Do You Still Have Your Gall Bladder?

[Mrs Husker 3]

Not banded yet and still have mine. I have had pain in that area for years though. I have been tested for years and my gallbladder is just fine, but at times it works in reverse. Then I found out about Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. This can replicate gallbladder pain in those who have had their gallbladders removed or have been tested and everything seem to be fine.

[msbug 0]

I had mine out in 2005. I'd had problems with it since having ds in '03, but the stupid docs misdiagnosed it as back spasms caused by nerve irritation from my spinal. My symptoms were a-typical so it never dawned on them to check my gallbladder when I had the attacks. It got really bad after losing 70 lbs on weight watchers and when I wound up in the ER feeling like my stomach was going to explode, they realized I had pancreatitis and took my gallbladder out a few days later. It was hell!

[Momotrips 0]

I had the 5f's like Elizabeth - lost mine in march of '04. No stones, just completely non functioning like Mandy. I had recently lost 20 pounds (oh yeah, it's all back). I've also had the dreaded PCS (Post Cholestectomy Syndrome). Kind of like "dumping" from bypass, but with the same discomfort, bloating and gas as BEFORE I had the gallbladder out. Some say that this is actually a problem with the sphincter of oddi (you too, Mrs. Husker?) - another little nuisance organ/formation in there. Sugar and fat cause lots of trouble. Combine this with IBS and you have a recipe for disaster - I guess I'll be all prepared for the sliming and PB's and knowing where all the bathrooms are. LOL. I'm hoping that the band and the subsequent weight loss will help both the IBS and the PCS problems. I actually had a bout last night, ugh.

[K-CEE 0]

Well they say if you have the 3 f's you will most likely develop Gallstones

Female

Fat

Forty

Well I am not quite 40 but I have been on diets since I was 12 and all that rapid weight loss could not be good.

I found out yesterday that I will have to have my Gallbladder removed during surgery. Maybe this will help speed the insurance company up and it will be a quicker approval. :clap2: yeah!

[S@ssen@ch 745]

Well, I have 4 of the 5 "F's", Fair, fat, Female, and fertile. I wasn't quite forty.

Mine started giving me fits about 3 months after surgery, but docs didn't quite know what it was. (Esophageal spasms my ass :mmph: ) Had it out 10 months after surgery. Long time to wait when it's torturing you.

[lisah25 3]

All of those with their gall bladders, please raise your hands. Given the incidence of gall bladder surgery with repeated weight loss attempts, I was curious how many gall bladders have survived and how many have been sacrificed. Thanks!

Mslynn

:wave:

I had mine out 4 years ago, after losing weight rather quickly on Atkins. They told me that weight loss, esp rapid, can cause problems. I haven't missed it at all, and it's one less thing to worry about now.

[juliegeraci 7]

I had mine removed after the birth of my 2nd son 5 years ago. I had gall stone stuck and they had to go down my throat twice. I had a severe attack and was hospitalized for 4 days.

[BeacheeGirl 0]

I had mine out about 10 years ago. I was young, fit, healthy. Misdiagnosed for years. Pain would be so bad I would be crawling on the floor to the bathroom, not sure whether I had to throw up, go to the bathroom, nothing, just straight misery. They told me at one time I was having panic attacks and put me on anti-depressents! I kept telling me that NO, it was PAIN, no one believerd me. One such attack happened while I was at an AM/PM, I passed out and a stranger took me to ER, they finally diagnoed the gallbladder and removed it immediately. I still have pain there at times, and no doctor has been able to explain it. It was weird though, after I had it removed, FOUR of my BLACK girlfriends had their removed in the next 2 years. Some were fat, some were not, it was really weird.

[LapBandit 5]

I had the 5f's like Elizabeth - lost mine in march of '04. No stones, just completely non functioning like Mandy. I had recently lost 20 pounds (oh yeah, it's all back). I've also had the dreaded PCS (Post Cholestectomy Syndrome). Kind of like "dumping" from bypass, but with the same discomfort, bloating and gas as BEFORE I had the gallbladder out.

I had 4 of the 5 f's...I was in my twenties though when I had to have mine removed. I also had that "dumping" thing following it's removal but luckily for me that passed and I don't have that problem any more. My gallbladder "went bad" following a 30 lb loss I had made on my own using Slim Fast. Slim Fast is bad stuff!! The doctor's told me that they think that's what pushed my gallbladder over the edge...so much sodium and other junk in there and your body just can't process it correctly. I didn't have stones...I had "sludge" and it was very painful. But like most of you...my symptoms weren't the average ones. It took a trip to the ER to get it out as an emergency surgery because I was so dehydrated and worn down that I couldn't even eat any more. Wow...those were the days. Now that it's gone...I feel fine!

[Rockin' Robyn 15]

Funny you should ask.....I am actually scheduled for my 4TH SURGERY IN 10 MONTHS next Friday!!! I was actually having an ultrasound of my abdomen last week to confirm a diagnosis of herniated tubing (where my tubing has poked up through a weakened area through my abdominal wall and is causing me a lot of pain). While the tech was performing the ultrasound, I immediately noticed a round sack with a bunch of small circles in it. I said to her "Is that my gallbladder?" She said yes...I knew immediately.

I called my surgeons nurse and asked her to please ask him to take out my gall bladder along with the hernia repair (especially since it is in the same area). We are going to do both on Friday (June 30th). I'm just glad we caught it, and I didn't have to go in for this 4th surgery for a hernia repair, then a month later start having bad gall bladder attacks.

Funny thing though...I never noticed any type of gall bladder pain until I knew I had gall stones in there ....Since my ultrasound last week, I have definitely noticed that the right side of my upper abdomen is soooo tender and sore. The mind is a funny thing...I'm just glad its coming out!

By the way, I'm ten months out of surgery.....I am fair, fat, female, fertile...but not forty :biggrin1:

[Marimaru 7]

I still have mine but I think it's acting up. It's been generally sore and pretty tender in that area for a very long time, but my doctor didn't find any stone in the ultrasound, and wants to 'wait and see'. Yesterday and the night before it's been worse (steadily, not like an attack), and so I'll likely make an appointment tomorrow telling her I'm done waiting and that she needs to figure out what the problem is.

[SharronL 2]

I had to have mine taken out after loosing 60 pounds on slim-fast about 6 yrs ago (needless to say I gained it back) and was banded recently.

Sharon

[picardy3 0]

I still have mine, but I'm expecting it will have to come out sooner or later. Everytime in the past that I've lost lots of weight I would have major attacks with pain, vomiting, etc. The only reason I didn't have it taken out the last time was that I was in a new town, didn't know anybody, and wasn't really sure where the ER was. I also didn't want to call 911. Don't ask me why I didn't call them. :confused:

[Jammin & Losin 1]

My Gallbladder was taken out 1 month to the day before I had my band surgery. I went in for all my pre op testing to get my band surgery okayed.. and came out with 2 golf ball sized gallstones and a surgery date my gallbladder removed 2 days later!!! I was very disapointed that my surgeon would not do both surgerys ( band and gallbladder) at the same time... but later I thought it over and was glad to not have the worries of complications with the band because of the gallbladder. So for me it was 2 surgerys 1 month apart!!! What an exciting month that was!!!:faint:

But now that I'm gallbladder free and down 100 pounds I feel like this!!!!:confused: :clap2: :clap2: :high5: :dance: :hug: :cheer2: :bounce:

[fee 0]

i had mine taken out 9 years ago.....i was in a heap of pain...it was unbearable...i was very very obese at the time.....more than what i weighed when i got banded