Gall Bladder Issues?

[the_mask231]

Hello, I have been having digestion and stomach problems for a while. My doctor has ran a lot of tests and said that my gall bladder isn't functioning very well. He said that it will only get worse over time and recommended that I take it out ASAP.

I was wondering if anyone has had theirs removed and if their stomach issues improved or got worse. Any information, comments, questions, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I tried to keep my story short so if you want to know more details just ask.

 

[MrF884]

yup, had mine out. best decision ever. pain stopped, stomach problems went away. no more need for prilosec, i can eat fats just fine.

 

[the_mask231]

yup, had mine out. best decision ever. pain stopped, stomach problems went away. no more need for prilosec, i can eat fats just fine.

I've been doing a lot of research as well as talking to people in person that had their's removed and basically all of them said the same thing. I have a few questions if you don't mind answering them. What were your symptoms? Also, did you have the HIDA scan done? If so, what % did you have?

 

[QuietStorm]

If you have not looked into the paleo diet yet, do so.

We have gallbladders to even out the ph in our systems. if you remove it, you remove the body's ability to naturally balance this.

I had mine out when I was 16... no choice in the matter. I wish I could have said no. You can correct this problem with proper diet.

do yourself a favor and look into it before you do something you cant undo.

 

[Ashop]

If you have not looked into the paleo diet yet, do so.

We have gallbladders to even out the ph in our systems. if you remove it, you remove the body's ability to naturally balance this.

I had mine out when I was 16... no choice in the matter. I wish I could have said no. You can correct this problem with proper diet.

do yourself a favor and look into it before you do something you cant undo.

Definitely worth trying these methods before surgery. Proper diet can take care of a lot of our ailments.

 

[JMAC 21]

I'd be very cautious about having it removed, unless you have stones. If you have stones blocking it up, take it out! Otherwise, be careful. I have had gallbladder issues for several years. I had this sharp pain where it is and it felt severely inflamed. I was ready to cut it out myself. I had an ultrasound - no stones. Then a HIDA scan - super low ejection rate, I believe it was 30%. Ultimately, I went to a surgeon who said there was a 60% chance removing it would fix the problem. Later I went to a GI specialist who said it was probably more like 30-40% chance it would help. Nobody could tell me what was actually wrong with it. Well, I didn't have it removed. I started on antiinflammatories and that help tremendously, it took some time though (Aleve and Turmeric). It's been 2 years and I haven't had another problem, just an occasional aggrevation from it when I get really stressed out.

Bottom line, I wouldn't have it removed unless someone can tell you what is actually causing you the problem. I know it's your gallbladder, but what is wrong with it. It's a bigger deal than you think to have it removed. Many people are fine, but others (people that I know) have significant problems.

 

[MrF884]

I've been doing a lot of research as well as talking to people in person that had their's removed and basically all of them said the same thing. I have a few questions if you don't mind answering them. What were your symptoms? Also, did you have the HIDA scan done? If so, what % did you have?

Im not sure what you people are talking about who are saying seek proper diet and choose not to have it removed. There isnt an option if you have little function left because of sludge or stones. Yea, puking after every meal and workout for life sounds fun. and constantly beingin stomach pain sounds good too.

but to answer your question, yes i had a hida scan and had 18% function left.

also, the function of the gallbladder is primarly for bile production and storage, which is also done by the small intestines (sololy once the gb is removed)

 

[heavyhitter]

my stomach issues did not improve at all after having mine removed

 

[the_mask231]

If you have not looked into the paleo diet yet, do so.

We have gallbladders to even out the ph in our systems. if you remove it, you remove the body's ability to naturally balance this.

I had mine out when I was 16... no choice in the matter. I wish I could have said no. You can correct this problem with proper diet.

do yourself a favor and look into it before you do something you cant undo.

I have tried the paleo diet and didn't have much luck. The symptoms aren't as bad, but they are still bad enough to where it affects my life. What negative effects have you had from having yours out? 16 is a really young age to have it taken out.

Definitely worth trying these methods before surgery. Proper diet can take care of a lot of our ailments.

