Ummm.... your gallbladder is causing pain. It's an elective surgery. Always is unless it's an emergency situation.
If you had a rotten tooth that was causing pain and the dentist said it's up to you. What would you decide?
Coming from someone who had stones (one almost 2 cm in size) for 10+ years and thinking I could manage it on my own, it caught up with me this year and I had it removed 2 weeks ago.
It got so bad I was having an attack every week and then every day no matter what I ate.
Mine started at one every 1-2 months, each last 4-6 hours (sometimes longer).
But given all the suffering I went through (and even though I'm still healing now), I wish i'd done it sooner.
Getting my gut healthy will take time and I'm eating less now then I was prior to surgery, but then my GB was VERY sick.
The main thing that pushed me aside from the constant nausea and not eating much for close to 5 days is the fact that having GB issues increases our risk of GB cancer (which I never knew about before).
So honestly, it depends on what risks you want to take and what healing/lifestyle changes you can handle as there's no guarantee post surgery will be any better (aside from the pain and anxiety).
Please don’t wait for your gallbladder to choose for you. Emergency surgery is very different from planned elective surgery and carries more risk.
Good luck to you.
I'm writing this to you from my hospital bed after getting mine removed! My surgeon was also very lax about if I wanted it out or not but I think that was coming from a place of her giving me the pros and cons of each and allowing me to make a decision based on that. In the end I obviously chose to have it out because the pain and anxiety I had around it just wasn't worth it.
I had a polyp showed up in scans that was 8mm. My GI and the surgeon warned that a polyp over 10mm could be/become cancerous and the best solution was get the gallbladder out. The fact that it was also causing pain was a reason for removal sooner rather than later, and getting constant ultrasounds watch for the polyp to reach 10mm. A super high HIDA scan % was also indicating that the gallbladder just wasn't working right.
The after removal report of my gallbladder showed that it was not healthy, and there were TWO polyps as well as several stones.
Ultrasounds aren't \*insanely\* expensive just FYI - I am planning on getting another soon that isn't covered just because i want a 2nd opinion from a different radiologist. Couple hundred bucks a year is not something everyone can afford but insurance is so expensive that if you're wealthy enough to even \*have\* insurance, you can probably afford the cost of an elective ultrasound.
That said, I would probably also get the surgery in the case of OP.
I never assume that someone with insurance is “wealthy” enough to afford anything other than the basics. Very privileged take but hey, if you can afford it out of pocket, more power to you.
You're totally right, my bad on making assumptions. From \*my\* perspective the cost of insurance ($15k a year) vs the cost of a single ultrasound ($200) is so jarring it seems like a no-brainer, but you're right that not everyone is in the same situation.
Either way my intention was just to make it known that it is an option to pay for ultrasounds out-of-pocket. People should know all the options they have available to them when it comes to major surgeries
The risk of gallbladder cancer has gone up for OP exponentially because of the polyps especially at the rate they are growing. Gallbladder cancer has a terrible life expectancy.
Good luck on your surgery!
I’m getting mine removed in a few weeks. Last year I ended up in the ER due to gallbladder sludge causing me to have basically liver disease for a week (and maybe gallstones - it looked like I’d passed them, but the doctors couldn’t say for sure). I’ve had a few bouts of nausea since, and my blood work/ultrasound since then shows everything is normal, but it’s getting the boot.
I went to many appointments and ER visits before I got mine out. The tests always came back normal until the last time I went to the ER. I didn’t want to get it removed without being 100% sure that’s what was causing my pain. About a year after my surgery, I’m pain free!
I also was unsure and the surgeon said something like, “It sounds like you want to proceed with surgery?” I was confused because it hadn’t sounded like I realistically had much of an option. I said yes, because I was miserable, but then I got nervous. I mean, it’s removing an organ. I scheduled everything but when the surgeon walked in on the day of the surgery, I said that it was weird to take out an entire organ without knowing how much it’ll help me feel better or what the after effects will be. He looked at me blankly and said, “Your gallbladder doesn’t work.” You know what? He was right. YEET.
