50/50 shot for surgery

Yes - my GI is the one that referred me to surgery.

Thank you so much for your reply. He said he had heard of it and knew it was an issue but that it has since been discredited. What were your symptoms, if I may ask?

Always bloated is like when you go to a buffet and feel full. Feels like somebody got there fist in your upper stomach and twisting. Dullness in stomach, fatigue, short of breath sometimes. It's very bad sometimes after I eat. My doc told me its not guarantee before I had my surgery but trust me they know they just don't want to be held reliable if it's not but I knew it was mines. I didn't have gallstones like most just a high fraction 96%.. It's like a car engine with a high RPM eventually the engine is going to give out but before it goes out its going to throw everything off like fuel pump,piston,valves, timing chain ect. A bad gallbladder throws off your digestive system

That's exactly what I was thinking. I was going to call my GI tomorrow and tell them what he said, then see what she thinks. She was faitly adament that it was an overactive gallbladder, and I feel confident that my symptoms coincide with it being my gallbladder as everything else in that area has been checked out. Thank you for your support!

Glad I helped!  Would you let me know what happens?  The surgeon's not doing you (or your doctor) any favors.  If he's male, it also sounds like he doesn't think your doctor knows what she's doing..it's a guy "power" thing.

Ugh!

He also proceeded to point out that I was overweight and I needed to lose some poundage - otherwise I could have other problems such as diabetes (DUH!). He also suggested I try a vegan diet AFTER we discussed that my boyfriend is an avid hunter.... Don't think that's going to happen!

How nice of him to do that, what a considerate person!  Oh, I wanted to mention that if your gallbladder is malfuctioning that it can also cause problems with your pancreatic function.  

I will tell you this, though. Fat creates estrogen, too.  I was in menopause with nonfuctioning ovaries, but was over weight. I lost 35 pounds last year, but not soon enough.  I ended up with endometrial cancer because I was over weight. To give you an idea, I'm at 134 now, and 5 feet 4. My oncologist told me that not many women realize that fat creates estrogen.

Let me know how you get on!      

I don't believe so - how is it tested?

I had symptoms for over 7 years. My symptoms started out coming and going like every few months the first 4 years, then next two years more intense and more symptoms developed. The ran every test you can imagine which I past. So the only thing they could find was a overactive gallbladder. Gi told me its a 60-70% it will get better, it got to the point where I couldn't take the pain I couldn't live like this. I couldn't even work. So I really didn't have no choice but to get the GB removed which was a week ago. I feel better but very sore and nausea. But I'll give you a 85% chance it's your gallbladder because I didn't have gallstones but overactive gallbladder and my HIDA SCAN read 96%

Thank you for the vote of confidence. My symptoms are pretty mild at the moment which makes me think I can live with it, but by the sounds of it, it will probably only get worse. I've heard of issues with nausea after surgery, but for everyone I read it went away at some point. It's so incredibly stressfull when it's not a "this is it and this will fix it" situation. Gallstones run in my family, so I figured I might as well get it out now anyways! haha

You know, that's not a bad idea. If you wait till your symptoms are more pronounced then things could get a lot worse!

Best of luck to you, and let us know what you decide to do!

How long have you been dealing with symptoms in total? I have had symptoms for 7 years, just like Jerome. Still haven't figured out what it is yet, but 4 doctors and myself suspect gallbladder. Only one doc said it isn't my GB because there aren't any stones. Which I know is BS. People can have issues without stones.

I have had several Ultrasounds, a colonoscopy, two endoscopies and a CT scan. I finally got refered to a HIDA scan, so I am hoping that will show something.

I have read about many people having over reactive GBs and alot of them felt improvement when they had it out. Of course there are no guarantees and you have to make the decision, but if it was me (With the symptoms I am feeling) I would have it out without thinking twice about it.

I'm getting to a "f*ck it" point where I just want it out. To either relieve symptoms or at least to rule SOMETHING out. I'm baffled at what else it might be. The symptoms really are so minor, but so annoying. THANKFULLY no full blown attacks by any means, but I feel like I'm whining and complaining over something so small compared to some people.

