[Doublej]

I have been having some pain that has been diagnosed by the GI doctor as gallbladder problems. Ultrasound says I have gallstones and sludge. The doctor says no biggie just have it taken out if it continues to be problematic. You don't need it. It's like your appendix.

I'd like to keep it. Plus from what I have found on the web it only seems to solve the problem 60% of the time. Anyone dealt with this successfully without having their gallbladder removed? If so what did you do?

[Big Red Machine]

Pm'd

[Philistine]

I had gallbladder issues misdiagnosed as acid reflux, by the time it was correctly diagnosed as being the gallbladder it was beyond fixing and had to be removed.  I had laparoscopic removal and the procedure was fine, cholecystectomy is alleged to be the most common surgical procedure in the US with few side effects.  I've had digestive issues post surgery and would recommend doing all you can to keep it, talking to a few people who've had removal I get the feeling that post surgery related issues are more common place than the medical profession cares to admit. 

I can't help with how to fix it, just wanted to reinforce the fact that you should do all you can to keep it at all costs and ignore what the medical profession is encouraging you to do - the gallbladder is needed, it regulates and stores bile.

Good luck.

[orthobiz]

If you are overweight you need to lose some pounds.

Paul

[Folsom]

Feel free to PM me.

The gallbladder gets fatty because of the liver. In fact you can have a low fat diet, and a fatty gallbladder. The issue is the liver can make all the fat it needs to bunk your gallbladder.

There's general liver detoxes that help, but more importantly being on a diet that will lower the load on the liver, keep everything regulated, etc, is best. Generally it means creating good gut flora, eating things that benefit you, and avoiding those that don't. The best way to take out HOARDS of guess work is to do this based on your epigenetic profile (very easy to do, actually). You can avoid diets that short term may be beneficial, and long term very detrimental - like Paleo or vegetarian - depending on who you are.

[Grit]

I had gallbladder issues misdiagnosed as acid reflux, by the time it was correctly diagnosed as being the gallbladder it was beyond fixing and had to be removed.  I had laparoscopic removal and the procedure was fine, cholecystectomy is alleged to be the most common surgical procedure in the US with few side effects.  I've had digestive issues post surgery and would recommend doing all you can to keep it, talking to a few people who've had removal I get the feeling that post surgery related issues are more common place than the medical profession cares to admit. 

I can't help with how to fix it, just wanted to reinforce the fact that you should do all you can to keep it at all costs and ignore what the medical profession is encouraging you to do - the gallbladder is needed, it regulates and stores bile.

Good luck.

I'll second that. My doctor told me that there would be NO difference in my digestive system without my gallbladder. Not true.
 
You will end up changing your diet to compensate anyway, so best to make dietary changes and keep it (if possible).

[Folsom]

My mother struggles with weight after her removal. Don't do it.

[chipperman]

You don't have time to correct it with diet but you can avoid surgery. Look up Andres Moritz and his treatment or stones. I personally met three people that did this and avoided surgery. There is more to this than they are telling you. And yes, you need your gallbladder. Diet issues can prevent it in the future but you have an immediate need for relief. You also have a liver full of stones. That can also be treated holistically.

[Tyson]

Cut out all sources of sugar, alcohol, and grains from your diet - they all aggravate the liver (and a whole lot else).  One nice side effect is you also lose weight effortlessly and your blood pressure will drop (if it's elevated).  I've seen this with at least a dozen people that I know personally.  Oh, and HBA1C drops too (measure of elevated insulin levels over the course of a month or so).  Simple, but very effective.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I am a physician and here is some friendly good Samaritan advice.  There are millions of people world wide that have had their GB removed and do just fine.  There are a few people that may have some problems.  The risk that you run with Gall stones and Sludge is gall stone pancreatitis, where a stone or sludge will get stuck in the common bile duct.  You will then end up with a type of endoscopy called and ERCP where they make an incision in the sphincter of oddi to try and allow the stone or sludge to pass, then you will have your GB removed laproscopically.  If they can't remove the stuck stone then you will end up with an old fashion open cholecystectomy with a very large incision in the right upper quadrant of your abdomen with a prolonged stay in the hospital instead of 24hrs with severe post op pain and 6 weeks off work.  The pain of Gall stone pancreatitis is much worse than biliary colic or what you would call a gall bladder attack.

Other complications are an infected GB called cholecystitis which is life threatening and can lead to gangrene of the gall bladder, septic shock and death.

Certainly you should look at all your options, consult your Dr and make an informed decision.  Get a surgical consult and talk with the surgeon.  IMHO it would be better to have your GB out with an elective procedure than as an emergency procedure.   I was an emergency medicine physician for 25 years and have taken care of many patients with gall stones, gall stone pancreatitis and cholecystitis and a few with gangrene and septic shock.

You do not need your GB to lead a normal life.  Any bad things you read about having you GB out are far out weighed by the millions of people that have had good outcomes.   But always remember, that perfect outcomes in medicine and surgery are not 100% guaranteed.