I agree. Diet is so important. I have tried switching up my diet plenty of times without much luck

I'd be very cautious about having it removed, unless you have stones. If you have stones blocking it up, take it out! Otherwise, be careful. I have had gallbladder issues for several years. I had this sharp pain where it is and it felt severely inflamed. I was ready to cut it out myself. I had an ultrasound - no stones. Then a HIDA scan - super low ejection rate, I believe it was 30%. Ultimately, I went to a surgeon who said there was a 60% chance removing it would fix the problem. Later I went to a GI specialist who said it was probably more like 30-40% chance it would help. Nobody could tell me what was actually wrong with it. Well, I didn't have it removed. I started on antiinflammatories and that help tremendously, it took some time though (Aleve and Turmeric). It's been 2 years and I haven't had another problem, just an occasional aggrevation from it when I get really stressed out.

Bottom line, I wouldn't have it removed unless someone can tell you what is actually causing you the problem. I know it's your gallbladder, but what is wrong with it. It's a bigger deal than you think to have it removed. Many people are fine, but others (people that I know) have significant problems.

Good points. I have heard of some people that had the surgery and didn't feel any better. However, for the most part, I have heard that they couldn't believe how much better they felt afterwards.

Im not sure what you people are talking about who are saying seek proper diet and choose not to have it removed. There isnt an option if you have little function left because of sludge or stones. Yea, puking after every meal and workout for life sounds fun. and constantly beingin stomach pain sounds good too.

but to answer your question, yes i had a hida scan and had 18% function left.

also, the function of the gallbladder is primarly for bile production and storage, which is also done by the small intestines (sololy once the gb is removed)

I didn't know that the small intestines could pick up the slack from the gall bladder once it is removed. That is very interesting. No one has ever told me that before, not even my doctor.

my stomach issues did not improve at all after having mine removed

That is unfortunate. My doctor did warn me about that. They said it might fix the problem and probably will, but there is a chance it won't. What were your symptoms? Did you have the HIDA scan?

 

[MR. BMJ]

Get it removed.

 

[saudades]

I'd be very cautious about having it removed, unless you have stones. If you have stones blocking it up, take it out! Otherwise, be careful. I have had gallbladder issues for several years. I had this sharp pain where it is and it felt severely inflamed. I was ready to cut it out myself. I had an ultrasound - no stones. Then a HIDA scan - super low ejection rate, I believe it was 30%. Ultimately, I went to a surgeon who said there was a 60% chance removing it would fix the problem. Later I went to a GI specialist who said it was probably more like 30-40% chance it would help. Nobody could tell me what was actually wrong with it. Well, I didn't have it removed. I started on antiinflammatories and that help tremendously, it took some time though (Aleve and Turmeric). It's been 2 years and I haven't had another problem, just an occasional aggrevation from it when I get really stressed out.

Bottom line, I wouldn't have it removed unless someone can tell you what is actually causing you the problem. I know it's your gallbladder, but what is wrong with it. It's a bigger deal than you think to have it removed. Many people are fine, but others (people that I know) have significant problems.

For general info—just quoting JMAC because he was similar to me..

You always want to get a second opinion before doing any surgery. For me, I have had stomach issues for years, nothing major at first, just a reduction in ability to tolerate certain things, especially fatty things, and constant heartburn. Over the course of probably about 10 years the symptoms I was experiencing gradually became worse—but no sharp pain. Only in the last year did I start to get a continual dull pain located where the gall bladder is which would intensify when I ate anything, and the more fatty the more it would ache, but still not any super sharp pain (I'm allergic to Aleve so even if I had the sharp pain, it wouldn't have mattered). I had blood tests done and I found out I had extremely high lipase, one of the pancreatic enzymes. Once my doc saw that, he had me go do the HIDA scan and ultrasound. Ultrasound showed no stones anywhere. The HIDA scan in their words was "inconclusive." This is an expensive and uncomfortable test, and they come back saying, "inconclusive?" I was pissed. At later doc appt, my doc told me that what had happened was that the gall bladder was being sporadic. It would contract somewhat then just sit there. I started to have really bad heartburn, and even Prilosec was not helping much. Had a case of vomiting, and this time some blood showed up. I went in for an endoscopy which showed Eosinophilic Esophagitis which is caused by an allergic reaction, and I was thinking, "what in the hell am I allergic to?" It had been so bad that I was bleeding from right under the valve to the stomach. Still, no one really related this to my gall bladder. My doc recommended we send the results from the HIDA scan to a specialist at another hospital to get his opinion. The specialist reviewed, and I went in to talk with him. I got the same spiel that it might fix the problem and it might not, but he recommended that I get it taken out. I chose to take it out just last June. For me, that was the right choice. The heartburn has stopped completely. I can't go overboard in eating greasy food, but I can tolerate it now. I FEEL so much better as well. My lipase values have come way, way down. It is still over the high limit but not by much. Once your GB is out, they say you either get the runs constantly or you're constipated more. I got the latter which I'll take over the other condition any day.

