Oh, the Gall!

Last Sunday my insides ached. I made it through Cameron's Seminary Graduation, but I asked Dad and David to give me a blessing. Dad gave me a very nice, comforting blessing that made me feel emotionally better, if not physically - at least not at first.

During the blessing I got the feeling that I needed to go see Dr. Nelson the following day. I normally avoid doctors, so that was a switch for me!

I called the doctor's office first thing Monday morning and I got in that afternoon. David was surprised because it usually takes him days if not weeks to get in. Dr. Nelson asked me a bunch of questions, had me get my blood drawn and set up an ultrasound appointment for Tuesday morning - because I didn't want to go another 4 hours without eating.

After my doctor appointment, I felt the best I have in years. My guts didn't hurt even a little. I remember thinking to myself: "This must be what it's like to feel normal."

Thursday morning Dr. Nelson's MA called and said all my bloodwork was normal (even though she couldn't tell me what tests they were!) and that my gallbladder is full of stones. So, Dr. Nelson wanted me to set up an appointment with a general surgeon. I called the general surgeon's office and the soonest appointment they had was next Tuesday. But, oh, neither of the surgeons in the office take my insurance. So, I called my insurance and they said if I got a referral from Dr. Nelson, they'd pay for the specialist visit.

That would have been OK, but I'd been in a ton of pain since about 2:00 am Thursday morning. I'd eaten some salad dressing and some somewhat greasy meatloaf the night before - I'll explain more about that later. I didn't know if I could wait til next Tuesday to see a doctor. So, I decided on the way home to have David take me to the ER. I would have driven myself, but then David would have been stuck at home for who knows how long without a car. By that point I was in so much pain I didn't care if I got to keep my gall bladder or not.

Two hours after I got into the ER, most of my pain had subsided. I guess that's good? The IV stuck in my arm hurt worse than my guts by that point. The good news was that no gallstones were stuck anywhere (other than my gallbladder!) and I didn't have an infection or blockage. So, the ER Dr told me to go home and eat a no fat diet ("Basically, if it tastes good, don't eat it. Even 1/2 teaspoon of ice cream is too much fat!") and see a surgeon next week.

Apparently when you eat fat the stomach signals to the gallbladder to squeeze out some bile so you can digest the fat. That's all good unless your gallbladder is full of stones. In that case, it's painful!

So, I've been on a no fat diet and I've felt really good, until today when I had one slice of 98% fat free turkey. I guess that 1 gram of fat was too much. Woo hoo - back to my no fat diet. At least it's a holiday tomorrow and I don't have to go to work.

Unfortunately the gallbladder cleanse I did a couple of months ago was too little, too late. Plus, did you know if you have calcified gallstones (which some of mine are), you shouldn't do a liver/gallbladder cleanse? Sheri did muscle test, surprisingly, I thought, that getting my gallbladder surgically removed would be best at this point. After Thursday, I'm OK with that.

The good thing, though, is now I know what's making me feel so awful and I know what to do about it - don't eat any fat until I get my gallbladder out! And knowing what to do to feel better makes me happy. :)

NOTE TO SELF: Eat every 2-3 hours. Did you know that waiting too long to eat can cause gallstones? Also - once I have my gb out, I need to remember to eat HEALTHY fats. A low or no-fat diet or the wrong fats can cause gallstones, too - but probably not over a 2 week period... which is when I hope to have my surgery at the latest.