Gallbladder Issues

I decided to read all the responses this time before I gave my own reponse. I'm surprised to see how many people reponded to tell you they had gall bladder surgery when that wasnt what you were looking for...

I am a doctor and have successfully coached my mother through a gall bladder flush after she was rushed to the hospital with chest pain, only to find out she was passing a gall stone (ouch!) The doctors told her she had 6 small stones and she would need surgery. I told her I could help. After she performed the step-by-step plan, she returned to the doctor for an ultrasound of her gall bladder to check up on her stones. The nurse doing the ultrasound looked confused and looked down at my mom and said,"What are we supposed to be looking for?" My mom said she had Gall Stones and the nurse said, "Not Anymore!"

I would love to write it all down for you, but it is process of a 2-4 weeks to prepare your body by breaking up the gall stones, then softening them in order to pass them in the stool. I have done this on myself as well, so I know it well.

As was recommended before, there are websites with details on how to do it yourself. However, if you are not in the healthcare field, I would seek counsel.

If you have more questions, please feel free to visit my website, or email me:
www.LiveHealthWise.com
____@____.com

In Good Health,
Dr. V. Flannery

Gallbladder detox: Epsom salt, grapefruit juice and olive oil. Google the the recipe for exact portions. Works amazing!!!! Has saved lots of people from having surgery. You will pass the stones!!

you should get a hold of a book called Prescription for Nutritrional Healing..i had diverticulitis and i did what the book said and when i went in for the colonoscopy it was gone!

Go to "Everlasting Health" Or the "Nature's Sunshine" store in Sparks & get "gallbladder formula". Talk to the salesperson, but I believe you take 2 with each meal in order to dissolve them.

Look at http://curezone.com/cleanse/liver/huldas_recipe.asp

Also, you can consult with judykcleansingcoach.com

ANYTHING less invasive is better, if possible. I've seen SO many issues after gallbladder removals immediately, that I wonder what the long-term effects will be. The gallbladder produces bile which breaks down fats...including the necessary Omega-3s we hear so much about today. Without bile, those fats are not broken down properly, hence not utilized.

This is what many people have done, naturally:

Take A-F Beatfood or just straight Betafood from Standard Process with meals regularly, then only as needed. I take it as needed when I've eaten fatty meals, including avocado, etc.

http://www.standardprocess.com/display/StandardProcessCat...

There is also an amazing cleanse, that I recommend people do starting on a Friday, so they are not at work. I know a man who had chronic gallbladder issues, that was causing heart issues and he finally did this cleanse and he has been symptom-free and feeling great ever since.

http://www.drheise.com/purge.htm

Chiropractic and acupuncture by restoration of proper alignment to the spinal column restores normal nerve function, thus restoring proper organ function and relieving the underlying cause of the problem.

Flaxseed (I get the ground organic flax at Costco and add it it oatmeal or really anything...and there's no taste)

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3987/is_200301/ai...#

I do liver/gallbladder flushes two or three times a year. The first year I did it I did about 7 flushes because I was getting out so many stones. Now I just do it 3 diff times throughout the year for maintenance. I do the Dr. Hulda Clark's recipe. It's a very easy flush to do, I never consulted my natural doctor before I did any flushes. If you go this route you will feel soooooooo much better after a few flushes. I started to have more energy after about my third flush although even with my first flush I felt a little better. In my opinion this is the best way to go but you need to decide what route is best for you. I'm all about doing things naturally and avoiding surgical procedures. I know many ppl personally who have done this flush and they wouldn't do it any other way. Dr. Hulda Clarks recipe is online and the page is very informative....you can look at pictures of gallstones that ppl have passed so you'll know what they look like if you do the flush.

Hello N.
I tried a few natural things but nothing ever worked in fact I wound up in Henry Mayo Hospital through the emergency room because I was going septic. My system was overloading with toxins. Having my gaul bladder removed all the pain, the bacteria etc. I have been much happier and healthier since it was removed. It has been about 10 years now. The procedure is fairly simple and you are back on your feet within a few days or so.
Best of luck to you.

