Gallbladder surgery next week (1 yr post op)

Hello,
I had a TAH RSO January 31 2003. Prior to the surgery I had an ultrasound which revealed gallstones. My GP thought I should have my gallbladder removed with my hysterectomy, but my gyn. wouldn't do it.

I started having symptoms of something almost immediately after surgery. It started with pain above my belly button. Sometimes the pain would shoot up into my chest. That was a bit scary. Sometimes the pain would shoot into my right shoulder. It started hurting after meals. Now the pain is a few inches below my sternum down to my belly button and below by right ribs. It is really sore, hurts after I eat and I get sharp pains. I switched to a new GP following surgery (due to insurance). I told the new GP that I have gallstones and thought that was what was causing the pain. He said if it were gallstones I couldn't handle the pain. He put me on Prevacid for a possible ulcer. That helped very little. So I have been dealing with the pain with left over meds from my hyst. I know I shouldn't have, but it has been painful. Finally, in December I went to see my GP the umpteenth time and he sent me in for a CT scan. The GPs office called and said I had gallstones. I said "DUH! Didn't I already say this?" So they sent me to a GS. I went to see him yesterday. I have multiple gallstones and an abdominal infection. He scheduled my surgery for January 29 and put me on anti-biotics. I am feeling better already.

What I am having trouble with is my anger. I am soooo angry that this doctor wouldn't listen to me. I couldn't go to another because I have HMO insurance and he was my doctor for the year. I am angry because I feel like I should have been feeling pretty good this past year, but instead I've been miserable. My hysterectomy went fine. It has been this upper abdominal pain. I have not been able to do much and I'm so angry that I haven't been able to do many activities with my 4 year old son this past year. This is time I can't get back.

I am sorry this is so long and negative, just feeling a bit upset today. As I told my husband yesterday, I am tired of being "sick woman" I want to be Melody again.

I'd appreciate hearing from any sisters who've had their gallbladder removed and felt better afterwards. I need some hope that this will get better.

Thanks,

Melody

Hi Melody

I had my gallbladder out 19 years ago when I was 21. The surgery is much different now. Back then the cut you wide open....I have the battle scar from that one.

I remember that pain....I remember how cruddy I always felt. I had 2 small daughters at the time.... 2 1/2 and 10 months. They are 22 and 20 now!!

My Dr at the time put me on Mylanta for relief... none of the antacids did any good. I was told that millions of people live with gallstones and never have a problem with it.

A Doctor put me on Codine/Tylenol for pain... but it didnt work either. I went through a long time with dealing with pain and these severe attacks with the belief that I was going to be just fine.

One October friday afternoon... I had the attack of all attacks. I went into complete shock. I couldnt move a muscle for hours. It took every bit of strength I had to ask my brother to call me an ambulance. .. My brother ended up driving me to a hospital but they wouldnt accept my insurance.. so my dad took me to another hospital. Turns out my gallbladder was gangrene and I had infections on every other vital organ. My surgeon told me that with my blood count that I shouldnt have even survived. I was definately being watched out for!

Dont let the Drs play with your body like that. Insist that you get the treatment you deserve. I am sorry they made you wait as long as they have. I know you have suffered ...

You will feel so much better without that gallbladder... I know I felt SO much better once it was gone. You wont get those painful attacks anymore... and the soreness that comes with them.

I know you feel like you have been robbed of a year... but try to look at it now, as gaining the rest of your life!

Take care and keep us posted

Hi I had my gallbladder removed in 1992 by laprascope. The pain was excruciating before I had it moved. If youare going to have it removed by laprascope it will be a walk in the park for you compared to hysterectomy.

Hope all goes well.

Hugs Jane

Hi there! I had my hyst about 7 weeks ago. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was told I had gallstones. They never bothered me, but all of a sudden I started having these pains in my upper right side. I was hospitalized 3 times and they never could find anything wrong. I was put through many tests and never did they say it might be my gallbladder. When my endometriosis started to get worse, those pains also started getting worse and finally I went to my Dr. and told him that I thought it could be my gallbladder, he was going to put me on pain medication and diet changes and I insisted I needed to be checked out in the hospital. So he admitted me and the next day he took out my gallbladder.

I had three tiny incisions(smaller than my hyst) and the recovery time was way better than the hyst also. I felt better in about two weeks. This really is a simple surgery compared to what you have been through. I had that in April and then my hyst in December so that really wasn't a good year for me, but now all that pain is gone and I have my life back again.

