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Gall stones, anyone?
  • blkrosemommablkrosemomma
    Posts: 296Member
    I ended up in the ER two days ago because I had this horrific pain in my right side that seemed to consume my chest and made it really hard to breathe. After 3 hours, an ultrasound and blood draw they deemed it was gall stones. ( Good news since we were there the sonographer took a 10 cent detour to baby land and we got to see my babykins!! :D) 

    Anyways, they sent me home with Vicodin, I have only been taking half a pill when I NEED it and told me to watch for fever and vomiting. The pain is not nearly as bad but it still just aches SO BAD!! My diet has completely changed and I don't want to continue dosing myself on pain meds. 

    Any advice? My BF is amazing and he's been researching diet changes for me and shopping for low fat foods and cooking for me. He got me some ginger tea and some cucumber tea. Anyone heard of a beet salad? >.>   I are skeptical!
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,169Member
    low fat...absolutely NOTHING fried, unless you want to feel like you're dying!  don't worry too much about needing pain meds right now...if you need them, take them.  It's not likely to harm the baby.  I have bad migraines and the only thing I can take is Fioricet w/ codeine.  Since I was pregnant during monsoon season here in the desert, being 7 months pregnant in 115 degree weather AND monsoons (barometric pressure changes trigger them) I would have been in deep trouble had I not been able to take the Fioricet/codeine.  I have a super healthy, incredibly smart little 3 1/2 yo, plus given my age when I was pregnant, I had a perinatologist..high risk specialist...I doubt he would have approved anything that would hurt the baby.

    So, relax.  diet changes, absolutely, but if you need the pain meds, take them!


    Bite me, cupcake!
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    Diet change is the biggest thing you can do right now. No fat, no grease, no spicy stuff. Google gallstone diet. There are a lot of things that help & lots more that make it worse. I made a flax seed tea that helped but it was only good if it was hot. Got kinda slimy when it started cooling off lol. But I just used a little lemon & honey with it. Eat small amounts. The pain pills never helped me but putting pressure on my gallbladder did...although I'm not sure if that is dangerous or not...I wasn't pregnant either...hurt like a mofo for a minute then eased off because it stopped the spasms. And then get that thing taken out after you have the baby!
  • TurthipoTurthipo
    Posts: 340Member
    All i can say is *hugs*
    When pg with dd6 I had an attack that landed me in the hospital where I was turned away and told I had indigestion and to suck it up. I had a few more of these attacks and then post pg had another... Wait a minute I'm not pg so this ain't indigestion. Back to the hospital and after 2 wks finally had it removed. All better now. I had gotten so severe of an infection that I couldn't be operated on. 2 wks in the hospital when my baby was 2mos old (and i couldn't have her with me) sucked.
    Watch your fat intake! Do not push it, or irritate it any further. Rest and wait for that little one and know that your healthy food choices are what's best for you both in the end.
  • etherieletheriel
    Posts: 713Member

    Gall stones hurt worse than labor! That's good news for you though since you're pregnant.

    Definitely nothing fried, nothing greasy, nothing fatty, nothing spicy...the more bland, the better. If you should have your gall bladder taken out, continue the low-fat diet after surgery unless you want to be running for the bathroom...A LOT.

    Pain pills didn't work for me either. Like @chaosmom , I did get some relief from pressure. Super hot baths also helped me as the pain extended into my back. Do not take super hot baths while pregnant though. The only thing that completely took my pain away during an attack was the Dilaudid they shot me up with in the ER.

    If I'm not supposed to do it, how come I can?
  • blkrosemommablkrosemomma
    Posts: 296Member
    Anyone have their gall bladder removed while pregnant?
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    Everyone that I know of had it done after giving birth. I don't think they will while pregnant unless your bile duct gets blocked, which makes it life threatening.
  • WickedDunkieJunkieWickedDunkieJunkie
    Posts: 5,844Member
    Mine wasn't during pregnancy, but you have my sympathy. Owie.
    WDJ_Avatar_zps4536679b
    We Are The Music Makers... And We Are The Dreamers Of Dreams...

  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,169Member
    They probably won't do it while you're pregnant unless you start showing signs of being septic...that's risky to both you AND the baby.  They do it laparascopically now, but it's still not a good idea...how pregnant are you?  I would assume well into your second or third trimester if you're having that many problems since the baby is likely also pushing on it.

    Stay away from Dilaudid if you possibly can, it's basically legal heroin.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great pain killer if you need something that strong, but it's not one that's recommended during pregnancy.  Morphine is safer, as is demerol, I think.  Try warm moist compresses instead of a hot bath or a heating pad on low, but I took fairly hot baths all during my pregnancy...just to the point where my skin would start to pink up.

    Also, you might try laying on your left side...since your gb is on the right, gravity may give you an assist in relieving some of the pressure.

