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Gastroenterology  (Expert Forum)
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Gardenmaniac, if you are out there...
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Gardenmaniac, if you are out there...

by twetterau, Dec 23, 2002 12:00AM
Tags: daughter
HI,  I have been following your daughters situation here & at the ivillage site.  I too had the same symptoms. My HIDA scan was my only failed test at 35%. I am 28 and thin. Anyway, I wanted to offer your daughter some good luck wishes on her upcoming surgery.  I had my gallbladder taken out on 12/4, and am so glad I did it!  Just wanted to offer a little advice...  Hopefully your daughter will no longer experience the nausea she's been dealing with.  I know mine went away right away.  I no longer felt the constant urge to throw up.  I also had a diet of bland food, which caused me to loose 30 pounds in 3 months.  So, when your daughter starts to feel the urge to eat again, make sure she takes it easy!  About 2 weeks after surgery, I had a mad desire to eat anything & everything-not good!  She will want to ease into eating good again.  I have learned that I can't eat lettuce or pizza yet (cramps & diarhhea), but everybody is different.  The dr said to just avoid problem foods for a little while, and try them later down the road.  Don't overeat-I had such a desire to eat that I sometimes overdo it and feel bloated and uncomfortable (but not sick).  Eat frequent small meals until your body is used to food again.  I try to ration the amount of grease and fat that I eat in a day so that I don't get crampy.



I will continue this on the next post...
Member Comments (8)

by twetterau, Dec 23, 2002 12:00AM
The surgery was a breeze!  I went home the same day, although I was hurting.  Take the medication they send you home with!  She will be groggy for a couple days while taking it, but there will be no (or little) discomfort.  It took me about 3 days before I really wanted to eat anything substantial.  I was sore & tired for about 10 days. I had to sleep in a recliner for those 10 days, because it was uncomfortable for me to lie flat or lay on my side.  She will probably experience some popping under her right rib, or feel her organs moving around a bit when she lays down or sits up.  This only happened for the first couple days, then went away.  It is a little freaky though, but nothing to worry about...  I also had my appendix taken out at the same time.  It is a useless organ, and now I never have to worry about it going bad.  It didn't cause any extra pain or recovery time, so I would recommend asking the surgeon if he would be willing to do it.



Sorry to ramble on so long, but I wanted you both to know that you are not alone out there.  And if I can get through surgery, anybody can! I am a major wimp!  So good luck with surgery-I know she will get through it just fine.  If you have any questions, by all means, just ask...



-Tara

by gardenmaniac, Dec 25, 2002 12:00AM
Hey...thank you so much!!



Haven't posted much..nothing new...my daughter is REALLY ready to start feeling better...the holiday's are not as much fun when you can only eat rice & plain noodles, etc...



The surgery is 3 pm on Friday, Dec 27th....really trying to keep her as healthy as possible...don't need a cold or the flu!!



Anyway...I'll keep you updated...



by twetterau, Dec 25, 2002 12:00AM
One more thing I forget to tell you:  Have your daughter wear sweatpants or bring some along, since she will not be able to fasten jeans for a while.  My belly was swollen from the gas and "injury" in general for a few days, also her tummy will be very sore & tender.  Unfortunately I wore jeans to the hospital and had to leave with them unbuttoned feeling a little breezy.  Good luck & Happy Holidays!



-Tara

by gardenmaniac, Dec 28, 2002 12:00AM
Well...the surgery is over and we are back home. Because it was later in the day...didn't get out of surgery until 5:30 pm...they put in her in "short term" care after recovery & she ended up staying the night...thought she would leave, but got REALLY nauseaus after eating a couple of crackers & taking Vicodin..so they gave her a hypo in the rear & made her lie still..she didn't pee until about midnight...so at that point, they just said.."stay & rest"..she had a light breakfast & no more nausea..so we left the hospital about 9 am..we are 1 1/2 hours from the hospital, so I was in no hurry to have the responsibilty of her care. PLUS..at midnight the night before..I fell down the stairs & sprained my ankle, went to the local ER to be sure I hadn't broken it..it really crunched..sounded like taking a bunch of celery & breaking it.....so there went our plan for me driving one vehicle & my husband another...it has been a LONG 36 hours!!



Thanks for the advice...she wore sweatpants, a tank top with no bra & a hooded sweatshirt so she would be comfy & warm on the way home...we are in Michigan

by SlugGB, Dec 29, 2002 12:00AM
To: Gardenmaniac
Glad to hear everything went well w/ your daughter during surgery.  I hope it does the trick.



I was surprised to read you are in Michigan as I am too.  I am working with doctors at the UofM and St Joe in the Ann Arbor area.  Did you use either of these facilities for the HIDA scan w/ CCK?  Were you happy with the care you received?



Thanks for answering.

by Marlasinger3, Dec 29, 2002 12:00AM
To: gardenmaniac
Glad to hear that your daughter's surgery went well.  Once she gets used to having food in her system she'll feel so much better.  Just watch out about a month to six weeks later if the pain returns... it could be back to square one.  But hopefully that won't get the case with her.  Best of luck to you both!

by gardenmaniac, Dec 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: slugGB
St Mary's in Grand Rapids...yes...very happy with the care she received there....we felt that they went out of their way for us in ways they didn't have to...made up a bed for me (the whole ankle thing)..one for my hubby too, fed us..etc...



My sister-in-law had her GB removed on Nov 15th...same hopsital..same surgeons office..different doc...all she did was complain about how terrible the place was....I think it is the attitude you have...we went in thankful for the doctors, nurses, etc....not critical off the bat...

by gardenmaniac, Dec 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: marlasinger3
Yeah...I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about a month down the road....the surgeon said that he wished he had seen some evidence of a problem..he gave her about a 60% chance that surgery would "fix" her...but with constant pain and a HIDA scan of 8%...the doc felt it was worth a shot...



He did a Cholangiogram at the time of surgery..no blockages in her duct system.



What else can you do? Taking the GB out is step one...you hope you don't travel any further...



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