I wish you all the luck in the world and remember to keep your chin up, it does get better!!!!!

Sorry you received bad medical advice....4 of my sisters and 3 of my nieces have had to have gall bladders removed.....all said it made a huge difference in their lives....no pain and more energy...the only bad thing they say is that when u feel the urge to go to the bathroom u better go...so go get pain free finally and enjoy your child and yourself again.

I had my gallbladder removed at the same time as my TAH (December 4, 2003) and I can honestly tell you that I feel SO much better without my gallbladder! I can actually eat without feeling sick. It makes a big difference when that pain , bloating and nausea is gone. My gallstones were as big as golf balls, the doctor told me.....I am SO glad that nasty thing is gone! I also had what they called a "thickened" gallbladder ...they tried to take it by laproscopy but the gallstones were too big so they had to use the vertical incision. I believe my doctors "shared" the incision when they did the TAH, because it all happened in the same surgery.

You will be glad your gallbladder is gone and will feel like a different person!

Good luck and take care.

Many hugs,
Kathy

Thank you so much everyone for your comments. It really helps me feel more at ease to know that others have went through this and have come out the other side of it feeling well. I learned that I will be going in Thursday the 29th at 3 pm. It will be done laprascopically. The doctor said at my appointment on Wednesday that I should be able to go home the same day. I wonder now if I will with the surgery being in the afternoon. I certainly hope so. I had my c-section in 1999 and my hyst. in 2003 at this hospital and I did not have good experiences. I begged the doctor to go home after 2 nights following my TAH. What I am looking into now is anti-nausea medication. I woke up from my hyst. retching horribly. I don't want to repeat that experience. Is there any meds I should be asking for that can be given to me during surgery? I've heard Phenegan. Does that work well? If I can have anti-nausea meds I won't be dreading this as much.

Thank you again, Stacy, Jane, Jen, Sue and Kathy ! You've helped so much.

Melody

Hi Melody,

It looks like you are planning to have minimally invasive surgery and that is the way to go, in my book, if at all possible. I had my gall bladder removed laporoscopically several years ago. ( I had some complications, but that was because I went in as an emergency and had to settle for whatever surgeon was available.) You are doing things in the right way, by researching and then using the least invasive surgical approach. Most people seem to have a rapid and smooth recovery from this procedure. We are sending healing wishes to you.
Tedi

Melody:

In the nausea department, ask about Zofran; I hear that it's miraculous in the nausea department.

I also ask, usually, that I not get Demerol prior to surgery as my "relaxation" drug, nor morphine afterward; both of these lead to instant ing -- utterly miserable that first night after my TAH! Sometimes, rather than using the pump, a slow IV infusion of low-dose pain meds can do the trick without the nausea and vomiting. Toradol (a potent anti-inflammatory) is also a great drug for many without the nausea that opiates can cause.

Hope it all goes well! I can truly relate to the anger of not being listened to; I just had a doctors' visit this week where I was essentially "blown off" -- even though the specialist knew I was married to someone in the same specialty! Now I have to start all over again, paying the co-pays and doing even more testing, in order to prove that my lung problems aren't just "allergic asthma" but an inflammatory process from auto-immune disorder (which is what my previous tests seem to indicate). He just told me to "learn to live with" the constant shortness of breath and constant impairment of my lifestyle (singing, exercising are all difficult these days). I don't find that acceptable -- and I'm glad you kept insisting until you got the care that you need!

Big s -- and good luck next week!

Audrey

it must feel good to know that at last you have been listened to, it's maddening when doctors refuse to believe we may actually know our own bodies quite well!

Regarding your nausea worries, I can relate to that, one good thing is that your op is probably much shorter than your hyst so you won't have as much anaesthetics in your system.

There is a very interesting ( and VERY long) thread about pain meds, I think it's in the pre or post op forum and there are lots of experiences from surgeries and many are from princesses having repeat surgeries who have been able to benefit from previous experience.

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...0&goto=newpost
posted by Belleanna2, it's starts off about pain medication but has 4 pages of other threads relating to nausea experiences. You may have seen it already, and I just checked, it's in the post-op forum.

Sorry I don't know how to post a link yet. Hope your surgery goes well and you will soon very having a healthy, happy new year, just a bit delayed! Linda