Another Surgery...

[JAMES W]

WELL FOLKS.....I JUST GOT HOME FROM A TWO DAY STAY IN HOSPITAL FOR GALL BLADDER REMOVAL.....I'LL TELL YOU HAVING OPEN-HEART IS A PIECE OF CAKE COMPARED TO THIS....IT'S BACK IN THE LAZY-BOY FOR A FEW DAYS FOR THIS CRYBABBY..... THANKS FOR LISTENING TO MY BABBLING...

JAMES W

AVR JAN 31, 2003 BOISE-ID
MEDTRONIC PORCINE 27mm

 

[Nancy]

Hi James-

I'm very sorry to hear that you had a rough time of it. Some people have an easy time with gallbladder surgery, I did, and others have it tough,

Just keep remembering it's temporary.

Take care

 

[epstns]

I can sympathize about the gall bladder -- most everyone around me has had them removed (mom, sister, wife. . . ).

Just be thankful that you were able to wait until now to have it out. When mom and sis had theirs out in the early 70's, there was a 10-day hospital stay, then about 6 weeks of recovery. Sounds as bad as how people describe their valve surgeries!

I still have my gall bladder. They say I have some stones, but no problems so far.

With the "quickies" the recovery is faster. My wife was up and around in a couple of days, back to work in five. Hang in there -- you've been through worse!

 

[Ross]

You know, it's funny how some of the other procedures that we have are much worse then heart surgery. I haven't had my gall bladder removed, but just about everything else has been tampered with. Hip Replacement surgery was the absolute worst on the pain scale for me.

Good luck on your recovery from this round. As I tell everyone who thinks they're whining-Go ahead and whine, we have a most excellent assortment of cheese here.

 

[hensylee]

Dear James - yes, heart surgery for me, too, was a piece of cake compared to the next one of May 20, of a different sort. I agree with you 150% - and the laz-y-boy......I'm still in it. *&^^%$##$^*%$

 

[Jan]

Gall Bladder Surgery

Gall Bladder Surgery

Hi James

I had my gall bladder removed back in 1973

There was a saying back then that you had to be fair, fat and forty to have gall stones, I was dark, skinny and 19

My gall bladder scar is half the size of my AVR scar and the drain scar is worse than the AVR drain.

I was in for 10 days but recovered quite quickly.

I hope your recovery is speedy and you are not in too much discomfort

Jan

 

[JAMES W]

ANOTHER SURGERY

ANOTHER SURGERY

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR CONCERNS......MAKES THE HURTING SEEM LESS PAINFUL....YES JAN, FEMALE-FAIR-FAT-AND FORTY WAS HOW I WAS TOLD....HAVE THE LAST THREE DIFFENENTLY COVERED...SORRY CAN'T PASS THE FEMALE PART....FEELING BETTER TODAY....YESTERDAY WAS LIKE A 'CANNONBALL TO THE MIDSHIP'. EVERYWAY I MOVED IT HURT AS WE KNOW....THE HUMAN BODY IS AMAZING....HOW MUCH CRAP MUST I TAKE THIS YEAR...FEEL LIKE RIPPING AUG-DEC OFF THE CALENDAR AND STARTING ANEW......THANKS AGAIN

JAMES W

AVR-JAN 31-03 ST ALS RMC BOISE-ID
MEDTRONIC PORCINE 27 mm

 

[hensylee]

James & Jan - there are 5 Fs for gall bladder disease and y'all got em all but one..........can you guess?

Flatulent.

I remember them well from hubby's med school daze.

 

[lcwhitney]

If your gallbladder surgery was done with a scope next week will be better. I had mine taken out a few years ago. Mine was done with a scope, the first week was HORRIBLE and this seems to be what everyone that I have talked to who had it one this way tells me. Also if it was done with a scope, walk around several times a day and use a heating pad for the pain between your shoulder blades. This pain is from the gas used during laproscopic surgery. The heat and moving around make the gas dissipate quicker.

Lettitia

 

[LoraW30]

Speaking of gall bladders. I have stones and have been told that I needed to have it removed, to be a candidate for transplantation surgery. I haven't because surgery at this stage is just tooo risky with the shape my lungs are in. I haven't had problems for several years, about 10. This morning, I felt a searing heat spread through my side and have never felt anything like it before. This happened about 4 times today. I also have a congested liver and wonder if maybe it could be complications from that. I'll be seeing my cardio the 5th of August for my monthly check-up and will definitely be telling her about it. Until then, any guesses?

 

[Nancy]

Lora-

Your post makes me uncomfortable. I think waiting till August is too long. I'd feel much better if you saw a doctor asap. Could be your gallbladder, but Joe had liver problems from his CHF and also from his PH, and his liver went into spasms. The two organs are close together, I think you should have it looked at. It's better to be safe with something like this. You know that PH can cause pressure buildup in your liver.

Please go soon.

 

[JAMES W]

GALL BLADDER

GALL BLADDER

James & Jan - there are 5 Fs for gall bladder disease and y'all got em all but one..........can you guess?

Flatulent.

