Anyone Ever Had Gallbladder Issues?

I have and have had mine removed...all my life I have always had stomach aches (don't know that is related or not) my mom always said I had a nervous stomach. Starting on my wedding day I started to feel nauseous (jitters probably right?) well the vomiting started on the honeymoon and still stomach aches. I had to lay down on my side all the time. After a month of vomiting and losing weight, my dr.'s finally believed I wasn't pregnant or allergic to my husband that I had been living with for 2 years (ha!)and sent me to a gastroenterologist. After many tests they found out my gall bladder was not contracting correctly and was "diseased" as they called it. There is a history of gall bladder stones, cancer, etc... on my mom's side and my grandmother had gall bladder cancer and my mom and aunt have had stones, etc... and had it removed. Bottom line, it could be many things. Get the tests and make an informed decision from there. I have just those few small scars and I felt a ton better from there! No more stomach issues! YEAH!
Good luck!

Yes...and it is sooo painful. I found out mine was related to my birthcontrol. My gallbladder was having some sort of adverse reaction. I went through the dr appts, ultrasound, etc. and was getting ready to schedule surgery, when I decided to just stop taking anything and everything including my vitamins one at a time and it worked! Although, my mother had gallbladder surgery and it is an outpatient procedure now and is minimally invasive. They make three tiny slits to put the instruments in to remove it. GOOD LUCK!

Hi! I had my gallbladder out 1 week before my wedding! My symptoms were much the same, pain that felt like a burning in my abdomen. I had an ultrasound done and they found gallstones in there. The surgery is outpatient, my Dr cut 4 holes in me (1 in my belly button) and they dermabonded the outside and stitched the inside. The surgery itself wasnt bad but the pain afterwards was (I dont have a high pain tolerance though). Nothing that couldnt be helped with some pain meds. If you attempt the diet it is very bland so unless you want to eat bland foods for a long time I would get the surgery. I got married 8 days later and was able to enjoy my honeymoon. My aunt who is a nurse was concerned that one of my gallstones would get stuck in the duct and that would cause complications so that may be something you want to take into account as well. Good luck with everything!

Hi J.

I had my gallbladder removed about two years ago. Prior to it being removed, I was always nauseated, pain in the stomach. Ran back and forth to the ER several times before they diagnosed gallbladder issues. When I went to the doctor at wits end with the pain, he told me all of my tests had come back normal but I still have symptoms of gallbladder issues. I told him to remove it. He did and it ended up that I didn't have gallstones but I had inflammation on the gallbladder which caused the same pain. I don't regret the surgery, because I no longer have the pain. I wish you the best. Remember, the longer you wait, the worse it's going to get. Take care of yourself. GOD bless!!

Hi J.. I would highly recommend Acupuncture if you are trying to control/reduce your symptoms. Combined with dietary modifications, you could probably avoid surgery. Even if you did end up resorting to surgery, Acupuncture would help increase your healing and restore balance after surgery. If you'd like more information, please feel free to email me!

Hi J., about 5 years ago, I was having a lot of pain from gallbladder problems. We did all the tests to find out that I didn't have stones yet but did have sludge in my gallbladder. My doctor recommended removal because gallbladder attacks were more severe when pregnant and I wanted to start my family. The surgeon did it laparoscopically. I have four scars on my torso, just the punctures where they inserted instruments and I was off from work a week. I'm glad that I did it.

Hey J.,
My friend had hers removed shortly having giving birth (weeks after) and it turned out that the gallbladder was not infected as they thought. So, she continued to have the same problems of upset stomach and cramping. She was able to control it through diet though. Either way--the docs told her it was her gallbladder and it turned out not to be the problem. Best of luck with you!

