Re: Post-op:Gallbladder removal-surgery again!!!

[Guest guest]

Gee, .

You pretty much covered the rotten surgical experience. It's still

so fresh (and freaky, and frightening) in my mind since I was " under "

on November 20. If I were you, I'd be so PISSED OFF! I don't know

at whom; probably just everyone!!

This whole gallbladder thing has me very concerned and completely,

irrationally angry and frustrated. Yes, I can get mad at a little

tiny organ buried deep in my abdomen because I wonder if it's a

ticking time bomb. Poor thing: it hasn't done anything to me--yet!

I'm scheduled to take Actigall a week from Tuesday and I don't want

to! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I pretty much indicated to

Dr. Gagner that I probably wouldn't take it. But now, I'm not so

sure.

I really appreciated Theresa's thoughtful post about the whole

thing. Well, kind of, anyway. I say that because in my own cocky,

self-assured way, I had made up my mind not to take the wicked

Actigall, and now I'm reconsidering AGAIN.

Question: do you think I should go have an ultrasound done right now

(and every three months from henceforth?) just to see if the darn

thing's healthy or not (regardless of whether or not I take the

Actigall)? Yes, I SHOULD HAVE had this test prior to surgery, but I

didn't. Can't think of everything, I guess.

(who's just plain mad about the existence her poor, innocent

gallbladder)

> Last week,two and a half months out from my BPD-DS, I collasped at

> work from abdominal pain. (When I woke up that morning I was having

> abdominal pain but had eaten my first salad the day before at lunch

> and I thought I was having a delayed reaction). I thought it was

gas

> and was going to pass. The pain did not. My surgeon (Dr. Gagner)

> ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed no gallstones but a

> distended gallbladder. Gagner said that was not necessarily

> abnormal. Two days later I had a CT scan. The doctor's nurse said

she

> spoke with the doctor and I have to have the gall bladder removed.

I

> am scheduled for surgery later this week. I can't believe I have to

go

> through the whole surgery !@$* again. The freaky walking in to the

> operating room and lying down on the operating table, waking up in

the

> recovery room (when I woke up from my wls surgery, I vomitted --it

was

> horrible). And those miserable, uncaring nurses at Mt. Sinai.

Before I

> had my wls surgery, I felt I was going to die anyway the way I was

> going and I really had nothing to lose. I wasn't scared. Before my

> gallbladder attack, I had been feeling really great - down 60lbs.

Has

> anybody else out there been through this? I would really like to

hear

> from you.

> Thanks.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/2/01 2:37:38 PM, duodenalswitch writes:

<< Question: do you think I should go have an ultrasound done right now

(and every three months from henceforth?) just to see if the darn

thing's healthy or not (regardless of whether or not I take the

Actigall)? Yes, I SHOULD HAVE had this test prior to surgery, but I

didn't. Can't think of everything, I guess.

>>

: I don't know if you need these tests... I mean, the major sign of

gallbladder problems is -- pain! one can even have stones and not even

notice it (as happens with many people walking around - obese or not/pre or

post-op). The tests I had done before surgery weren't even related to my

surgery. I had them earlier that year because I was experiencing pain in my

upper right abdomen. I had the ultrasound and then CTSCAN done and that's

when they saw that I had HUGE stones but that my gallbladder was *not*

diseased or in terrible shape (just causing me PAIN, damn it! LOL).

I think that if your gallbladder is acting up, you WILL KNOW it. Even if you

had tests done and they diagnosed you with stones, this doesn't necessarily

mean the gallbladder has to come out. I can't remember what percentage

Dr. Gagner quoted as eventually having such problems post-op that require

surgery, but it's under 50 pct, I think (does anyone know???). So, there

is no guarantee that you will have this kind of problem and need emergency

surgery to remove that little thingy.... Although, Yeah, I know -- that's

little consolation when you are the one with the gallbladder which may flare

up in the first year post-op.

