EUS results- sludge and thickened walls
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi,
After many negative tests (CT, ultrasound, HIDA) I finally had an MRCP that showed a filling defect. My doctor performed an Endoscopic ultrasound and it showed my gb had sludge and thickened walls at 3.3 mm. He recommended surgery.
I've been in a lot of pain and have tried for two years to save my gb. I have all the symptoms of gallbladder disease. My scans have never showed stones.
Have any of you had sludge and thickened walls? Did you end up getting surgery and how are you now?
Thanks- I'm so torn about what to do.
0 likes, 10 replies
eric73436 rachel05155
Posted
Thickened walls yes and my HIDA was 76% I'm 4 weeks post op today and doing 75-80%. After removal they found small stones/ sludge type stuff. I've had no pain. Just a few nausea spells at about 2 weeks but my energy level is slowly coming back. Dr told me it'll take time to be 100% since I'd lost 20lb fast right before surgery due to not being able to eat but I'd do it again I feel so much better!
rachel05155 eric73436
Posted
Thanks for sharing this Eric! My HIDA was 70% but they said that was normal. Did you have pain during when they injected the CCK?
I've lost ten pounds the past two weeks. I'm down to 95 lbs due to the pain.
What kind of symptoms were you having prior to your surgery? Good to hear you're feeling a lot better
eric73436 rachel05155
Posted
I had very little pain during the HIDA scan more of a discomfort but I had bad nausea I told the tech to get a bucket I thought I was gonna puke and it continued to get worse that afternoon and ended up in the er and had to spend the night they did the CT scan , lots of blood work and the next morning the surgeon did the endoscopy on me.
My symptoms came on basically over a week's time. I first noticed my appetite was slowly decreasing and after a week I couldn't eat but a few bites without bloating and feeling as I was going to explode lol! I had no pain at all at first my gp immediately suspected gb problems I pretty much laughed and said nah I've just got a bug as I was leaving she told me she'd see me soon for my GB and well she was right a few days later the pain , nausea , bloating , diarrhea came and I was convinced I was having a heart attack so we called my gp she laughed and said to come In so I did and her 1st words were I told you so!
I ended up with tremendous back pain that was nearly constant , sharp stabbing rib and side pain which never lasted long , nausea that came and went , bathroom runs were frequent , dizziness at times , sweating terrible after eating , belching , im sure im missing some . I thought death was immenent. Losing weight as fast as I did scared me bad I admit my diet prior to these problems was really bad , junk food , McDonald's 4-7 nights a week , sodas and energy drinks all day everyday , anything but healthy foods! Since then I've eaten better and haven't had any caffeine in nearly 2 months and I'm going back to my job this coming Monday I'm a heavy equipment operator at a coal mine so I had to stay home 4 weeks after surgery, the surgery itself wasn't bad I didn't need pain meds after the 1st night and was walking down the hall of the outpatient surgery rooms 15 minutes after I got back from recovery.
eric73436
Posted
lynda20916 rachel05155
Posted
Hi Rachel,
Your gallbladder is not going to get better. It's diseased, hence your pain, due to sludge. The walls are thicker, too. Your diseased gallbladder will negatively effect the other components of your digestive system, including your liver and pancreas.
I'm sorry you're dealing with this, but it's better to get it out now, while you're in relatively good health. xx
rachel05155 lynda20916
Posted
Thank you Lynda. Right now I also suffer w/ ulcer and gastritis which I believe is caused by my bad gallbladder. I'm scared to get surgery and that it will make things worse. I plan on meeting with a surgeon soon to discuss.
lynda20916 rachel05155
Posted
Hi, Rachel,
I'm sorry that all this is happening to you. Your gallbladder is like a bad apple--it really can hurt the organs around it. xxx
bernwall rachel05155
Posted
Hi Rachel,
I had my gallbladder removed yesterday, I had been suffering with diarrhea of bile and greaase. (I have had my bowel removed and now have a J pouch, so I do go to the toilet normally but the pouch does not absorb much liquid so the acid was pretty much going straight though) Also indegestion and dreadfull gas when eating. I had an ultrasound and it showed a lot of sludge but when it was removed there were also about 50 - 70 small stones, the ultrasound does not always show the extent of what is going on.
Although I am only one day post op, I have to agree with Eric and Lynda, if you are symptomatc and have been told it needs to go, then it does, it will not get better on it's own.
I had my surgery yesterday afternoon and was home by 8.30pm, no pain but a bit of discomfort. The morpine they gave me in theatre wore off so I took tramadol at 11.30pm and slept fine. I feel very good this morning and have not needed pain relief yet. I have been to the loo and no bile or yellow grease and no indegestion or much gas...which is surprising as the put gas in when they operate...so far so good!
Most people are absolutely fine after gallbladder surgery, but you won't hear from many on these forums as it tends to be people with problems looking for help.
I am going to post next week on how I am getting on so that others facing surgery can see how it went for me.
I started using Lanzoprazole and that helped a lot with the indegestion and gas, maybe ask your doctor for some if you are suffering with this.
Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.
Bernie
rachel05155 bernwall
Posted
Thank you for sharing your experience Bernie. I'm glad you're on the mend. I've been suffering for two years. I meet with a surgeon Monday. I just hope this is the answer and I can finally eat food again. Best of luck to you.
bernwall rachel05155
Posted