Pancreatitis and Gall Bladder Removal

[eytonxav]

I just got home from spending 10 days in the hospital due to severe acute pancreatitis and the removal of my gall bladder. They told me my case was so bad, it could have been fatal. The hardest part was being on IVs only, with no food or liquids by mouth for 6 days, as they waited for my pancreas to calm down, then they operated to remove the GB. Now at home, I am carrying 30 lbs of excess IV fluids which is very uncomfortable. The pain is starting to subside, but I have not been able to get much sleep, constantly peeing every hour or two. Also, ended up with a respiratory infection and blood clot in the arm to add insult to injury.

Has anyone else been through this and how did your recovery go? I imagine it is going to take 3-4 weeks for me, but hope it happens sooner.

 

[ls99]

Glad you are alive and kicking and p.....

I have not had the misfortune.

 

[braumeister]

I have not been able to get much sleep, constantly peeing every hour or two.

Better get used to it; this will recur as you get older!

No knowledge of your problem, but best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[aaronc879]

My Mom had severe acute pain and went to the ER. They determined they needed to do an emergency gall bladder removal. She was also told that it could've been fatal if she had hesitated coming in. She was in pain far longer than the doctors expected(months) and still has "phantom" pain 17 months later.

She also ended up with some kind of infection as well as an ulcer but those went away fairly quickly with medication.

Hopefully your recovery is better than Hers.

 

[MBAustin]

The husband of a friend had something similar but even worse several years ago - he came very close to death and was in the hospital for at least 2 weeks. It took him a few months to completely recover but has had no issues since.

Hang in there - you should be getting better every day. Word to the wise - if there are two days in a row where you are feeling worse and not better, call your doctor as something is probably wrong. A friend is recovering from surgery now and let some pain go longer than she should have - it was an infection which has been very difficult to eliminate.

Wishing you a speedy and uneventful recovery!

 

[MRG]

I had my GB out 7 years ago. Not too bad, except for I was eating poorly. Took a year for my digestive system to get normal again. That was my fault, I didn't listen to the orders regarding diet. I did lose some weight, temporarily.

 

[Bamaman]

My gall bladder was gangrenous, and I had no idea I was so sick--until I got a sudden pain. It was also a potentially fatal situation, and I spent 3 days getting IV's.

My wife had gall bladder surgery yesterday. She'd been nauseous on and off recently and she diagnosed herself. An ultra sound verified she was right, and she got it taken care of before there were any problems. And she's doing well today.

 

[Walt34]

Word to the wise - if there are two days in a row where you are feeling worse and not better, call your doctor as something is probably wrong.

Indeed. A little over a year ago I was mowing the lawn and on a hill, I had to stop three or four times to catch my breath, something that had never happened before. When I called my doctor, he put me in the hospital that evening and did a stress test at 6:30 AM the next day. An angiogram the following day showed a heart artery 90% blocked and two stents went in. I was not far from having a probably fatal heart attack. It's often called "The widowmaker".

Almost every single nurse commented on the fact that I had called the doctor before it got that bad. Apparently most folks wait until they're on the floor gasping for air before they call.

Trust me, don't do that.

 

[happy2bretired]

I've had two bouts of pancreatitis. My gall bladder was removed a year before the first pancreatitis episode. I hope I never have another attack...very painful. The cause of my attacks are not fully known but we suspect lisinoptil (blood pressure med at the time) and then the second attack I blame on eating too much fat. I was never a heavy drinker but now no alcohol...I might take one sip of my daughter's drink once in a blue moon...but no more full drinks for me.

My attacks both started when I felt hungry. The more I ate, to reduce the hunger pangs, the more it hurt. So now whenever I get hunger pangs I'm afraid to eat. The first attack they gave me insulin and morphine...and no food for several days. I think I only had morphine the second attack along with no food. I as in the hospital maybe 4 or 5 days...can't really remember. I really try to watch what I eat...I go very easy on meat and fat.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[braumeister]

On the bright side, if I ever found myself in that situation, I would likely consider the satisfaction of telling someone exactly where to get off. When they say "You've got a lot of gall!", you'll be able to reply "No way, and I can prove it."

 

[eytonxav]

I've had two bouts of pancreatitis. My gall bladder was removed a year before the first pancreatitis episode. I hope I never have another attack...very painful. The cause of my attacks are not fully known but we suspect lisinoptil (blood pressure med at the time) and then the second attack I blame on eating too much fat. I was never a heavy drinker but now no alcohol...I might take one sip of my daughter's drink once in a blue moon...but no more full drinks for me.

My attacks both started when I felt hungry. The more I ate, to reduce the hunger pangs, the more it hurt. So now whenever I get hunger pangs I'm afraid to eat. The first attack they gave me insulin and morphine...and no food for several days. I think I only had morphine the second attack along with no food. I as in the hospital maybe 4 or 5 days...can't really remember. I really try to watch what I eat...I go very easy on meat and fat.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

The gall bladder surgery was nothing compared to the pain of the pancreatitis. In my case it came on suddenly with no prior symptoms. I too take licinipril, so I need to inquire about that as a contributing factor. The weekend before the attack, I did have a greasy pepperoni pizza, so perhaps that might have triggered this. I normally do not eat pizza. As to diets going forward, will need a low fat/low carb type of diet since I am also diabetic. Getting old sucks!

