not to want my gallbladder removed?

[bezinee]

A few weeks back out of the blue found myself in agonizing pain. Ended up in A&E where the dr said he thought it was biliary colic, and I should have an ultrasound.

Went back to GP, who agreed to refer me (after some persuasion). GP said if the scan found anything I'd have to have surgery..

Have now had scan, turns out I do have one, fairly large, gallstone.

After the first attack, I had one other a fortnight later (after eating some deep fried food). Since then, I've been taking ibuprofen and paracetamol 3x a day, and although I've had the odd twinge, no further problems.

My GP, hospital, everyone I talk to, seems to be saying I should have my gallbladder removed - but I'm not sure that's what I want. I'm now being really careful with my diet, have stopped eating chocolate, biscuits, crisps etc and am losing weight (which I feel should help - and because the first attack happened after a chocolate binge).

AIBU to want to avoid the op?

I am concerned given my size this wouldn't be a minor op.

My mums parter had his out after first attack had everything be thinking he was having a heart attack. Morphine didn't touch the pain and 9 months later he had it removed. That was 3 weeks ago. The first week was hard but he's feels by pretty good now. Day surgery and his BMI is about 33. He was actually six months into a weight loss plan when he had his first attack and had already lost 3 stone. Then he had a dominoes...

Considering waitIng lists you could potentially lose some before the op though?

Bezinee, I had mine out 18 months ago and absolutely no regrets. I still eat red meat, peppers and pulses and have never heard or been advised by a Dr to avoid those of any other foods?

If I was you, I'd have it done. I was misdiagnosed for months and ending up in such extreme pain that I was admitted before they realised it was my gallbladder and by this point my gallbladder was hugely enlarged and my liver function was affected meaning I had to be stabilised in hospital for 4 nights before they could operate.

If you're currently able to have the op as a day case and it's going to take away the pain, I'd go for it. Surely the risks are preferable to another attack and living on painkillers?

Given that your GP, hospital etc have advised to have it removed, I'd say the Benefits our way the risks. They will have done this type of surgery on many people your size I am sure.

In my experience of waiting lists I'd lost 3 1/2 stone between the point you are at and the operation so your BMI could be well down by the time you got it done.

If I eat unhealthily for a prolonged period of time now I get a stomach upset but eating a normal balanced diet with the occasional blow out means I am completely symptom free.

I recovered well and was back to work on two weeks - I'm told this is average.

Im overweight, I had gallbladder attacks for over ten years (misdiagnosed as colic). It was eventually discovered when I had an attack at work, and ended up on the floor of my bosses office in agony. I too was terrified of the choice. Surgery, or eating no fat, and still potentially getting the attacks (many people have spoken about their diet getting more and more restrictive as it takes less and less fat to trigger one). I had the surgery. My mum has had repeated pancreantitis, that we discovered last year was from her gall stones. My cousin and her daughter have also had their gall bladder out (I call it the family op).

Please remember, that almost everyone who posts online will be posting because of a bad experience, but those of us who had the op with little or no complications, will just be getting on with our lives. I remember researching and seeing all those posts and panicing. But it really is a small minority who have problems. Half a million people have this surgery every year and there are not millions complaining as there would be if they all had bad experiences. My surgeon said that the longer it is left, the more likely there to be longer term complications as further damage is caused.

Your options are, have the surgery and it most likely will be better. Or dont have surgery, stick to the no fat diet and accept you will get further attacks that will get worse.

Good luck

I would get it removed. Speaking as a daughter who turned up to see her mum one day after being away for work and she was bright yellow it scares me. She told me every time I phoned she felt ill but she was ok. I rang a doctor who looked at her turned around and called an ambulance and the hospital was operating on her by the time I had gathered her things and got to the hospital. Less than 48 hours from death because a gallstone had moved and blocked something. Its not worth the risk get it out.

I can eat what I want now with no ill effects.

I did have complications after surgery but that because my gall bladder and bile duct were so inflamed. I had the stones for a good 18 months - 2 years. Could have been much simpler if I'd had the op earlier.

It is much better to have the op as a routine elective case as early as possible to avoid complications. Gallstones don't go away.

I was 26 when I had my gallbladder removed and had lost 5 stone the year prior to my first attack. Rapid weight loss can actually cause gall stones so I wouldn't trust that diet and weightloss is the solution.
I was young and a healthy weight when I had my surgery and recovered very quickly. I have had no adverse affects from surgery and only realised afterwards how unwell I had been feeling.

I'm not eating a no fat diet at the moment.

I don't know what the waiting lists are here, but it would take me a year probably to get my BMI under 30. I've only had a GA once as a child and I had a very bad reaction to it. If I could have this under local I probably wouldn't be so against the op. I don't want complications if I don't have it removed but I am an anaesthetic risk.