Good luck with what every you decide but consult your family physician and a surgeon to help make an informed decision.

[thunderbrick]

My dad had his removed 40 years ago.  No complications, no issues, no diet changes.  He never missed it.

[bladesmith]

Doublej,

You could keep it.

And have it removed.

Just have the doctor put it in a jar.   

 

[Folsom]

Most people can have it removed, true, but some people don't digest fats as well to start so it can be bad for them. The easiest way to know is if you have the A antigen in blood. If you do, it binds to IAP (intestinal alkaline phosphatase) which is responsible for breaking down fats before they cross the intestinal barrier.

Tyson's initial recommendation is good, but depending on who you are, you may need complex carbohydrates. Probably not wheat though...

Don't endanger yourself atm. But don't give up. Obviously forgo fats right now, some oatmeal might feel good, or oat bran.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Diet will not make the stones go away.  They will always be there waiting to cause problems.  There are millions of people walking around with gall stones and they don't know it.  We find them as incidental findings on Cat Scans, MRI's and plain Xrays when the stones are calcified.  The stones may never give them problems, but many will have some issues with them.

And special diets will not prevent an attack as you guys really don't understand what happens with a gall bladder attack.  In an attack, a gall stone gets stuck in the neck of the gall bladder or the bile duct as the gall bladder contracts in response to ingested food to secrete bile to help emulsify fats.  Then the colicy pain, nausea and vomiting starts.  The gall bladder will contract with just about any food.  Without the GB you still produce bile in the liver and it is constantly secreted instead of being stored in the GB.  Again, consider the millions of good outcomes with having your gall bladder removed.

Again, as I said before, do your research and then talk to your Gastroenterologist, Surgeon and Family physician about all your options.

[Folsom]

I guess the question is, how big are they?

People have been flushing out gallstones for a long time. It doesn't work on golf ball sized ones.

I'm not against surgery, but not for it unless you have to.

[boomshaka]

"You do not need your GB to lead a normal life."

You do if you ever need a liver transplant, but that may sound extreme at this point. For nausea take 1 or 2 (4MG) Ondansetron as needed. You need to be sure the pain is NOT from an infection of GB or you will be doing at least 3 days vacation in the hospital on IV antibiotics - Zosyn. Cheers!

[BobM]

Biggest problem I've heard from people who have had it removed is loose stool - all the time. Keep it if you can or you'll be crapping like a duck for the rest of your life.

[macrojack]

I was advised to limit myself to root juice made from carrot, beet and radish for a week. This will help to purge the sludge. Not sure how to deal with gallstones. I've been told that kidney stones can be broken up by ultrasound. Perhaps gallstones can also be overcome this way. Good luck.

You might benefit by consulting a qualified acupuncturist. I wish I could tell you how to determine who is the real thing.

Biggest issue lies in recognizing that something about your lifestyle has to change permanently because it has brought you this crisis. As a rule it proves to be something you really love. Perhaps cheese is the issue or fried foods or salad dressing. Dairy products may have to be forgotten. Ice cream is especially bad because of its fat, its sugar and its temperature. Beware of products advertised as low fat or non fat. They are bad for you.

If you have been scared sufficiently, a change of diet along the lines of what Tyson recommends would do you a world of good.

[david12]

 Another physician here, a family doctor in the UK. I have to agree that most people have no digestive consequences from a cholecystectomy. In fact I can't recall anyone making any complaints after the proceedure, about their digestion. There is no point removing sludge, small gallstones, the presence of stones means the Gallbladder is diseased and removing the stones does not resolve that. There was a brief vogue to smash them with ultrasound, it did'nt achieve anything, or break up the stones. Being overweight is a main contributor, but once you have the stones, losing weight won't get rid of them. I don't know of any dietary modification that makes any difference to a diseased gallbladder. Whilst waiting for removal, which we have to do for the NHS, for a much shorter time now, a fat fee diet will reduce biliary colic episodes.

  I personally don't refer people after one bout of colic, even with a positive ultrasound, you may never get another bout.

  What if you don't go for surgery? Well there are some significant complications:
     Cholangitis, or infection of the bile duct
      Cholecystitis or infection of the gallbladder, both unpleasant and potentially fatal
     Acute pancreatitis, more unpleasant still with at least a 5% mortality rate

  Laparoscopic Surgery is pretty safe and most cases can be done that way. I am not sure about the latest data, but a few years ago in Oxford, 5% needed an open cholecystectomy after starting with laparoscopy, because of technical reasons
     
  That is the current party line amongst UK surgeons.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Biggest problem I've heard from people who have had it removed is loose stool - all the time. Keep it if you can or you'll be crapping like a duck for the rest of your life.

This problem if it occurs usually resolves.  I have only come across 1 patient in my 28years in medicine that has had chronic loose stools-2-3 per day after a cholecystectomy.  Avoiding caffeine and fatty foods helps

And I agree with David.  With one GB attack, I would not recommend surgery unless you had other attacks. I see people all the time who get about 1 attack a year and do fine.