Gallbladder surgery

[Guest guest]

On 29 Jul 2002 at 14:02, lind@ wrote:

> also sue, can your sister eat anything she wants since she had

> her gallbladder removed?

Hi

Good luck with your op, I hope they can manage just keyhole

surgery as opposed to the full open op.

Yeah, can eat anything now as far as I know. She has never

mentioned the pain since she had the op and as you know it can

be severe!

TuftySue

PS. Thanx for the birthday wish.

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

From: lind@

at long last i am due to have my gallbladder removed on tues 6th. if my

surgeon is able to do it by keyhole surgery i should only be in for a week.

if he has to revert to open surgery it will be two weeks with the first few

days on a vent in intensive care. so please join the collective unconscious

(hmmmm not at all sure that is the correct term!) in favour of keyhole next

tuesday!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Hi there - I wish you good luck for the 6th. My appointment came

through after 14 months of waiting (really!), but I decided against it for

many reasons, the main one being that I had zero confidence in the surgeon

and his team (no pre-op consultation, no knowledge of SMA, etc.). Also, I

have been told by many people that the longer you go without an " attack " ,

the less likely it will be to reoccur. So, I have elected to try to avoid

it. My ortho' consultant said there was no way I could go for keyhole, as

none of my internal bits are in the right place So, I weighed it up, and

am now keeping my fingers crossed!

I hope everything goes well for you - your local health authroity seem a lot

more together than mine, so it sounds positive! I would try making a sheet

of common requests ( " need loo " , " scratch nose " etc.) that I could point to

just in case you are vented, then you won't feel too stuck if speaking is

difficult. I hope that doesn't sound like I am scaremongering - it was one

of my fears.

I am not hooked up with MS chat any more, nor IM - only good old ICQ. Sorry

for not being in touch, I have been so busy that chatting online has become

a low priority for a while now.

Take care, be strong.

[Guest guest]

You¹re in my thoughts linda!

On 7/31/02 7:02 AM, " did you? " <skinupaspliff@...> wrote:

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: lind@

>

> at long last i am due to have my gallbladder removed on tues 6th. if my

> surgeon is able to do it by keyhole surgery i should only be in for a week.

> if he has to revert to open surgery it will be two weeks with the first few

> days on a vent in intensive care. so please join the collective unconscious

> (hmmmm not at all sure that is the correct term!) in favour of keyhole next

> tuesday!

>

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

> ------------------------------

>

> Hi there - I wish you good luck for the 6th. My appointment came

> through after 14 months of waiting (really!), but I decided against it for

> many reasons, the main one being that I had zero confidence in the surgeon

> and his team (no pre-op consultation, no knowledge of SMA, etc.). Also, I

> have been told by many people that the longer you go without an " attack " ,

> the less likely it will be to reoccur. So, I have elected to try to avoid

> it. My ortho' consultant said there was no way I could go for keyhole, as

> none of my internal bits are in the right place So, I weighed it up, and

> am now keeping my fingers crossed!

>

> I hope everything goes well for you - your local health authroity seem a lot

> more together than mine, so it sounds positive! I would try making a sheet

> of common requests ( " need loo " , " scratch nose " etc.) that I could point to

> just in case you are vented, then you won't feel too stuck if speaking is

> difficult. I hope that doesn't sound like I am scaremongering - it was one

> of my fears.

>

> I am not hooked up with MS chat any more, nor IM - only good old ICQ. Sorry

> for not being in touch, I have been so busy that chatting online has become

> a low priority for a while now.

>

> Take care, be strong.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

mine was outpatient & I have 4 tiny little scars from it.

De

Faith is the ability to not panic.

-----Original Message-----From: Hepatitis CSupportGroupForDummies [mailto:Hepatitis CSupportGroupForDummies ] On Behalf Of Allan W Anger JrSent: Friday, April 29, 2005 10:39 AMHepatitis CSupportGroupForDummies Subject: Re: pre-sx ?'s

Morphine actually is one of the only drugs that does not touch the liver. It's processed by the kidneys.

Having had gallbladder surgery, it is normally done with a laproscope now and the procedure takes less than half an hour with the patient going home the same day in some cases. Rarely do they do the large incision type surgery anymore. When I had mine done I had big complications but they still used the laproscope it just took 2 1/2 hours in my case. I had to stay a week with a drain in me but I was the rare exception. They gave me all kinds of pain meds and sedatives and as much as I wanted. Even still, a physician is unlikely to give you anything you'll become addicted to or harm you.

