Flip side opinion !(maybe unpopular here!)

[Guest guest]

Hi all!

Let me say this is a very informative group and I've been reading and

studying here for exactly one year, since my first and only gb attack.

After careful considerations of the pros and cons, I had the lap.

surgery on Wed morning. I am a Registered Pharmacist and would like

to think that I made an informed decision.

My " procedure " was done here in Long Island, at North Shore

University Hospital, which some say has one of the best reputations

for patient care, in this country.(There are published rankings on

this which you can check). The surgeon was the Chief of Lap Surgery

there, and has done such advanced lap surgery such as hysterictomies,

and overian malignent tumor removal, not to mention over 1000 GB,

since 2005, with 73% being ambulatory, same day release from the

hospital.(I will offer his info for private emailers)

I've had ZERO side effects after 2 days, except for some belly button

discomfort, and was walking around recovery within 2-3 hrs. I would

have been released then, if not for sleep apnea, which they decided

required an overnight stay to monitor,no problem..

I have had moderate to severe lower back pain for the better part of

10 years, as well as limited range of motion from turning my neck, to

bending down to touch the floor to even hygiene in the bathroom.

These problems were attributed to my standing at work, bad

mattress,falling asleep on the couch,being overweight,lack of

supplementation, and bad diet. Here's the point:

As soon as I was aware, in the recovery room:

MY BACK PAIN WAS GONE, and I could turn and bend without seeing stars

anymore!!!!!

I had never had ANY surgery and was scared to death. That was one

reason I delayed. I mentioned the Hospital and Surgeon, not to brag,

but to let some people know, that trusting your selected " team " will

help you eliminate that factor, in making your own decision.

Now, I did try an herbal cocktail of Vitamin E/ Lecithin/ and Omega-3

Fish Oil that provided great relief of all symptoms for most of the

one year that I waited, and I only went to the surgical consult as a

way to complete my thought process, since I felt I would never

subject myself to surgery, and therefore the visit wouldn't scare me,

or otherwise phase me at all. Follow me now, almost finished!!

The surgeon, after exam and sonogram report told me that if I had

only an isolated attack, and no symptoms, he agreed with the forum,

that " we just leave well enough alone, and don't do surgery " .

Everyone has something in their body, and I got up to leave!!!

My case was a little different in that I appeared to have only 1

stone,of enormous measure of 2.8. He showed me documented medical

literature that said that anything over 1.8-2.0 would provide up to a

10x greater risk of developing cancerous changes, within 10-15years.

We were also convinced that flushes would not work on this size,

especially since the back pain was resurging. Again,you may dispute

this, but at that point I felt totally comfortable with my choice.

Moral of the story is: Make your own choice whether it be popular or

unpopular here, or with anyone else. It's your body and you must live

with that choice. Don't take the easy way out, and be swayed by

either side, and PLEASE, do your share of homework, which includes

listening to your body. The surgery was a success for me, if nothing

else, for the relief of the constant back pain and strain.

If the timing is such, that anyone reading would like to persue my

course of action, just write back and let me know. I'm so happy as I

write this, I would just be glad to offer someone else the

possibility from my perspective.....

Healthy Regards;

Len Spitale, R.Ph.