Emergency Gallbladder Surgery

I had a 2 cm gallstone stuck in the neck of my gallbladder which had been causing acute pain in my upper abdomen & back for the last few months, leading me to visit the ER three times in the last month alone, hence the need for emergency gallbladder surgery. Over the past few months, I experienced gallbladder attacks about 7-8 times. Unfortunately, I had no idea that the pain was related to gallbladder stones. Initially, we kept relating it to gastritis & treated it accordingly, but to no avail.

Before I share my story, let’s understand what is a gallbladder and how are gallstones formed. By sharing my experience, I hope to provide valuable information and support to those who may be going through similar experiences.

Understanding the Gallbladder and Gallstones

What is the Gallbladder?

The gallbladder is a small (approx. 7-10 cm long and 4 cm wide), pear-shaped organ, located in the upper right abdomen just below the liver. Its main function is to store bile which is a digestive fluid produced by the liver. When we eat a meal high in fats, the gallbladder releases this concentrated bile into the small intestine to help in the digestion of fats.

What are Gallstones?

Sometimes, due to some imbalance in the substances that form bile, the bile gets hardened and turns into pebble like deposits in the gallbladder. These gallstones can vary in size, ranging from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. They may not cause any problems or symptoms and can go unnoticed for years but they can cause significant issues if they block the bile ducts.

Types of Gallstones:

• Cholesterol Stones: These are the most common types of gallstones usually yellow-green in colour. Cholesterol stones form when bile contains too much cholesterol and not enough bile acids to dissolve it, often due to liver dysfunction, bile stasis or dietary factors.
• Pigment Stones: These are smaller and are made up of bilirubin usually dark brown or black in colour. Pigment stones form from excess bilirubin , often due to conditions like hemolytic anemia, liver dysfunction or biliary tract infections, which increase bilirubin levels in bile.

Symptoms and Complications of Gallstones

When a gallstone obstructs the flow of bile from the gallbladder or bile ducts, it can cause:

• Severe pain in the upper right abdomen
• Pain that radiates to the back
• Nausea and vomiting
• Indigestion and bloating
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• Fever and chills (in case of infection)

In case of complications, there can be inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis), inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), or infection of the bile ducts (cholangitis).

My Personal Experience with Gallbladder Pain

Now that we have an idea of what are gallstones and how they may lead to various symptoms; let me share my story, my battle with gallbladder pain which eventually lead me to get gallbladder surgery. Hopefully, this will help you in understanding gallbladder attack and what you can do in such cases.

Initial Symptoms and Misdiagnosis

I would get this sudden excruciating pain in my upper abdomen which radiated to my middle back. The strange thing about this pain was it felt similar to severe gas pain. My upper abdomen would get extremely bloated, it felt like a hard balloon being inflated in my abdomen. I could feel the pressure from the inside in my upper abdomen and at the back. While I was in pain, I couldn’t sit or lie down for more than a few minutes. I would also get continuous burps which would bring down the discomfort a bit but within minutes my abdomen would bloat again. Each gallbladder attack typically started at night around 10-11 pm and the pain lasted for 5-6 hours.

The first major incident occurred while I was on vacation in Sakleshpur (town in Karnataka), just a month after my hysterectomy surgery. Despite being in good health, the intense pain out of nowhere, came as a shock. That night, I endured 5 hours of agony before eventually ending up in the ER, where they treated me for gastritis pain before I passed out on the hospital bed.

It’s perplexing that the doctor didn’t suggest an ultrasound to check for gallstones that time. Thus, we also ignored it thinking it to be gastritis pain.

For the next 8-9 months, I experienced only minor discomfort & occasional indigestion. Then suddenly, in March this year, the severe pain returned. Again, I assumed it was gastritis and self medicated, but the pain persisted for 4-5 hours.

Repeated ER Visits and Correct Diagnosis

When the pain recurred later that month and did not subside with medication, I visited the ER again. This time, a doctor suggested that the pain might be related to gallstones and recommended an ultrasound.

 

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That was the first time I heard about gallbladder pain.

We got the ultrasound done asap and that revealed a 2 cm gallstone stuck in the neck of my gallbladder. We then spent the next week undergoing further tests and consulting with doctors to understand my condition better. The gallstone was causing significant pain and blocking the flow of bile, which led to the recommendation for surgery. However, I couldn’t come to terms with that revelation, considering the plans we had made for the coming months. Hence, we decided to explore other options first.

The Path to Gallbladder Surgery

Diagnosis and Treatment Options

After the diagnosis, I learned about the different treatment options. Surgery was recommended as the best course of action but I wanted to try non-surgical methods first. In an attempt to avoid surgery, I made significant changes in my diet, eliminating fats, oils, caffeine, sweets and anything else that seemed bad for my health. Surprisingly, this new diet seemed to relieve my pain for over two weeks. I took it as a good sign and went on with our plan to drive to Delhi from Bangalore.

Now just to check if the gallbladder pain was still there, I resumed my normal diet after reaching Delhi.

A week later, the pain returned, lasting for 6 hours. This experiment made me conclude that the pain was indeed related to my diet. I switched back to the restrictive diet that had previously brought relief.

But then, what went wrong, leading me to undergo gallbladder surgery?

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If you or someone you know is experiencing similar symptoms or has been diagnosed with gallstones, I encourage you to seek medical advice promptly. Understanding the condition and exploring treatment options early can make a significant difference in your health and quality of life.

Please share your thoughts, questions or experiences in the comments below. Your input can help others who are going through similar struggles. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I will share what happened that led me to undergo surgery and my experience with the surgery itself, the recovery process and life after gallbladder removal.

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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla

in collaboration with Growing with Nemit.

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