Allan

[Guest guest]

I had my gallbladder removed three years ago, it was done in day surgery, they

completely knock you out and they only have to make little tiny incisions now

that are about a half inch long. They kept me over night only because of my SMA

to make sure I would be OK, but the next day I was up and going like I never had

surgery and didn't feel much pain. It's a lot better to have the surgery than go

through those awful gallbladder attacks, you'll do alright, just try not to

think about it to much.

* Hugs,* Tammy

jennifer <nekrosys@...> wrote:

Well, I went to the doctor today after a week of episodes of intense

pain in my right side.

She agreed that I was probably having gallbladder attacks and had me schedule an

ultrasound. I have it on Tuesday. The thing that worries me is that, after

explaining my

three year history of these sporadic attacks, she mentioned that at this point

I'd probably

need to have my gallbladder removed. And surgery and I do not mix well. Can they

do

this kind of thing under a " twilight sleep " or do you have to get completely

knocked out

and intubated? If they'd let me, I'd just drink some vodka and bite on a strap

to avoid

intubation.

Jenn

---------------------------------

Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Small Business.

[Guest guest]

>

> I had my gallbladder removed three years ago, it was done in day surgery, they

completely knock you out and they only have to make little tiny incisions now

that are

about a half inch long. They kept me over night only because of my SMA to make

sure I

would be OK, but the next day I was up and going like I never had surgery and

didn't feel

much pain. It's a lot better to have the surgery than go through those awful

gallbladder

attacks, you'll do alright, just try not to think about it to much.

>

> * Hugs,* Tammy

Did you have to get intubated for the surgery?

Jenn

[Guest guest]

i had my gallbladder removed about 3 years ago and they did knock me out

even though they can now do it keyhole. it is a much easier operation to

recover from than it used to be. my first ultrasound showed a number of

small gallstones so i tried a few alternative treatments which seemed to

work as pre op ultrasound showed that they had gone. despite this success i

decided to go ahead with the surgery anyways as i had gathered an excellent

teams of docs together who i felt safe with re SMA and i also had a very

strong group of PA's at that time to support me through it. there was a

chance that my gallbladder would produce stones again in the future. you

might want to read about ways you can try to shift the stones yourself

though of course there are risks involved.

linda

On 6/24/06, jennifer <nekrosys@...> wrote:

>

> Well, I went to the doctor today after a week of episodes of intense

> pain in my right side.

> She agreed that I was probably having gallbladder attacks and had me

> schedule an

> ultrasound. I have it on Tuesday. The thing that worries me is that, after

> explaining my

> three year history of these sporadic attacks, she mentioned that at this

> point I'd probably

> need to have my gallbladder removed. And surgery and I do not mix well.

> Can they do

> this kind of thing under a " twilight sleep " or do you have to get

> completely knocked out

> and intubated? If they'd let me, I'd just drink some vodka and bite on a

> strap to avoid

> intubation.

>

> Jenn

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Did they have to intubate you? This is what I'm most afraid of. My throat is

already quite

scarred up by prior medical mishaps.

Jenn

>

> i had my gallbladder removed about 3 years ago and they did knock me out

> even though they can now do it keyhole. it is a much easier operation to

> recover from than it used to be. my first ultrasound showed a number of

> small gallstones so i tried a few alternative treatments which seemed to

> work as pre op ultrasound showed that they had gone. despite this success i

> decided to go ahead with the surgery anyways as i had gathered an excellent

> teams of docs together who i felt safe with re SMA and i also had a very

> strong group of PA's at that time to support me through it. there was a

> chance that my gallbladder would produce stones again in the future. you

> might want to read about ways you can try to shift the stones yourself

> though of course there are risks involved.

>

> linda

[Guest guest]

yes as i had a general anaesthetic. i was very anxious, however, the

anaesthetist was wonderful and quite clearly took on board the articles i

asked her to read about SMA and too very seriously my suspected allergy to

lignocaine. she was a big part of the reason i went ahead with the op even

though i had managed to shift the stones as i was concerned if the problem

came back later and i needed emergency surgery i would not have such an

informed and sensitive anaesthetist.

linda

On 6/24/06, jennifer <nekrosys@...> wrote:

>

> Did they have to intubate you? This is what I'm most afraid of. My

> throat is already quite

> scarred up by prior medical mishaps.

>

> Jenn

>

>

>

> >

> > i had my gallbladder removed about 3 years ago and they did knock me out

> > even though they can now do it keyhole. it is a much easier operation to

> > recover from than it used to be. my first ultrasound showed a number of

> > small gallstones so i tried a few alternative treatments which seemed to

> > work as pre op ultrasound showed that they had gone. despite this

> success i

> > decided to go ahead with the surgery anyways as i had gathered an

> excellent

> > teams of docs together who i felt safe with re SMA and i also had a very

> > strong group of PA's at that time to support me through it. there was a

> > chance that my gallbladder would produce stones again in the future. you

> > might want to read about ways you can try to shift the stones yourself

> > though of course there are risks involved.