I had Gallbladder problems for years and didn't know what it was. On my first trip to Atlantic City,NJ I had a bad attack. I spent the weekend soaking in the hotel bath tub filled with water as hot as I could stand it. I didn't have another attack for two months and by the time I would be over it I couldn't find out what was wrong so in the middle of an attack I made my husband take me to the ER and they figured out what it was. I had no stones so they did a test by putting a substance in an IV and seeing what the Gallbladder did and in less than two minutes I was heaving and in great pain. I had sludge in mine since no stones it was harder to find. I had surgery and after realized how long I had been ill. I was so much better but no one has mentioned that you most likely will have diarrhea after the surgery (litterally without warning). I had read about it on the internet so was prepared. I was given a medication that was in powder form (cholestyramine) and it helped but was weird tasting and my doctor said to try Imodium and that worked as well I started taking one first thing in the morning 5 or 6 am and one in the early evening 5 pm or so (some days I took one at noon as well.) I am down to only one now because of other medication I take but it was easy to adjust the Imodium when I eat fatty foods. It is referred to as Dumping Syndrome.

Yes, I started having problems when I was 7 mos. pregnant in 2002. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking I was having a heart attack. Sharp chest pain, shooting pain in my left arm and up my neck into my jaw, felt clammy, all the typical heart attack symptoms for a woman. At the ER they had me drink a mix of Maalox and lidocaine after an EKG said it wasn't a heart issue. The nasty concoction worked and they chalked it up to acid reflux. I had no problems again until about a year later. Same kind of attack. Those attacks started getting more frequent, every couple months or so, to finally once a month.

Finally in Jan. 06 I had a REALLY bad attack and went to the ER again. They did an unltrasound and discovered my gall bladder was packed full of stones and one had gotten stuck in the bile duct. My gall bladder had become infected and enlarged which had pushed on my pancreas which also became infected, so I had pancreatitis on top of the gall bladder issue and because of all THAT mess, my enzymes were out of whack and I developed jaundice. I was VERY sick. I ended up in the hospital for 5 days. The gall bladder came out laproscopically and I have minimal scarring (3 little ones).

I am glad it is out. There was NO WAY that I could have controlled it through diet or acupuncture, etc. I had no further complications from the surgery. The only negative thing I could say about not having the gall bladder is that sometimes food will go right through me, even 2.5 yrs. later. But unlike people who say you have to avoid greasy fatty foods or sweets, what triggers mine seems to have no rhyme or reason. Anything can cause it for me. But it doesn't happen after every meal, just once in a while, so I deal. It's better than feeling like I'm having a heart attack, you know?

I would say to determine first if you have gall stones. If not, I guess you can try modifying your diet or whatever other holistic approach is appealing to you. Chances are, though, that if you have stones, you're going to need the surgery. There's no sense in letting it escalate to the point where you end up like I did. If I had known prior that I had gall stones, I'd have gotten it out sooner.

Good luck! :o)

Hi J.,

While there are a lot of comments about having the gallbladder out and the surgery being no big deal, the gallbladder serves a very specific function and my philosophy is that if at all possible, do what you can to correct the issue and to keep it. I definitely support the suggestions for acupuncture and chiropractic. Additionally, there are a number of holistic and herbal methods to cleanse and clear out the gallstones. If you google the topic and include natural remedy or holistic or some variation, you'll find a wealth of information on the subject.

Ultimately, you need to trust yourself and come to your own conclusion as to how to address this. If you're unsure, think back to other good decisions and how you felt in your body. There is a pattern to what yes's and no's feel to each one of us. This is the only way to fully trust your decision and to find what is right for YOU, no matter what anyone else says to do.

Best to you!

S.
knowyourselfloveyourlife.com
adhdholisticsolutions.com

I had my gallbladder out in 1993. It was scary, but not bad. I was home in one day and a little sore, but recovered easily. I had severe re-occurring pain that would last from 15-30 minutes and then go away for a day or two. I thought I was going crazy. The Dr. said my pain was when the smaller stones passed out of the gallbladder. Before I had surgery, they did an ultrasound to check - perhaps that should be your first test.