Believe me, I do not think it is possible to have a diseased gallbladder

and/or have stones that are blocking a biliary duct, etc. or irritating the

gallbladder lining WITHOUT some pretty extreme pain. On the other hand, one

can have the presence of stones but still feel fine and really not need the

gallbladder out.... The Actigall is to try to prevent future stones from

appearing in the rapid weight loss period. It won't do anything about stones

that have been providing problems that are already present. This was my

reason on insisting mine be removed. I don't even know if a doctor would

recommend the tests without the presence of pain/discomfort...

all the best,

lap ds with gallbladder removal

January 25, 2001

Dr. Gagner/mt. Sinai/NYC

10 months post-op and still feelin' fabu

preop: 307 lbs/bmi 45

now: 198 (YAhOOOOOOOO)/size sweet 16

[Guest guest]

,

I think having a sonogram of the gall bladder is a good idea.....Its

amazing....how the body works....I am glad I had the damn thing out it I wont

need it why bother with it.....Plus hey now I weigh a little less without it!

LOL

Lisbeth

mkf5t@... wrote: Gee, .

You pretty much covered the rotten surgical experience. It's still

so fresh (and freaky, and frightening) in my mind since I was " under "

on November 20. If I were you, I'd be so PISSED OFF! I don't know

at whom; probably just everyone!!

This whole gallbladder thing has me very concerned and completely,

irrationally angry and frustrated. Yes, I can get mad at a little

tiny organ buried deep in my abdomen because I wonder if it's a

ticking time bomb. Poor thing: it hasn't done anything to me--yet!

I'm scheduled to take Actigall a week from Tuesday and I don't want

to! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I pretty much indicated to

Dr. Gagner that I probably wouldn't take it. But now, I'm not so

sure.

I really appreciated Theresa's thoughtful post about the whole

thing. Well, kind of, anyway. I say that because in my own cocky,

self-assured way, I had made up my mind not to take the wicked

Actigall, and now I'm reconsidering AGAIN.

Question: do you think I should go have an ultrasound done right now

(and every three months from henceforth?) just to see if the darn

thing's healthy or not (regardless of whether or not I take the

Actigall)? Yes, I SHOULD HAVE had this test prior to surgery, but I

didn't. Can't think of everything, I guess.

(who's just plain mad about the existence her poor, innocent

gallbladder)

> Last week,two and a half months out from my BPD-DS, I collasped at

> work from abdominal pain. (When I woke up that morning I was having

> abdominal pain but had eaten my first salad the day before at lunch

> and I thought I was having a delayed reaction). I thought it was

gas

> and was going to pass. The pain did not. My surgeon (Dr. Gagner)

> ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed no gallstones but a

> distended gallbladder. Gagner said that was not necessarily

> abnormal. Two days later I had a CT scan. The doctor's nurse said

she

> spoke with the doctor and I have to have the gall bladder removed.

I

> am scheduled for surgery later this week. I can't believe I have to

go

> through the whole surgery !@$* again. The freaky walking in to the

> operating room and lying down on the operating table, waking up in

the

> recovery room (when I woke up from my wls surgery, I vomitted --it

was

> horrible). And those miserable, uncaring nurses at Mt. Sinai.

Before I

> had my wls surgery, I felt I was going to die anyway the way I was

> going and I really had nothing to lose. I wasn't scared. Before my

> gallbladder attack, I had been feeling really great - down 60lbs.

Has

> anybody else out there been through this? I would really like to

hear

> from you.

> Thanks.

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

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/3/01 10:26:00 AM, duodenalswitch writes:

<< You're right: a doctor would not recommend the test without me

experiencing pain. I would have to lie to get the ultrasound. Would

I do this if I felt it necessary? You bet; in a heartbeat. Question

is, should I? Maybe not, as it sounds like the pain part is

inevitable IF something happens to the darned thing. If you were in

my position, would you take the Actigall and have it negate at least

some of the effects of the surgery?