> >

> > linda

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/25/2006 3:12:55 PM Eastern Standard Time,

nekrosys@... writes:

I'm really going to mull this over because I absolutely *hate*

to be intubated.

(((Jenn))) I am so hating this for you.

Amy

Wife to Will 11/3/95

Mama to Olivia Isabelle 9/18/03

&

Phineas Maximilian 11/30/05

[Guest guest]

I'm really going to mull this over because I absolutely *hate*

to be intubated.

>

> yes as i had a general anaesthetic. i was very anxious, however, the

> anaesthetist was wonderful and quite clearly took on board the articles i

> asked her to read about SMA and too very seriously my suspected allergy to

> lignocaine. she was a big part of the reason i went ahead with the op even

> though i had managed to shift the stones as i was concerned if the problem

> came back later and i needed emergency surgery i would not have such an

> informed and sensitive anaesthetist.

>

> linda

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/25/2006 5:01:22 PM Eastern Standard Time,

nekrosys@... writes:

I *know* you hate it as much as I do!

Can they give you a LOT of anti-anxiety med before/during the intubation? I

know with Phineas they took pity on me and gave me a little to take the edge

off. It went SO much smoother with him and I truly believe it was because I

had *just* gone through it two years prior. I was scared as hell, but knew

exactly what was coming, ya know? I'm here for you!!

Amy

Wife to Will 11/3/95

Mama to Olivia Isabelle 9/18/03

&

Phineas Maximilian 11/30/05

[Guest guest]

> >In a message dated 6/25/2006 3:12:55 PM Eastern Standard Time,

> >nekrosys@... writes:

> >I'm really going to mull this over because I absolutely *hate*

> >to be intubated.

> (((Jenn))) I am so hating this for you.

I *know* you hate it as much as I do!

Jenn

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/26/2006 1:12:58 PM Eastern Standard Time,

nekrosys@... writes:

Hopefully they'll give me something! Right before I had Ravyn, my heart

rate was up to 150! They gave me Valium because they thought I was

going to have a stroke or something, and it only went down to 120.

On Valium! I'm generally an anxious mess to start with every day.

They have to give you something! Just work it out beforehand and don't go in

unless you're 100% comfortable that they'll do as you say. My heart rate was

189 with Miss Olivia. =P No idea what it was with Phin, but I *think* I was

calmer.

Amy

Wife to Will 11/3/95

Mama to Olivia Isabelle 9/18/03

&

Phineas Maximilian 11/30/05

[Guest guest]

> Can they give you a LOT of anti-anxiety med before/during the intubation? I

> know with Phineas they took pity on me and gave me a little to take the edge

> off. It went SO much smoother with him and I truly believe it was because I

> had *just* gone through it two years prior. I was scared as hell, but knew

> exactly what was coming, ya know? I'm here for you!!

Hopefully they'll give me something! Right before I had Ravyn, my heart

rate was up to 150! They gave me Valium because they thought I was

going to have a stroke or something, and it only went down to 120.

On Valium! I'm generally an anxious mess to start with every day.

Jenn

[Guest guest]

Hi Jenn,

I had my gallbladder removed. The attacks I had were the worst

thing I ever experienced. I'm very glad it's gone.

My experience was smooth. I wasn't intubated. Just knocked out

and the doctor knew that they had to keep a close eye on my

breathing because of SMA.

I requested to stay overnight to make sure they could keep a close

eye on me and I'm glad I did. Just more comfortable that way. I

ran a little fever because of slight congestion since I was on my

back so many hours straight with a really weak cough. They kept a

close eye on that as well.

I experienced pain and discomfort for about a week afterward due to

all the air they pump into your body. It took awhile for those air

pockets to disappear. But after that, I felt like a champ with no

lasting affect.

Good luck.

>

> Well, I went to the doctor today after a week of episodes of

intense pain in my right side.

> She agreed that I was probably having gallbladder attacks and had

me schedule an

> ultrasound. I have it on Tuesday. The thing that worries me is

that, after explaining my

> three year history of these sporadic attacks, she mentioned that

at this point I'd probably

> need to have my gallbladder removed. And surgery and I do not mix

well. Can they do

> this kind of thing under a " twilight sleep " or do you have to get

completely knocked out

> and intubated? If they'd let me, I'd just drink some vodka and

bite on a strap to avoid

> intubation.

