My Gall Stone Experience
The gallbladder is an organ we can live without. How is it then that such a needless organ can cause so much discomfort? Well, the answer is gall stones. If you are someone who has experienced gall stones like I have, then you are all too familiar with the following information.
The Pain and Unpleasant Symptoms
Gallbladder pain is described in several ways. What they all have in common is that the pain is described as severe. My pain began for the first time after eating pizza, and the second time after some chicken. It was located in my upper abdomen and radiated to my back. I described it as tremendous pressure beneath my rib cage. It felt as though I had an enormous amount of gas trapped that would not budge. I constantly felt like I had to move and stretch to relieve pressure from side to side. Not one bodily position offered complete relief. I did find some comfort in a very warm bath. The weightlessness the water provided was comfortable and the heat seemed to relieve some pain. My first attack lasted about twelve hours and the second one for about six. During the first attack I went to the ER and this is when I was diagnosed. The diagnosis also came with the lovely news that gall stones can cause your stool to turn white and your urine brown. This happens when stones block certain ducts and liver enzymes elevate, and yes, I had that too! The second attack came when I thought I was safe in eating some skinless chicken, but unfortunately it launched my second attack. At this time I was awaiting surgery to remove my gallbladder in about a week, so I had prescription pain medication. Unfortunately, the pain medicine did not work.
What I Ate
Awaiting surgery was a challenge. Once I had a very severe attack form eating chicken, I quickly realized I couldn't put much on my menu. I lived on plain white bread and sugar free jelly for lunch, and pasta with plain sauce for dinner each and every day. Snacks consisted of peppermint patties and crackers. I kept everything as fat free as possible out of extreme fear of that pain returning. I lost ten pounds in a week, but the pain did not return.
Surgery
The surgery day arrived, and all I could think about was eating a cheeseburger. I was ready to be rid of my gallbladder and the diet it forced me into. For me it was out patient surgery. This made me very happy, as I am not a good patient in any way. Everything about the surgery day went well. My liver enzymes were still elevated, but we hoped this would correct itself after the removal, and it did. I was able to have laproscopic surgery, so scarring would be minimal and recovery would be shortened. The worst part of the surgery day was waking up immediately after, in recovery. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to wake up, but I was freezing cold, and the surgery pain was intense. This was only a mere few minutes, so rest assured. A nurse was standing by with warm blankets and pain medicine. The pain medicine worked wonders now. Surgery took about 45 minutes and I was on my way home about four hours later with butterfly stitches and one less organ. Bring on the cheeseburgers!
Recovery
Recovery was fairly mild. I would say my throat suffered more damage form the air tube during surgery than my abdomen. I was sore, of course, and needed assistance getting up and down, but all in all, I was moving around on my own within three or four days. I was eating and putting the pounds back on. I thought I was in the clear, but not so fast.
Lingering Issues
One thing the doctors hesitated to inform me of was the potential issues that I could experience without a gallbladder in my body. Within three months of my surgery, I quickly developed an issue where an hour after I ate, I was terribly sick. I realize this is not a pleasant topic, however it must be said. It seemed everything immediately came out the other end. I did lots of research and learned that without a gallbladder, bile simply dumps into your intestines, instead of being released as needed. If you do not eat enough fiber for the bile to work on, it basically acts as a laxative. So, I have to eat regular small meals and keep my fiber high. You would think fiber would aggravate the problem, but it actually bulks up during digestion and keeps diarrhea at bay. It's now been two years, and things seem to be under control.
I hope this helps someone out there with gallbladder questions and unexplained issues. I think a lot goes unsaid about this topic. This was just my experience. .