I am a 22 year old female who has just been diagnosed with Acute Colicystitis (sp?). Is that normal for somebody my age??? I have had GI problems for several years. (GERD, Lactose Intolerance, Gastritis, etc...) I have been taking Aciphex for the Gastritis and the GERD, and it seemed to have been helping just fine. The past few mornings I have been waking up with gas pain. So I just take some Gas-X, and that goes away. That had been going on for about 3 or 4 days. I just thought it was my normal stomach problems. Well anyway, on January 2 I had an appointment in Maryland to see a specialist about another, totally unrelated medical problem. (I live in NY). So we left on January 1. The morning of the 1st I woke up with the usual gas pain. But I thought it would go away, so I didn't take anything before I left. But it did not go away on its own, so I got some Tums. I thought, "surely this will work". But it didn't. Seeing as I just thought it was gas, I thought that since I had an empty stomach, maybe it would help if I ate something. That did not help either. So when we got to our hotel in Maryland, I got some Maalox. That did not help either. I got some ginger ale. That did not help. I got some Gas-X. That did not help. (this was over the course of a few hours). All the while the pain kept on getting worse and worse, and I noticed that instead of it being in my entire stomach, it was now just on the right side of my abdomen. It was very very bad, and I could not sit up straight. Since I was practically crying in pain, I decided to go to the ER. I spent about 6 hours in the emergency room, during which time I saw several drs and had blood drawn and an ultra-sound done. Through the ultra-sound they discovered that I have Gall Stones. This is the first time in my life that I have ever had a gallbladder problem.
Shortly after the ultra-sound, 2 surgical residents came in to see me and told me that they wanted to remove my gallbladder. There were no stones in the duct. I had a very slight low-grade fever, and all of my blood tests came back normal. So I asked them if it was absoltely necessary to do it right then and there. They reluctantly said no, but that it would be better to just get it taken care of. I explained that it was not possible for me to have surgery right then and there, because I had a drs appointment in the morning that I had waited 3 months for and was not about to cancel if I could possibly help it. And if it was not an absolute emergency (like if I had a stone stuck in the CBD), I was not letting someone whom I had just met 10 minutes ago operate on me. If I am going to have surgery I would much rather be home with my own dr. My family has a surgeon who we like a lot. Anyway, they prescribed me some anti-biotics because of the low-grade fever, and also some pain medicine. I am now back home in NY. I saw the nurse practicioner in my Internist's office today (my dr is away). She also says that it might be a good idea to have it removed. I am going for a surgical consult on tuesday.
But in the mean time, I have some questions. Maybe someone can answer them for me. Can gallbladder problems cause bad diahrrea? I have had that today. What are the benefits of having the procedure done laproscopically versus the regular way? What is the recovery time for laproscopic surgery? I am due to start student teaching on January 22nd. If I have to get it done now, what are the chances that I will be fully recovered by then? In the mean time while I am waiting for a surgical consult, what should I be eating? Right now I am on a clear liquid diet. I am allowed to have some chicken and some rice if I want, but I am in no mood for that. I had some rice tonight and some clear chicken broth, and apparently it did not sit too well. I have been living on non acidic juices (no orange juice, etc...) and Jell-o. Also, what can I do for the pain besides taking Percocette or Tylenol?
Also, could the gallbladder problems be making my reflux worse or cause me to have excess gas?
That's all the questions that I can think of at the moment. Thanks a lot,
I don't blame you for not having your gallbladder out "then and there" when you were in the ER. Best to have it done by someone you trust and know; after all, even though it is very minor surgery, it's still surgery!
I can't answer all of your questions, but yes, diarrhea can occur because of your gallbladder; and also after it's removed, it can occur with certain foods you eat, be it greasy, or fried, something a bit rich you might say.
I had mine removed about five years ago and it was done laporascopically which is a much easier recovery time. I had mine out on a Tuesday and cooked Easter dinner the following Sunday. You will be sore, but it's manageable. I'd had a previous c-section so I knew the kind of pain that would probably arrive after surgery. Of course, my surgeon did a "look-see" at all my other organs while she was in there with the scope so that could be why I was pretty sore; but like I said, I knew what to expect. By about 7-10 days later, I felt pretty much like myself. I think the only reason gallbladder surgery is done with a knife nowadays is if the patient is quite heavy and the surgeon cannot get to the gallbladder via a scope.
All in all, it isn't that bad and I'm pain free, although sometimes I feel phantom pains you might say..which everynow and then, something I've eaten that is fatty will bring on a bit of pain in my side, but nothing as bad as needing to go to the ER or how I felt previous to surgery.
