pregnant with gallstones

[mamaOFone11]

Hi i'm 16 Weeks and 6 days pregnant. I just found out a month ago that I have gallstones and some has gone up into the ducts, which is very painful. Not only do I have gallstones I have low thyroid levels. I can't stand this pain from the gallstones and I don't want to take the chance of having surgery and me have a miscarriage. What should I do?

[Christopher R Watters, MD]

Something does not make sense here. Stones don't go into the common bile duct and then return to the gallbladder. They pass down the common bile duct and either stay there, block the duct, or pass through into the duodenum. These possibilities produce the most lethal complications related to gallbladder disease.

[mamaOFone11]

The doctors told me that some stones have gone up into the ducts(which is vibrating to your liver and stomach) alot of the time the stones go back down into my gallbladder. when I have these episodes, it is very painful it feels like an elephant is sitting right on me. i'm in so much pain everyday but like I said before I really don't want to take the chance of me having a miscarriage . This is also my second pregnancy, I have a 19 month old daughter .

[Christopher R Watters, MD]

Can you be more specific about stones in the duct. That would become the most significant problem necessitating intervention. We generally try to wait out the pregnancy if possible  before operating but in some women waiting is more of a threat to the pregnancy than surgery. These moms to be fail to gain weight due to the fear of food and symptoms or associated nausea and vomiting. If surgery is required the safest time is during the second trimester and can generally still be done laparoscopically.