You all know how much I love the polls.... Here is yet another. The Gall Bladder vs. Band thread has prompted this one.

What are the symptoms if there were problems????

Jenna the poll lady!

About 7 years ago I woke up in the middle of the night thinking I was having a heart attack. For all women who've been in labor, this was much like that, only the contractions were in the center of my chest and back. I remember telling God I'd stop smoking if He'd just let me live, that's how scarey it was. I was told at the hospital that gall bladder attacks won't kill you, but they can be very painful. Gall stones are much like kidney stones - that you can't pass. When the gallbladder gets diseased and forms the stones, it can't be fixed, just removed. I was sent home with Vicodine and was told to get an appointment to have my gallbladder removed asap. While it can't kill you, it can get worse and require open surgery rather than laproscopic surgery to remove it.

I am a big chicken when it comes to surgery that requires cutting and removing parts of my body, so I never set up an appointment. I had two other attacks over the following months, both times I just knocked myself out with Vicodine and slept through it. Since then, I've had no problems at all. Fatty foods typically set off the attacks, but I wasn't even being careful about what I ate.

Now my close friend had one attack and was in the hospital having hers out right away. Since then, she has had more and more problems with eating and digesting foods. She has diahrrea a LOT and has to avoid any dairy products. For the last 5 years she's been dealing with the after affects and I've had no problems. I'll keep my gallbladder and its stones thank you very much!

Oh, by the way.. anyone can develope problems with gallbladders, but the doctor told me that the highest category of people who do suffer with it are Fat, Fourty, and Fertile. Nice huh?

What are the symptoms if there were problems????

Jenna the poll lady!

Pain under your right rib cage that radiates around to your back, especially after you've eaten foods that have a higher fat content. Vomiting "bile" or the green liquid of the gall bladder is common. If you have a stone that is blocking the hepatic duct, you may turn jaundice (yellow).

However, mine presented itself differently and that's why they thought it was esophageal spasms. The pain was in the center of the lower part of my rib cage called the epigastric area. It started out as a pressure always about an hour to an hour and a half after I ate. It kept building until I felt like I was going to explode. Since I have never PB'd or had anything stuck, that's what I thought was wrong with me. With this pain I sometimes vomited, but it was only mucous and it was very sour.

I had mine removed 13 years ago... I did a round of Nutra System, lost 45 lbs, and got gallstones. I ended up pregnant very quickly, so they actually took my gallbladdar out while I was 7 months pregnant with my 13 year old daughter. The doc was sure it would rupture during childbirth.

I will never forget the pain that happened when I had an attack, alot of nausea, and it felt like some one was stabbing me repeatedly. I was in so much pain that I couldn't move (try doing that 7 months pregnant). When the attack was over I felt perfect. It was weird.

The big scare for me to have the gallbladdar removed, of course, was worrying that something would happen to my baby. She is perfect, well a bit sassy, but I am glad that I don't have to go through that again.

I am not banded yet, but will be in two weeks. Can't wait.

I had mine removed 6 weeks after giving birth to my 1st child. I had pains during pregnancy & didn't know it was my Gallbladder. I told the doctor & of course he said -"You're pregnant. It could be a number of things!" After the baby was born, the pains got worse & my doctor told me it was my uterus contracting. I finally ended up in the ER where they sent me to the hospital for emergency surgery. I've had no problems since. No problems eating any food & no diahrrea.

P'Nut, that is very strange that you had 2 attacks & nothing ever again!! You are lucky you never had to have surgery. I can't explain your friends ordeal. I'm so glad I didn't have those problems afterwards. No fun!!

My lap band surgery was definately easier then my Gall bladder. Then, again, I had just given birth & had a 6-week old baby to come home to afterwards.

I havent read the other thread.

Is there a bigger question to this?

Because of the heart bypass I had to wait 2 years for gallbladder surgery. I never really had a bad attack. I had very small stones fortunately. I can eat anything and everything I ever ate before with no problems. No problems with diarrhea or anything else. I guess I've been very lucky. I sure don't miss that yucky gallbladder. If you have gallbladder disease it isn't going to disappear. There is no way those stones are going to dissolve themselves. They are a potential danger just waiting to happen again.