Hi N., I also had gallstones and was getting very bad attacks almost every night. My Dr. set me up for immediate surgery which was easy and painless! I would say the difficult part is not having a gallbladder now; the gallbladder helps break down fatty foods before it goes thru your system and now not having one limits what I can eat. I was somewhat of a fast food junkie (sad to admit) and now I get sick anytime I eat fast food or anything greasy. I guess that's still better than the pain of gallstones! Good luck!

I had mine out when my baby was months old. I am SO glad I did. The pain was so terrible and my last few attacks had last 15 hours. The surgery was not that bad. I was wiped out for the first 24 - 36 hours afterwards. I had surgery on a Friday and was back to life as usual by Monday. I went back to bursing Saturday late afternoon. Feel free to contact me if you want more information. ____@____.com

Hi N.,
A couple of years ago I had extreme abdominal pain. They diagnosed me with gallstones plus an infection caused by a stone in the bile duct. I had to be on a NO fat/NO Dairy
diet while on antibiotics to clear the infection before they could do surgery. One tiny taste of non fat ranch dressing gave me 6 hours of pain.
Anyway, I had the surgery, as the doctor also told me that the stones can return. Be aware that a certain number of people have gastro-intestinal problems after surgery - gas, bloating, cramping, diarhea. I was not told this until after I had the surgery. Overall, I'm doing fine since the surgery. Best of luck to you.
Linda

I had my gallbladder removed last November. It was the best thing I have done, no more pain. I can eat anything I want and not worry about the major pain later. Before I had my surgery, I tried to stick to a low-fat diet and took some supplements such as Lecithin and Multi-enzyme complex with ox bile. I also took Super Digestaway by Solaray. You can go to a vitamim shop and ask them. There is a lot on the internet as well to look up. It is what ever you feel comfortable with. I don't know of any natural methods of disolving them, the doctor told me it will just get worse if I don't have it taken out. Some people have problems after their gallbladder was removed, but I haven't had a problem. I just love it, I have four tiny scares to show for it. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

I had my gallbladder out a few years ago, after my 7 yo was born and it was easy! Recovery was super fast too. I would recommend it. I haven't had any issues since then.

go to curezone.com look at the liver and gallbladder sections. from those i know without their gallbladders, the quality of life is not as "normal" as the doctor who will get LOTS OF MONEY for removing it may tell you. do your research

N.,
I used to work for a professional line of nutritional supplements sold to Dr's. We carried a product called Beta TCP and Beta Plus that helped dissolve gallstones and keep the gallbladder working well. The supplement has vitamin C, beet root concentrate, taurine and pancrelipase. The Beta plus also has ox bile salts for a boost. I can give you the name of a Dr in your area who sells Biotics so you can start on the supplements. If you get your gall bladder removed you will want to take Beta Plus forever. You need your gallbladder to emulsify fats. Give me your email and your area if you are interested in the natural route.
Good Luck!
D.

Hello N. L,

It would depend on the size of the gallstones... If the gallstones are small enough, Chinese herbal medicine can be used to break them up the stones and to remove them from the body... Acupuncture can also help with the relief of pain and add to the effects of the herbal medicine. If you are interested, contact your local Acupuncturist/Herbalist.

My father and brother both had their gall bladders removed with surgery... The side effect I have seen so far is with weight maintenance. If someone is overweight, they will have a difficult time losing weight, since the gall bladder is used to break down fats.

I hope this helps.
Best, Oliva

Oh, N.? I ate too much buttered pop corn! Gulosh with greasy hamburger [ now 90% fat free. ] and tacos with same hamburger plus other hotdishes with too much fat going into our bodies!!! Take care of YOU-- Please -- 41 and young like I was at 39!!!! Much blessings! :-)

I just had mine removed at the end of January and it has been great. There aren't any side effects, I feel better, and the recovery was faster than the recovery for child birth!