>>

: The pain can be quite severe and very urgent -- I think that it

could definately be serious enough to indicate an emergency surgery

(depending on the condition of one's gallbladder -- could be about to rupture

or just have some stones that are blocking a bile duct. Both painful but not

equally urgent). If you lied about pain and got the tests (which I can see

anyone would be tempted to do), they may find stones but this wouldn't mean

that you'd need your gallbladder out. And, after DS surgery, you don't

necessarily WANT to have your gallbladder taken out unless absolutely

necessary, right? I mean, the tests may make one feel more secure but

ultimately if one isn't experiencing problems, the tests would kind of be

nullified, iMHO. OR, the surgeon may say 'ok, we'll take it out b/c you are

experiencing so much pain' when he/she sees the stones but in reality they

haven't been bothering you....

I think I would take the Actigall as a post-op but then again I had stones

present before the surgery. If I didn't have the damn thing out, I would

have been quite likely to develop stones after the surgery, too. And, I was

at a bmi of 45 so I would be much more 'careful', I guess, of what I ate,

etc. in order to maximize weight loss under the Actigall (which can 'negate'

some of the DS advantages). It's a real catch 22 because if I were at a

higher bmi pre-surgically I may be more *prone* to develop stones b/c I'd

experience (hypothetically) more rapid weight loss. However, I'd also be

more concerned about the effects of Actigall on my system b/c I'd have more I

needed to lose...

all the best,

lap ds with gallbladder removal

January 25, 2001

Dr. Gagner/Mt. Sinai/NYC

10 months post-op and still feelin' fabu

preop: 307 lbs/bmi 45

now: 298 lbs/size sweet 16

[Guest guest]

Thanks, .

You're right: a doctor would not recommend the test without me

experiencing pain. I would have to lie to get the ultrasound. Would

I do this if I felt it necessary? You bet; in a heartbeat. Question

is, should I? Maybe not, as it sounds like the pain part is

inevitable IF something happens to the darned thing. If you were in

my position, would you take the Actigall and have it negate at least

some of the effects of the surgery?

Best,

Dr. Gagner, NYC

D/S 11-20-01

-16#s

>

> In a message dated 12/2/01 2:37:38 PM, duodenalswitch@y... writes:

>

> << Question: do you think I should go have an ultrasound done

right now

> (and every three months from henceforth?) just to see if the darn

> thing's healthy or not (regardless of whether or not I take the

> Actigall)? Yes, I SHOULD HAVE had this test prior to surgery, but

I

> didn't. Can't think of everything, I guess.

> >>

>

> : I don't know if you need these tests... I mean, the

major sign of

> gallbladder problems is -- pain! one can even have stones and not

even

> notice it (as happens with many people walking around - obese or

not/pre or

> post-op). The tests I had done before surgery weren't even related

to my

> surgery. I had them earlier that year because I was experiencing

pain in my

> upper right abdomen. I had the ultrasound and then CTSCAN done and

that's

> when they saw that I had HUGE stones but that my gallbladder was

*not*

> diseased or in terrible shape (just causing me PAIN, damn it! LOL).

>

> I think that if your gallbladder is acting up, you WILL KNOW it.

Even if you

> had tests done and they diagnosed you with stones, this doesn't

necessarily

> mean the gallbladder has to come out. I can't remember what

percentage

> Dr. Gagner quoted as eventually having such problems post-op that

require

> surgery, but it's under 50 pct, I think (does anyone know???).

So, there

> is no guarantee that you will have this kind of problem and need

emergency

> surgery to remove that little thingy.... Although, Yeah, I know --

that's

> little consolation when you are the one with the gallbladder which

may flare

> up in the first year post-op.