I had my Gall Bladder out 9 months after being banded. I was chock full of stones due to rapid weightloss according to the ER doc.

That was the worst pain...OMG!! And the dry heaving was real attractive!

But the best part was the pre- op morphine and post op Demeral :biggrin1:

I had my gall bladder out 10 years prior to having my band

I had my gall bladder out at the same time I was banded, Monday 2/27/06. I had an extra duct attached from liver to gall bladder and had surgery to repair leaking on Friday, 3/3/06. I have never been sooooo sick. Just now able to sit upright for 6 hours at a time.

I was orginally told this would be very easy surgery to have a same time banding. But I guess no one could for see the complications.

And yes!!!! Thank heaven for Demeral!!!!!! I have several days of that and needed it.

I had mine taken out about 14 months after the birth of my first child.

I never had attacks like many explain as feeling like a heart attack.

I was very sick and ran a high fever that wouldn't go away for over 2 weeks and I could not get out of bed. One weekend my doctor was going out of town and he wanted me to stay in the hospital while he was gone because he was worried and he wouldn't be here to check on me. While in the hospital I had a gastro Doc checking on me and he ran some tests and my liver functions where way up, so the did a sono and discovered some tiny stones in my gall bladder. The following week I had my gall bladder removed and whaaaalaaaaaw.... the fever went away and I began to get my strength back!!! Strange.

Actually it is fat, fourty fertile and fair!!

About 7 years ago I woke up in the middle of the night thinking I was having a heart attack. For all women who've been in labor, this was much like that, only the contractions were in the center of my chest and back. I remember telling God I'd stop smoking if He'd just let me live, that's how scarey it was. I was told at the hospital that gall bladder attacks won't kill you, but they can be very painful. Gall stones are much like kidney stones - that you can't pass. When the gallbladder gets diseased and forms the stones, it can't be fixed, just removed. I was sent home with Vicodine and was told to get an appointment to have my gallbladder removed asap. While it can't kill you, it can get worse and require open surgery rather than laproscopic surgery to remove it.

I am a big chicken when it comes to surgery that requires cutting and removing parts of my body, so I never set up an appointment. I had two other attacks over the following months, both times I just knocked myself out with Vicodine and slept through it. Since then, I've had no problems at all. Fatty foods typically set off the attacks, but I wasn't even being careful about what I ate.

Now my close friend had one attack and was in the hospital having hers out right away. Since then, she has had more and more problems with eating and digesting foods. She has diahrrea a LOT and has to avoid any dairy products. For the last 5 years she's been dealing with the after affects and I've had no problems. I'll keep my gallbladder and its stones thank you very much!

Oh, by the way.. anyone can develope problems with gallbladders, but the doctor told me that the highest category of people who do suffer with it are Fat, Fourty, and Fertile. Nice huh?

I had an ultrasound a couple of years ago because I had experienced some discomfort in my chest and back. I do have stones, but have never had a really bad attack. I asked my surgeon if I should have the gall bladder removed before my band surgery. He told me that if it wasn't giving me trouble, that I could go ahead with the band surgery. It has been 11 months since my band surgery. One day last week, I had a heaviness in my chest and discomfort in my back. It felt like indigestion and it lasted most of the day. My son says that gall bladder surgery is a snap compared to a really bad gall bladder attack. I hate being operated on again--but I don't want to wait too long. I see my surgeon for a regular band appointment this week. I think I will ask him about it. If he recommends removing it, I think I will have him do it because he is more familiar with my insides than a local surgeon. I don't want surgery again! Whine!Whine!

I had my Gall-Bladder out when i was a senior in high school (it was caused by all the damn Chinese food i ate)..I was 17 and the surgeon said i was the youngest patient he had for gall bladder removal

Kristen

Actually it is fat, fourty fertile and fair!!

It is the "five F's" Fat, Forty, Fertile, Fair and Female. I was always perplexed by the "fair" part as american indians have a very high incidence of gallbladder disease.

I have never had my GB removed but my Mom, Dad, Brother and 3 Sisters have so Im sure mine is not long for this world.