Gallbladder removal surgery
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From: SF Bay Area
Kevin,
Thanks for sharing your experience. That sounds horrible, I'm sorry you had to go through such a mess. It's good to hear that you ended up okay...
I have a stomach disorder that is aggravated when I eat oily or spicy foods. But, I also keep eating them despite the discomfort. I belch a lot and sometimes get an upset stomach after doing so, but this is my one chance at life, and I'm going to make the most of it regardless of a little discomfort.
I've got my fingers crossed that no complications arise during my girlfriend's surgery, but as with all things in life, I realize that there's a risk involved. All too often, extreme situations are ignored and dismissed as too unlikely to worry about, but that's only true until they actually happen to you. That's why hearing all of your experiences is so informative. Thank you very much for sharing...it's shed some light on things that I certainly hope won't happen, but should at least be aware could potentially happen.
Thanks for sharing your experience. That sounds horrible, I'm sorry you had to go through such a mess. It's good to hear that you ended up okay...
I have a stomach disorder that is aggravated when I eat oily or spicy foods. But, I also keep eating them despite the discomfort. I belch a lot and sometimes get an upset stomach after doing so, but this is my one chance at life, and I'm going to make the most of it regardless of a little discomfort.
I've got my fingers crossed that no complications arise during my girlfriend's surgery, but as with all things in life, I realize that there's a risk involved. All too often, extreme situations are ignored and dismissed as too unlikely to worry about, but that's only true until they actually happen to you. That's why hearing all of your experiences is so informative. Thank you very much for sharing...it's shed some light on things that I certainly hope won't happen, but should at least be aware could potentially happen.
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From: HouStook TX
[QUOTE]Originally posted by cyber_x
The girlfriend has thought about alternative treatments, but she ultimately decided on surgery because she's been having gallbladder attacks on and off for the past few days, and has vomited a few times.
The girlfriend has thought about alternative treatments, but she ultimately decided on surgery because she's been having gallbladder attacks on and off for the past few days, and has vomited a few times.
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From: La Selva
The anesthesiologist is the key. Get a bad one and you are in for a world of hurt. Ask for the best. This goes for any surgery. My late wife had a bad one during an emergency C section with our first child. She couldn't lift her head for a week. Horrible headaches. Do your homework.
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From: Land of the landeaus
I really don't feel like reliving this, albeit in written form, but if it will help someone in the future, then some good will become of it. Settle in for one crazy literary recollection fellas....
Back in the early 90's when I was returning from the Gulf War, I began experiencing chest pains (felt like a golf ball was lodged in my chest) and thought it was indigestion from Navy food....blah.
I passed it off as bad food and thought nothing of it until the pain became a weekly thing, once or twice. There would be moments when I would literally double over trying to get some air, moving my shoulders and arms in strange ways to relieve the pressure off my chest. It took three weeks for the ship I was on to return to Norfolk (from the Gulf) and I checked myself in to a doctor a day or two later. I was diagnosed with acid reflux so that was a relief. Put on Zantac and sent out the door. The only problem was, I was poppin those little bastards like freakin' Starburst and the pains were still there. Fast forward to 1995 and no, that is not a misprint. For THREE damn years I was on every acid reflux gastronomical doo-dad that was being invented and nothing seemed to starve off those bouts of chest pains. Tests were run, etc and FINALLY....the strawberry milkshake some of you have come to know and love. Even THAT revealed nothing.
Just after my divorce became final in '95, I awoke one morning to find myself in such horrible pain I could barely bring myself up from a fetal position on the floor. I "bit the bullet" so to speak and put myself in my car, drove to the hospital and told the first nurse I saw, and this is the truth, "if any doctor tells me I have indigestion, I'm going to break something." Wouldn't you know it....a nurse with hardly any time on the job felt an ultrasound might be a good idea. Within 30 seconds of turning the damn machine on, her words were, "oh my, I hope you brought a toothbrush."
22 days later, I was released from the hospital. The doctor who performed the operation told me the day after, "had you not admitted yourself on that day, you'd have been dead within days." I didn't even HAVE the gall stones removed until three days after admission because they were having trouble deciding if what they were seeing was actually even true.
Nurses told me under the big, bright white light when they got me open and saw the amount of stones in there, everyone in the room gasped.
The surgeon said, "33 years of doing this, I'd never seen that many stones or ones so large....I don't know what the Navy teaches you but you must have the highest tolerance for pain of any man I've ever met."
