(xpost) gallbladder ultrasound, might need MRI and other tests

If you've deal with the gallbladder stuff, please let me know of your experiences in getting it diagnosed. Did you have to have an ultrasound but then need more tests? How did you feel once it was taken out? Anything you can tell me about your experiences is greatly appreciated.

  I'm 8 months out and last week when I told my surgeon I was having a loss of appetite, and some pain in my back under the ribs, he ordered some blood tests and an ultrasound of my gallbladder.

The ultrasound was done in my internists office and his office told me the results over the phone today as I was checking in with them to make sure they were forwarding the report to my surgeon.

The report said it could be gallstones or a polyp, they aren't sure. My internist wants me to have an MRI of gallbladder and liver. I will see what my surgeon wants me to do as I will see him Wednesday. Also, my surgeon ordered blood tests so hopefully those results along with the ultrasound report will indicate what's going on.

If it IS my gallbladder, I'd just assume have it taken care of (i.e. removed) pronto.  My step-sister is having her shower in April and wedding in June and I would hate to get a "let's wait and see" from my surgeon and a script for Actigall, only to have it not work and then need my gallbladder out right before the shower or the wedding. Especially since my family is back East and I'm on the west coast. (An immediate family member would probably want to come out here for my surgery and I'd like that to NOT be right before the shower/wedding if at all possible. I don't want  my health to take the focus off of her wedding if at all possible.)

They usually like to yank them out and only do medicine if you insist. I think I had to wait 6 weeks for a surgery date though.

I had mine done in the dark ages and open. It's supposed to be a relatively easy op these days as they do them lap.

I had problems for a year, (stupid doctor) and when they did take it out, I felt great.  Easy surgery, and it didn't take long for me to get back on my feet.  My girlfriend was at work within 2 weeks without an issue, I had a crappy surgeon too and he caught something with a stitch, so I actually had 2 belly buttons.  When the one released, it just popped one day, that was the end of the pain.  It's a realtively easy surgery, a lot less problems that with WL surgery.

Good luck, Diane

Diane, can I ask you what symptoms you had? Was the prep for surgery easier than the prep for WLS? (I'm hoping that since I've already lost a lot of weight I don't have to go on a liquid diet for several days!)

Do you recall if you had to do a bowel prep? (Having to do that when one has already had RNY sounds like it could be pretty hard since that Fleets Phospho Soda stuff is fizzy).

Post-op were you able to eat normally w/in a few days after surgery?

It first started with my right side not feeling like my left side.  It felt fuller, like there was something wrong with it, my liver was also enlarged too, that was from being fat.  I had vomiting, and the other end stuff too off and on.  I didn't know what it was, so I didn't know to stay away from fatty foods which seemed to bring on an attack.  I had a really really bad painful attack in Vegas one night, then my DH went to the doctor with me and yelled at the doc and said, this girl is SICK!  They did an ultrasound and out it came.  It was in 99 so I don't remember any prep, I think it was a matter of soft foods before surgery and then nothing after midnight, but I can't be sure.  I just remember feeling so much better after surgery and that feeling that I had in my side, was GONE!  Keep me posted even if you PM me.

Good luck, Diane

I had my gallbladder removed 4 months after WLS.  They knew I had stones and sludge but opted for me to loose 100 pounds and come back in 4 months due to complication rates.

I didn't have much pain, except the weekend before gallbladder surgery was scheduled. We were eating dinner and it suddenly felt as though someone had stuck a knife in my side. I was very careful what I ate after that.

It was a super easy surgery, no prep at all other than the typical no eating after midnight. I went in at 6AM and was home the same day by 2PM. The day after surgery I baked 8 pumpkin pies from scratch for Thanksgiving. I was off two weeks but played around the entire time. A tiny bit sore but nothing like WLS.   Best wishes to you!

No prep, no liquid diet.WHen I had mine it was also in the dark ages and I was 20 years old. The didit open back then and I was in the hospital for 8 days. My gall bladder ruptures as the surgeon was lefting it out of me.It was the size of a pear with 3 large stone the size of big marbles. It was an emergency surgery. I went from ER to OR in less than 4 hours. The pain was from under my right breast and ran to the middle of my back. Good luck I hope the take care of it soon.

HUGS
JOY

Thanks everyone.

Saw my surgeon this afternoon -- my GB is coming out two weeks from tomorrow.

Call me crazy but I was kinda like "Can't you just put your first down my throat and take it out now, while I'm here?!"

Yeah, I kinda want it out before it starts causing me more troubles. The lack of appetite and soreness has been annoying, but I can't say I'm in PAIN. I just hope that it won't get worse in the two weeks while I'm waiting.

Good for you, and just color me mildly relieved. Still, I would be most interested in learning what your mother, a Radiologist, had to say after receiving your imaging, and submitted evaluations and reports ONLY if you care to share? 

Talk about being nosey**Smirk** 

Rock

I'll give it due consideration!

Meanwhile, I've also talked to my dad, who is an anesthesiologist. Granted, this is not his area of expertise and he is the first one to remind me of that. But I did ask him (since he works w/surgeons constantly in the OR) if he thought a surgeon could be that cavalier about taking out a gallbladder.  I mean, I know that this is the stereotype, but I wanted an opinion from someone who sees what's going on from the inside.

Well, my dad said "yes", that it's another opportunity to cure by cutting.
And I said "so, to someone with a hammer, everything looks like a nail, right?"
"Yes" he said.

He's not saying my surgeon is doing this by any means, though. (In fact, he is the one who helped me investigate and eventually choose this particular WLS surgeon, by  talking with the anesthesiologist who does most of the bariatric cases at the hospital where I was having mine done.)

But he's really glad that I'm going to get the films and overnight them to my mom. After my mom sees them, she will probalby check w/a gastroenterologist colleague. And I will probably also have her email my dad (they're long-since divorced) her interpretation of my ultrasound so that he can also check w/a GI doc whom HE trusts.

I think that it will cover my bases. I just hope I'm not letting too many cooks into the kitchen!