met with surgeon

[denicave]

Surgeon confirmed gall bladder has to come out. He gave me the option, but detailed what could occur if it doesn't. He said it may help with the nausea, probably won't correct the other issues but may help make them more manageable. He also said - "we don't know enough about auto immune disorders". He was willing to acknowledge food could play a part, but before diving into expensive tests, wait and see if removing the gall bladder helps a bit.

I am finding liquid days are easier than food days. Even my beloved coffee is not wonderful right now.

So appreciate the input from others on this site.

[Trigger2298]

Wish i could be of some help and I'm So sorry to hear of your struggles atm- but please know you are in all of our thoughts and you're also in the some of the best hands and hearts out there for advice and support..

Take care and have a great day

steven

[twirlitgirl]

so sorry to hear your news as well, I too wish I could help I hope that you find the solution that is most comfortable and lifestyle rewarding for you, my thoughts are with you and this difficult decision. Ask all the questions you feel you need to ask, as I am sure there will be some one on here who can answer them, or have had a similar surgery to advise on what to expect afterwards. I hope the best for you. big hugs

[tex]

Removal of the gallbladder will usually eliminate gallbladder pain, but please be aware that it will almost always result in D (at least for a while), because there will be no way to regulate the flow of bile into the small intestine after the gallbladder is removed. Many patients find that their digestive system learns to adapt to the change after about 6 months or so, so that D is no longer a problem. Doctors typically prescribe a bile acid sequestrant to absorb the bile and prevent it from causing D during the adjustment period.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

Tex

[Polly]

Tex is correct. However, if you read online, you will see that persistent, uncontrollable D (for years) is often the outcome of GB surgery.

Polly

[Sheila]

I had my gallbladder removed in 2002 after severe, repeated and painful attacks. I had no problems with D but did experience increased belching, a LOT of belching. My daughter-in-law also experienced increased belching after her gall bladder was removed. My CC occurred in 2010, 8 years after gall bladder removal and was triggered by a bad reaction to an antibiotic.

Sheila W

[Patricia]

Surgeon confirmed gall bladder has to come out. He gave me the option, but detailed what could occur if it doesn't.

Hi denicave,

I wanted to chime in as well as I had a consultation with a surgeon in May about taking out my gallbladder. My situation is obviously different from yours but it might be interesting regardless. My surgeon detailed what could happen if I do have it removed.

I was diagnosed with LC in September last year. During all the different testing I also had an ultrasound of my right upper abdomen as I often had (and sometimes still have) pain on the right side. The gallbladder looked fine but they noted polyps with a size up to 3 mm. A previous ultrasound in 2008 had shown something tiny in the gallbladder. In 2008 the radiologist was not sure whether it was sludge or polyps because it was so small (about 1 mm in size) and barely visible. As doctors explained to me, the problem with gallbladder polyps found incidentally on an ultrasound is, they don't know what they should do about them. There is probably a significant percentage of the population walking around with polyps, they just don't know they have them. But once they are seen, doctors get worried about them. My gastroenterologist said we should keep an eye on them with ultrasounds every 6 months as they can turn into cancer. Gallbladder cancer is very rare but when it occurs the prognosis is as poor as pancreatic cancer. From what I understand there is a significant risk once the polyps have a size of 10 mm or more. If polyps are less than 6 mm in size there is practically no cancer risk, they are observed by ultrasound, and if no change is found, they are not even monitored anymore. Well, I had my 6-month ultrasound in spring this year, and the radiologist wrote on the report that the polyps measured up to 4 mm in size. I am not sure if they grew by 1 mm, or if the angle of the images could also make a difference. The gastroenterologist's office called me and told me that my gastroenterologist wanted me to see a surgeon to discuss removal of the gallbladder. Having lost three friends to cancer the last few years and having been the caregiver to my best friend until she passed away last year, I was all bent on getting that gallbladder out and minimize my risk. Well, that was until I saw the surgeon. The surgeon I was referred to happens to be a very, very good friend of mine whom I have known since moving to the United States in 1997. He told me that even though he is a surgeon he never takes a surgery lightly and he does not like to remove an organ if it does not really have to be removed. He said that gallbladder surgery is a routine surgery but he never knows how the patient will do later on regarding their bowel movements. He said he has removed gallbladders on patients with diarrhea and they came back and told him how grateful they were to him because the diarrhea went away. He tells those patients that God must have heard their prayers because he as a surgeon did nothing that would make the diarrhea go away, but he is happy for them. But he also said that some people who didn't have diarrhea before the surgery end up with diarrhea or that the diarrhea of patients who already have diarrhea has gotten a lot worse after the surgery. He said his fear was that his surgery would exacerbate my symptoms and make my gastrointestinal situation a lot worse which is the last thing he wants to do. He told me to think about it and discuss it with my husband. He said that if I was very worried about the polyps and if the thought of them made me anxious and stressed me out, I'd probably be better off removing it so I would not have to worry about it anymore and he would gladly remove it for me. I asked him what he would do in my situation. He told me he would wait and keep having an ultrasound every 6 months. He thought the risk of those polyps turning into cancer was extremely low (especially since I do not have a family history of gallbladder cancer) and they might not even grow at all for the next few years.

