OT-Gallbladder Sonogram and Surgery Questions

I had my first gallbladder attack four years ago. I diagnosed it myself and told my PCP what it was. He agreed. Nothing more until three months later, the week between Christmas and New Year. Really bad! Had to go to the ER and they said it had to come out. It was done laparoscopically, and there are no scars visible anymore (one spot only had a bandaid!).

Afterwards, I watched my diet, reduced most fats, but eventually added them back in. I just don't overdo it. Holiday time is the hardest since most of the delicious foods are so fat laden (Christmas duck, brie cheese did it for me). A little to taste and not feel like it's forbidden, but definitely not the amount I used to ingest.

An odd, but not so negative side effect I've had is more frequent and slightly softer stools.

So overall, I'd say I've had no major issues minus my GB.

If you can watch your diet, you can probably prevent a serious GB attack. They usually occur in the wee hours of the morning, for some reason. High in your stomach area, just below your breast area, slightly to the side. Some people think they're having a heart attack.

I had attacks for years. They were really painful but only lasted 20 minutes or so. Always just after going to bed.

Eventually I said "to h--- with it" and had it taken out. It was a laprascopic surgery and was intended to be a day surgery. With me the gb was stuck to the pancreas and they had trouble pulling it free. Too much bleeding so I stayed overnight with a drain. Otherwise it was easy peasy. I stayed home for a couple of days then went to work.

I've had zero issues. The usual sequela is diarrhea if you eat too much fat. Didn't happen to me.

There's no real reason to remove it unless it's causing you problems, but it's an easy surgery. About like the ooph.

Trust me, you will know when you have one. Some feel like a pain in the middle of chest or slightly to the right. It's very sharp. I felt like someone had stabbed me with a butcher knife, if that wasn't bad enough, they were turning the butcher knife. It was very intense, I never thought that the emergency sign looked so good. I was thinking it was saying pain drugs inside, lol. I certainly hope yours is not as intense. I still would consider having it out. That way, it is a planned event. I certainly would not want that to happen while you are out of town or during the holidays. Just something to think about. Wishing you the

An attack happens when one of your stones blocks the outlet of the gall bladder. The reason it often happens after a fatty meal is that the liver asks for more bile to break down the fat.

It hurts like you would not believe. I never had kids so I can't compare it to childbirth but it's the worst non-surgical pain I've ever had. Sharp sharp sharp. Mid to low left quadrant for me, but your gall bladder could be in a different place. I'd be walking around and panting it hurt so much. Stopped after 20 minutes or so.

If you get one and it doesn't stop after an hour you need to go to the ER. The gall bladder is next to the pancreas. Pancreatitis is nothing to sneeze at.

I have gall stones. It was fine. No big deal. Argh but I am on chemo since 2014 august. When I was on A/A, there was infection that put me in septic shock. Straight to ICU. Thank God I live to tell the story and it happened at home, just a 20 min drive away from hospital. Surgery was simple and recovery was quite fast. Within two weeks I was eating normally. Now I try to eat a healthy diet. Occasionally I have French fries and ice cream, and it is no big deal, just a bit of loose stools. Wished I had my gall bladder taken out earlier to save me an expensive trip to the icu