 

[aaronc879]

The gall bladder surgery was nothing compared to the pain of the pancreatitis. In my case it came on suddenly with no prior symptoms. I too take licinipril, so I need to inquire about that as a contributing factor. The weekend before the attack, I did have a greasy pepperoni pizza, so perhaps that might have triggered this. I normally do not eat pizza. As to diets going forward, will need a low fat/low carb type of diet since I am also diabetic. Getting old sucks!

My Mom's emergency gall bladder surgery was preceded by a pizza dinner. Maybe there's something to that? OTOH, I eat upwards of 200 frozen pizzas per year and have no know problem from doing so. I've been doing that for over 5 years but i'm only 36.

 

[REWahoo]

I eat upwards of 200 frozen pizzas per year and have no know problem from doing so.

Hard on your teeth, and far less tasty than after you run them through the oven...

 

[utrecht]

My Mom's emergency gall bladder surgery was preceded by a pizza dinner. Maybe there's something to that? OTOH, I eat upwards of 200 frozen pizzas per year and have no know problem from doing so. I've been doing that for over 5 years but i'm only 36.

WTF

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

My Mom's emergency gall bladder surgery was preceded by a pizza dinner. Maybe there's something to that? OTOH, I eat upwards of 200 frozen pizzas per year and have no know problem from doing so. I've been doing that for over 5 years but i'm only 36.

I think the least of your concerns is your gallbladder!!!

 

[W2R]

I just got home from spending 10 days in the hospital due to severe acute pancreatitis and the removal of my gall bladder. They told me my case was so bad, it could have been fatal. The hardest part was being on IVs only, with no food or liquids by mouth for 6 days, as they waited for my pancreas to calm down, then they operated to remove the GB. Now at home, I am carrying 30 lbs of excess IV fluids which is very uncomfortable. The pain is starting to subside, but I have not been able to get much sleep, constantly peeing every hour or two. Also, ended up with a respiratory infection and blood clot in the arm to add insult to injury.

Has anyone else been through this and how did your recovery go? I imagine it is going to take 3-4 weeks for me, but hope it happens sooner.

Oh my goodness!! That is really scary. It had to be severe, to have spent 10 days in the hospital. Insurance being as it is these days, I would imagine they don't keep people that long very often.

I haven't been through anything quite like that. When I had my gallbladder removed, in 1994, I came in through the ER and their tests showed I had 20,000 times the amount of some enzyme (gall bladder? Spleen? or something) as was normal in my bloodstream. Apparently the gall bladder fluids were digesting my spleen and liver or something? This was a long time ago. Anyway, they told me, "Don't worry, the liver regenerates, no problem" which wasn't very comforting. Continuing with the story, I didn't even get from the ER to CCU for over 24 hours. Then, they had to stabilize me for a couple of days before they could remove my gall bladder. I was pretty sick and like you, they said I nearly died. But, in my case, let's see, I went in on Sunday morning and I think I was out of the hospital by Friday, give or take a day.

The following Monday I was able to work for about 3 hours but was very weak and had to go home. It took me a couple of days before I was working full time again.

Best wishes for solid progress towards a lasting recovery.

 

[aaronc879]

Hard on your teeth, and far less tasty than after you run them through the oven...

 

[aaronc879]

I think the least of your concerns is your gallbladder!!!

I have no concerns. My work requires that I have dozens of full blood panels done every year and I am very healthy.

 

[Fermion]

You are lucky.

My dad had pancreatitis caused by a gall bladder blockage and the local po-dunk hospital kept him for a week before they sent him to Emory. Six or Seven months later he came out of the hospital, missing a lot of abdominal stuff (I think he had 19 operations).

He did get better though and it has been over 20 years since this happened.

I panic anytime I get a stomach ache now.

 

[AllDone]

I was out of the office with an uncomplicated gallbladder surgery when my colleague got a gallstone pancreatitis. He was back at work in a couple of weeks. Most of the time, gallbladder removal completely fixes the problem.

 

[NW-Bound]

Better get used to it; this will recur as you get older!

Speaking from personal experience there, buddy?

Well, I believe I am younger than you, but I have been getting used to it too.

 

[August West]

Although I can't speak to your specific condition, I suffered from acute pancreatitis on two occasions 27 years ago and can say without a doubt it was the most painful experience of my life so I partially know what you went through (without the GB surgery). I seriously thought I was going to die (and probably should have - but that is another story). Both times I was hospitalized even though the second time I ended up working my way out of the restraints, ripping out the IV's and walking out of the the hospital.

In my case, the acute pancreatitis was brought about by prolonged acute alcohol abuse. Luckily, once I was able to stop drinking the condition never reoccured and I have been quite healthy since with no pancreas or GB problems although the older I get, the more potty breaks I have to take . My coworker's wife had to have her GB removed a few months ago and she seems to be getting along well although I know modifying your diet is important after the removal.

Glad you are out and on the mend.

 

[Dreamer]

I have never known anyone who has had these problems. Yikes! Another thing to keep in mind.

I am so glad that you are home and on the mend.

 

[W2R]

My coworker's wife had to have her GB removed a few months ago and she seems to be getting along well although I know modifying your diet is important after the removal.

I think that medical thinking on that has changed over the years in that diet modification after gall bladder surgery is pretty much optional now AFAIK. At least, when I had my gall bladder removed, my doctor said to try eating the same as always and then modify my diet only if I was having digestive troubles. Luckily I had no problems digesting anything so no diet modification needed.

 

[MichaelB]

I just got home from spending 10 days in the hospital due to severe acute pancreatitis and the removal of my gall bladder. They told me my case was so bad, it could have been fatal.

Glad to see you posting again, and wishing for a speedy recovery.