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Hello Ladies, I hope everyone enjoyed Mother's Day, especially all the new moms. My children are great. My little one is doing good. I just found out my husband and I are expecting another child. Surprising I am 2 1/2 months pregnant and haven't had too much morning sickness. I think I've thrown up once, which is a blessing since I had a terrible 2nd preg. I think I must have had them when I was preg. with the first because I had horrible morning sickness then too. I am just grateful that everything is rolling smoothly this time. I will keep everyone posted.

I had gallstones with my first pregnancy, the pain was unbearable. I had my gallbladder taken out shortly after I had her. A few months later I had the same gallbladder attacks and I went to the ER to find out I had sludge and stones in the common bile duct, and also I was very dehydrated, janudice, and pancreaitis- They did an endoscopy and I went home a few days later. Well I am now 25w4d pregnant with my second child and I am having stones and sludge in my bile duct again and it's not fun. I'm not sure what they are going to do about it while I am pregnant, but when I was pregnant they gave me prescription Zantac and it worked wonders!! It didn't stop all the attacks but it did make them only come maybe 1 or 2 times a week. I am HATING this pain and I cant wait to get something done about it.

Hello ladies, I'm so glad you're all here! I just got out of the hospital AGAIN! It seems like the surgery I went through at week 14 to remove my gallbladder didn't do the trick! I've been rehospitalized twice and last Friday had a TERRIBLE attack at work. Basically, I started having cramping and sweating and was nauseas while driving into work and the next thing I know, I'm in the bathroom with severe diareah and then fainting in my office. I started sweating like crazy, turned grey, couldn't breath, black out and then eventually threw up all over the security guy who came to help. I was eventually taken out of the office on a stretcher and to a hospital by ambulance, but MAN! That attack was the scarriest one so far. I was sooo weak I couldn't talk or stop shaking to get to my demerol pills. THANK GOD I had a letter from my doctor explaining my condition so that I could present it to the ambulance technicians and my colleagues. Ladies..PLEASE, get a letter explaining your condition and carry it with you at all times. I honestly think it could have saved my life on Friday. Anyways, as usual, my liver enzymes were all over the place and now the doctors are fighting over whether I should perform an ERCP while 24 weeks pregnant or try to wait it out. I'm actually more scared about waiting it out because of the fact that the last few episodes resulted in my getting juandiced and I'm worried about the threat of pancreat_tis...but since I have no gallbladder and they already performed an internal endoscopic ultrasound which came back negative (no stones, no sludge visible), they're talking about me having a really rare care of sphincter of ODDI dysfunction (SOD) (only 1.5% of all people who have their gallbladders removed get this) where my sphincter is continuing to spasm for no ryhme of reason. Has anyone ever heard of this? The worst part is, one doctor told me it wasn't even a real disease and was just a fashional term used by doctors when they can't figure out what the hell is going on. AND, I've heard that premature babies born at week 24 have a 40-70% chance of survival whereas a premature baby born at only 26 weeks had over a 90% chance of survival, so based on these facts, I'm inclined to try to hold off any further procedures until after I hit week 26 just to be as safe as possible. I just don't know anymore. The big worry seems to be pancreat_tis because my doctors said you could miscarry because of it and apparently you have 1 in 4 (25%) chance of getting the disease if they do an ERCP on a person with sphincter of ODDI dysfunction, which clearly scares the c___p out of me. Can anyone out there relate? I know this sounds like chinese to the commom folk, but I'm hoping that some of you ladies may actually understand some of these terms and percentages and can give you me your feedback...thanks so much. And for the record, my email address is yourtrish@hotmail.com if anyone cares to write to me about any related experiences. I'm on short term dissability from work and school until the end of my pregnancy and can use all the support I can get! Take care everyone, and I'll keep all of you and your families in my prayers. Hugs!