N.,

I had a lot of gallstones so last year I had my gallbladder removed laproscopically. Since I was 57 at the time, it took a whole week for me to recover enough to go back to work. However, I don't miss it at all. I only notice a difference if I eat fries. After a while my stomach area feels a little weird; no pain, just a reminder that I shouldn't eat really high-fat meals. Of course, I shouldn't anyway.

V.

Hi! I am not familiar with having gallstones dissolved. I had my gallbladder removed via laproscope last year. My surgeon said that if it was not taken out, the gallstones can migrate to the common bile duct and numerous health problems (even death) could result. The surgery was not bad but did require a few weeks off of work to recuperate. I don't know what your symptoms are like now, but after the surgery, you may find that you have to decrease or limit intake of certain foods that you could previoualy tolerate, because of gas/diarrhea.

Good luck to you with your situation.

Hello N. L,

I live in Belgium (Europe). I had stones in my bladder and they had to remove my bladder in 2002 in the beginning after the operation I was in a little pain after eating yohurt. It seams that you will figure out what you can't digest anymore. Also I could drink wine or beer anymore, I got dissy after two sips. I give you the advice not to worrie at all. Because now I can eat yohurt again and I can drink a glas of wine or beer from time to time. I have no troubles at all anymore.
I wish you the best,

V. from Belgium

Hi.
I had my gallbladder removed because it was non functional. The only problem I have is that when I eat greasy foods it is pretty painful. I get stomach aches and the "runs". Not sure why this happens.

I had my gallbladder removed as well. My recovery took over a month and that was with the orthoscopic procedure! I was in acute pain though because it had become the size of a grapefruit and was certainly inflamed. I had no choice but to have it removed. Since you are only having stones I would recommend trying everything else first. First of all you need to avoid high fatty foods. Nothing fried... start eating low fat or nonfat foods. You can also try drinking some lemon water to help break up the stones that are there now. My books are all packed, but I will see if I can find the one I need to help you with your issue. You can also google natural remedies for gallbladders or choleostasis which I think is the technical term for what you might have.

I had gall stones when I was pregnant and it was the worst feeling I have ever had. I would take labor over that anyday! I tried the natural methods of eating bland foods etc. and it was fine but I was losing weight instead of gaining and that wasn't a good thing while being pregnant. Not to mention the stress that it put on me and the baby when I had an attack. I eventually decided to have my gall bladder removed when I was 6 months pregnant and although it was scary to have surgery while pregnant, I think it was the best decision I could of made. I felt great after and I haven't had any problems since. Plus, you will never have any problems in the "bathroom" area again either. :) I hope this helps. I know this type of decision can be tough. Good luck!

I also had gallstones. My attacks were horrible. I had my gallbladder removed on a Friday and was back at work the following Wednesday. I am so happy I had it removed. I also asked about medicine before I considered surgery, but was told that the gallstones would just come back. I could not even imagine going through that again. Surgery was definately my answer.

Both my husband and our daughter have had their gallbadders removed with no ensuing problems. My daughter was in her mid 20s and my husband in his 50s. Husband had laproscoptic but daughter had to have full on major surgery. Her healing took longer, of course, but that was 15 years ago and neither has had any problems since. Good luck!

Hi N.,
Okay, here's what I've been through. First of all, I am one who really tries to resolve things naturally. Boy, did I try with these gallstones!
Mine started about a year after having my son, and I spent 2-3 years trying to get rid of them naturally (to no avail), until I finally had my gall bladder removed a year ago.
I did the gall bladder flush, which consists of olive oil and lemon juice. I did it many times.
I tried various herbs, including the Doctor Schultz remedies.
I ended up having 3 gall bladder episodes per week, that lasted 6 hours each. I finally got scared about having complications, and gave in to having it removed.
It took some getting used to in the beginning, but I do okay. I still have to be careful of the same foods that caused problems with the gall bladder, primarily foods that are high in fat and milk products.
One thing that was helpful with the stones was lecithin capsules. Sometimes if I felt an episode coming on, I would take a couple and it would stop it. Even after one started, it would help. It was the only thing that I could take that did help at all. I couldn't take pain meds, as I was worried about driving my son to preschool in the morning, and didn't want to drive with anything in my system. The lecithin was all I had, and did provide some relief, but mainly in a preventative way.

