Eeevil Gall stones (Gall Stones)

Member Name: rawwrjem

Product:	Gall Stones
Date:	10/06/09 (187 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: improved my diet

Disadvantages: pain, stress, limited diet.

I think this is a fairly common thing to have, but until last year, I had never hear of the problem and wouldn't be able to tell you anything about it.

Last year, when my little boy was about 5 weeks old, I suffered my first gall stone attack. It started they with pains in my chest that got worse and worse and become unbearable. I panicked, I didn't know what was happening to me, I thought I was having a heart attack and really did think that I was going to die. I also experienced a stabbing pain in the centre of the top of my back which was bad, but not as severe as the pain shooting through my solar-plex. I didn't think I would be able to drive and called and ambulance. Two paramedics came out and told me it was gastric and that there wasn't anything that they could do. I was told to sip water and relax until the pain went away. After an unbearable 3 and 1/2 hours, the pains eased and I went to bed.
I didn't have another attack for about another two months and that was even worse than the first one, it made me violently sick and again lasted around 3 and 1/2 hours. The next day I went to my doctors and was reffered to the hospital for a ultrasound and finally had got my diagnosis. Gall Stones.
My consultant explained that I was likely to have got gall stones from an increase in oestrogen because I had just had a baby and also because I am a little over weight. He explained that by eating less fatty food and oil like butter and dairy products would reduce the likelyhood of an attack.
I found this paticularly hard, as someone with a pretty bad diet, I had to restrain myself from eating most dairy foods, barely buttering my toast and hardly eating anything I wanted, I hated it. Despite altering my diet, I had several attacks before finally having my operation to remove my gall bladder.
In March 2008, I finally had my Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (keyhole surgery to remove the gallbladder containing the stone). I woke up to see the little stone in a plastic jar from the hospital. I only had 1! I expected them to pull out 20 of the little so and so's, although I was told that it is worse to have 1 than more because one can travel further around your body and cause more pain. I still have him now, we decided to call him Harry. I was in quite a lot of pain after the operation, and my cuts from the keyhole surgery took about 9 weeks to heal completely which was more than worth it to get rid of the stone.
In my experience, gall stones are horrible. I thought it was more painful than childbirth and honestly thought I would die that first time I had an attack. It was terrible. About a week after I had my Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, I went out and eat a nice big chinese and loved it. Despite missing my fatty foods, I also realised that I could live without them and I have a much better diet now.

Summary: A horrible experience for me.