HENSYLEE....YOU ARE CORRECT 5

JAMES W

 

[Swill]

Regarding surgeries worse than OH

Regarding surgeries worse than OH

Many years ago I had surgery for sleep apnea. In one surgery they fixed a broken nose, a deviated septum, removed the turbinates from my sinuses, removed my tonsils, and removed my soft palate and uvula. This was supposedly an outpatient suregery, but the ENT arranged for me to spend the night in the hospital. For pain control they gave me an alcohol based syrup. Imagine having stiches from one side of your tongue up and over your throat to the other side, and bathing them several times a day in alcohol. I was back to sork in a week.

Yeah, having my valve replaced was much more civilized...

Will

 

[ALCapshaw2]

GALL BLADDER Questions

GALL BLADDER Questions

Speaking of Gall Bladders,
What do they do?
What would make one stop functioning?
Does anything help with the pain?

What happens after it is removed?
(i.e. any medications needed, etc?)
Isn't Gall Bladder removal done Laproscopically now?

A friend has been advised to have it removed.
No stones were found.

'AL'

 

[epstns]

Al, I'm sure you're aware that I'm not a doctor, but here's what I've been told:

The gall bladder stores bile for use in the digestive process. It can become inflamed due to infection, or due to obstruction of its exit duct, which exits into the intestine. The obstruction may be due to a cyst or other growth, or due to a stone. Some stones show up on X-ray, others on ultra-sound, etc., depending upon their content. Gall bladders are removed laparoscopically (sp?) now whenever possible, but they will have your friend sign a waiver giving them permission to do a full open-abdominal removal if they see complications when they look through the scope. If a scope is all that's needed, it is usually an outpatient procedure, with just a couple of days at home to recover.

After removal, most patients have no dietary restrictions or medications. Some people find that there are certain foods which they cannot tolerate (maybe spicy, greasy, etc., or even some veggies), but most have no such issues.

Hope this helps -- they say it isn't a biggie any more.

 

[hensylee]

when 'that' pain starts, just go to the hospital. Nothing helps but THEIR medicine.

Don't know what gall bladder does.

No meds needed after surgery.

Stops functioning when a stone gets stuck - o/w don't know, unless infection cause it.

Sister has no stones, but has chronic attacks - she refuses to have hers out. dumb!

I think they are all done through the 'wee' holes these days. Had mine out the old way and it wasn't bad.

 

[bvdr]

Hi Al,

The function of the gallbladder is to collect, concentrate, and store bile. Bile is made in the liver. The normal functioning gallbladder also removes water and electrolytes and lowers it's PH to below 7. In gallbladder disease, the bile become alkaline and alters the bile salts and chloresterol to where stones start to form.

The gallbladder releases bile in response to a whole chain of events that happens during digestion with hormones and enzymes. The bile helps with breaking down molecules (especially fats) to a better assimulated form for digestion.

Bile is what makes feces brown. (just an interesting fact)

A gallbladder is also part of the conduit system from the liver so if it gets blocked than the liver can't function properly.

People get along much better without any gallbladder than they do with one that is infected or blocked.

There are some drugs that can dissolve gallstones over time. Antibiotics can treat the infection and relieve some of the inflammation but so often the relief of pain only comes with having the thing taken out. The pain can be terrible.

Many gallbladders can be removed laproscopically now but not all of them. Sometimes gallbladders become cancerous but not that often.

Have a good day,
Betty(bvdr)

 

[JAMES W]

ANOTHER SURGERY

ANOTHER SURGERY

AN A AWARDED TO STEVE AND AN A+ TO BETTY. VERY NICELY DONE. GLAD I STIRRED UP SUCH INTEREST ! YOU CAN GO TO ANY BROWSER-TYPE IN GALL BLADDER AND READ REAMS ABOUT IT....USUALLY WOMEN MORE THAN MEN...HEAVEY SET....OVER 40-ISH CROWD. BUT THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS EVERYWHERE....THEY DID THE LAP PROCEDURE ON ME...BUT WAS AN EXTENSIVELY LONG SURGERY...SURGEON SAID "THE WORST HE HAS SEEN EVER"....OTHER THAN THE STERNUN ON THE AVR - THE PAIN YOU FEEL W/ THIS SURGERY IS... 3 PLANES OF THE BODY ARE INJURED. YOU CAN'T LAY DOWN - BEND OVER - REACH - SIT - TURN OVER SHOULDER W/O FLEXING ONE OF THESE THREE PLANES.
THE INITIAL PAIN ALSO WORST THAN BEING SHOT BY A GUN - WHICH I'VE BEEN-A RED-HOT ROD INSERTED THRU MY RIGHT SHOULDER DOWN TO MY GROIN. OUCH ! ALTHOUGH I HAVEN'T GIVEN BIRTH - SOME SAY IT SIMILAR. I HAVE GREATER EMPATHY FOR ALL 'MOMS.' THANKS FOR LISTENING.


JAMES W
AVR 01-31-03 ST ALS RMC BOISE-ID
DRS FORBES/MARKS

GALL BLADDER 072303 HOLY ROSARY RMC ONTARIO-OR
DR TESNOHLIDEK

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Thanks to all for your informative and helpful answers!
I've already printed your posts to deliver to my friend.

Ann, I KNOW exactly what you mean about THEIR medicine...

I once walked into the ER with Kidney Stones and the Nurse said
"follow me, I've got just what you need". She was right,
Dil..... became my best friend, taking me from "There is NO
relief" to "Oh, OK, that's not so bad".

'AL'

 

[Nancy]

Sure wish I had that when I had my gallbladder attacks, many years ago. That pain is terrible.