Will I feel better if my Gallbladder is removed?
Sep 01, 2010
in
Kidney Stone Treatment
I was told that i have gallstones and the only way to remove them is surgery. I was thinking of removing them like this:
Ursodeoxycholic acid
For patients who cannot receive the laparoscopic procedure, there is also a nonsurgical treatment in which ursodeoxycholic acid is used to dissolve the gallstones. Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy has also been successfully used to break up gallstones. During the procedure, high-amplitude sound waves target the stones, slowly breaking them up.
Now the thing is how much is the cost and are there any side effects?
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4 comments
The mom on September 1, 2010 at 7:03 am
I hate to rain on your parade here,but you might want to rethink the ursodeoxycholic acid. First, it can take up to 18 months to dissolve the gallstones. Meantime you have to have continual ultrasounds to monitor the progress. You will need to take it for several months after the stones are not detectable. And they are likely to begin reforming again when you quit taking it- within a year about 1/3 of the people are back in with gallstones. The lithotripsy is more for folks who can’t have the surgery due to other health problems, and you need a doc who is very practiced at it. The gallbladder is up against the liver, which doesn’t take to the shaking well sometimes. The same waves which can break up gallstones can break up portions of the liver and cause internal bleeding, which would require surgery to repair. Honestly, the laproscopic repair to remove the gallbladder is not that bad. I’ve known folks to have it done and be leaving the hospital the next day, and be back at their normal life within a week, And the problem is permanently solved. Though the other two procedures can break up or dissolve the stones, the medication takes a long time to work- meantime you still suffer, and the shockwaves can do damage to the liver. Doctors have more experience working with kidney stones than with the gallbladder, and there’s not so much in that area to worry about injuring. Locating one with experience doing gall stones might be a trick. I couldn’t say what they would charge for the procedure, you’d have to find out that from the doctor. I wouldn’t count on it being cheap, not lower cost that the surgery at any rate. And 1 1/2- 2 years of the medication definitely won’t be cheaper, medicine plus the cost of the ultrasound exams in between will add up fast. I’d recommend you just have the laproscopic procedure. It’s fast, fairly easy, and it works. You will suffer a lot less for a shorter amount of time.
wolverine kerri on September 1, 2010 at 7:03 am
I had my gallstones removed last year i feel much better so of course just don’t get kidney stones i had that this year its out now so you’ll be ok.
dragondiva89 on September 1, 2010 at 7:03 am
I’ve never heard of ursodeoxycholic acid but I’ve had 8 surgeries and it’s really scary going back into the operating room but after its all said and done, even thought my surgeries weren’t serious, I do feel better. I say whatever is most comfortable for you then go for it.
leattlebug5 on September 1, 2010 at 7:03 am
I have never heard the method you are talking about but, I had my gallbladder removed 5 yrs. ago. When it was at it’s worst I was up about 5 nights a week vomiting and having extreme pain up under my rib cage, I couldn’t eat anything fried or fatty. I saw many Dr’s who were unwilling to remove it because I didn’t have actual stones. I finally found a surgeon who was willing to do the surgery because he thought it would help. After the surgery he told me that my gallbladder was filled with "sludge" and that it did indeed need to be removed. I have never had a problem since and am very happy I had it done. I think you will feel a lot better. Good luck to you.