Hello ladies. I am 31 weeks pregnant and finally diagnosed with a gallbladder full of pea sized stones and sludge (I'm only 23), after a month and a half of going to labor and delivery every week thinking I was dying with the sharp upper right abdominal pain and severe pressure and back pain. Until this past week they just thought it was heartburn or indigestion...I told them they had to be kidding because I know what both of those feel like and this is a million times worse! I finally had a doctor that ordered an ultrasound on my gallbladder...thank goodness, the other doctor's just thought I couldn't handle a little heartburn. Anyways, I was told that there wasn't any medicine they could give me for the pain since I was pregnant...I now see that isn't true. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow for my 3 hour glucose tolerance test (I failed my gestational diabetes test) and also my check up so I'm going to ask about medicine to help me cope with the pain, because if I have to wait at least 6 more weeks if not more to have my baby I will need something to take if I have another attack because they just seem to be getting worse, and longer! UGGHH!!! Well, I just needed to vent. I will let everyone know what the doctor's say...and start writing here more since y'all understand what I am going through!

Well, after visiting my specialist again yesturday and 2 more attacks under my belt, they've finally decided that an ERCP is not an option at this point. The risks for pancreat_tis are just too high and the likelyhood of a stone still being stuck is slim to none. Instead, they're leaning more and more towards the idea that my sphincter may just be spasming for no reason at this point and have prescribed a new muscle relaxant for gastro-related diseases as a preventative medicine and codeine for pain if I have another attack. I also have a nytro glycerin spray which you spray on your tongue. That scared the c___p out of me, but yestruday, during my second attack of the day, i finally just bit the bullet and sprayed the bloody thing! And although I don't recommend using it on a daily basis, it reacts instantly and stops the spasm almost immediately. It does give you a headache and I got nauseas about 10 minutes after the spray, but the attack stopped and I slept for 2 hours. By the time I woke up, I was feeling a bit better and am at home relaxing today. It looks like I'm on short-term dissability from here on in and will be impatiently awaiting the arrival of our little bundle of joy for the next few months (I'm 24 weeks now). The doctors have said that this is not a life threatening disease to either me or the baby and that hopefully I will learn to manage the pain and these attacks with new meds (which sounds ridiculous to anyone whose ever had an attack), but honestly, at this point, the ERCP from what I can tell is not proven to be effective to a spasming sphincter and actually seems to cause more problems in some people (sometimes they will try to cut the sphincter ... called a sphyincterotomy.... to stop the spams, but this almost always causes pancreat_tis and a whole slew of other complications), so I'm going to cross my fingers and put on my warrior face to fight this disease and make it through the rest of my pregnancy happy and calm! AMEN!

Update for me...Well, I went to my OB/GYN, and was pretty disappointed with her response to me, especially after all the research I have done. She told me that the only thing that I could do was to go to labor and delivery when I have an attack and they will give me morphine! MORPHINE??? Are you kidding me, that can't be good for my baby! I asked her about the other medications that y'all have mentioned on here and she didn't know about them and had to discuss the midwife that was in the office. The midwife said that those can make an attack worse, and would affect the baby... I can't believe that those would affect the baby but morphine wouldn't! I asked her if she could see if there was anything else I could take so she talked to a few other physicians and called me back and told me that there wasn't...and just that I need to talk to the surgeons about when to have surgery after I give birth. I hate to know that there is medicine out there that I can take, but my doctor's either don't know about it or just won't give it to me. My husband is in the Army so I don't get to choose which doctor I go to, so for now I am stuck with these doctor's...and dealing with these attacks on my own unless I want to go to the hospital during my weekly attack. :(

Well its been 7 weeks since I had my baby girl and I had 2 attacks (one Thursday night and one Friday afternoon). I called my surgeon and she is scheduling me to get mine taken out laproscopically early this week. I have to call tomorrow (Monday) and find out all of the details. I'm so nervous now! Can anyone who's had theirs taken out let me know what to expect when I wake up? Also, my Dr. says she keeps her patients overnight at the hospital just to make sure they are ok even though most others do outpatient. Did any of you have to stay over night? How long was it until you could lift things again (I have a 2-1/2 yr old and a 7 week old)? I want to get it over with on one hand but on the other, I am scared that something will go wrong. I need to be able to take care of my 2 little ones. Any information would be greatly appreciated. If anyone wants to email me personally, my email is wlm51901@sbcglobal.net. Thanks!

