladder with stones, which causes symptoms, has to go out.

Flushes and hard to breath - when does this occur - occasionally or after the meal? I doubt gb would push the lungs up, gb is under the liver, so the whole liver would need to push up then. It's more probably that you have gastric reflux. Acid coming into esophagus causes heartburn, tight feeling in chest and short breath.

[cyko9]

Hi Boron.
The flushes have been nearly every two hours for the last 3 days, as has the diffucult breathing. I don't have tightness as such, just short of breath.

So can it burst? And what causes them to become so big?

I am really appreciating your information here, thankyou.

[boron]

Waiting for gallbladder to burst is like waiting if the train will stop, when you stay on railways. Please!

Well, it just distended. Beside the bile, fluid from inflammation may be collected within the gallbladder, and if there is a stone in the neck, all the bile and fluid can't go out, so they push on gallbladder walls from inside, and this way gb slowly grows. 30 cm of gallbladder in the stomach is not a waiting question.

Flushes, this would need exact description, so I'm not sure. If you feel a HEARTBURN, or funny acidic taste in the mouth, then at least difficult breathing is from gastric acid coming up into a mouth and lungs (yes, lungs). Flushes could be connected with meals - if your stomach empties rapidly...this in a consequence causes hypoglicemia, which triggers adrenalin release and hence flushing. The third reason for flushing would be food allergy - but this would be obviously connected with meals.

If you feel any skin itcing, then it may be from allergy.

[cyko9]

My stomach does empty quickly, hence my colonoscopy which I delightfully woke up during a few wks ago so they had to stop. I cannot finish a meal without it going through me, so I don't eat unless I'm at home. But that has been happening since October last year, which is when I had my first gallbladder pains but the doctor said they unrelated and gallstones don't cause diarrhea? Flushes come without eating as I have only ad 3 pieces of toast over the last two days(because i feel ill) No heartburn but I have had a funny taste in my mouth today, kind of metallic.

The ultrasound people and my gp both said last wk to go straight to emergency because my gallbladder was serious.
The first 2 doctors at the hospital also thought it was serious and were sure they would operate that day, but the head surgeon sent me home.

I don't know what to do :(

My whole life is on hold at the moment.

I can't bend over so can't work(have my own cleaning business) I can't sit for too long because of the pressure under my rib, can't be an active mum properly to my 4 little boys.

And to top it all off, I'm also a bikini model, have had 4 children without a stretch mark, and now I feel key hole might have gone out the window because of the size, and it's still growing!

Sorry, this has turned into a whine, I'm just sick, in pain and frustrated.

[boron]

QUOTE:
"The ultrasound people and my gp both said last wk to go straight to emergency because my gallbladder was serious.
The first 2 doctors at the hospital also thought it was serious and were sure they would operate that day, but the head surgeon sent me home. "

Now who is telling you not to be operated? Grab your medical documentation, and go to emergency, and don't allow them to send you home. Bursting gallbladder is a life-threatening condition (just like appendix). I really don't get what's going on here. You have documented severe and dangerous gallbladder disease, don't let "head surgeons" to fool you.

Metallic taste is both in acid reflux and in increased billirubin (the later may be in your case). Billirubin is increased in obstructed bile flow - your case.

[cyko9]

He was the head of emergency that day and told me he would have my date booked the next day, haven't heard from them.

I am going up this morning after I drop the kids at school.

If I don't post for a bit you will know they have operated, feel free to hold your breath as I feel I will be sent home again.

I will be trying a different hospital today if that is what happens.

Kind regards, Barb.