Tolerance? Are you kidding me....I was barreled over 2-3x/week and during the summer of '95, was throwing up twice a day for three months straight. All because the doctors I was seeing at the time kept telling me it was acid reflux.
Moral?
Don't f**k around with chest pains, get an ultrasound. My friend was going through the same damn battle and wouldn't you know it....he got the ultrasound and you guessed it....gall stones.
When I was shuffling my way (post op feels like someone is sticking you in the stomach with a knife) out of the hospital one of the nurses came up to me and said, "From this point on, any woman who says you don't know what abdominal pain feels like from pregnancy, tell her she's wrong. Stones are probably the worst pain a man can have."
I agree.
Back in the early 90's when I was returning from the Gulf War, I began experiencing chest pains (felt like a golf ball was lodged in my chest) and thought it was indigestion from Navy food....blah.
I passed it off as bad food and thought nothing of it until the pain became a weekly thing, once or twice. There would be moments when I would literally double over trying to get some air, moving my shoulders and arms in strange ways to relieve the pressure off my chest. It took three weeks for the ship I was on to return to Norfolk (from the Gulf) and I checked myself in to a doctor a day or two later. I was diagnosed with acid reflux so that was a relief. Put on Zantac and sent out the door. The only problem was, I was poppin those little bastards like freakin' Starburst and the pains were still there. Fast forward to 1995 and no, that is not a misprint. For THREE damn years I was on every acid reflux gastronomical doo-dad that was being invented and nothing seemed to starve off those bouts of chest pains. Tests were run, etc and FINALLY....the strawberry milkshake some of you have come to know and love. Even THAT revealed nothing.
Just after my divorce became final in '95, I awoke one morning to find myself in such horrible pain I could barely bring myself up from a fetal position on the floor. I "bit the bullet" so to speak and put myself in my car, drove to the hospital and told the first nurse I saw, and this is the truth, "if any doctor tells me I have indigestion, I'm going to break something." Wouldn't you know it....a nurse with hardly any time on the job felt an ultrasound might be a good idea. Within 30 seconds of turning the damn machine on, her words were, "oh my, I hope you brought a toothbrush."
22 days later, I was released from the hospital. The doctor who performed the operation told me the day after, "had you not admitted yourself on that day, you'd have been dead within days." I didn't even HAVE the gall stones removed until three days after admission because they were having trouble deciding if what they were seeing was actually even true.
Nurses told me under the big, bright white light when they got me open and saw the amount of stones in there, everyone in the room gasped.
The surgeon said, "33 years of doing this, I'd never seen that many stones or ones so large....I don't know what the Navy teaches you but you must have the highest tolerance for pain of any man I've ever met."
Tolerance? Are you kidding me....I was barreled over 2-3x/week and during the summer of '95, was throwing up twice a day for three months straight. All because the doctors I was seeing at the time kept telling me it was acid reflux.
Moral?
Don't f**k around with chest pains, get an ultrasound. My friend was going through the same damn battle and wouldn't you know it....he got the ultrasound and you guessed it....gall stones.
When I was shuffling my way (post op feels like someone is sticking you in the stomach with a knife) out of the hospital one of the nurses came up to me and said, "From this point on, any woman who says you don't know what abdominal pain feels like from pregnancy, tell her she's wrong. Stones are probably the worst pain a man can have."
I agree.
Joined: May 2001
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From: omotesando
my ex- gf had her gallbladder removed,
after finding out that her cystic fibrosis affected it.
cystic fibrosis usually affects one's lung but her case was
a bit strange, lack of better vocab., "mutation" in her gene
caused to affect her gallbladder.
pm me if you have more questions to be answered,
i can tell you how the problem was dealt with as much as i remeber. (it was 4 years ago.)
after finding out that her cystic fibrosis affected it.
cystic fibrosis usually affects one's lung but her case was
a bit strange, lack of better vocab., "mutation" in her gene
caused to affect her gallbladder.
pm me if you have more questions to be answered,
i can tell you how the problem was dealt with as much as i remeber. (it was 4 years ago.)
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From: SF Bay Area
Thanks again for the encouragement, information, and offer to help, guys...my girlfriend is having her surgery in a little under two weeks, so I might be contacting a couple of you guys with questions, if they arise, as the time gets closer. I'll let you guys know how everything goes. Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate the responses, and my girlfriend does as well.
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From: Warwick
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