I also had the same pain after my 2nd baby was born. I would have these random attacks and didn't know what it was. Finally had an ultrasound - it showed just a very tiny stone. They said that the attacks probably happen when it just gets stuck in the duct area. In any case, I opted to see what would happen over time since it was just 1 tiny stone - I did try the diet tips too (eliminate nuts and other fatty food, alcohol, and caffeine - well I did not eliminate, but I did reduce). Warm Lemon juice also helped during an attack and that week after. I already didn't eat meat, so couldn't change that.
Anyway - I have not had any more attacks and I am back to eating the way I want. No issues - however, my neighbor did just have hers out over the summer and she said it was so easy - she was told to rest the weekend, but she said she never even felt bad. Good Luck !

I had my gallbladder removed and sometimes I still have the pain. I have had neck surgery and another surgery. By far, the gallbladder surgery was the worst in the world. The gas they blow you up w/ takes a while to get out of your body and "for me" I had a very difficult time w/ it. There is a lemon aid cleans you can do that should pass the stones w/out edges. This comes from a book I use w/ my essential oils, "Reference guide for Essential Oils by Connie and Alan Higley" "Drink 4oz. distilled water w/ juice from 1/2 lemon every 30 minutes for 6 hours straight, then take 2 Tbs. extra light virgin olive oil w/ the juice from 1 full lemon. Repeat daily till stone passes." This is especially ment for kidney stones but it should work for the gallbladder too. I wish you the best of luck! My family is moving to Oakland from Germany in October. Keep us updated!
D.

When I had mine the dr. did a blood test and ultrasound to determine if I had gallstones. The only option is to have it out. It is no big deal. I repeat, it is no big deal. Don't get yourself all worked up. They do it laparoscopically so they make a couple small incisions snip off the gallbladder and then seal up your cuts. I only had a couple stitches. I was in surgery at like 9 in the morning and I was going home at 12:30 after I showed them I could eat and drink and it all went through ok. I think I took pain medicine and just chilled out for a day or so but I wasn't laid up in bed or anything. Trust me you will be happy you did it when you don't have to deal with the terrible attacks anymore.

I had the same issue but surgery was the only thing that took care of the problem. It wasn't bad though. It is outpatient and the recovery time is pretty short. I was only in bed for a few days and was back to work within a week.

My friend had the same thing and she had surgery where they basically just sucked out her gallbladder her recovery was only about a week and then she said she felt better then ever. She hated having to follow a special diet because she could not eat any of her favorite food sand when she did she was in serious pain. I could get the name of her surgeon if you want.
Good Luck:)

J., I was hesitant to post this because I truly don't want to worry you unnecessarily, but I felt like I had to pass along my sister-in-law's experience: She was diagnosed with gallbladder problems, with symptoms similar to yours, but it was a misdiagnosis and sadly, she turned out to have pancreatic cancer. Please get that ultrasound everyone's mentioned, to see if it really is gallstones (which is still by far the commonest and therefore the likeliest scenario, so don't make yourself worse with worry). Get a second or even third opinion, and ask about being tested for pancreatic or ovarian cancers--you may need to be assertive with your doctors about it. Of course cancer is probably unlikely, but because the symptoms can be similar, it is worth checking as early as possible, based on my family's experience.

In 2000, I had major gallbladder issues and they also told me that I needed to have it removed. I was just about to graduate from college and entirely "too busy" for surgery so I elected to put it off. Eight years later, I still have the gallbladder and although I do have the occassional episode (about twice a year) it's nothing like it used to be.

However, if it ever gets as bad as it did back then, I will consider the surgery again. I've heard it's not that bad, but then again, who wants to have surgery if they don't want to, right??

Do you know which foods tend to set it off? For me it was the oddest thing- oil and vinegar. If you're able to avoid whatever sets it off, maybe you can avoid the surgery.

Best of luck to you!

I had my gall bladder out last year. I had no symptoms until one night... Mother's day, as a matter of fact, I had terrible stomach pains... I threw up all night and had terrible diarreah as well. We went to the ER the next morning and I had surgery the following day. The way I understand it, if you have less severe symptoms to begin with, it's really just a matter of time before the big one hits. My mother had hers out following bouts of gall stones for years.