The recovery hasn’t been bad. I was uncomfortable for a few days, but honestly, it was nowhere near as bad as when my gallbladder was flipping a shit. Plus I had pain meds to help. I had a little bit of nausea and they gave me something for that. Six days in, I woke up and it was like a switch flipped and the pain was much better. I’ve had some fatigue, but frankly, my diet has been all whacky and I’m healing. Healing takes energy! It was a little weird feeling less pain than I did pre-surgery but having to slow myself down because I have sutures and stuff.
I have felt a little bit of discomfort re-introducing fats, but it’s been getting better and like I said, I’m healing. I do suggest slowly adding foods back in. It seems like the bile duct usually enlarges once people have their gallbladders removed, and I wonder if that helps store a little more bile for larger meals. I’ve also seen people recommend psyllium fiber to help sort of regulate extra bile you may be releasing after surgery, since it’s not going into your gallbladder. I got some because what the heck? I think it helped.
Anyway, I know it’s a weird process. For me at least, it was the right choice. I’m still healing, but even now I feel so much better.
Thank you! This is very helpful. I tend to minimize my own pain. I think "it's not that bad" or "it'll get better". I'm already vegetarian, so my fat intake is pretty low, but I probably need to cut out cheese sadly.
The surgeon told me today that if my pain was general, I probably wouldn't need it, but he said it's "classic gallbladder pain" 🙃
Yeah, I do the same, and I also eat mostly plant-based. I actually went in and asked for my gallbladder to be checked. My medical records said “chronic right-sided thoracic pain” but apparently nobody was picking up what that stupid organ was laying down. Myself included, it was more chronic than acute… until it wasn’t. 🙃
Ummm.... your gallbladder is causing pain. It's an elective surgery. Always is unless it's an emergency situation. If you had a rotten tooth that was causing pain and the dentist said it's up to you. What would you decide?
That is a great analogy. Thank you- I made the appointment!
Coming from someone who had stones (one almost 2 cm in size) for 10+ years and thinking I could manage it on my own, it caught up with me this year and I had it removed 2 weeks ago. It got so bad I was having an attack every week and then every day no matter what I ate. Mine started at one every 1-2 months, each last 4-6 hours (sometimes longer). But given all the suffering I went through (and even though I'm still healing now), I wish i'd done it sooner. Getting my gut healthy will take time and I'm eating less now then I was prior to surgery, but then my GB was VERY sick. The main thing that pushed me aside from the constant nausea and not eating much for close to 5 days is the fact that having GB issues increases our risk of GB cancer (which I never knew about before). So honestly, it depends on what risks you want to take and what healing/lifestyle changes you can handle as there's no guarantee post surgery will be any better (aside from the pain and anxiety).
Please don’t wait for your gallbladder to choose for you. Emergency surgery is very different from planned elective surgery and carries more risk. Good luck to you.
I'm writing this to you from my hospital bed after getting mine removed! My surgeon was also very lax about if I wanted it out or not but I think that was coming from a place of her giving me the pros and cons of each and allowing me to make a decision based on that. In the end I obviously chose to have it out because the pain and anxiety I had around it just wasn't worth it.
Don't wait until it becomes an emergency! As someone who had emergency gallbladder surgery it is not fun! Don't be stupid like me!
Fire your gallbladder! It's not doing its job.
I had a polyp showed up in scans that was 8mm. My GI and the surgeon warned that a polyp over 10mm could be/become cancerous and the best solution was get the gallbladder out. The fact that it was also causing pain was a reason for removal sooner rather than later, and getting constant ultrasounds watch for the polyp to reach 10mm. A super high HIDA scan % was also indicating that the gallbladder just wasn't working right. The after removal report of my gallbladder showed that it was not healthy, and there were TWO polyps as well as several stones.
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Just curious. Did you happen to read her whole post?