I had my gall bladder out after multiple attacks. Originally, they were triggered by high fat food but after a while they were triggered by any fat at all. In the end, I had an attack so bad I was admitted to A&E, no pain relief was controlling it except morphine and they were worried it was going to burst so I was operated on and ended up in hospital for four days. My BMI at the time was around 33.

Recovery fine. I don't have to restrict my diet at all but I do find sickness lasts slightly longer due to the bile in the stomach when I get ill (but I'm talking hours rather than days longer). My mum also suffered but didn't want surgery, she lost weight and was a healthy BMI but the attacks kept coming. She had surgery last year after about 10 years of symptoms.

Obviously I can't speak for everyone who has had surgery but everyone I know who has had it removed has been fine afterwards with no major complications and no dietary restrictions needed.

Firstly, a lot of people who have this surgery are both obese, and morbidly so. It's one of the pre disposing factors for gallstones in many people.
What it means for you is that your surgery may be done 'open' rather than keyhole.
You may have a slightly longer recovery time because of it.
Gallstones aren't just painful. They can lead to infections in the gallbladder, get trapped in the ducts running up to your liver and can give you cholangitis, which is hideous, or get trapped in the ducts running down towards your pancreas and give you pancreatitis. These are painful, difficult to treat and have a lasting impact on your body.
For instance - if your pancreas becomes 'buggered' it fails to secrete insulin effectively leaving you having to inject insulin.
These are very, very serious complications and if a surgeons thinks you are at risk of any of them, I'd urge you to reconsider.

My SIL has a BMI in late 30's and had hers done as a keyhole procedure last year too with no post op issues.
Talk to your surgeon about your concerns, I think because it's such a simple procedure to them, they often forget how scary it can be and don't explain in graphic detail why you need it.
Remember you will also see an anaesthetist pre op who will explain everything about the general to you. Going to sleep is far less risky these days than it was.
You'll be fine

Someone I know said they dissolved their gallstones following advice from a kinesthesiologist (sp?). I've also heard of medication that dissolves them although I know from NHS website that's not recommended treatment now.

Get it out.

Diet can help - as you will find on the waiting list! But over time your diet becomes more and more restricted as you can tolerate less and less. If the consultant has recommended removal he sees the gal stone as a bigger overall risk than your weight and how that may affect anaesthetic etc.

The benefits outweigh the risks.

YABVU. I could quite easily have gone back to work the following day after mine was removed. It's one of the most common surgeries, DW had hers removed as well and I know quite a number of people who have also had theirs done. Occasionally I will have to dash to the loo after eating something very fatty but in general I have no issues at all, I know no one else who has any issues either. Yes, there are some people who will have issues but I'd ignore what you read on the internet. The chances are you will be fine afterwards but the chances of you having more pain if you don't have it out are 100%

YABU.

First of all, although fat is the thing that most people find makes their gallbladder flare up, it can actually be anything. The worst attack I had actually occurred after a very low fat meal - and I was on holiday at the time, so I had to be taken to hospital overseas in the middle of the night. Not good. Whenever you eat anything your gallbladder contracts, so there is always a risk of flare-ups no matter how healthily you eat.

Secondly, if you don't get it sorted you risk problems such as stones getting trapped in the duct, serious infection etc. Really nasty.

The only effective treatment for gallstones is surgery. It's one of the most common surgeries performed in the UK and it's a keyhole op with a quick recovery. Yes, it's a general anaesthetic, but your doctor wouldn't be recommending the op if they thought that would be a problem for you.

It's really not a big deal. Millions of people have it done every year and you are no different. Just get it done for your own sake.

My dad suffered several years of poor health, attacks like the one you described. He even missed is 70th birthday party because he was in hospital. All due to gall stones
Get rid asap.

I was also worried about the GA as I had a bad reaction when I was a child too. I told the doctor this and she reassured me that techniques have come on a lot since then and she was right, I had absolutely no ill effects from it at all.

Someone I know said they dissolved their gallstones following advice from a kinesthesiologist

That's not recommended. For a start, they can easily come back. The only effective treatment is surgery.

have it done! I got an attack at work and had to take myself off to a field outside and sweat it out alone took two hours and was agony. I worried that what if it happened on a plane, or when i was driving etc so not worth the worry and it's a quick op with short recovery time.

All these things you're saying about BMI and risk: say them to your doctor and they will be able to offer advice. But they wouldn't have recommended the op if they didn't think it would be safe for you.

Obesity and gallstones are often linked. Many, many people who have the op have a BMI as high as, or higher than, yours.

i got to take my gallstones home, one was like a malteser until you actually see them it's hard to imagine what could cause so much pain

When you have an op with high BMI, they give you a pill to take the night before gand the morning?) to reduce risk. Sorry I can't remember more, but my mum had it for a major op, no ill effects and v quick recovery

I've not seen a consultant yet?

My GP has said I would need surgery if I had a gallstone ( not seen gp since the scan) but hasn't asked about or checked my BMI.

The dr who did my scan said if it wasn't actively causing problems there was no need to remove it. But that contradicts what my GP says.