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.
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.
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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.
Last edited by Kaydee; March 17th, 2008 at 11:14 PM.
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 !!
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Jules - I haven't had my baby yet. The OB who was looking after me the night of that attack, said that they would wait till after I gave birth to take it out and they prob wouldn't take it out unless I had a couple more attacks. It might be different with other docs or hospitals, but I don't want to have one more attack let alone a couple before they consider removing it. So I just pray I don't have another one at all let alone whilst I am still pregnant.
I would look into doing something before you fall pregnant. I just make sure I keep a box of Buscopan at home with me and I still have the pain killers they prescribed me too.
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I developed gall stones 5 weeks after having my DD. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life!!! I had my gall bladder removed when DD was 8 weeks old. I then continued to have problems and had an ERCP and sphincterotomy when she was about 5 months. I've not had problems since. After I had mine out, I asked the surgeon if I would have problems if I got pregnant again as I have a friend who had her gall bladder removed 2 years before getting pregnant and she developed pancreatitis during her pregnancy which then caused problems for the baby (as well as her). I was assured that it is not the norm and I could expect a normal and healthy pregnancy.
Gall stones are very common during and post pregnancy. Having your gall stones (or gall bladder) removed does not mean you will not continue to experience the pain from time to time. Your body will continue to produce gall stones anyway (which can be just as painful at times). They will remove the stones if they are very small because they are a risk of finding their way into the pancreas which can cause inflammation and infection.
Pain felt aftera gall bladder is removed is often due to the size of the stones you pass. This can often be fixed with a proceedure called an ERCP as well as a sphincterotomy. This is a proceedure where they widen the canal the stones travel through and snip a bit on the bottom to make the opening extra wide so the stones don't get stuck there.
Having your gall bladder out is done laproscopically and it is an overnight proceedure. The surgeon makes 4 1cm incisions; 1 at your belly button (which is where the gall bladder is removed), one near the bra line and inline with your belly button, and two to one side, usually lateral to the belly button and the other is slightly higher up. Depending on which side of the patient the surgeon prefers to stand on will determine which side those other two incisions are. Post proceedure a patient can expect to have a little discomfort in the left shoulder which is a result of the gas they use to pump your belly up so they can see what they're doing. People typically experience some discomfort for a couple of days post proceedure.
HTH
MG
thanks for all your replies. I will go get a second opinion. I also had another thought of just keeping to a strict low fat diet to avoid attacks but im sure that when i have got attacks it is not always after eating a fatty meal. I think eostrogen level had something to do with it also.
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just wanted to let you know,my sister had gallstones discovered 3 weeks after having her DD..she said the pain was excruciating and i said she may have had an infection after her c Section..It turned out to be Gall stones and she had her gall bladder removed 6 weeks later..She still does get the pain associated with it so is very careful about what she eats..I would seriously be getting another opinion...and look into the option of having it removed ...
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