Hi Wendi. I just read your post. Although, I haven't had my gallbladder taken out yet because I am 32 weeks I have read other women on this post that have had theirs taken out, but most of those were done during pregnancy. I think the recovery for laproscopic is pretty easy, but I know you do have to take things a little bit easier for a while. I don't know how easy that will be with 2 little ones, but hopefully you will have some help. I know that some people have problems with diarrhea afterwards, others go back to being normal and have no more problems. I also know that it is important to make sure that there are no stones blocking the Bile Duct because if those aren't removed, even if the gallbladder is, you can still suffer from another "attack." I don't know if this helps you at all. Like I said I haven't had my gallbladder removed yet....but can't wait until it is. My attacks are weekly now, and are lasting a lot longer and are extremly painful. goodluck with your surgery, and let me know how it goes.

Hi Wendi, I had my surgery about 10 weeks ago and can tell you that the larascopic surgery is really not that bad....especially if you're used to managing the pain related to attacks. I would recommend having someone live with you for about 1 week following the surgery. I know for me, my incisions and insides were really sore for about a week, and lifting would have been a problem. Of course, everyone is different and I was pregnant at the time, so there was more pressure on my stomach. When you wake up, you will most likely be on some type of pain meds (I was on demerol for 48 hours post-op), but after that, I was on my own to manage. My husband stayed home and helped me out/get dressed/get up from bed and that really helped.

Thank you so much Jamielmcm & yourtrish. I am so nervous about this whole thing. Found out I will get my surgery tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 and they will keep me there overnight. My husband is taking 2 weeks off of work so thats good. Also they told me I can't lift over 15 lbs for 4-6 weeks but my son is 26 lbs (the 2 yr old) so after my husband goes back to work, I can't take my kids to the store or anything because I can't get my son in and out of the car. What a royal pain in the b___t. I told my Mom and I think she will help as much as possible. I am going to feel like a prisioner! I know I'm being dramatic, but I just got done with surgery and I don't want to do it again. How soon after you had yours out were you able to eat the foods you used to eat agian?

Eating is a whole different story for me post-surgery. One thing for sure, is that in the weeks following the surgery, expect diareah...and don't worry too much...it seems to be a normal reaction that most people's body goes through. Unfortunately for me, despite the removal of my gallbladder, I still continued to have attacks after surgery...so eating has been a challenge most of this pregnancy. My surgeon had originally recommended low fat for 2 weeks and then a slow introduction of fat back into my diet. Hypothetically, you are supposed to eat up to 40 grams of fat a day (I think a normal person's diet is 60 grams) without any major worries, but everyone's body is different. In my case, I am still eating low fat and staying away from acidic foods like some fruits and vegetables and taking it one day at a time. I ate a tomato and had an attack, so you may want to be careful on that one...but again, to each his own and clearly, I'm no in the same situation as you medically (I'm still 25weeks pregnant and having random spams of my sphincter). Either way, I know some people who had their gallbladders out and who were able to eat whatever they wanted within a week...so it all depends on how sensitive your system is and what type of foods you like & eat. Anyways, my advice to you is to try to take it one day at a time. I know that sounds impossible, but honestly, I had so many expectations at the time of my surgery, and when something didn't go as planned, I was continuously disappointed....especially being pregnant. At this point though, I've really learned to take it one step at a time. A day without an attack is a good day for me. I'm taking it slow and steady and respecting my body's limits. The most important is the health and well being of your whole family, so if it takes a few weeks to not be able to shop, I'm sure it's well worth it in the end. Don't worry...you've proven how strong of a cookie you are by managing the pain of gallbladder problems already! I'm sure you'll do just fine during the surgery. I am a pretty a___l person who was very independant (I have a high profile job, travelled constantly, doing my MBA part-time) and now ... I'm on short-term dissability, on meds which do not allow me to drive (they make me drowsy and dizzy) and am going to be home until October 2007! At first I went insane, being cooped up and alone all the time, and now I've learnt to deal and relax and appreciate life and realized everything happens for a reason. I think this was my body's way of forcing me to stop...breath...and re-prioritize in time for the baby. Anyways, if ever you have any questions, feel free to write to me at yourtrish@hotmail.com. As you can imagine, I have more time on my hands, and since I've been in and out of the hospital sooo many times for this problem in the past 6 months and have done a lot of my own research...I might be able to help with some of the concerns and questions you have (although I'm no doctor, so just take my words for what they are worth). But most importantly, as much as you want to get right back into the swing of things, understand that you body needs you, probably more than your son needs his trips to the store ;)...and it's really important that you give your poor body it's fair share of time and energy. Moms have this funny way of never focussing on themselves...so take this time to try to relax and let others care for you (as impossible as it is...trust me I know) ... it's not a major surgery...but any type of surgery that involves taking out an organ in my opinion...should be taken seriously! And like one doctor told me...I'd been living with stomach/digestion problems since I'm 19...so that's 7 years...so you can't expect your body to bounce back in 3 days...if it took 7 years to get to this point, give your body a break! It needs time to readjust and learn to live without that darn galbladder...which kinda makes sense...so try not to put too much pressure on yourself! And enjoy your time recooperating! Good luck sweetie....my prayers are with you and your family! Love, t.

