Goodbye Gallbladder
Since about 2009, I’ve had problems with my gallbladder. It would ache occasionally and I knew I had gallstones. However, like many people, it didn’t bother me very often and I carried on with life.
I knew it would eventually need to be removed, but I also knew that some people had negative side effects afterwards and it swayed me enough to put it off.
Fast forward to about one month after I had my son last year.
I was having a hard time adjusting to parenthood, especially with my husband being in Korea, so my dad was kind enough to come stay with me for a while and help me get some things done around the house. I was about to go to bed one night and felt a sharp heavy pain in the middle of my chest. I decided to lie down, hoping it would subside.
Almost an hour after the pain started, it was more intense and wasn’t letting up. I woke my dad up and told him I thought going to the ER was the best thing to do.
The visit to the ER didn’t give me many answers. They assumed it was a stomach ulcer, but the visit left we me with more questions than anything. I should have followed up with my family doctor, but having a new baby to take care of made it difficult to put myself first sometimes. I didn’t have any more issues so it kind of got pushed to the wayside.
Around August, I started having attacks again. They became more frequent and more intense, but we were in the middle of a PCS, so I had to put off seeing a doctor, which was a bit frustrating. Once we arrived at Scott, I was able to get the ball rolling.
While waiting for my first appointment with my gastroenterologist, I had to go to urgent care due to an attack that lasted for more than six hours. It was probably the worst one I’ve ever experienced.
Eventually, I got an ultrasound and an endoscopy done to determine if I, in fact, had stomach ulcers or if it was something else. The results showed that my gallbladder was the culprit.
I went out of town for Thanksgiving and didn’t return until the end of December. In January, I made an appointment with a surgeon, and in February, just a few days after my son’s first birthday party, I had my gallbladder removed.
All in all, almost a year after that first attack there has finally been some resolve. The first few days after surgery were difficult, but I’m so glad I got it done.
Have you had a cholecystectomy? Did it change your life for the better? Sound off in the comments below!
