BERIGAN Posted February 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 I appear to be still breathing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Welcome back. May you sleep very well tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Wow! And back on line already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catesta Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Glad it worked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 That was fast! Looks like the operation went all right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownian Motion Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Have a quick recovery, Conrad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Please tell us about your experience Beri (if you want to). Did they leave you a cool scar? Glad to see you back posting already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted May 10, 2007 Report Share Posted May 10, 2007 (edited) Bringing up an old thread to mention... Well, today I was diagnosed with having Gall Stones. Don't know yet if that means I'm going to have to have my gall bladder removed (or not), and if so, how soon?? -- but I should find that out on Monday. (BTW, everything I'm seeing online seems to indicate that I'm more than likely gonna hafta have it removed. Behold the power of Google.) I've had some moderate back pain, off and on, for about the last two or three months, and then earlier this week I had two consecutive nights of THE most intense discomfort in my middle-to-lower back you could ever imagine. Not pain, exactly, but extreme discomfort. Couldn't sleep a wink from 1am until 5am both nights -- yuck! Got a CT-scan done on Tuesday, and found out today that it WASN'T kidney stones (like my doctor and I initially thought), but rather gall stones. (Kidney stones might hurt like hell, but I've had them before (11 years ago), and I was really hoping that's what this was gonna turn out to be. Better to dual the devil you know, rather than the devil you don't know -- I was figuring.) If I do have to have my gall bladder out, so be it -- I sure hope I can hold off on the surgery until sometime in July. I have -- count 'em -- FOUR trips planned between now and July 4th weekend, all of which are tied to events that can't be rescheduled (my dad's 80th birthday in St. Louis, a work-related trip I was really looking forward to, the national Unitarian Universalist convention in Portland Oregon, and another trip to St. Louis over the July 4th weekend to go hear 'The Police' in concert!!). I do NOT want to screw up any of these trips, so I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed. Guess I'll find out on Monday. Edited May 11, 2007 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 By the way, if my regular family doc says to have my gall bladder out -- to what extent should I be concerned about getting an independent second opinion?? I haven't had kind of surgery since I was a kid (just typical "ear, nose, and throat" kid stuff). My wife is thinking I should maybe/probably get a second opinion about anything that says surgery is necessary -- just on principle. My regular doctor is pretty good (at least I think so -- though I guess I really don't know for sure). I've had him for 11 or 12 years now. He seems good to me, at least. I'm pretty sure he won't be the surgeon, since he's just a general care practitioner (primarily with older (retirement-age) patients, actually). If I might ask, Beri, did you get a second opinion before going ahead with the surgery?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted May 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 RT, Sorry to hear about this! One thing(or more) you should look into is googling Gallstone flush, alternative, etc...well, here's a start... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&saf...ative+olive+oil Some of the testimonials I read a few years ago sounded like people could see the suckers in their waste!!!! I tried some olive oil, lemon juice, but this was before I found out the stones were gone, and these things are to help reduce, and/or pass gallstones, not bring a non-functioning bladder back to life. Also, mention to the doctor about Actigall. Unfortunately it's quite expensive, about $150 per month if your insurance doesn't cover it. I also don't know if it was a reason that my gall bladder stopped functioning, but as bad as it was, it really didn't matter...it was going to have to come out anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted May 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 (edited) By the way, if my regular family doc says to have my gall bladder out -- to what extent should I be concerned about getting an independent second opinion?? I haven't had kind of surgery since I was a kid (just typical "ear, nose, and throat" kid stuff). My wife is thinking I should maybe/probably get a second opinion about anything that says surgery is necessary -- just on principle. My regular doctor is pretty good (at least I think so -- though I guess I really don't know for sure). I've had him for 11 or 12 years now. He seems good to me, at least. I'm pretty sure he won't be the surgeon, since he's just a general care practitioner (primarily with older (retirement-age) patients, actually). If I might ask, Beri, did you get a second opinion before going ahead with the surgery?? RT, I had my GP prescribe the Actigall pills, since they had worked for my Mom.(They do take awhile to work, something to consider, perhaps months) Still had problems, so my GP scheduled that HIDA scan test I mentioned in the first post. It showed the lack of function, so then I went to see the surgeon with the results of the test, knowing I was going to have to have surgery. In your case? I am guessing you should see a gastroenterologist(Mine was not the surgeon, in fact I don't think I even saw him for the gall bladder issues!) and just make sure there isn't something else going on(especially after reading about Soul Stream having his removed when it didn't need to be! ) And like I mentioned in the post above, if drinking Olive oil might pass them, why not try it, unless there are some horror stories out there of them blocking somewheres? Don't think there are, and I think if they get stuck in the bile ducts, that is what can be so painful. Edited May 11, 2007 by BERIGAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morganized Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 (edited) And like I mentioned in the post above, if drinking Olive oil might pass them, why not try it, unless there are some horror stories out there of them blocking somewheres? Don't think there are, and I think if they get stuck in the bile ducts, that is what can be so painful. Had mine removed about 15 years ago. Before the "new" method. Had little choice. Woke up in the middle of the night doubled over. Felt like someone had their fist in my chest,right below my rib cage. Don't wait too long because Berigan is right, the problems increase significantly if a gall stone gets lodged in the bile duct. I am not a doctor and I did not have that problem but it is my understanding that it increases the difficulty of the surgery and the period of recovery. Of course go for a second opinion if you feel like it. Your doctor should not object and if he does get another doctor. By the way, outside of the large scar (which you will probably not have if it is not emergency surgery) the results have been very good. I can eat most anything now and seldom have the problems I had before surgery. Takes a while, actually many months, before everything gets calmed back down but it will. Give it some time. Can't speak to the olive oil method. Good luck. Edited May 11, 2007 by Morganized Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Looks like I'll be having my gall bladder taken out sometime next week. Will have to miss the planned trip to St. Louis for my Dad's 80th birthday (Memorial Day weekend), but there wasn't a big party planned -- just dinner with him and my wife. Supposedly I'll be good to go on all the other trips, and my dad will just have to stay 79 until I see him over the July 4th holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 (edited) SS1 will perform the procedure if you give him a few Big John Patton CDs... Good luck, RT. Guy Edited May 14, 2007 by Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted May 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Sorry to hear that RT, but if it has to come out, it has to come out!(Sounds like a Yogi Berrism!) Who knows if you will heal in any way like I did, but I flew to Illinois and drove back to Atlanta(With my 1973 Lincoln) in less than 2 weeks! And I do not heal all that fast. I had pain after the surgery, mainly getting in and out of bed, chairs, but other than that, you just feel slightly sore. Hey, if your Dad can fly, why not have him come to you??? Heck, you may even be up to traveling by the Memorial day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoGrubb Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 (edited) Looks like I'll be having my gall bladder taken out sometime next week. Will have to miss the planned trip to St. Louis for my Dad's 80th birthday (Memorial Day weekend), but there wasn't a big party planned -- just dinner with him and my wife. Supposedly I'll be good to go on all the other trips, and my dad will just have to stay 79 until I see him over the July 4th holiday. Fear not, it's a piece of cake and a pain free procedure if done laparoscopically(sp), I could've done a gig the next night if push came to shove[ten.sax][Disclaimer: I felt like I could, not that the doc OKed it]. I got to the hospital at 11:00 AM and was out of there at 2:30 PM. There was only occasional slight discomfort for a couple of weeks after, not pain, but slight bloated/pressure feelings from pockets of air/gas before it was absorbed by the blood stream to escape. The only hassle I had was finding a vein for administering anesthesia. My veins are deep and I had two nurses poking me at the same time trying to find a vein[while the surgeon watched with an amused/smirk]. tsk He was cool though, enjoyed good music, played clarinet at one time. FWIW, I had it done merely as a precautionary measure; kinda like removing your wisdom teeth because the older you get, the more risky procedures become. Edited May 15, 2007 by MoGrubb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 It's routine, as MoGrubb says. It's good this is happening now, instead of later...I'll say a prayer, and wish you all the best. Let us know how you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 I'm now scheduled to have the thing out the day after Labor day. Which is GREAT, because that means I can still get to St. Louis for my Dad's 80th birthday Labor Day weekend (yeah!!), but still have the surgery early enough that I'll be good to go on a work-related trip the week of June 11th - a trip I'm really looking forward to. So, the scheduling of this surgery could not have been one bit better, and it looks like I've really threaded the needle, in terms of still being able to do all these trips. Whew!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 I'm now scheduled to have the thing out the day after Labor day. Which is GREAT, because that means I can still get to St. Louis for my Dad's 80th birthday Labor Day weekend (yeah!!), but still have the surgery early enough that I'll be good to go on a work-related trip the week of June 11th - a trip I'm really looking forward to. Whew!!! Um, I think you mean Memorial Day perhaps. Good luck, and I hope you're an organ donor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 I'm now scheduled to have the thing out the day after Labor day. Which is GREAT, because that means I can still get to St. Louis for my Dad's 80th birthday Labor Day weekend (yeah!!), but still have the surgery early enough that I'll be good to go on a work-related trip the week of June 11th - a trip I'm really looking forward to. Whew!!! Um, I think you mean Memorial Day perhaps. Good luck, and I hope you're an organ donor. I hope it's Memorial Day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 Good luck, and I hope you're an organ donor. Shouldn't this post be in the Hammond Zone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 Yes, I meant Memorial day, not Labor day. I'm always getting them confused, which bugs my wife to no end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 Yes, I meant Memorial day, not Labor day. I'm always getting them confused, which bugs my wife to no end. I finally got it straight about time I turned 45. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 I finally got it straight about time I turned 45. Then I'll warn my wife that it's gonna be another 7 years or so before I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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