I wonder if being so sick last year with MC and inflammation going on in many places in the body, not just the colon, would have made the polyps grow? Does inflammation help them grow?

Anyway. I went home from the appointment and thought for a few days, pondering the advantages and disadvantages, reading on this forum, how some people had no issues with digestion after having the gallbladder removed, but how others were unable to tolerate any kind of fat in their diet for 6 or 9 months after the surgery. Since I already lost over 20 pounds with LC and pouring olive oil over everything I eat is the only way for me to ensure enough calories I cannot afford not to eat any fats for 6 or 9 months, or having more trouble with digestion and going back to fatty stools and diarrhea. The slightest change in my super strict diet causes diarrhea for me. But being on this diet allows me to have normal bowel movements, which I take as a sign of healing. But I also know the disease is still active and I have a lot more healing to do until the inflammation goes away. I came to the decision that doing surgery right now would just be one more stress factor for my body. I decided to wait for now, continue healing myself with diet, continue doing the ultrasounds every 6 months, and see what happens. If the polyps continue to grow, I will have the gallbladder taken out as a precaution. But hopefully that won't be the case, and if it does happen, my hope is that I can heal some more before the surgery. I am not sure if this would help the recovery but obviously it can't hurt.

As I said before, your situation is obviously different. If I had colics, I would have the gallbladder removed now.

I asked the surgeon whether the number of people where the gallbladder removal made diarrhea better and the number where it made it worse was the same, or was one bigger than the other. He said he didn't know because he always tells people to come back and see him if they do have diarrhea after the surgery, but he doesn't know how many actually come back and see him and how many just go see their PCP if they do experience diarrhea.

I hope this info is helpful to you and I wish you all the best and hope you feel better soon!!!

Love, Patricia

[denicave]

Thank you all. Tex, unfortunately I have had chronic, watery D for a year now - so even if it continues I will assume it is more the colitis, gastropathy and gastroparesis. There are a few polyps but there are also stones. If I understood him correctly, it is the stones that are problematic simply because they can travel and cause a blockage or worse. He said although the polyps can become cancerous it is rare. The gallbladder attacks are fairly painful and I have great difficulty functioning when the nausea is extreme as it gets.

I assist 18 financial planners. I am late on a daily basis simply because I cannot leave until I feel safe to do so. I feel so bad some days it clearly affects my ability to think and perform. I can't continue this way. It's not fair to my employer and the people I support. And I am sure my husband can use a break.

Oddly, I have gained weight rather than lose - the surgeon said it did not make sense - the GI said it is my body's response to being sick. Who knows - I do think it is more inflammation than fat - the lymphedema does not help. Still struggling with diet but I'll figure it out eventually :-O

Everyone have a great weekend.

[Gabes-Apg]

Given everything that is going on, i would encourage you to stick with a bland, low inflammation, minimal ingredients eating plan.
turkey, rice, potato type thing. cooked in home made bone broth..
if you can access lamb, it is another meat that settles well when people are mega inflammed.

this is will help reduce the inflammation and help your body cope with the stress that is going with work / your dad etc.

If you are not already, I would also take lots of Vit D3, this will also help your body cope with the inflammation. It wont take the D totally away but it may help to reduce the urgency and frequency of bowel motions. lingual versions of Vit D3 are absorbed via saliva, and given your casemix of digestion issues this would be highly beneficial for you...

easier said than done, dont worry about the weight for now. I put lots of weight on when I was having multiple health issues a few years ago. Once i got the gut healed, inflammation minimised, and fixed nutritional deficiencies the weight reduced at a healthy rate. when under stress like you are, our bodies can do weird things...

Hang in there, you are not alone. things can and will improve.
unfortunately there is no quick fix or easy solution.

take care