Debating on Gallbladder removal

[Bornstarch]

My ALT was 76 which is high, so my physician told me to get an MRI to check out if I got a fatty liver. Had an MRI and I have mild fatty liver, but they also found gallstones. Went to see my physician again and he told me that gallstones could cause my ALT to go up along with other issues, so he recommended me having my gallbladder removed and he also did another bloodwork to see how my ALT is doing and I just got the results. My ALT is now at 100. I'll see him again next week.

I'm leaning towards having my gallbladder removed. I've had this stomach pain that comes every once in awhile since I was 8 years old. I thought it was stomach ulcer. The pain sometimes is so severe that it has me in a fetal position on the bathroom floor. Then I had an endoscopy years go and the doc told me I have a hiatal hernia. So then I thought that that was what's causing the stomach pain. Now I find out it's been gallstones all this time.

I've read that gallbladder removal is extremely common but is considered a major surgery. The recovery time is relatively short.

I can put up with the pain, which only happens about once every couple of months. I think maybe it's what's causing my other issues such as dry eyes, dizziness, and panic attacks. So, I'm leaning towards having it done now since I've already met my insurance deductible for the year and I'll take a couple of weeks to recover before I go back to work.

 

[Pittie Petey]

Jennifer Aniston suffered from dry eyes for years, it was so bad that she was even embarrassed to tell her friends, maybe you should reach out to her for advice

 

[Neck&Neck]

Do it
My sister had hers removed 20 years ago, along with her spleen
She’s doing fine

 

[UberHere]

My ALT was 76 which is high, so my physician told me to get an MRI to check out if I got a fatty liver. Had an MRI and I have mild fatty liver, but they also found gallstones. Went to see my physician again and he told me that gallstones could cause my ALT to go up along with other issues, so he recommended me having my gallbladder removed and he also did another bloodwork to see how my ALT is doing and I just got the results. My ALT is now at 100. I'll see him again next week.

I'm leaning towards having my gallbladder removed. I've had this stomach pain that comes every once in awhile since I was 8 years old. I thought it was stomach ulcer. The pain sometimes is so severe that it has me in a fetal position on the bathroom floor. Then I had an endoscopy years go and the doc told me I have a hiatal hernia. So then I thought that that was what's causing the stomach pain. Now I find out it's been gallstones all this time.

I've read that gallbladder removal is extremely common but is considered a major surgery. The recovery time is relatively short.

I can put up with the pain, which only happens about once every couple of months. I think maybe it's what's causing my other issues such as dry eyes, dizziness, and panic attacks. So, I'm leaning towards having it done now since I've already met my insurance deductible for the year and I'll take a couple of weeks to recover before I go back to work.

Is the pain associated with eating? Is it in the right upper quadrant?

From your description, it’s very common for gallbladder attacks to have people on the floor in the fetal position.

In severe cases, it can lead to pancreatitis or cholangitis which can be life threatening. Everyone I’ve known to have their gallbladder removed didn’t miss it.


Just my 2 cents

 

[Bornstarch]

Is the pain associated with eating? Is it in the right upper quadrant?

From your description, it’s very common for gallbladder attacks to have people on the floor in the fetal position.

In severe cases, it can lead to pancreatitis or cholangitis which can be life threatening. Everyone I’ve known to have their gallbladder removed didn’t miss it.


Just my 2 cents

Yeah, if I skip meals. Drinking soda also triggers it. part of the reason why I dont drink soda.

 

[SirRealKiller]

Some advice for you Sherbro.

I have Celiac Disease. Had stomach issues from a young age that they could never figure out. I went to the ER several times. They chalked it up to anxiety. But I also was refusing to eat and would fall asleep at the table rather than eat. This is back in the 70's & 80's so they didn't have a means to test for Celiac Disease. Well, fast forward 30 years and I started having all sorts of issues. Constant stomach pain. Joints swelling up. Neurological issues. Increased liver enzymes. I had constant brain fog, like i had dementia. I went to the Dr and they thought the stomach pain was from my gallbladder so I had it removed, but that didn't really change anything. Ended up getting referred to GI specialist who ran a Celiac Disease panel and Bingo! All of these things were being caused by eating gluten. Stopped eating gluten and with in a couple of weeks I was much improved considering I was about to get admitted to the hospital.

So I would ask to be tested for Celiac Disease as it can cause stomach issues, Liver Enzymes can be high in some people, but it can also cause all sorts of other symptoms due to nutritional deficiencies.

 

[UberHere]

Some advice for you Sherbro.

I have Celiac Disease. Had stomach issues from a young age that they could never figure out. I went to the ER several times. They chalked it up to anxiety. But I also was refusing to eat and would fall asleep at the table rather than eat. This is back in the 70's & 80's so they didn't have a means to test for Celiac Disease. Well, fast forward 30 years and I started having all sorts of issues. Constant stomach pain. Joints swelling up. Neurological issues. Increased liver enzymes. I had constant brain fog, like i had dementia. I went to the Dr and they thought the stomach pain was from my gallbladder so I had it removed, but that didn't really change anything. Ended up getting referred to GI specialist who ran a Celiac Disease panel and Bingo! All of these things were being caused by eating gluten. Stopped eating gluten and with in a couple of weeks I was much improved considering I was about to get admitted to the hospital.

So I would ask to be tested for Celiac Disease as it can cause stomach issues, Liver Enzymes can be high in some people, but it can also cause all sorts of other symptoms due to nutritional deficiencies.

Good advice. Sometimes ordering a celiac panel can save a GI referral and the patient months on waiting for a diagnosis. It can definitely cause liver enzymes to be high in blood.