I had the symptoms for a few months 2 years back that for some reason just went away after eating sausage - ding ding ding! Or so you would think. I've currently been having them for about 3 months this time around - less burning, more discomfort than the last time. But more nausea/sour stomach and more bowel issues. For the past day or so I've been having a sore upper back and I'm not sure if it's related - I thought that was only stones.

Good luck with your HIDA scan. I'd be interested to see what it shows. I truly hope you get some answers. I couldn't imagine 7 years

Hi Tomjohn,

My problem was that I had severe symptoms, but pain wasn't one of them.  They didn't seem interested unless I was hurting, so, I told the doctors I was in pain, lots of pain.

Surgeon went ahead, and surprise, gallbladder diseased and filled with very small stones.  

Some doctors want you to be on the floor in agony before they will "consider" doing anything.

Best of luck to you, let me know how you do! 

 

How awful Lynda,

it took me 10 Drs and 7 years to have the gasterinterologist finally tell me that all the pain is not in my head per former docs, but in my galbladder . It was up on the light screen in black & white. Stones caught in the bile duct.

 I was so glad to get rid of that thing and with such a crude name for a body organ. Yuck!

took years to learn the foods to eat and avoid. The enzymes in the gb that break up fatty foods was a heck of a problem until I started eating yogurt.

Thanks, Hope!

It was awful. I lost over 30 pounds because of the constant presence of bile.  If I ate, I couldn't go out.  I was working and was down to eating breakfasts of rasin bread and gatorade after I got myself to work.  

It wasn't my first "good look" at the medical profession; but it was awful to know I was ill and have someone not believe me because I wasn't presenting classic symptoms!

But, I'm doing better now.  xx

That's so unfortunate. I don't know where you two reside, but here in the US I feel like they kind of do the same thing. We're really good in the sense that we don't have to wait too long here, but I also feel like they'll just throw any pills your way to get you gone. I completely realize that giving me Omeprazole in the very beginning was much simpler and more cost effective for me than going through a ton of tests, but I also felt like they brushed me off because of it. Wouldn't that have been nice if the Omeprazole worked! haha

Hi, I'm in US.  When I went to see the surgeon, I also saw a female intern, who insisted that gallbladders release the exact amount of bile (into the small intestine) during digestion.  To me she represented the "clinical" side of medicine, statistics based, remote and uncaring.  I almost asked her if she had the same amount of blood with each of her periods.  I was furious.  The surgeon said, "I've been fooled by ultrasounds before." And took out my gallbadder, which was brimming with small stones and sludge.  

As for the pills, they do like 'em, don't they? xx

I'm very curious to see what pathology comes back with. I'm not sure if it's gallstones that are hereditary or just gallbladder problems in general. Everyone on my dad's side that had their GB out due to stones - the 2 USs I had showed no stones.

Hello!

So I wanted to ask you something if you wouldn't mind. I had my gallbladder removed in august and I seem to be having some symptoms (GI said its normal until my body gets used to it and could take around 6 months) of digesting food so I was wondering what yogurt you had or recommend that can help with digestion? I seem to feel sick after I eat and get full:bloated all the time. I've been told maybe I don't have enough enzymes to digest so people have suggested probiotics and digestive enzyme but I'm too scared to have them. Have you?

Sometimes ultrasounds won't show small stones and sludge, or they show up as "just a few" stones.  It also depends on the tech's expertise.  

Let me know what happens!

There is absolutely nothing harmful about probiotics - you could at least start trying to take those!

Yep only MRI shows my sludge-for 2 yrs but us never sees it though us did see 1 small 3 mm stone-dr said the sludge coukd really be tiny compacted stones

It's amazing to me that they put so much faith in utrasounds, but they do!  So you could really be crammed with sludge, but it won't show up; until your gallbladder starts getting infected.  

Do you take probiotics as well as digestive enzymes?

I take probiotics just as a general wellness precaution - I haven't had my gallbladder out yet (6 days!).