My advice is, if the doctors reccommend taking it out, do it. The surgery is easy to recover from - I had mine 3 months after a C-Section - no problem. There are three tiny scars that have faded greatly in the year since the surgery, and if you put scar cream on them, I'm sure it would be even better. I didn't really have the choice of waiting because my symptoms were so severe, but I certainly wouldn't want to wait for a severe problem with it. Have it out. Save yourself a great deal of pain, potentially.

Now, I have no restriction on what to eat, but I still try to eat a healthy diet. I just don't have to worry about the pain associated with eating the wrong thing. :)

Good luck, don't be afraid, it's really not that bad. The recovery from surgery was WAY better than the night of terrible pain spent in the bathroom!

Two years ago after my second baby I began having horrible pain in my abdomen! My baby was just 5 weeks old and I could hardly move when I started getting these attacks. My Dr. told me I needed to have my gallbladder removed, but I was still nursing and didn't want to be out of commission with a 3 year old and an infant! I changed my diet - nothing high fat, no beef, lots of fiber. It worked for me. I no longer have any attacks. The condition improved after about 6 weeks of diet change. I can eat normally now. Sometimes it still feels weird, but no horrible pain anymore! The other thing I do to flush my gallbladder was something my mom and grandmother did -mix organge juice with fresh lemon juice (squeezed from 1 whole or half of lemon)and 1 tbsp of olive oil, stir it up and chug! I still do it once and awhile before bed! Hope this helps!

Hello J.!
As a matter of fact I had issues in Feb. 2007 while I was 7 months pregnant with our second. The pain is unquestionably horrible. At first I really thought I was having labor pains and went to the hospital a couple of times to see and they sent me to the emergency room the second time and was diagnosed then. I was told to watch my fats. The problem is, is there are good fats and bad fats. It was a chance I took trying different things. And when I ate the wrong thing I paid the price. I was in pain for nearly 16 hours once. I could not get out of a chair (sitting position only) and my husband had to take our 3 year old to work with him that day. I ended up finding that I could eat tomatoes and baked potatoes. I had lots of juice and tea. I was able to have cereal with fat free milk and occasionally a sandwich (white bread with a fat free bologna). I had lost quite a bit of weight (not being able to eat much) while I was still pregnant. My Dr. did not seem concerned. Yes I did opt to have my gall bladder removed after I delivered our second. It was a laporscopic surgery. I had a laporscopic surgery several years ago and knew that it would be a very easy surgery. They go through your belly button to remove your gall bladder. I was up on my feet in a couple of days. I did have to watch picking things up over 20 pounds until I was completely healed. I am just very glad that I don't have anymore pain!!!! I hope this helps (a little). HL

J.:
I had my first gallbladder attack after I had been on a very low fat diet. Then I ate a doughnut and ended up in the ER that night. High Fat can trigger an attack. I wanted to grit my teeth and control my diet cos I'd never had one before. That lasted 2 weeks - back to the ER. Then I had surgery. I didn't have anything like an infection or a specific stone but what was forming in my gallbladder that made me so sick was like fine grains of sand - that would eventually become gall stones. It seems everybody is different. BUT I had the most commonly done surgery out there now. Arthroscopic. They make a couple small holes (like a pencil could poke in) 1 - 1 inch long incision for the gallbladder to be removed from and basically you have a couple band aids on your tummy for a week. I went back to work in 3 days and was back to normal in less than 2 weeks. NOW - I have no problem at all with anything I eat. Really don't miss my gallbladder - and glad I'm not sitting there wondering when I'll get another attack. Eventually - if you have gallbladder pain - you will need it out. My 2nd attack really did feel like a heart attack like a few other posts I've read. Nervous - get a 2nd opinion.
Blessings,
S.

Hi J., I had my gall badder removed a year ago. Before that I had gastric bypass surgery. Because I had lost alot of weigh real fast it caused problems with my gall bladder. I to was real scared to have surgery. Mine went well. I also have diverticulosis and when my pain started I thought it was that but the pain didnt go away and I had more test done and thats when they found it was my gall bladder.
Who is your Dr. Do you have any idea who is going to do the surgery? I had Dr woghlmuth (not sure of the spelling) he is with the norfolk surgerical group and a great surgeon.
L.

