I usually don't post here...but I'm kinda scared

So, I'm 19 months out from my lapband surgery and haven't had any problems up until this point. I had chili for dinner on Monday night and woke up at 2am from excrutiating pain in my upper abdomen. When I went to the emergency room, they contacted my surgeon and decided that it sounded like my gallbladder and I may need to have it removed. I went for an ultrasound today and won't know much until tomorrow or friday...so I'm playing the waiting game.

Just curious if anyone has had this done post-lapband? Is there anything that can usually be done to prevent having to have surgery if they do say that it is a gallbladder issue? Is the surgery done laproscopic if it does need to come out? How long is the normal recovery time?

Thanks,
Crystal

 I had my gallbladder out a couple of years ago.  I had symptoms like yours, as well as nausea.  When I went in to see the doc, he looked at my eyes, and said I was also jaundiced, and needed surgery ASAP.  I went in the next morning.  It was indeed lap, and was a breeze.  Recovery was even easier than lap band, especially after suffering such extreme pain before surgery.  As for other treatments, I believe there may be, but do you want to risk going through that pain again waiting for meds to work?  Once you start having gallbladder attacks, they tend to get worse.  I wanted that sucker out ASAP.

Best wishes,

Tami

They didn't tell me that I had jaundice nor did they find any abnormalities in my blood work. But you're right, I wouldn't wish this pain on my worse enemy...I have always been the type to be able to suck the pain up and take it but this had me hunched over and crying in the ER. It was going into my back and the pain was constant, but would vary in intensity. I hope that it will be laproscopic, but that is if it is even my gallbladder. The ultrasound tech said that she didn't see anything (I guess such as gall stones or other issues), but the docter has to review it to know for sure. 

Thanks for the info, Tami

~Crystal

Join the club! I go for an ultra sound tomorrow AM to check mine. My pain isn't horrible except when I try to eat something then about an hour later I get awful pain under my rib cage on the right side. Mine is mostly nauseousness, just don't want to eat. My doc doesn't seem to be in much of a hurry altho he did say if I start running a fever and get chills and sweats to get to the ER. It's very common to have GB issues after WLS because we are already set up for it by being overweight to begin with and then when you lose weight rapidly that also sets you up so it's almost a given. I even took meds for the first year to ward off GB problems but it must not work after a couple of years . Good luck you definately aren't alone!

At least I know that I'm not alone. I think that I learned more about the gallbladder over the past 2 days than I ever knew. I had/have nausea and while I was in the ER I was leaning over the trash can heaving but with nothing coming out. I've been continuously nauseated since this episode at 2am on Tuesday morning and I'm scared to eat...I also have a pain under my rib cage on the right, but it's a continuous dull ache. I just only want to drink water. I tried to eat a small turkey burger that I fixed but I only ate about 2oz of it....I have anti-nausea meds but they just put me to sleep. I'm just ready to get back to normal.

Thanks for sharing your story/info and good luck to you as well.

~Crystal

I had my gallbladder removed 7 months post lap band. It took awhile to diagnose it. They thought it was band erosion at first and did an endoscopy. Endoscopy came back normal.

I had several ER visits and CAT scans which all came back normal. It was so frustrating. I finally got my PCP to order a ultrasound. That ALSO came back normal.

I had to switch PCP's to get a HIDA scan ordered which finally... after 3 months of painful attacks, PROVED that it was my gallbladder. 

I wouldn't wish that pain on anybody either. Horrific pain. I remember slinking to the floor in the ER begging to be taken back so I could get some pain meds. It was so bad.

I had mine taken out laparoscopically. It was outpatient. I was on pain meds for about 3 days. The recovery was harder for me than the lap band... but I don't know if it was because it was my second surgery in 8 months... or because it just is more painful. Either way... it was better than having sudden attacks!

I don't think you can prevent surgery if it is a gallbladder issue. 

Wow, sorry to hear that you had to go through so much to find out what was wrong. I went for an ultrasound and they didn't find anything wrong with my gallbladder, but they scared me about my kidney...long story. I'm supposed to go for a CAT Scan tomorrow to check everything.

When you got the HIDA scan, what did it show? Did you have gall stones? What did they say was wrong with your gall bladder that caused them to need to remove it?

Thanks,
Crystal

My HIDA scan showed an ejection fraction of 6%. Normal gallbladder ejection fraction is between 35% to 75%. Basically my gallbladder wasn't squeezing enough to expel the necessary amounts of bile. 

So I didn't have stones that could be seen on CT scans/ultrasound. Just a sludge filled non functioning gallbladder. Honestly if my sister wasn't an ultrasound tech I wouldn't have known to ask/fight for a HIDA scan. 

I hope the results of your CAT scan come back ok and don't show anything wrong with your kidneys. Please keep us updated. 

I had mine out this past August...band surgery was May 09.  I feel 10x better now that it is out.  They say it happens a lot with rapid weight loss, which I see you have had. Congrats!
I also tolerate pain really well but not that time!  Mine HAD to come out because I had a bunch of tiny little gallstones.  Sometimes your diet can help but if your pain is that bad, Im guessing they will take it out.  Its done laproscopic and it was nice because my surgeon did a scope at the same time to check on my band.  Recovery wasn't horrible but it did take me a bit longer than recovery from my band. I was back to work in a week.  What killed me was that I had to wait the 6 weeks to work out again.  It drove me nuts.  Good luck!

I have very very tiny gallstones, last GB attack was July 4.  Surgeon wants to take mine out, I don't want it out.  

I'm eating low fat and doing well so far.  If my attacks were bad as what yours sound like, I'd want mine out pronto.

Hope you get some relief soon.