Pregnancy Info HOME

I am 24 weeks pregnant and I just found out that I have gallstones as well. I am on a special diet until after I deliver, but I still have attacks and it hurts like crazy. What has your doctor said? I will probably have surgery after I give birth.

Hi, thanks for reponding. I have been twice in ER and that was on march 02 and march 24.On the 29 we did an ultrasound and it came back with the gallstones.My docter gave me Lortabs for whenever I need them.I have seen 2 surgeons in May and the one was a real @#^&* and wanted to o surgery on May 18 and said that most likely he would have to do open surgery but i really did not have a good fealing about him so i called another surgeon (recommended by a friend) and he spend a lot of time with me and wanted to know how bad those attacks are and how often and he adviced me to wait until after the baby is born.He will do the laparoscopic surgery about two weeks after the delivery.He also gave me medication that will help relax the gallbladder when i get an attack and then take a lortab for the pain.I've had three attacks since may 11 and those pills really help, and they are also safe for the baby. Im happy i didn't do the surgery, i rather suffer a couple times and stay on that very blend diet than putting my baby boy in danger. Even though they prefer to do the surgery in your second trimester he said if it gets to bad he can always do it. I,m 30 weeks now and at 32 weeks the baby looks like a newborn and it has a 90% survival rate if he would be born now. Let me know what your experience is and let me know if you have any questions.Just make sure that you keep gaining weight (i gained 22 pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy) and a warm shower also helps with the pain.PS what are you eating ???? I can't wait until i can have a mozzarella stick!!!

So far I have been to the emergency room twice. Once two weeks ago, then repeated yesterday. I am pretty much eating vegetables, fruit, and chicken b___sts, as well as sandwhiches. So none of the craved mexican foods for me. :) It's alright, I will do anything for my little girl. They almost did surgery on me yesterday becuase the pain was so bad, and apparently one was blocking a duct, which can lead to death. It calmed down after awhile, but the bad part is was that I hadn't eaten anything to start it (it started Sunday morning) when I woke up, and the night before all I had had was a broiled chicken b___st with no seasonings. The doctors said if it gets worse then they will have to do surgery becuase it can be dangerous. I really don't want the surgery, and would rather go through the pain. We have a consultation with the surgeon tomorrow and I am having a meeting with my ob today. Hopefully we can work something out since I am only 24 weeks along! What have you been eating? I also have some lortabs for the pain although they weren't working yesterday.

Hi Tami, Last night I had an other attack but I started taking my sublingual tablet(thats the one that helps the gallbladder relax) Sorry I don't have the name handy but if you want to know how their called just let me know. 20 minutes after that when the pain was kicking in is when I took a lortab and since it takes about 15 min for it to work I went and took a long hot shower.Heat really helps me and i rotate from the back to my front. I know if they have to do surgery second trimester is the most ideal because its easier to get to the gallbladder than when your a lot bigger.On the other hand when you're further along like 28 or 29 weeks if the surgery induces labor which i guess thats the highest risk from the whole surgery at least at that time the baby has like a 80 to 85% survival rate. Whatever you do if you are not sure do like me and go for a second opinion. My biggest worry was also for it to cause jaundice?? and for it to rupture or block or cause appendecitis but my good surgoen (my second opinion with a fab reputation)told me it hardly ever happens and he pressed on my side to feel how sensitive it was and you know he asked me all kinds of questions like how much it hurts and how often i get them etc. And since i can eat (meaning im not nauseus all the time and not throwing up) and i've been gaining weight he really adviced me to wait, he said in the worst of the cases he can always do surgery. Now im just hoping i go into labor at 37 weeks and then 2 weeks later he do surgery.My mother in law told me all 4 of her kids were born at 37 weeks so im hoping i do too!!!!!! Foodwise, what can i say ; basically if it has any taste at all i can't have it lol. Just kidding, i,ve been eating lowfat yoghurt, lots of fruit, vegetables,drinking lots of water, 2 cups of coffee a day(sorry i really need it)or 1 cup of frozen cappuccino from Quicktrip(im addicted to those) I'm eating 7 grain wheat bread, bagels with you know it low fat cheesespread. Grilled meat no seasoning,salads with no dressing but to get some taste i add feta cheese and olives to it.So far fettuccini alfredo has not hurt me, but i can not handle anything thats deepfried(thats what put my behind in the er last time, it was one third of a small taquito)or spicy. How do you experience your pain? Mine stars between my shoulderblades like if my longs were collapsing and its kind of a stabbing and pounding pain and then it starts up front by my chest and abdomen(it also swells up some) that is making it a little tougher on me now because the baby is bigger and up high. it really hurts and it takes my breath away, but im still happy i waited with surgery.Good luck and keep me up to date.i'll check back a couple times today see if i can answer some questions before your appointment and let me know if you have some tips as well.

Well, I didn't make it to my ob today because he had an emergency he was called to. I have a meeting with him tomorrow as well as a consultation with a surgeon. So far, I have had two opinions and both seem to want me to wait (which is what I want) although the last doctor expressed concern that it was worsening based on my lab results. Hopefully they can at least wait until later on. I am not sure when the last time that they do surgery is. One doctor I had said they need to do it before I am 30 weeks. If they have to do it while I am pregnant though, I would rather wait until I am way farther along so that she will have a higher risk of survival and less health problems of course. Hopefully it just doesn't get to the point where they have to perform emergency surgery. I am glad we are having a girl though, because girls tend to develop faster. There is a really good hospital where I live that specializes in premature births and other pregnancy complications, so I am lucky in that sense. I'll keep you updated and let you know what they say tomorrow. Is this your first pregnancy?

