Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments of Gallstones

It was 2am when the pain began. The horrible crushing pain that felt like a heart attack. I was 21 weeks pregnant and scared to death. I got out of bed and paced the halls. I cried and cried and kept falling down in the hallway. My husband rushed me to the hospital, terrified for my health and the health of our unborn child. My husband flew to the hospital, illegally passing other cars and running red lights after making sure nobody was coming. The nurse immediately gave me a bed and a shot of Demerol. Apparently, I was not having a heart attack, but a run of the mill gallbladder attack. This was a shock since I had never had gallbladder problems before. So, why now? It is common for pregnant women to experience gallbladder attacks due to an increase in estrogen. Excess estrogen can prevent the gallbladder from emptying entirely and can cause a buildup of cholesterol. This was confirmed when the doctor took an ultrasound that showed my gallbladder was not inflamed, meaning that all of the gallstones were very new. Gallstones and gallbladder attacks are very common. Read on for symptoms, causes, and treatments.

The gallbladder is a small organ that aids in digestion. It can be removed however, and the person can lead a normal life. There are two types of gallstones. The first type and most common is the cholesterol stone. The other is the pigment stone, which is generally made up of bilirubin. Cholesterol stones generally form when there is too much cholesterol in the bile or the gallbladder is not emptying properly. Pigment stones are more often found in people with certain medical conditions, such as sickle cell anemia. Causes include obesity, diet, and genetics. Some other risk factors are ethnicity, gender, age, cholesterol medications, estrogen, rapid weight loss, and diabetes.

Many people will go years or even their entire life without experiencing the pain of gallstones, even if they in fact have them. Gallstones can cause a lot of intestinal pain and digestive issues. This can include bloating, vomiting, nausea, indigestion, and gas. Then, there is the pain that can be felt in the neck, upper abdomen, and/or upper back. This pain is excruciating. I would rather give birth over and over again than to ever experience a gallbladder attack again. This pain can last several hours without medication. If you experience a gallbladder attack, then head straight to the hospital or doctor.

There are several tests that can be performed to diagnose gallstones. This is such a common condition, that most doctors know it is gallstones before ordering the tests, but of course the tests must be run to confirm the diagnosis. The easiest is to take an ultrasound. This is also the most widely used method for diagnosing gallstones. Other methods include blood tests, CAT Scan, cholescintigraphy, endoscopic ultrasound, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. More than likely, your doctor will diagnose gallstones through an ultrasound and you will never hear of these other tests again.

Once you receive the diagnosis of gallstones, you will be given fast acting pain medication to be taken at the onset of another gallbladder attack. It is possible to take medications to dissolve the gallstones, but this medication may need to be taken for years and the gallstones have the potential of coming back. Most people will elect to have the gallbladder removed through either a laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy. The laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the most common and less invasive procedure. A small camera is inserted through an incision in the bellybutton, and then several more small incisions are made to insert the surgical instruments. This is a day procedure and so no hospital stay is necessary. An open cholecystectomy involves making a large incision to remove the gallbladder. This involves a hospital stay of several days. Gallbladder removal is the best treatment option.

Prior to my gallbladder surgery, I suffered dozens of gallbladder attacks. This was because I was pregnant and surgery was only an emergency option. Six weeks after giving birth to my daughter, my gallbladder was removed laparoscopic ally. I woke up from the anesthesia and was given a shot for nausea. Within the hour I was asking to get out of bed and go home. I felt great. I felt better than I had in years. At this point, the doctor informed me that my gallbladder fell apart during surgery. This means that my gallbladder was on the verge of exploding, which is life threatening. Do not ignore the pain and do not worry about the gallbladder surgery. There is no need to suffer through the pain.