Can gallstones give more problems in pregnancy?

[Ben01]

Hi jules,
firstly im sorry i cant help you with the issue of having gallstones and being pregnant, but i can possibly give you a bit of advice.
Ive had gallstones, and i can totally relate to you. It is the most painful thing i have ever experienced, and i have even worked with a mother who also had gallstone attacks and said her attacks were worse than child birth.
Anyhow, the problem with "asking for the stones to be removed" is that, im pretty sure they wont just remove the stones, they remove the gallbladder itself.
I was referred to a surgeon and told this was my only option, and as you may or may not know, gall stones CAN be fatal.
There was no way i was going to have surgery, way too scared. It is keyhole surgery for gallbladder removal now but it is still classed as a major surgery.
Although skeptical, i decided i would look into naturopathy. I found a guy who has a business right near galleria shopping centre in morley who seemed adament he could get rid of the problem. I took a small shot of tonic twice a day for about 3 or 4 months, and from the day i started to now (about 3 years later) i have not had a single attack.
I could give you the details if your interested, although being pregnant you may have to inquire as to whether or not a tonic of sorts would be okay for you to take. Im not sure what was in it, but i can tell you it was FERRAL!!!
You could always give a call?...

[jules30]

Cai, i thought as much. I think ive read somewhere that pregnancy can exacerbate the problem due to hormones. Which is what im a bit worried about. I have asked just my GP about it but they didn't seem to think it would be a problem. Although maybe they have never experienced the pain of an attack!

Ben, ive never considered that naturopathy might help. Thanks for sharing, its worth a try. Whats the name of the shop near Galleria? do u have his no. ?

I will ask around my area too, Im down Kelmscott way which is bit of a hike to Morley.

[Ben01]

The place is called Morley Natural Therapy Centre.
Located at 6B wellington road, morley.
Its directly opposite the galleria.

The guys name is Chris Whiter - really nice guy you could try call
Number is 9375 3414

Good idea call around and ask, i didnt live very close to morley at the time either, but he was the only one i spoke to that seemed to know anything about them.

Good luck

[cherii]

Hi jules30

I can say from experience that gallstones will have a likely hood of rearing their ugly head during pregnancy. I had never had an attack before I fell pregnant, but one horrible night I was in sooooo much pain and I didn't know what the heck was going on till I was in the emergency ward under observation on pain meds and buscopan and by the end of that most horrible night of my life I was told that it was indeed Gallstones and that they can be brought on by pregnancy.

They said that might be the only attack I ever have or it might not be. I would just have to wait and see. But that if I had more than a few that they would consider removing the G.Bladder altogether quickly after Birth. But as far as I am aware they don't remove only the stones. But like others have advised, talk to your GP first for the best possible advice. It can be a very traumatic thing to go through when you are pregnant as you are already very on edge about the pregnancy as it is without extra problems occuring. All the best to you!!!!

[jules30]

Hi jules30

They said that might be the only attack I ever have or it might not be. I would just have to wait and see. But that if I had more than a few that they would consider removing the G.Bladder altogether quickly after Birth. But as far as I am aware they don't remove only the stones. But like others have advised, talk to your GP first for the best possible advice. It can be a very traumatic thing to go through when you are pregnant as you are already very on edge about the pregnancy as it is without extra problems occuring. All the best to you!!!!

So cherii did you have to get yours out during pregnancy or straight after? My mum has said she recalls that sometimes they do take them out while pregnant if it is really bad. But of course that is something i would want to avoid.

[Kaydee]

jules, if i were you i would have my gallbladder removed before starting IVF. I have personally experienced serious gallbladder problems after giving birth. I was only 21 when this all happened and i would honestly say that i would rather have the labour pains than gallstone pains, hands down! Complete and utter agony.

My doctor told me that it was probably years on the pill + pregnancy hormones that caused the attacks... they planned on taking out just the stones, but had to take out the gallbladder because it was extremely infected. I was very lucky it didnt spread to my liver. All that happened about 6 months after DS was born, so i was very lucky this happened after i had him.