    I think if you cut out almost all fat, especially fatty meat and anything fried, you'll feel much, much better.  Low or non-fat milk too.
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • French_momFrench_mom
    Posts: 1,540Member
    I agree with @etheriel  it is worse then labor (3 kids).  I had a few minors *attacks* went to the clinic : got and ultrasound : 3 medium stone. On waiting list for an op. Then bam : another *attack* but this time it was like my belly side was expending, We could actually see a slight bump. Could'nt breath okay. It was a night. No body to babysit the kids, DD was a few months old. So i took the car and drove to the er. When i got there my nuckles were *stuck* on the wheel cause i gripped it so hard. All they did was painkillers, wait a few hours and send me back home. Until i got scheduled for the op.  They removed the whole thing. I am a happy woman now. 

    I am sorry you have that while pregnant. Like the others said, watch what you eat: no fat, usually they would say no alchool but it is not a prob in your case atm. 
    It is for me to know and you to dot dot dot.
  • tothemoonandbacktothemoonandback
    Posts: 2,128Member
    Ouch.. I dealt with that about a month after having my son.  I had absolutely no idea (nor did the E.R.) what it was until I kept having attacks and kept googling the symptoms and asked my Dr. for testing on my gall bladder.  I can't see how pain pills would do much.. for me it would be a severe (10x worse than childbirth) pain that would last for 10-30 minutes and then pretty much go away completely.  They yanked that puppy out of me the next week, thank god.  Hope you can avoid further attacks until you can have it taken out!!
    Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. - Marilyn Monroe
  • blkrosemommablkrosemomma
    Posts: 296Member
    @tothemoonandback The first attacks I got last year were about 10-30 mins long. 

    @BellaBefana The gave me Vicodin, which is just Tylenol with Codeine really, I am only taking half a Vicodin and a 500mg extra strength Tylenol at a time though. Since they only gave me 9 of them. The pain isn't horrible right now just REALLY REALLY uncomfortable.
    Also I am 15wks right now. :)

  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,169Member
    actually, no Vicoden isn't the same, it's a little stronger and a synthetic opioid.  Try not to take extra tylenol with the vicoden, you'd be far better off to just take a whole vicoden.  Keep your total tylenol dose less than 3000 mg/day...though that might be too much pregnant.  Tylenol is very bad for your kidneys and liver and your kidneys get stressed enough while your pregnant.

    Talk to your doctor about the maximum daily dose of tylenol recommended during pregnancy, it's probably less than the 3000/day...it was 4000 mg but they've recently lowered it.
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • PrimalbitchPrimalbitch
    Posts: 1,283Member
    I had my gb removed at 19 and had suffered in agony for yrs. pretty sure a kick from a horse damaged it.

    After I had HELL w my stomach. PLEASE know there ARE things they can give you to help after you've had it removed of diet alone won't control it.

    Welchol us one. It's an old cholesterol med but works for this.
    Cholesterimone(sp?) is another but tastes like floor sweep. You mix it w orange juice and drink before bed.

    Don't suffer. (I mean after giving birth). If you have troubles after having it removed demand them give you one or other. It's a life saver.

    Good luck momma!
  • AnonUser29
    Posts: 1,169Guest
    I've had my gallstones for almost 10 years.... I was being prepped for surgery to remove them when the blood work came back I was pregnant. In order to keep the pain at bay, I don't eat fried fatty foods and lettuce. Iceberg lettuce, according to my doctor,  is one of the hardest things to digest so I stay away from that too. They still bother me from time to time but I've managed to keep the surgeon away!
  • AnonUser29
    Posts: 1,169Guest
    Also... they won't remove it during pregnancy, due to the high risk of complications to the baby. I still have my gallbladder. Being pregnant just made those damn stones extra bad I guess!
  • blkrosemommablkrosemomma
    Posts: 296Member
    @BellaBefana I think it's 2000. I am well under that. I generally stay in the 1000 range in any 24 hour period. I have a Dr's appointment this week. I am going to discuss some other options with her. 

    Thanks everyone for your support. I am staying far from fatty foods and just trying to keep the pain manageable. :)
  • TVmommyTVmommy
    Posts: 451Member
    You might try drinking unsweetened apple juice provided that you aren't having any blood sugar problems with you pregnancy. They think that its the pectin and acids in it breaks down the the build up that becomes gall stones. You do need to drink a lot of it though. Half a gallon in 24 hours at the very least. It is an old home remedy that helped my mom out.
    Darling, a true lady takes off her dignity with her clothes and does her whorish best! At other times you can be as modest and dignified as your persona requires.
  • blkrosemommablkrosemomma
    Posts: 296Member
    So I ended up in the hospital 2 days ago. I was jaundice and they ended up having me go into surgery for an ERCT. Basically removed the irritant and then opened the bile duct a little more. Now I have been here for 2 days and I still haven't been allowed solid foods. I am one very cranky mommy!!!!!! SO VERY HUNGRY!! Anyways things are looking good. they have me on antibiotics and I will hopefully get to hear baby's heartbeat again before we go home. "She's" been a bit of a rascal about being heard. But pre op was 135 and post op 140 so she is doing fine dispite all the issues mom is going through.

    Just thought I would update. :)
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