>

> Believe me, I do not think it is possible to have a diseased

gallbladder

> and/or have stones that are blocking a biliary duct, etc. or

irritating the

> gallbladder lining WITHOUT some pretty extreme pain. On the other

hand, one

> can have the presence of stones but still feel fine and really not

need the

> gallbladder out.... The Actigall is to try to prevent future stones

from

> appearing in the rapid weight loss period. It won't do anything

about stones

> that have been providing problems that are already present. This

was my

> reason on insisting mine be removed. I don't even know if a

doctor would

> recommend the tests without the presence of pain/discomfort...

>

> all the best,

>

> lap ds with gallbladder removal

> January 25, 2001

> Dr. Gagner/mt. Sinai/NYC

>

> 10 months post-op and still feelin' fabu

>

> preop: 307 lbs/bmi 45

> now: 198 (YAhOOOOOOOO)/size sweet 16

[Guest guest]

So, .

Your signature line indicates that you've lost almost 1 pound per

month after surgery, for an amazing grand total of 9 pounds lost!

Amazing that you have such a chipper attitude about the whole thing!

;}

>

> In a message dated 12/3/01 10:26:00 AM, duodenalswitch@y... writes:

>

> << You're right: a doctor would not recommend the test without me

> experiencing pain. I would have to lie to get the ultrasound.

Would

> I do this if I felt it necessary? You bet; in a heartbeat.

Question

> is, should I? Maybe not, as it sounds like the pain part is

> inevitable IF something happens to the darned thing. If you were

in

> my position, would you take the Actigall and have it negate at

least

> some of the effects of the surgery?

> >>

>

> : The pain can be quite severe and very urgent -- I think

that it

> could definately be serious enough to indicate an emergency surgery

> (depending on the condition of one's gallbladder -- could be about

to rupture

> or just have some stones that are blocking a bile duct. Both

painful but not

> equally urgent). If you lied about pain and got the tests (which I

can see

> anyone would be tempted to do), they may find stones but this

wouldn't mean

> that you'd need your gallbladder out. And, after DS surgery, you

don't

> necessarily WANT to have your gallbladder taken out unless

absolutely

> necessary, right? I mean, the tests may make one feel more secure

but

> ultimately if one isn't experiencing problems, the tests would kind

of be

> nullified, iMHO. OR, the surgeon may say 'ok, we'll take it out

b/c you are

> experiencing so much pain' when he/she sees the stones but in

reality they

> haven't been bothering you....

>

> I think I would take the Actigall as a post-op but then again I had

stones

> present before the surgery. If I didn't have the damn thing out, I

would

> have been quite likely to develop stones after the surgery, too.

And, I was

> at a bmi of 45 so I would be much more 'careful', I guess, of what

I ate,

> etc. in order to maximize weight loss under the Actigall (which

can 'negate'

> some of the DS advantages). It's a real catch 22 because if I were

at a

> higher bmi pre-surgically I may be more *prone* to develop stones

b/c I'd

> experience (hypothetically) more rapid weight loss. However, I'd

also be

> more concerned about the effects of Actigall on my system b/c I'd

have more I

> needed to lose...

>

> all the best,

>

> lap ds with gallbladder removal

> January 25, 2001

> Dr. Gagner/Mt. Sinai/NYC

>

> 10 months post-op and still feelin' fabu

>

> preop: 307 lbs/bmi 45

> now: 298 lbs/size sweet 16

[Guest guest]

I am so sorry that you have to go through another surgery--really

sucks.

I just want to reinterate that you realy don't need your gallbladder

post DS--because it just stores bile. Now all the bile and enzymes

travel alone down the biliolimb to the common channel. Essentially

the biliolimb takes over the duties of the gallbladder. My fear of

precisely what you're going through made me agreeable to losing it.

Pammi

[Guest guest]

Did your husband have a DS? The problems he experienced postop

gallbladder removal are different--his bile enters at the doudenem.

Many people who have problems post GB removal also have problems with

the bile ducts--either small stones or imflammation related to the

diseased GB.

