I went to see Dr. Hottie my primary care doctor today. Swoon alert!
The appointment was to follow up on my blood tests/labs where they took EIGHT vials of blood from me a few weeks back.
I totally deserved a cookie and some juice after that.
If you want to know my blood test results check it out on Facebook. Because, isn't that where all private health and medical information belongs of yours truly?
I kinda already knew that most of the results were good, since I had heard about some of them at my band adjustment appointment last week. But not all the results were in at that time, so his office called me to set up an appointment to come in and see him.
During my appointment he asked if I was still rocking the sexiest legs ever. WAIT, that's not really what he said. He asked about my lower leg swelling due to one of my high-blood pressure meds.
I reminded him that sometimes us ladies like to wear skirts and cute heels in the evening when going out and don't want to scare people with our cankles. Literally, that's what I said. He nodded in agreement (probably laughing on the inside at what an ass-hat I am) and prescribed new high-blood pressure meds.
The appointment was to follow up on my blood tests/labs where they took EIGHT vials of blood from me a few weeks back.
I totally deserved a cookie and some juice after that.
If you want to know my blood test results check it out on Facebook. Because, isn't that where all private health and medical information belongs of yours truly?
I kinda already knew that most of the results were good, since I had heard about some of them at my band adjustment appointment last week. But not all the results were in at that time, so his office called me to set up an appointment to come in and see him.
During my appointment he asked if I was still rocking the sexiest legs ever. WAIT, that's not really what he said. He asked about my lower leg swelling due to one of my high-blood pressure meds.
I told him that they still looked like this at the end of the day:
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| Remind me to shave my legs before taking pics like this, OK? |
We also discussed how I seem to be getting some occasional upper right tummy pain about half hour after I eat. The dreaded words "Gall Bladder" were mentioned. So he ordered a scan or an ultra sound or something like that to take a closer look at it.
So, my questions for you: Have you had your gall bladder scanned? Removed? What were your symptoms? Discuss.
Horrible, torturous pain after eating was my first symptom. It would last anywhere from 20 mins to over an hour. Sometimes nausea & dry heaves too. I had an ultrasound 2 wks after my first attack and my gallbladder was removed 1 wk after that. It took over a year for my digestive tract to regulate itself to where I stopped having painful diarrhea almost immediately after eating anything too fatty.
ReplyDeleteRecovering from the surgery itself was pretty easy. I just remember being sore and getting the shoulder pains.
I was getting crazy pains about 10 minutes into a meal and they would last anywhere from 3 hours to through the night. Occasionally the pain would subside enough to let me fall asleep then wake me up with this awful and strange stomach twist. It seemed like I was literally trying to get away from my stomach. Ultrasound and CT showed no problems. My surgeon (guy who'd already handled my appendix just one month earlier) decided to do a HIDA scan when I saw him for a follow-up for the appendix episode. My HIDA scan came back "too" active. If you do a HIDA scan, anything less than 35% is underactive and means a problem and they'll recommend taking out the gallbladder. If it comes back over 75%-80%, they recommend removing it, too. For the too low - it's always associated with stones. But for the too high - no one knows for certain what causes that. Turned out when the pathology report came back, I actually DID have stones, anyway. And stones never would have been anything anyone assumed given a too active gallbladder.
ReplyDeleteI had no problems with the surgery. It's a lot like getting banded - although I felt the gas more with the gallbladder than I did with the band. Incisions are in the same general area. My surgeon wouldn't use the same ones cause he "didn't know for certain where the band was" but I know others who go back to their band doc and the band doc uses the same incisions and the belly button. I had horrible bruising around my belly button after this surgery.
And I've had no problems with missing the gallbladder. No incessant diarrhea, no issues at all with the GI regularity stuff. Apparently my body was already used to the liver dumping all the bile at once - which is what happens after you lose your gallbladder. My gallbladder was dumping all at once, so nothing changed other than now it's the liver that does that, and not the gallbladder. That's my guess, anyway.