Hi Again~ Well I had my gallbladder taken out on Tuesday. It wasn't all that bad actually. I am still sore and the vicadin is making me very dizzy but the pain isn't that bad at all. I am SO relieved it is over and I look forward to eating normal again. They said to be on a low fat diet for 4 weeks and then I can slowly try some fatty foods again. I think I will remain mostly on low fat though because I've lost a lot of weight and I don't want to put it all back on, you know? Thanks to everyone for all of the info and stuff. I wish you all the best and I will keep you updated on my progress. :)

Just writing to bump up this issue and see how your doing with your recovery Wendi & co. I'm still waiting to give birth and hoping my spams go away afterwards, but the doctors have me on meds called Bentyl which seem to be helping. Hope everyone is doing well. Keep in touch!

Hi yourtrish...I'm doing really well! I just went for my post op visit and everything looks great. I haven't had any stomach problems or anything. I have 4 incisions in my stomach that are already almost healed. She said my gall bladder was chronically inflamed with lots of gallstones. It was well worth getting it out...I can EAT now!! Not anything too bad, but I can put a piece of cheese on my sandwiches now so thats amazing in itself! :) Pretty sad how little things are such a big deal after having gall bladder issues, isn't it? Good luck to you and feel free to email me anytime with any questions. Keep me updated. :)

Hi ladies, just wanted to make one final (hopefully) entry and let you all know what happened with my case. Three months after having my gallbladder out, I was still having severe attacks and despite numerous ultrasounds, they couldn't figure out what was wrong. My liver enzymes were still elevated and I finally ended up with pancreat_tis at 30 weeks preggo. Not fun...let me tell you. Finally, with not much choice, the doctors went ahead and did an ERCP and Sphinterotomy in hopes to cut the muscle and stop the pain. In the end, they actually discovered a residual 3 mm stone that was stuck in my bile duct, along with more sludge, so basically...that was the source of all of my pain and attacks...even AFTER surgery. I wanted to post this information, just to get it out there...for any woman who continue to experience pain even after they have their gallbladders removed. The only thing I can say is, after not eating for probably close to 90 days total during this whole ordeal, being on a zero-fat diet otherwise, sometimes on demerol, sometimes on codeine or morphine, sometimes on a vitamin or liquid IV drip and sometimes nothing, our baby measured in totally on target at 32 weeks with an average weight and size and proved to me that our little babies truly are miracles and are stronger than we give them credit for. The moral of my story is, never give up, and don't despair...their is hope at the end of the tunnel...just take it one step at a time...and trust in God...! Good luck ladies and best of luck, love and success with your new families. Take care...

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