How bad is your pain? I've had gall stones for almost 7 years and the pain is completely crippling at it's best. The only thing that helps is strong meds from the ER when it happens and while I was pregnant that was out of the question so I just had to struggle through while the stone passed. If you are having regular pain, I would definetly suggest getting the surgery.
I rarely had issue with mine (once a year maybe), though the last episode I had was the worst and I had been eating the best diet of my life. I said had because I just had my gallbladder removed in June. I wasn't nearly as anxious about it as I was with my C section surgery and recovery was only 3 days and I was completely fine except I wasn't allowed to carry my son too much.
Four tiny incisions and then it's over... for me the benefit outweighed the cost, but you have to decide what's right for you. If you have any other questions, just ask.

Hello J.,
I stongly suggest you see a GI Specailist. I have had my gallbaldder removed about 3yrs ago and I am still having problems. I, too thought I had it controlled with my diet for a period of time. But when you have an attack its so painful. I have 2 children and I'd rather go through labor. NO JOKE! I knew I had gallstones for years and did not have surgery when I should have and when I did,I did not have the scope sugery as planned. The Dr had to open me up and remove my gallbladder " the old way". I had so many gallstones that my gallbladder was full of them and now going into my bile ducts. So now that I have had my gallbladder removed, had to have a bile bag for 2 months, 3 total procedures done, have had 2 stents placed in my bile duct, and still needing 1 more procedure I really wish I would have had the surgery early on.

DON'T WAIT!

K. Working Mother of 12yr and 8yr old

You can try diet, but to be honest, the surgery is the best to go. My gall bladder was so bad it almost burst. Usually the surgery is outpatient but mine required 7 days in the hospital because I waited too long because they thought I had reflux instead and my gallbladder almost burst. PLEASE, PLEASE don't wait until you are losing so much weight because you are not digesting your food at this point. The surgery was a breeze and I felt so much better.

Keep in touch.

I had gallbladder problems and went with surgery. They really didn't give me any other options and I was in a lot of pain. The surgery was relatively easy to deal with-- just three small incisions, which healed with very tiny scars. The recovery was a only a little bit painful, and certainly nothing compared to the pain of passing the gall stones! Within a few days I was back on my feet and able to do all the things I did before surgery. In essence, any surgery carries risks, but in my experience this one is comparatively minor and well worth it.

You mention that your doctor says it may be the gall bladder. Of course, you will want to know for sure before you consider an operation. They can do an ultrasound to see if your gall bladder is fulled with gall stones.

Good luck! Feel better soon!

Hi J.,
They should have you get an ultrasound to check for stones. If you have stones, they'll operate. Its really the only solution. My surgeon said that they used to give a pill or vitamin that would get rid of the stones, but that they would come back and the person would end up getting the surgery anyway.
The surgery wasn't bad, three small incisions. Had it done on a Friday and was mostly normal by Monday.

Adjusting you diet can help avoid attacks. The trick is to find the trigger. My symptoms were a-typical - migranes, 24 hour nausea, numbness in hands, sharp takes your breath pain in center of chest. After the surgery those have all gone away. I still can't eat greasy foods and lettuce (for some reason), but its a minor price for comfort.
Good luck
M.

I dealt with issue for three years watching what I ate until last feb, the pain came on so bad I thought I was having a heart attack. I ended up having surgery. So glad I did because there is not to much that I can't eat. Good luck!

My husband and I have both had ours out. It was very easy surgery and we both had very quick recoverys. If I never have to have the pain I had when my gallbladder was acting up again I'll be happy. I got to the point that even water was making my stomach hurt so bad I was doubled over in pain.

My advice is to get it out. It'll be the best thing you ever did.

