I'm having gall bladder removed on the 28th Oct

my story is very simular to yours i had become unwell and went yellow due to a blockage caused by a gall stone - emegancy addmission i was rang the following morning, after having bloods taken by my gp, by the consaultants secretary to be told i had to be addmitted and the consaultant was waiting for me to arrive. i had 3 lots of ERCP and stent insertion. the told me the only reason i was not in any pain was because the stone was blocking a nerve and this was stopping the pain messages getting through. i was kept in for 6 days mostly nill by mouth and monitered and treated for very poor liver function. i was schedualled for a lap choly - but the date was eventually brought forward 2 weeks due to a cancelation by another patient. on the day the consaultant had to convert to an open op as my gall bladder had become gangrenous and i had chronc absesses and peritonitis. my consaultant told me it was a good job that i had been given a cancelation as he felt i was days away from fighting for my life in ITU.

please go ahead with the operation - with the problems you have already had its not worth risking not having the op. my recovery took time and i have never looked back. without the treatment i recieved i would not be here today.

all the best for your op. dont worry- the descision to perform an open proceedure is not taken lightly and this type of op has only been schedualed as open for your own safety. look after yourself and try not to worry (easier said than done i know). it will be for the best in the long run.

Hi Vixen thanks so much for your reply. I am going ahead with the op. You have had an awful experience. The ERCP were the worst for me. Dreading the next one. One thing I forgot to mention after the first ercp I have and still do the strangest feeling in my chest. It is as if something is dropping or clunking down. It is not painful just weird. I have mentioned it to consultant and gp and they have no idea what i'm talking about. It does get worse after eating. It feels like a baby kicking but in the wrong area. Nobody has mentioned this and I can't find any ref to it anywhere. Did you have this? How long ago did you have your op? Too many questions i know. I have never been ill before and still quite cant believe what a close call I had. I never knew gallstones were dangerous.

thanks

Suzy

i had my op just over 2 years ago! i had a bit of a problem with healing but this was due to my state of health at the time i went for surgery that was not fully regognised untill i was on the table and the circumstances surrounding the surgery - small cottage unit only set up for day surgery. the strange sensation you mention after ERCP i may have experienced after the third lot (the first one the stone could not be moved, the 2nd a stent was inserted but the stone was still blockinga nerve and i could not feel anything below a certain point) the last one after 6 weeks the stone and stent were removed the whole internal area felt empty and i felt food and gas shifting about in the space - maybe this is what you are experiencing as the area has been under a lot stress! any way this feeling lasted about a month, i was not worried about this as i had had no feeling in the area for a wile and colud go all day with out knowing i was hungry!!!

if its any help i was able to move house 3 months after surgery .. we did not have a removel company and shifted everything ourselves in a rented van, a bit uncomfortable the next day but generally ok.

dont worry about the op - afterwards listen to your body it will let you know if you are doing too much. take your time to recover. at least you know you are going fo an open proceedure - i went for day surgery and spent 6 days on a elderly rehab unit as that was the only bed once yje day unit closed!!!

how long is it since your last ERCP?

vixen

also forgot to say i was in pain after the 3rd ercp - however i had not felt pain in area due to the nerve being blocked off for 3 months (although the pain was apparently there) it finally went after the post op pain had gone . about a month post op i was quite numbe in the whole op site skin and muscle but this wore off after about 10 weeks, but everyone is different.

vix

Hi Vixen I had my last ercp on 26th Aug. I have had 2 so far horrible things. The first time I did not feel I was sedated then I started bleeding heavily it was awful, so I was terrifed when I had the second. Mind a different doctor did the second (my liver cons) and he was great. Kept me well sedated it was all a bit of blur. They were ready for the bleeding ect. Left the stent in as could not move the stones after trying balloon and basket. Kept me in again for a week. Strange thing is the consultant said that I will have to have another after the op to remove the stent. Dont know why they will not remove it during op, have you any idea? I wonder if my stones are on a nerve as well? I have only had severe pain twice and both after 2nd ercp. I dont know how people cope with that pain for hours at a time. (they gave me morphine both times). I wondered if the feeling I was getting in chest was bile dripping through. Pleased to hear you have had similar I thought I was going mad.

suzy

hi stone me - i hope by now you have had your op (and it was uneventful), and are on the way to recovering, please let us know how you are getting on. obviously when you are feeling up to it.

hope all went well and you will be feeling better soon.

take care

be sure to take it easy during your recovery - i hope you are being looked after!

i hope it was not too traumatic.

all the best vix!