Gallbladder Issue, Need Advice!

There are two things you can do while pregnant that should bring you relief and will be okay with baby.

The first is to make a flaxseed tea that will calm down any inflammation you might have.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
2-2.5 cups of water

Put into a pan and boil together on the stove for 10 minutes.

Take off heat and strain the water from the flaxseed with a piece of cheesecloth or other fine cloth. (the flaxseed will have become glutinous from the water).

Drink the flaxseed tea while still hot/warm. The water will have a pleasant, nutty flavor to it.

I did this tea myself earlier this spring when I was having a gallbladder attack myself. It worked really, really well. So well, in fact, that I only needed to do it once! You might find you will need to take it in the morning and at night. But you should find some instant relief.

Once you have found relief and the gallbladder has calmed down, I'd then go into maintenance mode.

Another trick to do (what I call maintenance mode)--and if you're having issues with your gallbladder/kidneys already early in your pregnancy, I would definitely do this during your entire pregnancy--and even for a bit afterwards--is drink a daily cup of lemon tea.

When you get up in the morning and before eating breakfast, set a coffee pot of water to boiling. Put 2 teaspoons of real lemon juice into a cup, pour hot water into it, and drink/sip it like it's a lemon tea. This lemon water will detox your body (specifically, the liver, kidneys, and gallbladder) and will help against forming any stones--which is what you need to watch out for, now that you do have gallbladder sludge (which means there's something off in the gallbladder/liver) as well as being pregnant.

I've been taking daily lemon water for the past 3 months now and have had absolutely no more issues or pain from my gallbladder. Since it's easy and economical to do, I plan to keep taking hot lemon tea for life, as gallbladder disease runs in my family. I might as well take any temptation away for my body to form any stones.

You will likely find that by drinking flaxseed and lemon teas and adjusting the types of food you eat (so they don't aggravate your inflammed gallbladder) that you will be able to SAVE your gallbladder. You have a gallbladder for a reason; it's best to try to save it if at all possible.

Where is your OB/GYN in all of this? You need to be talking to your doctor and letting him/her answer your questions. He/she may want to refer you to a specialist to evaluate your situation. CALL TODAY! Running to the ER may not be your best option because they are not following your pregnancy.

Lots of good advice already. Just wanted to add that I hope you feel better soon and that the rest of your pregnancy goes well!

Keep us posted, please! (And call your doctor!)

Most likely it's chronically inflammed, and most likely they can't remove it until the baby is born. (The operation is a cinch. I went out to dinner with the extended family 4 hours after leaving the outpatient surgery center.)

Get ahold of your OB/GYN so they are aware of the issue. Then work with them or the treating doctor to adjust your diet so minimize your flare ups until the baby is born. Greasy foods, chocolate, and alcohol are all touchy items. There are a lot of gallbladder friendly diets on the internet you can research to get some ideas. Good luck!

Follow the advice of diet adjustment - avoid fatty & acidic foods. Drink lots of water. And consider anothre opinion. Most ER doctors are overwhelmed with patients who need immediate medical care to save life or limb. I know of many ER diagnosis' that were not completely accurate due to the confusion and busy-ness of the ER. Ask your OB/GYN for a referral to a gastroenterologist and see what he has to say. It may be something completely different or he may give you solid advice on how to help with the pain. I know someone who was supposedd to have her gallbladder out and a family emergency caused a delay of the initial surgery. It never acted up again and she didn't have it removed - ever. Many, many years later she still has her gall bladder and hasn't had a problem since...

Get a second opinion, find another doctor.

Have you asked your doctor what you should do?

Gall bladder issues can be aggravated by eating foods or meal that are greasy or high in fat, so I would start by avoiding those. I would also be careful that you are not developing a blockage in the bile duct which empties the gall bladder into the small intestine. Or it could be something else entirely. I would specifically tell your doctor how you are feeling and ask them what your options are.

Unless something gets stuck in the bile duct, it shouldn't affect your overall health or the health of the kiddo. It does, however, make you feel totally awful (on top of being pregnant, ugh).

I never had the long-term chronic symptoms, just the short-term acute symptoms (doubled-up in pain on the floor, during some episode thinking I'm having a heart attack). I can only suggest you have them remove it as soon after you give birth as feasible.

Good luck!

Eat as best as you can. Follow your body's cues. When I had my gallbladder I had gallstones, 22mm gallstones. It was very painful.

Hubby has sludge too. It often seems more painful and problematic. The sludge creeps around in there and will plug the drain so to speak. It sort of gets sucked in and it's very hard for it to get out.

My sister was pregnant and had a gallbladder issue. She had the baby and went in the hospital a few days later to get it out. It was bad. It fell apart and went inside her open wound, the grossness isn't needed so I'm not telling a lot of stuff.

She lost a lot of weight, she is just 5' and got down to 80 something pounds. They told her hubby that is what her brain, organs, bones, and skin weighed. She needed blood to live but since she is a Jehovah's Witness she had signed a no blood request beforehand. She nearly died. Her body was worn out from the gallbladder issues plus being pregnant. Then loosing blood and needing blood.

I don't imagine any of these issues will effect you if you have to have it out as soon as the baby is born. You will be okay, if you do need it out even while pregnant there are ways to do this. They'll do everything to protect that baby.

Your health is the most important thing though.