Hi, yes this is my first pregnancy and I'm having a boy.Tomorrow I'll be 31 weeks and I'm just very happy to be this far along. Now i don't think I would mind if i have the baby at 37 weeks and be able to get rid of my gallbladder.How about you? Is this your first pregnancy?

This is my first pregnancy also and I am having a girl. I just hope that I can make it to 37 weeks with this gallbladder. Won't it be nice when they can finally take it out with no worries and you can eat what you want to again? Hey you only have six more weeks to go, good luck! Have you thought of any names for your son?

Yes, I'm naming him Jesse Lee.As in Jesse James and Lee because thats the family middle name of my best friend that pa__sed away 2 months ago.Besides that he kicks like bruce Lee.I'm originally from The Netherlands and my family and in-laws were freaking out because Jesse Lee don't sound dutch at all. They all like the name but i guess they thought i would go a little bit more the dutch way.What name have you picked out????

We are going to name her Kailey Anne. (pronounced Kaylee). We love it. The Anne comes from my mother in laws middle name and my mom's middle name so it just works perfectly. My sister is also named Ann, so I guess she'll be named after her aunt as well.My in-laws have already started calling our baby Kailey, so I guess its to late to change the name now even if we wanted to! We also considered the name Madison for awhile too. I think the name Jesse Lee is so cute, and all the names in your family don't need to sound Dutch!

Well, we had a meeting with my ob and the surgeon, and based on my elevated levels and the severity of the attacks I have been having, they want to do surgery. They say that there is a 2% risk of preterm labor at this point, and they want to do it now before it gets higher. My husband and I are very nervous, but we feel it is the best thing at this point.

Oh my, i'm sorry to hear that.How bad and how often are your attacks? Well at least you have to experts agreeing with each other and 2% risk of preterm labor is not a bad risk at all.When are they planning on doing the surgery?And will they be able to do it laparoscopic or is there a chance that it has to be open surgery?Well I will defenetly keep you in mind and I know especially coming from me ; but try not to worry to much.Thats not good for the baby and really that 2% that means a lot, see they told me that the biggest risk was to induce labor during the surgery but most likely they would be able to stop it and even if I would go in labor the baby had a 80% survival rate.Your how many weeks now? 25? Let me know when the surgery date is. I'll talk to you later.

Well, they are goign to do the surgery as an open surgery because with the larascopic they enter in through the belly b___ton and also inflate the stomach with gas, so it is much safer to do open at this point. They are going to make an incision higher up right under my rib cage, which is right next to where my gall bladder is right now, so the incision won't even have to be all that big. Hopefully all goes well. We are praying! Our baby is 25 weeks, so she would have a 50-75% chance of survival at this point if she was born right now. She would have a higher chance though than if she was a boy, so that is good. The doctors said that they would most likely be able to stop it if I went into preterm labor, and I will have to be on bedrest for the next couple of months after since having a surgery during pregnancy increases the risks of premature birth. I have to get it out now becuase my bilirubin levels are high and recently I have developed skin a lovely shade of yellow. Apparently there is one stone lodged in the ducts that just won't move, and it is making it so I am constantly in pain. My doctor is worried about the baby getting stressed because I am so nauseaus too. This really is the best thing, although scary. Luckily the hospital in which I am having the surgery is one that delivers the most babies in the United States and specializes in preterm births so that is at least good in the chance something goes wrong! Hope you can make it your seven more weeks to your goal. I am sure you can, and good luck to you! i will let you know how my surgery goes.

I'm sure everything will be fine. I do know about two other girls that had it done during second trimester and everything went ok with both. I will be thinking about you and Kailey Anne.How old are you? And this is also your first baby,right? Let me know the date of your surgery and I also would like to know how long your going to stay in the hospital if everything goes the way it supposed to go, meaning without complications.I also know your worried right now(I would be too) but really try to think positive, they do this all the time, your percentage is really good, you won't have to suffer for the rest of your pregnancy and you'll be able to eat whatever you want!!!!!!

I havent heard from you in a couple of days,wondering if you had surgery in the mean time.Hope your doing good,let me know when your up to it.

Hello, I am 19 weeks pregnant and am scheduled to have my gallbladder removed in the next two weeks. I found out I had gallstones about a year ago and have had one severe attack. I am now pregnant with my second child and am very sick everyday. I have the worst case of morning sickness my doctor has seen. She is concerned and is urguing me to have the surgery. Since the pregnancy I have been sore and recently my nausea has become worse and I am having fevers at night and sometimes during the day.

I'm sorry to hear about your gallstones(I would'nt wish them to my worse enemy) and like I told Tami before I know if you have to have surgery they prefer to do it when your in your second trimester and it does sound like you need that surgery.I know its not blocking anything with me so thats the reason I try to wait until after delivery and of course my medication helos.Yesterday I had another attack that must be like # 9 since march on the severe ones and of course once in a while I have some mild ones or just that pressure between my shoulder blades and my chest.I do have a question, if you were diagnosed with gallstones before you were pregnant, how come did you not do anything about it then? I do think that pregnant women suffer from more and more painfull attacks than a non pregnant person.