Sadly, it didn't resolve all my pain. It did fix the majority of what happened "while" I was eating. But that strange pain that wakes me up that makes it seem as though I'm literally trying to crawl away from my stomach...that is still happening. And turns out - that's the endometriosis growing in weird places.
good luck with the gall bladder thing. Loved how you told your doc you want to wear cute heals and skirts :D
ReplyDeleteI had mine out. I actually had no symptoms at all. Routine blood work showed that my liver enzymes were elevated and the doctor ordered an ultrasound of my liver. From that ultrasound they saw a golfball sized gall stone. I had my gallbladder remover and I can honestly say it was the worst surgery I have ever had and it took me forever to recover from it. If I had to go back and do it over I would have never had it removed until it started causing me extreme pain.
ReplyDeleteOh, your poor cankles! Hope the new med works better. By the way, one of my Jazzercise instructors got light headed during class the other day and had to sit down. Turns out she has high blood pressure even though she is very fit. Said she was on all sorts of meds. I thought of you.
ReplyDeleteI had my gallbladder removed about 7 years ago. I had symptoms for about a year before - like terrible gas pains/indigestion. I thought I was gonna die. Or have a heart attack. I went to the doctor and he brushed it off and called it gas bubble pains. Idiot! Several months later I became violently ill after eating at a cook-out, saw a different doctor, was sent for a scan and had surgery like two days later to have my gallbladder removed.
I had absolutely no symptoms until my first and only attack. Went to the ER and a preliminary ultrasound almost got me into surgery at midnight. I saw the general surgeon the next day and had surgery on the next. (I was one year post band.) Since my cholecystectomy I've had absolutely no issues.
ReplyDeleteBless your heart! Yes, I am Southern. I can relate to the cankles! Usually only happens when I'm on vacation though -- oh, and if I dare have a margarita instead of white wine!!
ReplyDeleteI had my gallbladder removed four years before I was banded. Never had the first symptom!! Woke up on a Sunday morning, just feeling a bit nauseous and because it was Sunday I stayed in bed (had it been a weekday, I would have gone to work). About 5:00 that evening due to just bit of chest pain (and bad hearts run in my family) I got up and took a shower and went to the ER. My gallbladder was a mess and was removed early Monday a.m. I thought the surgery was a breeze compared to my lapband surgery!! Worst part is the scars from my gallbladder are on one side and the scars from lapband are on the other side. I've have very obviously been sliced and diced!! Fortunately, I am of an age that it doesn't really matter.
Good luck whatever the outcome of the tests!
I've had mine out too! I had the same symptoms (terrible back pain that made me feel like I had maybe bad gas or constipation-sorry) very randomly for years and thought it was gas. One spell was particularly bad and I wondered if I was having a heart attack. It finally eased after a few hours and I have no idea what I was thinking by not seeing a Dr to check it out further. I just learned to POP some gas pills and ibuprofen and it would help.
ReplyDeleteUntil that one night it didn't help. I went to the ER and exceedingly long story short they removed my nasty horribly infected GANGRENOUS gall bladder. It was Christmas day 2008. Honestly it was the best Christmas present I could've gotten. It made me feel sooo much better.
I did have to stay in the hospital five nights (which is unheard of for gall bladder surgery) with some strong iv antibiotics coursing through my veins due to the level of infection. But other than that it was great. :)
Pop should not be in all caps. Autocorrect???
DeleteSo far I've avoided the gall bladder surgery but it is rather common I've heard when you go from a heavy fat diet to a much lower one. The stories I've heard include the "gall bladder wiggle" which is constant movement caused by your body wanting/trying to escape the pain and "it felt like an elephant sitting on my chest and I thought I was having a heart attack."
ReplyDeleteThey used to tell people it was not a problem having it taken out as long as you then avoided spicy food. I don't think they tell you that anymore.
ONe day, out of the blue I had a HORRIBLE pain on my right side that would not go away. I thought it was gas and took gas stuff all night but it didn't help. I went to the hospital later that night and an u/s showed it was my gallbladder. I had to get it out later that week. Once the dr. took it out he said it was scared from all the yo-o dieting I had done over my life. The surgery itself was the easiest I have EVER had. I woke up from surgery and never needed a pain med, walked out of the hospital on my own and was back to normal activities in a few days. With my recent surgery, I was not as lucky. :)
ReplyDeleteRemoved. Horrible pain after eating - like bend you over pain and a dull ache almost always. Surgery was pretty easy and recovery was quick. Felt better the moment I woke up.
ReplyDelete