As far as your age, I think it can happen anytime to anyone at any age. In my case, I had some very small stones, but my gallbladder ceased to function as was diagnosed through a nuclear scan of my abdomen.
Hope I answered some questions, and feel better soon!
Well, I am on the heavy side, but the surgeon in the ER did not seem to think that it would be a problem to do it laproscopically. I have got an appointment for a surgical consult this coming tuesday. But are there other treatment options that I can try first before I have surgery? I heard about something called Lithotripsy (sp?) where they dissolve the stones with a laser. And I also heard that there are medications that can be used to dissolve the stones.
Right now I am not sure about anything, because I really don't know very much about this. I think that if my dr and the surgeon whom I will be seeing agree that it is a good idea to just get it removed while it is calm and not "hot", then I will do it so that I don't have to worry about it anymore. Right now I do not really have any bad pain like I had the other night when I was having an accute attack. But am still very uncomfortable, and I have A LOT of gas, and whatever I eat seems to go right through me. Keep in mind that when I say that I am eating, I mean Jello or clear chicken broth, or rice! Tonight I had some vegetable flavored chicken broth with some rice, and I was in the bathroom about 3 minutes later. I feel like I want to throw up all the time, and I can not lay down flat because that just makes it worse. In order to sleep I have been propping myself up with about 4 pillows, so that I am almost in a sitting up position. My dr said I could take something like Maalox or Mylanta for the heartburn and reflux. We have also increased my Aciphex to twice a day. Can all of the indigestion and gas be caused by the gallbladder as well? I am also having gas pain on my left side, and I am wondering if it is all from the same thing. I have been getting gas pain and diahrrea for a long time and have been told that it is all from my gastritis and irritable bowel syndrome. I am now wondering just how long these stones have been there for. There is no dilatation of the ducts, so we are guessing that maybe they have been there laying dormant for a year or less. Of course, I would choose the one night that I am away from home to have my very first attack!
How many holes/incisions do they make when they do the surgery laproscopically?
Also, one more question. Is it normal to need an anti-biotic when you get an accute gallbladder attack? I had a slight low grade fever (99.2) but my white cell count and all of my other blood tests came back normal. But they still prescribed me Ceftin 500mg twice a day for 7 days. I had so many other things going through my mind that I forgot to ask them what the exact purpose was for prescribing the anti-biotic. When I saw the nurse practicioner at my drs office, she was not too sure why they prescribed it for me either, but said to finish it. Maybe they were afraid of some kind of infection?
The only way that I was going to let them remove my gallbladder when I was in the ER in Baltimore was if I had a stone stuck in the Common Bile Duct, or if my white cell count was elevated. Fortunately neither was the case. They also thought that I might have had pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas that needs to be treated with immediate IV anti-biotics and a hospital stay. But they ruled that out through the blood tests. They really tried their hardest to convince me to let them do the surgery, but I said "can I get back to NY with this? can you make me comfortable enough so that I can do what I came here to do and go home?" they reluctantly said yes. The doctors there were excellent, and they really took very very good care of me, but I was not about to let someone who I had met 10 minutes ago cut me open, unless I was dying. I mean, when I think about it I was lucky that I was in such a good hospital, and that I was not out of the country somewhere. But I came with a gallbladder, and I was going home with one! LOL! Usually when I have a medical problem, I know everybody who is taking care of me. My mom works in the hospital that I go to here at home. I wanted my own dr. Like I said, they took great care of me, but I didn't know them from a whole in the wall! They tried to convince me once again by telling me that they would do it laproscopically and there wouldn't be a scar.
Actually, there are some surgeons who do not do laproscopic surgery. I have chosen one who my family has known for a long time, who does do it laproscopically. I would not go to one who doesn't.
Anyway, thanks for letting me get all of this off of my chest. Those are all the questions I can think of for now. You have been very helpful.
I have a question. The problem with fatty and rich foods. Does that occur after the gal bladder surgery or is that also a symptom of needing to have the gal bladder removed?
Thx,
groundhog
Wow Elyse, you sure are having an uncomfortable time with it. I never had an attack, just had this constant pain on my right side that never went away. I would listen to your doctor and I'm sure he'll run some more tests just to be sure it really is your gallbladder.
As far as the actual lap surgery, the doctor makes four very small incisions, the largest being only about 3/4", including an incision near your belly button. My belly button incision was the sorest because that is where the waistline of my pants would rest and kind of irritate it, but you get the stitches out about a week later and it heals fast.
Gallbladder surgery at 22? 
Linear Mode