I really hate to say that the natural methods didn't work, but they didn't (for me). The one option that I got to too late was a naturopathic doctor who claimed that he could have gotten rid of them. He helped me get my body back into balance after the surgery, so I wonder how that would have worked out, but oh well. His name is Dr. Rex Wilson, in Santa Monica. I recommend him highly.
As for the surgery and recovery, the surgery went well, so did recovery. I did need a week to rest. All on all, The surgery worked out for me. Again, I'm not one to run to surgery, but it did end up being better than the pain.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
M.

There are several liver/gallbladder flushes available. These are all natural ingredients like lemon juice and grapefruit juice and olive oil. Please consult a naturapathic doctor in your area. Use organic products only. Dr. David Jubb is in NY, but does phone consultations. Please google him. He is also a 'raw foodist'.

Hello N.
I had my gallbladder taken out in '99. Strange thing is the pain continued and it turned out I was having spasms in the opening of my liver...spincter of odii. I did however have stones so at least I don't have to worry about them anymore. The surgery went well and I was back to work within 3 days...had a bad reaction to the antibiotic otherwise would've been sooner.

Oh, and I have 3 teeny scars on the right side of my abdomen and one longer scar at the base of my bellybutton. No big deal.

Good luck.

See a naturopathic doctor ND. Also visit www.herbdoc.com They have a 5 day liver detox program to treat gallstones.
D.

I do not know any natural cures, although I am sure there are plenty out there.

I had mine removed when I was 22. I am 40 now. I do not miss it. I tried to manage it for a long time through my diet but it got to where there were so few things I could eat and not have a problem it was horrible.

I say, have the surgery. I have not missed it one bit!

I understand that oranges can help to dissolve gallstones.

My mother had some diagnostics done when they suspected something was going on with her gall bladder. There was - I cannot remember the exact term, but it was like gritty sand type stuff in there. She had been eating a lot of oranges around that time. I now wonder if she had gallstones and the oranges helped break them down. When I read up on foods to help this condition, oranges was one of the biggies.

Anyway it won't hurt you and is worth a try.

Does yor family have a history of gallstones? Gallbladder cancer?? The surgery and recovery time that once was is not today. Many people are up and around in a day or two. I dont know of a homeopathic method that will disolve gallstones. I just met a lady yesterday at my chemotherapy who has advanced cancer that started in her gallbladder and she avoided the surgery for over 2 years. Please make a decisin to get many opiions and may the Lord our father guide you in the directin best for you.

I have an acupuncturist that has worked miracles with patients with both gall and kidney stones. She practices in Kearny Mesa and her number is ###-###-####. Her name is Dong-Phuong Nguyen. Our body doesn't come with extra parts and once you remove your gallbladder it's gone forever. Surgery is a last resort only after you've exhausted all other options.

You are the perfect age and gender for gallstones, and I have yet to hear of any natural remedy that works. While the other posters noted difficulty in some of their results, the greater majority have no complications. The current surgery is done by laproscopy - as one poster said, 3 small incisions and the work uses a very small lightscope and other surgical instruments that cause minimal scarring.

The longer you wait to remove the gallbladder, the greater your symptoms will become until you will wish you had done it sooner rather than later. The stones cause swelling and block the flow of disgestive juices, and the result for you on a daily basis will be pain and difficulty eating. One note from me personally, I now must take Protonix to reduce the acid in my stomach because my system cannot process fats and such without my gallbladder - a small price to pay for relieving the misery I was in before the surgery.

Good luck.

