I have gallstones, what should I do?

I'm not in too much pain. But the doctor says the gallstones may have blocked a duct and could be putting pressure on my liver. She said that it could affect my liver adversely in the long run. Has anyone had gallstone surgery? And if so, was it really painful? How long before you got back to work? I heard people also get diarrhea after the procedure. Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.

i had my gallbladder removed in 2002! i had a stone blocking my liver duct also! i was in severe pain! i had to have 2 surgeries! the first one they went down my throat to try and push it out but that was unsuccessful! the next surgery removed my gallbladder by laser! i felt so much better afterwards! i was really sore but did recooperate fairly quick (bout a week or two) this is really gross but yes i ended up with diarrhea! i have several bm's daily! its called dumping syndrome! u usually have a bm after every meal! hope this helps and dont discourage you because if you do not get it taken out you will be very sick!

get it removed Report It

drink lots of water and fresh coconut water helps 2

I had gallstones and I was advised that only the stones could not be removed. I had my gall bladder removed at age 68. See link below. not really all that pain full.

http://www.sages.org/sagespublication.ph...

I've heard that you should not have gallstone surgery unnecessarily. I control my gallstone discomfort by eating low fat meals and eating small meals instead of large ones. If I experience the discomfort at night, I lie on my right side and the discomfort usually goes away.

Do you have nausea as well as pain?

I have also heard of other methods to deal with gallstones besides surgery. There is a drug called Actigall, but it is unfortunately fairly expensive and you have to take it for a long time. There is some method by which a chemical is injected into your gallbladder to dissolve the stones. Another method is to use some kind of laser which breaks up the stones. I am not sure how effective either of those are.

If you do have the surgery, I hope you will be able to have the laprascopic surgery with the tiny incisions, so you will heal more quickly. Yes, people do get diarrhea after the surgery and some people still feel pain occasionally. I think that sometimes stones are missed and remain in ducts after the gallbladder is removed. I am not sure if more surgery is done to remove them.

I have had approximately the same amt. of pain from the stones for at least ten years now. It has not gotten worse, so I think careful eating has prevented the stones from enlarging or new ones forming. I have heard that drinking apple cider daily helps; I don't know whether that is proven, but I drink it just in case. My discomfort is very intermittent. If yours is constant or incapacitating, you may want to consider the surgery, then, or try one of the other medical methods.

I've heard that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day helps prevent stones from forming, but since I already have stones, I don't drink it because the caffeine seems to provoke discomfort for me. But I think if I could have the stones removed instead of my gallbladder, and then begin to drink coffee and take other precautions, I would probably not develop new stones or at least not for a long time.

Definitely get a second opinion on the matter, because many doctors promote surgery that isn't really necessary.
Good luck to you.

You should check out webmd.com .
My mom had hers taken out and it was a pretty simple procedure. She was back to work within 2 weeks. You might have some residual affects like phantom pain but if your not in too much pain now you might not get any of that. Don't drink milk right now and fatty foods. They can cause flare ups. If you haven't had them long be prepared for some major pain later in life if you don't have it removed.