Gallbladder Attack

So on Saturday as I was running some errands I experienced the most horrible horrible pain ever....radiating from my back around to my front...I thought I was literally having a heart attack.  Not so...apparently I was having a classic gall bladder attack...eeek

I know as an RNY patient it is possible to have gallbladder issues after surgery...but double whammy for me ...they run in my family...my dad has gallbladder attacks and may have to get his removed...so I will be seeing the doc this week to discuss options, treatments, etc...

Has anyone else had to deal with gallbladder attacks after surgery? If so what did you do? What are some of the treatments? How did you deal?? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!
Laura

 

So sorry you are going through that! Was this your first one?

What they'll do is some testing, gallbladder ultrasound and some test with a big long name where they inject something into you and take pics of the gall bladder every few minutes for a while. Both are painless (unless the 2nd test gives you an attack which it did for me). So September 22, 2008 I had mine removed. They say once it radiates around it's time to come out...

GOod luck!

Liz

It was my first attack and it was a doozie...and omg....EEK to the testing process!  ....No just kidding...but thank you for the info...I think I would rather have it removed than to deal with that gut wrenching pain ever again!!! I am not looking forward to it though...but thank you for the info....

Gallbladder attacks are painful painful painful.  I don't know this from experience per say....but have seen it in the ER to many times.  And yes, definately sounds like a "classic" attack.

Things to prevent them until further testing:  The lowest possible fat diet ever.  BIG culprits in causing attacks:  Cheese (any type...), meats such as beef, hot dogs, etc.

The hyda scan is the test Liz was referring to.  I actually had one done because back in July of 08 when my obstruction "spontaneously resolved" they thought that it might not have been an obstruction at all and a gallbladder attack that wasn't caught on ultrasound.  The worst part about the testing is that it can take quite some time to do.  They inject you with a dye, take some pics, and then make you wait about an hour or so before proceding.  They then inject you with another dye and take more pics.  I think mine was a total of a few hours.  Not the funnest way to spend a morning, but hey, it works.

Good luck!  Take it easy on the gallbladder/pouch for the next day or so....

It's been a very long time since I had my last big gallbladder attack but honestly I remember it more than labor pains!! It was on a New Year's eve and I was at my parents house - had a beer, some chips and nuts and WHAM it hit me and had me up all night rocking in pain. I had NO idea what it was at that time and ended up breaking out in some ridiculous rash on half of my face - the ER doctors were more interested in that than the pain! But I had been having attacks since I was about 13 or 14 - the doctors told my mother they were growing pains, but when they finally realized I had a bad one the doctor said I was probably born with it and it just got progressively worse as I aged.

Anyway, more info than you needed (or wanted, I'm sure!!) but listen to Nurse Pam - stick to a bland diet until you can get the tests and get it out - anything greasy or fatty or rich will probably set off another attack.

Take care and keep us posted on how its going...you're in my thoughts.

I had mine out about 8-9 months after wls.  Once it started, I'm afraid it just got worse till I had it out.  It was bad at the time of my gastric bypass, but I was so obese and diabetic and my insides were such a mess that my surgeon felt it best if he just do what he had to do and get the heck out of there, so we knew it was coming.

Good luck with that.

Lisa

I have had three children AND my gall bladder removed - I have to say - that at least with childbirth, the pains subsided and at the end of the pain, there was a beautiful baby in it for me!  Gall Bladder pains are no joke!  I had mine out LONG before I had WLS.  However, I had just lost about 75 pounds and also thought I was having a heart attack.  Get it out as soon as possible.  The recovery from the surgery was not bad as I remember, it was 16 years ago for me already.  Wow - I still remember the attacks.  Does that mean anything?  I can't remember my name half the time, but the three attacks I had will stay with me forever!  Good luck!  It sucks!!!!!!  Get good pain meds!!!!

about a year or so after my son was born I started getting them  MOST PAINFUL THING EVER.  Had mine out before WLS so could not tell you any information.  GL with getting that resolved

Hopefully they will find a bunch of stones clogging it all up and they will take it out as quick as possible.  I was diagnosed just like Kathy when I was 13.  They told me, though, that I was too young to have it out.  Finally after years of torture, when I was in my very early 20s they took it out.  I had so many stones, they were just amazed.  I remember when I was working in Wilmington, DE, and I was on 95 almost to the office and I was keeled over at the wheel in pain!!!  Of all places to have an attack.  By the time I got to the office and was there for about 10 mintues, the pain subsided like I had never even had pain.  I remember those attacks like it was yesterday, just absolutely excruciating pain.  I just kept rocking back and forth trying to make them go away.  It was the worst pain I ever felt. 

So tell them to GET RID of it!!!!  Good luck!!!

****HIJACK****

Not sure how long you have had it, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE your new avie