>

> Jenn

>

[Guest guest]

> My experience was smooth. I wasn't intubated. Just knocked out

> and the doctor knew that they had to keep a close eye on my

> breathing because of SMA.

I'm sure hoping they don't have to intubate me either. I

had to have a D & C about 9 years ago after a miscarriage

and they did it under a " twilight sleep. "

Jenn

[Guest guest]

> They have to give you something! Just work it out beforehand and don't go in

> unless you're 100% comfortable that they'll do as you say. My heart rate was

> 189 with Miss Olivia. =P No idea what it was with Phin, but I *think* I was

> calmer.

Yes, I think I'm going to just have to go in there and tell them the way it is.

It's not like I have a baby inside this time that *has* to come out. If

I can't find someone that'll listen to me, I guess I'll just eat a lowfat diet

until I find someone that *will* listen.

Jenn

[Guest guest]

A dr thought I needed gall bladder surgery too last fall but

thankfully I didn't have stones.

Make sure they've found stones via ultrasound and get a cat scan with

contrast before consenting to surgery.

Have you changed your diet any?

A number of woman [3 with SMA, 1 with polio, 2 with spina bifida, 4

ablebodied] that I know were all told to get surgery [by diferent drs

& hospitals] and only 2 had to actually have the surgery [1AB, 1SB].

The rest didn't.

Unfortunately if the have to operate you have to have general

aneastetia, no sedations or locals will work for that.

Hope it clears up on it's own though.

You're in my thoughts and prayers.

>

> Well, I went to the doctor today after a week of episodes of

intense pain in my right side.

> She agreed that I was probably having gallbladder attacks and had

me schedule an

> ultrasound. I have it on Tuesday. The thing that worries me is

that, after explaining my

> three year history of these sporadic attacks, she mentioned that at

this point I'd probably

> need to have my gallbladder removed. And surgery and I do not mix

well. Can they do

> this kind of thing under a " twilight sleep " or do you have to get

completely knocked out

> and intubated? If they'd let me, I'd just drink some vodka and

bite on a strap to avoid

> intubation.

>

> Jenn

>

[Guest guest]

> Make sure they've found stones via ultrasound and get a cat scan with

> contrast before consenting to surgery.

I went to get the ultrasound today and I have stones - tons of little ones.

It looked like there was a snow flurry in my gallbladder.

> Have you changed your diet any?

Yes, I've been eating a really, really lowfat diet for the last week, and

the pain has basically went away. Staying on this kind of diet

really wouldn't be that horrible either, especially because I'm

pretty sure I'm losing weight too. Threats of a horrendous

gallbladder attack sure dissuade me from eating desserts I

don't need!

Jenn

[Guest guest]

Ah man- I was hoping the scans would be nagative. Sorry.

A lot of people have a stone, then the attack was an isolated one and

things get better with diet changes etc.

My mom had test results like yours and only felt better after she had

surgery. She was wasting away and couldn't eat much anymore by the

time surgery was done.

With SMA you can't afford to be on a bland diet forever. You don't

want to be too underweight [trust me].

I wish those stones would disappear and be gone for you

Take care.

> > Make sure they've found stones via ultrasound and get a cat scan

with

> > contrast before consenting to surgery.

>

> I went to get the ultrasound today and I have stones - tons of

little ones.

> It looked like there was a snow flurry in my gallbladder.

>

> > Have you changed your diet any?

>

> Yes, I've been eating a really, really lowfat diet for the last

week, and

> the pain has basically went away. Staying on this kind of diet

> really wouldn't be that horrible either, especially because I'm

> pretty sure I'm losing weight too. Threats of a horrendous

> gallbladder attack sure dissuade me from eating desserts I

> don't need!

>

> Jenn

>

[Guest guest]

> With SMA you can't afford to be on a bland diet forever. You don't

> want to be too underweight [trust me].

Well, I have a lot of extra padding I can afford to loose.

[Guest guest]

I have an appt. on the 6th with a surgeon to discuss taking out my

gallbladder. I know there are natural ways to deal with gallstones,

but is it too late for me? I ended up in the ER on Thursday night with

severe pain. The doctor said that and the constant smaller pain I have

every day in my side and my back are due to the gallstones. But

gallstones don't explain my nausea, loud tummy gurgling, and constant

burping. And my strange BMs (sorry to be graphic - they are sometimes

black, and sometimes bright yellow). She is doing a blood test

tomorrow morning for H pylori (?). I have Crohn's disease but I've

never had symptoms like these, so I'm pretty sure that's not the

culprit.