NOT WORTH THE RISK! Let me tell you!

You want to have a wonderful pregancy experience, and worrying about gallstones/having attacks will take that good experience away from you. As the girls have said, any doctor that plays it down hasnt experienced an attack at close range - probably just read about it. They said that my stones werent that "big", but after they took them out they told me that they were the biggest they have seen in a woman my age. haha. Please get more than one opinion.

VERY VERY best of luck.

[smiles4u]

I was told I had two gallstones two weeks before I was due to give birth to my first baby. I started getting the pains around my right ribs (back to front) about one week before that

The Ob said it's common to get when pregnant due to hormone change

He said the pain will most likely go away when I give birth & it did moments after I gave birth to my daughter.

My GP said there is no need in removing them unless I start to feel discomfort or pain again, which I have not since I gave birth.

... Like you, though my situation might be different to you, ...I am unsure whether to get them out before hopefully falling pregnant soon.

I'm thinking of taking the chance & just hope if the pain re-occurs that it happens at the end of the pregnancy again & not at the beginning

So I'm not much help to you, BUT if the pains are that bad for you now (where as I some how was ok with it) ... Yeh, I would get them out !!

[jules30]

The place is called Morley Natural Therapy Centre.
Located at 6B wellington road, morley.
Its directly opposite the galleria.

The guys name is Chris Whiter - really nice guy you could try call
Number is 9375 3414

Good idea call around and ask, i didnt live very close to morley at the time either, but he was the only one i spoke to that seemed to know anything about them.

Good luck

Ben, just getting back to the topic of gallstones. I haven't got in touch with Chris Whiter yet but i have been researching on the net and some people swear by the lemon juice and olive oil flush.

Im just wondering whether you actually passed the stones or if you know whether they dissolved? Sorry if that is getting too personal...

[Ben01]

Hi jules,

sorry i dont subscribe to the threads i post in so have only just seen this now...
Not too personal at all..
Im pretty sure the stones i had dissolved. The idea of the stuff i had to drink was to break them down, however i do remember him telling me that he has better outcomes with patients with small stones - as they break down much easier.
I read about the oil flushes etc as well, the problem being they can be dangerous. If your ducts are trying to flush the stones out and they get stuck, you can be in real trouble - it can be fatal like another poster has mentioned.
I personally wouldnt go down that road.

Interestingly enough, when i first found i had them i did some research.. and apparently up to 60 - 70% of people have gallstones. Majority however never know about it!!
The larger stones arent the ones that cause big problems i dont think, as they cannot pass through the bile ducts. Its the small ones which can get inside the ducts and get stuck, or block a duct that creates the agony (or so i remember)..

Hope whatever you choose helps though!!
You could always give the guy a call... nothing to lose really

Goodluck!

[kaz225]

Mr Kazz
Thanks for this thread.
My wife is still in hospital a week after being admitted. She is 6 weeks pregnant tomorrow and has only eaten once in the last week. She had never had gallbladder problems until this.
When pregnant they can't use a lot of the normal drugs if you get an infection. Today we were told they are going to remove the gall bladder when she is between 3 and 6 months pregnant if they can get the infection under control and her liver functioning properly. Her condition went from there there take these pills to get yourself to the regional hospital now in under 24 hours (We live in country NSW and the local hospital is not equiped to handle a lot of things anymore) .

I would talk to your doctor as yes if the stones get stuck in the wrong place things get bad fast.
She is now being transfered to another hospital as today they confirmed that the bile duct is also blocked as well as the gall bladder.

[jules30]

Hi there,

I started this thread a while ago but im taking your reply as a sign and another reason i really should get it sorted out before getting pregnant.

Turned out i did go ahead with ivf and it failed on the first transfer so now before i go back to try again im going to see about treating my gallstones first. By the sounds of it pregnancy does make it worse!

I can really empathize with your wife, gallstone attacks are the worst. I am so scared of eating the wrong thing to provoke an attack and after an attack i cant eat until the pain goes away usually 24 hours+ later. I hope she gets at least some relief until the operation.