O SNAP

[bloodyrosemccoy]

ME: So I'm trying to look up gallbladder attack symptoms, and man these patient sites are TERRIBLE. They're explaining it to you like you're a fairly stupid first grader.

DAD: Or a family practice doctor.


Doctors have opinions, it would seem.

... Yeah, this thing's gotta come out. That was not a fun night.

Comments

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

I used to go to a doctor in Albuquerque with a recurring sinus problem that nothing seemed to touch, until the doctor finally asked me, despairingly, "Do you have anything I can CURE?"

After a moment's thought, I said, "Well, I do have recurrent heartburn."

He leaped on this as an excuse to get me scanned (or was it x-rayed? this was a few years ago, and I've slept since then), and we discovered that I had gallstones. In fact, I had so many gallstones that they were packed in so tightly that quite a few of them were cube-shaped (I brought some home as souvenirs, until I decided they were too biohazardous to keep around).

Heartburn was the only symptom I ever had. And I still have it.

Don't have a gallbladder any more, though.

And the day after the surgery I walked down to the nurse's desk and said, "I'm dressed, and I'm ready to go home. Let me OUT of here."

I hope your surgery goes as well.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Oh, fun! I went through this a few years back. Cutting all (and I mean ALL) fat from the diet worked to keep attacks at bay for me for the 6 weeks it to for them to officially diagnose me.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I could try. Last time I cut it down to pretty much Cheerios, and it STILL didn't help.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

I found my post about it! http://ellenmillion.livejournal.com/1056889.html

With photos of diseased gallbladder!

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Whee! Sounds like an adventure, all right. (And I'm glad you took it slow. I'm always amazed at how many of our surgery patients feel so great they want to go out and do dumb shit like skiing--yes SKIING--a few days after having their abdomens cut open and their spines rearranged. It's like "How soon after you've operated on my neck can I go back to my daily 12-hour Cirque du Soleil training sessions?" I AM STARTING TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOUR SPINE IS FUCKED UP.)

I would love a nice list of foods to try. The weird thing about the attacks is how abruptly they are OVER, but I would rather not live through THAT sort of day again.

[daiq.livejournal.com]

I tried hula hooping 8 days after having multiple moles removed. My brain said that if the stitches were out i was fine to do my thing again, my body then said "STOP, STOP NOW!!!!"

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

And if you'd like, I'd be happy to compile a list of foods and recipes that helped me survive.

[cjtremlett.livejournal.com]

My hubby had his gallbladder out laproscopically a couple of years ago. Outpatient surgery. I think it was something like four hours from leaving the house to returning after surgery. Recovery was pretty easy and he hasn't even found any serious trouble foods afterwards, though evidently most folks who have their gallbladders out have things they can't eat afterwards, or can only eat in serious moderation.

But if your night was anything like the night he had when they said "yup, that needs to come out", ouch! That was a pretty awful night.

He lucked out and the surgeon his GP recommended had an opening less than a week later. It was like two weeks from horrible night to gallbladder out and healed and feeling fine.

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

My sympathies. I've been through both gallbladder pain and childbirth, and the gallbladder was worse.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I was starting to wonder if the chestbursters in Alien were actually metaphors for gallbladder attacks, rather than childbirth, myself.

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

Would that imply that gallstones are the larval form of fast food chain restaurants?

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Smile, you've been Metaquoted!

[spiffikins]

I agree wholeheartedly about the laprascopic option being FAR FAR preferred if it is possible. My brother had his gallbladder removed, and because of other issues going on, wasn't able to get it done laprascopically, and well, recovering from an L-shaped incision in your stomach is Not Fun.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

It would put a dent in my learning to roller skate ...

[dark-phoenix54.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I'm sorry. Hopefully your dad knows a good general surgeon.

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

I had my gallbladder out; had heartburn for years, then suddenly couldn't see straight for how much it hurt. Night in the ER, handful of scans later, they gave me vicodin for the pain, and sent me home to wait till I could get an appointment. The little residents really enjoyed poking me in the stomach and watching me go "ERK."

If you can, get a referral to a bariatric specialist, they're good with the whole laparoscopic thing. It's a pretty easy surgery, as far as surgeries go? It wasn't fun or anything, and I was seriously sore for about two weeks, but I was up and about after a couple of days. Things felt a little funny for about a month or so, but not awful.

They originally wanted to keep me overnight, but everything went fine and they sent me home when I woke up. I have some memory of being wheeled out of the hospital, but I was drugged up to the point that I think I just slept for three days. It'd be good to have someone to bring you seltzer and painkillers.

ETA: I'm probably actually making it sound worse than it is. I've got a crappy immune system, and recover from even minor stuff really slowly.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

The little residents really enjoyed poking me in the stomach and watching me go "ERK."

I got that with the referred pain when I got a checkup. My doctor was all, "Now I'm going to poke you in the back" and I was like "But I don't have pain in my baAAAACK okay I see what you mean there."

That actually sounds about like what I'd expect. Even minor surgery can upset your system! I just think it's already upset anyway.

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

Yeah that whole general anesthesia thing is sorta hard on the system, and then there's the whole removing a small organ part. But it's not so bad. Worse than having my tonsils out, but only because I foolishly wanted to do things like sit up in the week following.

[marsdejahthoris.livejournal.com]

I had my gallbladder out. Laparoscopic, mostly to stop the truly horrific acid reflux. (Still got acid reflux, it's just no longer truly horrific.) The whole surgery took... I dunno, five hours from going in to coming home? I was back at work five days later, though I had a sit-down job and had to wear sweatpants to keep from pressing on the incisions. I walked a lot to get the leftover air out of my abdominal cavity, but it was ridiculously easy. I didn't even have to give up any food. ... And then I lost fifty pounds, still not sure how that happened.

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

...yeah I've been slimmer since I had mine out too. I used to top out around 145, now I hit about 120 and that's it. I wonder if it wasn't just crummy digestion or something.

I've noticed extremely fatty things do not love me very much, but it's worth it.

[marsdejahthoris.livejournal.com]

In my case, it might be that I got diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes a year and a half later. Or maybe it had nothing to do with that. I've gained some back since the diagnosis, so who knows?

[shadesofmauve]

Oh dear, it sounds like you've been having the not-so-fun kind of adventures. Or perhaps your internal bits are having them without you. My condolences.

Laproscopic gallbladder surgery apparently isn't bad, though. My dad had a bit of trouble with his, but it wasn't the surgery itself, it was delayed diagnosis -- the ER sent him home despite jaundice and pain on Friday; when he went back in Monday things were too inflamed to operate and he had pancreatitis, so he had foodless bed rest for three days. Then his mom let us know that, oh, right, half the people in her family have had their gallbladder out -- a little bit of knowledge that would've helped, back at the beginning.