My own theory is that because my gall bladder stopped working correctly, I was unable to digest fats properly, and my body started to react to the raw fats as an allergen. My pancreas started producing more lipase in an attempt to digest the fat which caused pancreatitis. I had always thought in the past that somehow I wasn't digesting things right, and it turns out I was right. It has been about 6 months now, and I feel much, much better, and I feel I'm doing better in terms of my bb'ing goals. I had started to lose weight and size when my GB started to get bad which really sucked, but I'm finally starting to build up again slowly.

 

[snigg]

had mine removed and now my stomach is fairly sensitive...but that's life. I was feeling real sick before I had it removed and had lost about 20lbs in a few weeks from not being able to eat.

 

[heavyhitter]

Yes I had the hyda scan. they said my gallbladder was sluggish. I felt full and bloated all the time. Very gassy. The longer i went without food the fuller i would feel. No relief from the removal. I then had and endoscopy as well as a colonoscopy which showed nothing unusual causing them to give me a diagnosis of IBS. A combination of amityrptiline for the nerve issus in the stomach as well as an anticholinergic to control stomach cramps has almost completely relieved me of symptoms as long as im pretty regular with my diet. When i start missing meals my stomach gets destroyed

 

[the_mask231]

For general info—just quoting JMAC because he was similar to me..

You always want to get a second opinion before doing any surgery. For me, I have had stomach issues for years, nothing major at first, just a reduction in ability to tolerate certain things, especially fatty things, and constant heartburn. Over the course of probably about 10 years the symptoms I was experiencing gradually became worse—but no sharp pain. Only in the last year did I start to get a continual dull pain located where the gall bladder is which would intensify when I ate anything, and the more fatty the more it would ache, but still not any super sharp pain (I'm allergic to Aleve so even if I had the sharp pain, it wouldn't have mattered). I had blood tests done and I found out I had extremely high lipase, one of the pancreatic enzymes. Once my doc saw that, he had me go do the HIDA scan and ultrasound. Ultrasound showed no stones anywhere. The HIDA scan in their words was "inconclusive." This is an expensive and uncomfortable test, and they come back saying, "inconclusive?" I was pissed. At later doc appt, my doc told me that what had happened was that the gall bladder was being sporadic. It would contract somewhat then just sit there. I started to have really bad heartburn, and even Prilosec was not helping much. Had a case of vomiting, and this time some blood showed up. I went in for an endoscopy which showed Eosinophilic Esophagitis which is caused by an allergic reaction, and I was thinking, "what in the hell am I allergic to?" It had been so bad that I was bleeding from right under the valve to the stomach. Still, no one really related this to my gall bladder. My doc recommended we send the results from the HIDA scan to a specialist at another hospital to get his opinion. The specialist reviewed, and I went in to talk with him. I got the same spiel that it might fix the problem and it might not, but he recommended that I get it taken out. I chose to take it out just last June. For me, that was the right choice. The heartburn has stopped completely. I can't go overboard in eating greasy food, but I can tolerate it now. I FEEL so much better as well. My lipase values have come way, way down. It is still over the high limit but not by much. Once your GB is out, they say you either get the runs constantly or you're constipated more. I got the latter which I'll take over the other condition any day.

My own theory is that because my gall bladder stopped working correctly, I was unable to digest fats properly, and my body started to react to the raw fats as an allergen. My pancreas started producing more lipase in an attempt to digest the fat which caused pancreatitis. I had always thought in the past that somehow I wasn't digesting things right, and it turns out I was right. It has been about 6 months now, and I feel much, much better, and I feel I'm doing better in terms of my bb'ing goals. I had started to lose weight and size when my GB started to get bad which really sucked, but I'm finally starting to build up again slowly.

had mine removed and now my stomach is fairly sensitive...but that's life. I was feeling real sick before I had it removed and had lost about 20lbs in a few weeks from not being able to eat.

Thanks for sharing this. I feel like once I have mine out I will feel a lot better as well. Similar to you, I feel like I have developed an allergy to any fats. It is very annoying.