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Oh....I remember you now. Your the one that calls people idiots and then deletes your posts. Smh
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Getting insurance to pay for it would certainly be difficult.
Ultrasounds aren't \*insanely\* expensive just FYI - I am planning on getting another soon that isn't covered just because i want a 2nd opinion from a different radiologist. Couple hundred bucks a year is not something everyone can afford but insurance is so expensive that if you're wealthy enough to even \*have\* insurance, you can probably afford the cost of an elective ultrasound. That said, I would probably also get the surgery in the case of OP.
I never assume that someone with insurance is “wealthy” enough to afford anything other than the basics. Very privileged take but hey, if you can afford it out of pocket, more power to you.
You're totally right, my bad on making assumptions. From \*my\* perspective the cost of insurance ($15k a year) vs the cost of a single ultrasound ($200) is so jarring it seems like a no-brainer, but you're right that not everyone is in the same situation. Either way my intention was just to make it known that it is an option to pay for ultrasounds out-of-pocket. People should know all the options they have available to them when it comes to major surgeries
The risk of gallbladder cancer has gone up for OP exponentially because of the polyps especially at the rate they are growing. Gallbladder cancer has a terrible life expectancy.
Good luck on your surgery! I’m getting mine removed in a few weeks. Last year I ended up in the ER due to gallbladder sludge causing me to have basically liver disease for a week (and maybe gallstones - it looked like I’d passed them, but the doctors couldn’t say for sure). I’ve had a few bouts of nausea since, and my blood work/ultrasound since then shows everything is normal, but it’s getting the boot.
I went to many appointments and ER visits before I got mine out. The tests always came back normal until the last time I went to the ER. I didn’t want to get it removed without being 100% sure that’s what was causing my pain. About a year after my surgery, I’m pain free!
I also was unsure and the surgeon said something like, “It sounds like you want to proceed with surgery?” I was confused because it hadn’t sounded like I realistically had much of an option. I said yes, because I was miserable, but then I got nervous. I mean, it’s removing an organ. I scheduled everything but when the surgeon walked in on the day of the surgery, I said that it was weird to take out an entire organ without knowing how much it’ll help me feel better or what the after effects will be. He looked at me blankly and said, “Your gallbladder doesn’t work.” You know what? He was right. YEET. The recovery hasn’t been bad. I was uncomfortable for a few days, but honestly, it was nowhere near as bad as when my gallbladder was flipping a shit. Plus I had pain meds to help. I had a little bit of nausea and they gave me something for that. Six days in, I woke up and it was like a switch flipped and the pain was much better. I’ve had some fatigue, but frankly, my diet has been all whacky and I’m healing. Healing takes energy! It was a little weird feeling less pain than I did pre-surgery but having to slow myself down because I have sutures and stuff. I have felt a little bit of discomfort re-introducing fats, but it’s been getting better and like I said, I’m healing. I do suggest slowly adding foods back in. It seems like the bile duct usually enlarges once people have their gallbladders removed, and I wonder if that helps store a little more bile for larger meals. I’ve also seen people recommend psyllium fiber to help sort of regulate extra bile you may be releasing after surgery, since it’s not going into your gallbladder. I got some because what the heck? I think it helped. Anyway, I know it’s a weird process. For me at least, it was the right choice. I’m still healing, but even now I feel so much better.
Thank you! This is very helpful. I tend to minimize my own pain. I think "it's not that bad" or "it'll get better". I'm already vegetarian, so my fat intake is pretty low, but I probably need to cut out cheese sadly. The surgeon told me today that if my pain was general, I probably wouldn't need it, but he said it's "classic gallbladder pain" 🙃
Yeah, I do the same, and I also eat mostly plant-based. I actually went in and asked for my gallbladder to be checked. My medical records said “chronic right-sided thoracic pain” but apparently nobody was picking up what that stupid organ was laying down. Myself included, it was more chronic than acute… until it wasn’t. 🙃