I've been having pain and other digestive issues for a month, and today I was diagnosed with gallstones. I was referred to a surgeon, but I do not want to have my gall bladder removed! That seems like such an extreme method of treatment. It really bothers me when the medical community has an attitude of "aw, you don't need that -- just have it out!" What can be done??
Some people can manage gall stones with diet but if you have a larger stone which blocks the bile duct or pancreatic duct then you can develop liver failure or pancreatitis both of which can be life threatening. Obviously you can have the gall bladder removed then but it is less ideal to have surgery when you are already very unwell.
“What if I do nothing?” And “Is there an alternative to surgery?” are both very reasonable questions to ask the surgeon. S/he should be able to discuss the risks and benefits of both surgical and conservative management so you can decide what is best for your specific circumstances. Some people find their gall stones extremely debilitating and feel 100% better after surgery. Other people have one or two episodes and never have another problem so it is very individual.
Some people do a gallbladder cleanse - you can Google to find out how - but I have been warned to not do it on a weekend (or when you know your doctor is out of town) and to make sure your health insurance premiums are paid... because it does make tend to make you pass any gallstones... which is usually a good thing, but there is a bit of a risk if it turns out your gallstones are unusually large.
I've never done a gallbladder cleanse, but I have been taking Planetary Herbals Stone Free off and on for over a decade and it works extremely well. (For both gallstones and kidney stones.) I have family and friends who take it when needed, also, with excellent results. I highly recommend it for people looking to prevent major problems and who want to do what they can to keep their gallbladder!
Gallstones are a longtime, well-known side effect of the birth control pill, so ask the doctor who prescribed them to you why s/he did not inform you of that well-known fact.
For some gall bladder patients, there is a syndrome that they have after surgery called "phantom pain". I know of many persons for whom this is a well-known condition that the surgeon did not tell them about before the surgery. I have many friends who still cannot eat bacon years after losing their gall bladder because they have pain just as they did before the surgery.
Ask lots of questions. You can always take the gall bladder out, but you cannot put it back.
Thank you so much everyone! I thought I was supposed to get email notifications when people replied, but I never got any! I have not had surgery, and still really don't want to, but the surgeon I spoke to seems to be OK with that. When I asked about breaking the stones up, though, he said it causes complications, and the stones always just come back. I've been drinking herb teas that are specific for the gallbladder and liver. I have been trying to use dietary measures. Sometimes I still have pain, possibly because I don't always follow my diet.
I never knew BC could cause gallstones! I was on BC for 4 years when I was young.
3. Gallbladder disease
Oral contraceptive users probably have a greater risk than nonusers of having gallbladder disease, although this risk may be related to pills containing high doses of estrogens.
Gallstones are a side effect of not eating enough fat in your diet. When you don’t eat enough fat, the sludge in your gall bladder doesn’t get flushed out. It just sits there and eventually hardens into a gallstone. This is a side effect of following the failed, unhealthy low-fat diet advice we’ve been receiving for decades. I don’t trust many doctors, but there’s one that I do. Go to YouTube and look up Dr. Ken Berry. He has a video about gallstones. It won’t let me post the link here, but just type in Ken Berry and gallstones and you’ll get it. He always thoroughly researches the medical literature before he gives us an answer to a question. He does Facebook Live’s every week where you can ask questions. He won’t give you the standard medical crap answers that other doctors do. Good luck!
Pectin worked for me, you can find it in granny smith apples. I'm not sure what has a higher amount but it stops the formation of the stones and your body just absorbs it over time. Oh and water is important too.
One of the most common treatments for gallstones is a gallbladder cleanse. Consuming a blend of apple juice, herbs, and olive oil for 2 to 5 days, they say it breaks down the gallstones and flushes them from the body
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