Gallstones- Is surgery really the answer?
Posted , 6 users are following.
I'm 48, female and have had gallstones for about 8 years. I've mostly been able to control symptoms over that time. Attacks generally were similar, happening very shortly after a fatty or rich dinner. I'd get increasing back pain that lasted for around 5-8 hours, at which point I'd vomit and get instant relief.
I also had one bizarre attack that came about 15 hours after a meal. It came on super strong, had me boiling, then freezing, and writhing and moaning with pain. It only lasted about 2 hours and I didn't vomit.
Fast forward to this past fortnight and I've been mostly uncomfortable/in pain after one particular meal. I've vomited once, had diarrhea after most meals and have not eaten much. I've lost 3-4 kilos in 10 days.
In October 2016 I had an ultrasound which showed a 6cm stone. Ever since then I've been on a waiting list to see a surgeon. I'm having bloods done and a repeat ultrasound in the next few days.
Can a stone this big be removed through key hole surgery? I'm not keen on surgery as I hear so many stories of people still having trouble afterwards, but I also have fears of it rupturing, causing ongoing problems, cancer, bile duct blockage etc
Thoughts please?
0 likes, 17 replies
kim27235
Posted
Just an update. I had bloods done and a repeat ultrasound. Ultrasound in October 2016 showed a 6cm stone and somewhat contracted gallbladder. Yesterday it showed a 3.8cm stone with no other issues. Bloods showed elevated SE-C reactive protien of 13 - range is <5 - which is a marker for inflamation (it was 14 back in November.), slightly elevated platelets of 462 - range is 150-450 - which could be due to many things, and I do have a few other conditions, slightly elevated creatine of 86 - range is 45-85 - which indicates impaired kidney function and a slightly elevated ALP of 106 - range is 20-105 - which indicates gallstone or a liver issue.
My doctor gave me no joy, despite me crying in his office. He didn't even try to get me bumped up the list or suggest anything helpful. I'm going to try ringing around to get an appointment on my own, then going to a different doctor for a referral and seeing what their opinion is. I also have a script for stronger pain killers and anti-nausea meds if need be. Surprisingly I got some very minor relief with antacids, but have called in sick to work today, and only got about 4 hours sleep.
Any further thoughts for me?