Yes I had the hyda scan. they said my gallbladder was sluggish. I felt full and bloated all the time. Very gassy. The longer i went without food the fuller i would feel. No relief from the removal. I then had and endoscopy as well as a colonoscopy which showed nothing unusual causing them to give me a diagnosis of IBS. A combination of amityrptiline for the nerve issus in the stomach as well as an anticholinergic to control stomach cramps has almost completely relieved me of symptoms as long as im pretty regular with my diet. When i start missing meals my stomach gets destroyed

Although taking your gall bladder out didn't fix your symptoms, it was probably good that you got it taken out because once the gall bladder starts failing there is no fixing it. I know a lot of people who didn't know there gall bladder was bad until it got to a point where it was deadly and they had to be rushed to the ER to get it taken out.

 

[the_mask231]

I went and got a HIDA scan and my % was at 45%. At 35% they usually recommend to have it taken out. Since mine is borderline my doctor is hesitant, but said that if I really want to have it taken out I could. As for now, I am holding off since they want to run other blood work on me to check out my thyroid and other things.

 

[Simpllyhuge]

My mother had hers taken out and the doctor didn't tie it off right. She almost died. Then he was too lazy to check on her so as her stomach was blowing up worse and worse no one realized the valves on drainage device were closed for days.

 

[QuietStorm]

I have tried the paleo diet and didn't have much luck. The symptoms aren't as bad, but they are still bad enough to where it affects my life. What negative effects have you had from having yours out? 16 is a really young age to have it taken out.

Fortunately, greasy and oily food are out. I get ill each time I try it.
Alcohol is out for me as well...again, not a bad thing.

However, I cannot eat tomatoes, cucumbers... certain types of food like this because they cause me severe heartburn. Mostly the problem is when the body's ph is out of balance.

I had 13 stones.... AFTER the bitches took my gallbladder out, they told me pure, 100% cranberry juice would have disolved them.

fuckers.

 

[QuietStorm]

Im not sure what you people are talking about who are saying seek proper diet and choose not to have it removed. There isnt an option if you have little function left because of sludge or stones. Yea, puking after every meal and workout for life sounds fun. and constantly beingin stomach pain sounds good too.

but to answer your question, yes i had a hida scan and had 18% function left.

also, the function of the gallbladder is primarly for bile production and storage, which is also done by the small intestines (sololy once the gb is removed)

just what do you think bile is? it balances the ph in the body. and just because the small intestines does this as well doesnt mean it takes up the slack of the gallbadder.
documented proof please.

I couldnt hold water down. stone.. lots of em. No it isnt fun, but I would rather have the idiot doctors who think they are God.... tell me to drink pure cranberry juice the two months I spent in their offices before finally getting to the point i couldnt eat or drink and they had no other choice but to take it out. lets just cut it off or out if it offends you. dont bother doing and 'doctoring'.

Heaven forbid we take a look at natural and herbal medicine. wonder how so many Chinese people have survived without American arrogant doctors for 3 THOUSAND years....

 

[MrF884]

just what do you think bile is? it balances the ph in the body. and just because the small intestines does this as well doesnt mean it takes up the slack of the gallbadder.
documented proof please.

I couldnt hold water down. stone.. lots of em. No it isnt fun, but I would rather have the idiot doctors who think they are God.... tell me to drink pure cranberry juice the two months I spent in their offices before finally getting to the point i couldnt eat or drink and they had no other choice but to take it out. lets just cut it off or out if it offends you. dont bother doing and 'doctoring'.

Heaven forbid we take a look at natural and herbal medicine. wonder how so many Chinese people have survived without American arrogant doctors for 3 THOUSAND years....

this convo turned dumb quick. honestly i just dont care enough to argue with you. my point was, gallbladder stores bile, remove it and bile now drips to small intestine EXCEPT you no longer have any pain, puking discomfort (my expierience).
and for someone to claim to have and spout so much knowledge on the topic, i honestly find it hilarious that you buy into the whole cranberry dissolves the stones. hate to break it to you pal but the second you stop the cranberry "treatment" symptoms will come right back, since all you are doing is putting a bandaid on the problem and not actually addressing the core issue... the lack of function of your gallbladder.

 

[amore169]

I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago, but I was that guy that would wait till the last minute to go to a Doctor. I waited too long to have it removed, my pancreas got infected by the time I went to the Doctor, they kept me in the hospital for 8 days just to control the infection. Finally I got it removed and it took me a few weeks to get back to normal.