 

[SirRealKiller]

Good advice. Sometimes ordering a celiac panel can save a GI referral and the patient months on waiting for a diagnosis. It can definitely cause liver enzymes to be high in blood.

Yup, you still usually have to see a GI anyway to confirm that it's not something causing a false positive celiac test. Other autoimmune diseases and diabetes can sometimes cause a false positive. You would need to have the biopsy done to makes sure. But it would have saved me a surgery as my gallbladder wasn't causing the issue.

 

[UberHere]

One thing I ajways do when I see gallstones on imaging is to measure the diameter of the common bile duct. If gallstones are truly the cause, most often the duct will be dilated beyond the normal average size. Not always, but it is additional evidence one way or the other.

 

[SirRealKiller]

One thing I ajways do when I see gallstones on imaging is to measure the diameter of the common bile duct. If gallstones are truly the cause, most often the duct will be dilated beyond the normal average size. Not always, but it is additional evidence one way or the other.

Yeah, in my case I didn't even have stones but they thought it wasn't functioning so they did a HIDA on me and found it had 0% function so they thought that was the issue. It obviously wasn't and a total waste of my time and money.

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Fucking gallbladder attacks were the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life. The "big one" had me calling 911 because I thought I was dying. Took about a month or so for my digestive system to readjust, but eventually it was like nothing happened. Don't miss that demonic green sac one bit.

 

[west42]

Can I have it if you go through with the procedure?

 

[Renard]

The gallbladder isn't just for show. You need it to break down fatty acids and absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Without those vitamins, you can end up with all kinds of chronic conditions over time. Additionally, when people get it removed it's common for them to end up with diarrhea, heartburn, nausea or bloating if they eat a meal with a little more fat than usual. If I had the choice between pain every few months vs. GI issues weekly or daily, the pain every few months wins easily. Usually the people that get it removed are having pain continuously, it's making their lives miserable so the tradeoff is worth it. In your case the tradeoff doesn't make much sense.

You're not a hypochondriac by any chance? The number of doctor visits you're having is insane. These people are going to be building whole country houses with the money they're making off you.

 

[UberHere]

Could be a duodenal ulcer. Eating actually relieves that pain. That requires endoscopy to diagnose.

A lot of people have NAFLD so the mildly elevated AST could just be a red herring.

 

[UberHere]

The gallbladder isn't just for show. You need it to break down fatty acids and absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Without those vitamins, you can end up with all kinds of chronic conditions over time. Additionally, when people get it removed it's common for them to end up with diarrhea, heartburn, nausea or bloating if they eat a meal with a little more fat than usual. If I had the choice between pain every few months vs. GI issues weekly or daily, the pain every few months wins easily. Usually the people that get it removed are having pain continuously, it's making their lives miserable so the tradeoff is worth it. In your case the tradeoff doesn't make much sense.

You're not a hypochondriac by any chance? The number of doctor visits you're having is insane. These people are going to be building whole country houses with the money they're making off you.

A lot of people labeled as hypochondriacs have an undiagnosed issue. Medicine is a thinking man’s game and a lot of practitioners just don’t put the effort in. Don’t get me wrong there are definitely hypochondriacs, but if all avenues haven’t been explored and the patient keep coming back, who am I to say they aren’t in pain?

 

[666]

No don't do it. Eat healthier. Drink lemon water and green tea.

 

[biscuitsbrah]

The gallbladder isn't just for show. You need it to break down fatty acids and absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Without those vitamins, you can end up with all kinds of chronic conditions over time. Additionally, when people get it removed it's common for them to end up with diarrhea, heartburn, nausea or bloating if they eat a meal with a little more fat than usual. If I had the choice between pain every few months vs. GI issues weekly or daily, the pain every few months wins easily. Usually the people that get it removed are having pain continuously, it's making their lives miserable so the tradeoff is worth it. In your case the tradeoff doesn't make much sense.

You're not a hypochondriac by any chance? The number of doctor visits you're having is insane. These people are going to be building whole country houses with the money they're making off you.

I would definitely check all my options before having any major organ removed.

My dad had prostate cancer and i pressured him to get it removed, he wanted to go other routes first to lower his psi. Well he started juicing and taking vitamins and eating healthier and now he’s free of prostrate cancer. I’m so glad he was smart, went with other options first, and didn’t listen to me

 

[AFanNotAFighter]

Sounds like an easy do-it-yourself job.

 

[Renard]

A lot of people labeled as hypochondriacs have an undiagnosed issue. Medicine is a thinking man’s game and a lot of practitioners just don’t put the effort in. Don’t get me wrong there are definitely hypochondriacs, but if all avenues haven’t been explored and the patient jerks coming back, who am I to say they aren’t in pain?

Sure I agree that believing people is the best policy. I don't think you've seen OP's other threads though. Each post is about a completely different issue affecting a different organ or system in the body. The brain, the vestibular system, the eyes, now digestion too... but only every few months? At some point I feel that hypochondria becomes Occam's razor and it should be brought to OP's attention to think over.

 

[Bornstarch]

A lot of people labeled as hypochondriacs have an undiagnosed issue. Medicine is a thinking man’s game and a lot of practitioners just don’t put the effort in. Don’t get me wrong there are definitely hypochondriacs, but if all avenues haven’t been explored and the patient keep coming back, who am I to say they aren’t in pain?

Yes, I'm trying to find something that's causing my dizziness and panic attacks, among other symptoms. The symptoms happened instantly one night when I've never had them before.