J.,
It only gets worse, I tried postponing because of exams in school and I ended up having to to emergency because of the pain. This was when I was 27, they didn't do it laparoscopic then, so I have scar from my breast line down to my bellybotton, the recovery was terrible. My neighbor couple years later had it laparoscopic and she was home raking leaves from her backyard the day after. I had a friend who was controlling his with diet and I couldn't stand his breath, it was terrible. It is a very simple procedure nowadays. Don't be afraid. I had 27 stones, size of a big redbean. I never felt anything before my first crisis. I always wondered how those stones were formed without me feeling anything. Just that shooting pain in my right abdomen and also on the back.
Good luck.

Yes, and the longer I waited to have it removed, the more issues I had. After two extremely scary and painful attacks (that had me banging on my neighbor's door at 2 a.m. while my husband was out of town), I resorted to having it removed.

You could try to do it through diet, but, unless you have a compelling reason to not have it removed, you could end up being quite sick. My sister also had to have hers removed, but not until she was nearly immobilized with pain.

I am all for natural and healthy solutions. I take vitamins, try to eat as naturally as possible, breastfeed, you name it. However, this was not something I was willing to risk having get out of hand again.

The surgery is (comparatively speaking) relatively minor. I had laparoscopy and scarring (and pain) was minimal. Sorry, I just can't recommend holding onto something that can just get much, much worse. I should add that I have had no pain since the surgery, nor any problems related to it.

Good luck and hope things go well either way!

I recommend the surgery. I had mine out about two years ago, with the arthroscopic method someone else on here mentioned. In and out of the hospital on the same day, two bandaids and back to work in two days. No complications or problems since.

My first attack was so severe that I went to the ER and it totally messed up our vacation plans for that holiday weekend. The diagnosis right away was gallstones, since I had all the 'classic' symptoms - unfortunately for me that meant that I was lower priority than other emergencies coming in, so I was pacing in the ER waiting room for HOURS before they got me in and gave me a painkiller.

After deciding that I could wait and didn't need emergency surgery that night, I went on a fat-free diet and saw an internist the next week after we got home. He had an opening on his surgical schedule right away, so I took it, since even on a diet as reduced-fat as I could make it, I was still having flare-ups of the pain.

What a difference the surgery made for me! I highly recommend you get it, rather than living with that pain.

Good luck!

Morning J.,

You should really get an ultra sound to see if its really stones. I had an attack after my son was born and rushed myself to the hospital and there were lots and lots of stones. My gyn said she has heard it to be common in women because of the hormone change when pregnant. After being about 4 mons preg I thought I was having braxton hicks and once my son was here I still kept having pain. The surgery was nothing at all I went in and was out the next morning. This was my second surgery so all you have to do with the gas in your tummy where they blow you up to operate is to take GAS-X. Once I took that the gas left right away. At the time my son was less than a month old and I was able to make it through and still breast feed him. Good Luck!

Yes, I got gallstones while pregnant with my first child and did control it with diet for awhile. The diet is no fat-- especially oils. The problem is sometimes even if you eat a no fat but big meal you can have a gall attack... Have they done an ultra sound to make sure you do have stones?
I ended up getting it out when my son was 5 months because the attacks were becoming to frequent. The operation is not so bad, I was out of the hospital the same day. Good luck!

I had my gallbladder removed in 2005. It was a week of not being able to do what I wanted and absolutely NO driving. For me, that was the biggest deal.

If you want to manage this with diet, it's simple. NO FAT and NO DAIRY. Stay away from anything sweet and you'll do well. What they don't tell you is that you need to stay on this no fat no dairy diet for the rest of your life. A sweet now and then is fine, but trust me... you'll feel better if you stay away from it all.

YMMV
LBC

Wow, J., I was just up in the middle of the night reseaching this. I think I may be having the same problem-just realized it yesterday. I had an awful event Sunday night and thought it was a stomach virus my daughter had passed on, but I'm having continuing symptoms (and they're pretty horrible). I actually am a surgical nurse and have assisted with several laparoscopic gallbladder procedures in the last week. I concur with the other posters that I would have the procedure if needed. The benefits outweigh the risks. It's a fairly "common" surgery and typically an outpatient experience. I'm with you on trying conservative measures, first, but depending on what your doctor finds, you may need to go directly with the surgical procedure. Good luck... we may be in at the same time:-) K.