Pammi

> > Last week,two and a half months out from my BPD-DS, I collasped

at

> > work from abdominal pain. (When I woke up that morning I was

having

> > abdominal pain but had eaten my first salad the day before at

lunch

> > and I thought I was having a delayed reaction). I thought it was

> gas

> > and was going to pass. The pain did not. My surgeon (Dr. Gagner)

> > ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed no gallstones but

a

> > distended gallbladder. Gagner said that was not necessarily

> > abnormal. Two days later I had a CT scan. The doctor's nurse said

> she

> > spoke with the doctor and I have to have the gall bladder

removed.

> I

> > am scheduled for surgery later this week. I can't believe I have

to

> go

> > through the whole surgery !@$* again. The freaky walking in to

the

> > operating room and lying down on the operating table, waking up

in

> the

> > recovery room (when I woke up from my wls surgery, I vomitted --

it

> was

> > horrible). And those miserable, uncaring nurses at Mt. Sinai.

> Before I

> > had my wls surgery, I felt I was going to die anyway the way I

was

> > going and I really had nothing to lose. I wasn't scared. Before

my

> > gallbladder attack, I had been feeling really great - down 60lbs.

> Has

> > anybody else out there been through this? I would really like to

> hear

> > from you.

> > Thanks.

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

A week prior to my surgery I had a gallbladder ultrasound and it

showed that my gallbladder was perfectly healthy. About 4 months

post-op, my PCP did a gallbladder ultrasound in his office just to

check on things. Once again, the ultrasound showed a perfectly

healthy gallbladder with no inflammation, sludge or stones. I had no

complaints and no symptoms, my PCP just wants to monitor me since I

haven't taken the Actigall (I would have continued taking it but it

made me feel very queasy). I do not see any reason that you would

need to lie to get an ultrasound. Your PCP can order one for

monitoring purposes. I have spoken to post-ops with high BMI's that

have easily reached goal and they all took Actigall for 6 months,

have had no gallbladder problems and feel great.

Jodi

230/149 (-81 lbs)

Lap BPD/DS

4/26/01

Dr. Ren

>

> You're right: a doctor would not recommend the test without me

> experiencing pain. I would have to lie to get the ultrasound.

Would

> I do this if I felt it necessary? You bet; in a heartbeat.

Question

> is, should I? Maybe not, as it sounds like the pain part is

> inevitable IF something happens to the darned thing. If you were

in

> my position, would you take the Actigall and have it negate at

least

> some of the effects of the surgery?>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Jodi.

Can you PLEASE make sure that it happens for me like it's happening

for you? PLEASE?! Just printed your post and will take it to the

doctor. If she gives me any crap, then I'll lie!

Best,

> Dear ,

>

> A week prior to my surgery I had a gallbladder ultrasound and it

> showed that my gallbladder was perfectly healthy. About 4 months

> post-op, my PCP did a gallbladder ultrasound in his office just to

> check on things. Once again, the ultrasound showed a perfectly

> healthy gallbladder with no inflammation, sludge or stones. I had

no

> complaints and no symptoms, my PCP just wants to monitor me since I

> haven't taken the Actigall (I would have continued taking it but it

> made me feel very queasy). I do not see any reason that you would

> need to lie to get an ultrasound. Your PCP can order one for

> monitoring purposes. I have spoken to post-ops with high BMI's that

> have easily reached goal and they all took Actigall for 6 months,

> have had no gallbladder problems and feel great.

>

> Jodi

> 230/149 (-81 lbs)

> Lap BPD/DS

> 4/26/01

> Dr. Ren

>

>

> >

> > You're right: a doctor would not recommend the test without me

> > experiencing pain. I would have to lie to get the ultrasound.

> Would

> > I do this if I felt it necessary? You bet; in a heartbeat.

> Question

> > is, should I? Maybe not, as it sounds like the pain part is

> > inevitable IF something happens to the darned thing. If you were

> in

> > my position, would you take the Actigall and have it negate at

> least

> > some of the effects of the surgery?>