N.,

I have a wonderful product that is all-natural and loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. I have cancer patients, diabetics, people with heart disease, people with arthritis, depression, fibromyalgia and more seeing significant results. I believe it may help your problem naturally.

Call me for more information, too much to describe here.

J. Penta
###-###-####

Hi N., you might try Chinese herbal medicine with a qualified practitioner. My husband has a clinic in Ventura. I'd be more than happy to give you his phone number to bounce ideas off of him! It is just amazing how Traditional Chinese Medicine (done well) can treat things that western medicine doesn't really have satisfactory answers for. Good luck!

I do not know of any natural means of pain reduction but I did have the surgery. It was not that painful in comparison to the pain before surgery. After the surgery the only side affect is that I am unable to eat brocolli as it is to hard on my stomach with out the bile from the gallblader. Other wise everything went well. My gallblader was full of gravel size stones so there was no way to even break anything up to give me a break from pain. Surgery was really my only option.

http://www.naturalnews.com/007733.html

please use the link above as a starting point for learning about natural vs mainstream for gall bladder problems.

Change your diet no matter what treatment you decide if it is not mostly raw organic fruits and vegetables now. Good luck!

I had my gal bladder out in 1996, one month after having my first child. It was fast and easy and I only have 3 tiny little scars. It's safe and if you don't get it taken care of you can go septic and worse case...die. Please get the surgery.

I also had a large gallstone diagnosis when my daughter was just a few months old. I opted to have my gallbladder removed and I have had no problems. I was having huge attacks and I was afraid that one would happen again before I could naturally take care of them with diet. Most of the natural methods are diet related, and may take a while to work.
There are natural methods in decreasing the size of your galstones and possibly illiminating them, but I'm not sure? It seems I read something about herbal teas that can reduce the size as well.

Anyway...good luck on the research.

Take care...and stay away from fatty foods...this will activate any gallstone pain.

There are several ways to get rid of gall stones. Just Google, or see a natural health professional. There is a higher incidence of heart disease after gall bladder removal, and a person should take bile salts and lecithin forever if they go that route. The gall bladder emulsifies fat. You need fat to absorb nutrient in the intestine. No body part is expendable. By the way, read the fine print on the surgical consent form and you will see that the gall bladder sometimes grows back! The body needs it. Another thing--sometimes the issue is the bile duct, not the gall bladder. Can cause similar symptoms, but removing the gall bladder will not relieve. MD's do not know how to treat this.

Dr. A. Dunev

In my personal experience sound vibrations from Tibetan singing bowls, placed on the body, completely dissolved the gall stones.
A cleanse would also do the trick. Gall stones represent unresolved anger, so if you're willing to address these pent up emotions as you are cleansing or receiving sound healing, I can say with some certainity your problem will cease.
Remember, the body never "attacks" us, it is showing you an inbalance that you already feel within yourself.
If you interested in sound healing please contact me. There are plenty of good books out there on cleansing. The one I know offhand is Dr. Jubbs Lifefood Recipe Book.

Good Luck,
R.

p.s. Removing a major organ is no casual thing. Please don't take surgery lightly.

I super highly recommend Dr. Schultz's herbs. His botanical pharmacy is on glencoe in the Marina, right down the street from Costco. These herbs and tonics are amazing and have done wonders for my friends and family.

It was absolutely the best thing I've ever had done. I've had two friends since I had mine removed in '03 develop stones and my advice to them was to have it removed ASAP. Both of them had excellent results as well and after having it done had wished they'd done it the second they were diagnosed. 3 day recovery time - peice of cake.

The only after affect I've had (which is similar to both of my friends) are that I have discovered a few key foods give me terrible heartburn or diarrea. For me, it was two foods - raw yellow onions and minced garlic (I can have the powder). I've found it takes about 3 to 6 months to analyze your diet and throw out foods that no longer digest well. For one friend it was greasy burgers (she can have hamburger like you'd find in a meatloaf - just not fried) and my other friend cannot have fried eggs (she can have them poached or scrambled without using any oil in the pan).

I hope this helps...