I had the same thing happen to me and I have know others who had the same problem. I am sorry to say that the only permanent solution that I know of is surgery, which I had done. Please don't put it off. One acquaintence waited too long until his gall bladder actually started to die inside and it ruptured. He was very sick and had to have emergency surgery. It took him a lot longer to recover.

They do it laproscopically these days so you have very little scarring and a quick recovery...if you do it before the problem gets worse. I don't know about your case, but in most cases there are stones inside the gallbladder. The only way to absolutely get rid of the stones is to physically remove them. There are medicines that can be used to dissolve small stones, but I've never heard of someone being totally cured by just medicine.

Good luck, J..

D.

I suffered with gallbladder pain 30 years ago. Ended up having surgery--full of gallstones. Diet didn't work for me. With modern techonology the surgery is usually done by laser now and you feel very little if any pain. My brother and sister both had theirs removed by laser and were back to work in 2-3 days.

Hi J.,

I had issues with my gallbladder and like you I did not want to have surgery and I was even skeptical of the diagnosis. Maybe you could see if you can have an ultrasound done. I did and that verified the presence of gallstones. I was very apprehensive of the surgery but it was done laproscopically so it went alot more smoothly than I thought and it was a quick recovery.

Take Care,
Pam

J.
I'm sorry for your discomfort - though I have not had problems with my gallbladder, I have had several friends who have. My parents both had surgery years ago - very uncomfortable - HOWEVER.. my brother in-law just had this done last week.. and no big cuts.. I think he said it was three little incisions - Laparoscopy is a surgery that uses a thin, lighted tube put through a cut (incision) in the belly to look at the abdominal organs. Another plus it was performed as an out patient - and he was able to return to work after the weekend. I know this really doesn't help you -- but I wanted to say if surgery is the answer - it is a whole lot better then years ago. Best of luck.

I had Gallbladder issues almost 7 years ago. It was 5 months after I had my son. I was told that sometimes a pregnancy can cause this, i never researched it so i have nothing to back that up. I, however, had to have mine removed. The surgery is outpatient surgery and i can hardly see my small one inch scars. The side affects aren't that fun at the beginning, you really have to watch what you eat. I had a problem with cheese and greasy foods and soda. It went right through me. My doctor told me I could take meds for that but I didn't want to. I changed my diet for a while which was for the better and slowly put some of those thing i could not eat at the time back into my diet. I hope this helps in deciding what to do. Good Luck!

I had gallbladder issues three years ago and ultimately had my gall bladder removed. I ignored my symptoms for months-the bloating and nausea-until it became so unbearable that it was interfering with all aspects of my life. By the time I had the surgery I had lost over 10lbs and was pretty sick. My surgeon did laproscopic gall bladder removal and the whole thing took less than two hours. I have very small scars now and it took about a week for me to heal. Hope this helps.

I had my gallbladder removed because I had a billion gall stones. That seems to be the real defining issue as to whether or not you have it removed. I passed several stones, which is kinda like labor. It was a very easy, straightforward surgery with a very quick recovery. You still have to watch your diet at first to see how you respond to certain foods, but I think it's worth it.

Dear J.,
I am so sorry for you! I have had gall bladder attacks before and I know that they are not any fun at all! I do have great news to share with you, however! (I do hope you live in the greater Richmond area!)
There is an alternative care practitioner who I have gone to for years (across from Chippenham Hospital) who absolutely saved me from gall bladder surgery! It was through dietary changes as well as non-invasive treatments that my gall bladder healed!

His name is Dr. Michael Pollock and the name of his practice is Advanced Alternatives in Spine and Health Care. His number is ###-###-####. If you want to know more about my personal experience, then drop me an email at ____@____.com or ____@____.com immediate thing to do: eliminate all dietary fats, even good fats like nuts and olive oil. The gall bladder processes fats and, if it is diseased, it can't tolerate processing any more fats without causing more pain!
Blessings!
J. F.