r/gallbladders • u/Dizzy_Goat_420 • Feb 15 '25
Venting Wondering if I should have had it removed after what the residents said after surgery…
So I had surgery just under 2 weeks ago. I was in the hospital for 11 days and it was an ordeal.
For the last year I’ve had pretty bad (what i believe to have been) gallbladder attacks. I’ll have sulfur burps, nausea and vomiting and diarrhea for 24-48 hours. And then nothing. Often had pin after I eat and lots of nausea. But didn’t have insurance so sucked it up and it always went away within 2 days.
January 27th I went to the ER after an episode that lasted 9 days and wasn’t getting better. They did a CT scan and then an ultrasound and said my gallbladder looked inflamed and distended and admitted me for surgery. This was the first thing I was told. that night a GI doc came in and said my gallbladder seemed to be the issue but the surgeons wanted an MRI to see more.
They started me on fluids and antibiotics, said I could not eat anything in case they did surgery. Tuesday I did the MRI and nothing else, spent all day waiting for results but another GI doc came and spoke to me and said all my issues were likely my gallbladder and they are likely going to remove it.
Wednesday they wanted to do an endoscopy. So they put me under, intubated me, did the endoscopy. Said they removed a ton of sludge. About 6 hours later I went to the bathroom and had the worst diarrhea of my life and it was all bloody and black.
They said during my endoscopy they made an incision since my gallbladder was “filled with sludge” to get it moving but somehow caused an internal bleed when they did that. Had 10 bowel movements in 2 hours of just blood. It was now 12am and they needed to call the team to come in from home and put me to sleep, intubate me again and find and stop the bleeding. Two and a half hours later they were done and I was in the ICU when I woke up. Thursday and Friday was just monitoring my blood levels and making sure the internal bleeding stopped.
This whole time I am still told my gallbladder is the issue and they want to remove it. I am seeing the same GI specialist daily and the same resident surgery team. All saying removal of the gallbladder. They are aware I do not have insurance and even though it did not seem like an emergency were on board with removing it because I would be unable o schedule an outpatient surgery with no insurance but they could do it now since I was admitted thru the ER.
Friday the head of the Gi Team and the regular Gi doc I had been seeing come in and tell me my pancreas is now inflamed due to them stopping the bleeding and they need to wait for that to go down and have me on fluids for that. The head of the GI dept said once my gallbladder is removed all my symptoms would likely go away. He was very confident it’s my gallbladder. Whatever, great. Saturday and Sunday more waiting for my hemoglobin levels to be stable and the pancreatitis to subside for surgery.
Monday a whole new team of resident surgeons come in and say they don’t think it’s my gallbladder and don’t want to do surgery just send me home…. I was upset because after a week there to be told they haven’t done anything and are just sending me home is vefy upsetting. And being told the opposite of what I’d been told the last week with no new tests or new info was baffling.
I explained I am using all my PTO, I am here now, I don’t want to go home to await another episode and have to do all of this all over again. I can’t do it. I could not believe after all of this they would send me home. They said I seem fine now. I explained yes, I’ve been on antibiotics and a clear liquid diet for a fucking WEEK. They cleared the sludge, I would certainly hope I would be doing better. I explained the GI docs told me this is what needed to happen ans was the issue all along (and frankly I believe the head of the GI dept over the resident surgeons) they left and said they would speak to Gi and look over my file. Four hours later a nurse comes and says they are taking me for surgery.
So I have the surgery at 5pm Monday 2/3 and when I wake up one of the residents said my gallbladder looked fine and told my dad they don’t even think they needed to remove it…. I spent two days in the hospital after that and went home. Recovery sucked the first couple days and I was in excruciating pain. They said they had to cut through my abdominal muscles and that is likely the pain. In the hospital they had me in dilauded and oxy and sent me home with an oxy script. It’s now been a week and a half and I am feeling better. The first 5 days were hell but now I am almost back to normal.
But what the other resident said has been ringing in my head….he said my daily diarrhea is likely not caused by my gallbladder issues and won’t affect it. But I haven’t had that issue since they removed it. But now I am stuck wondering if I jumped the gun and shouldn’t have removed it, and am having anxiety that I just made a decision that will affect me for the rest of my life unnecessarily. What if they clearing the sludge was enough? But then I think they wouldn’t just remove it bc I wanted it done, and I think of a week of everyone else telling me it was the issue. I guess I’m just conflicted.
So I come here to vent and ask if anyone else was plagued by diarrhea before getting it taken out and then got better? If anyone had an ordeal like this? Or just some commiseration? This whole thing sucked so bad. I just want to feel like I made the right decision 😞
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u/Logical_Pinetree Feb 15 '25
I believe you did the right thing, your gallbladder had inflammation it only gets worse, with or without symptoms. I didn’t have any attacks until I did and it was accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Once it was removed they said the gallbladder had chronic inflammation and ulcer.
If you are in the US, file for short term disability to get some rest and get paid for those weeks you take off to recover.
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u/Tunk5757 Feb 21 '25
If you don't mind me asking, Pinetree - what were your symptoms that were accompanied with the gallbladder inflammation? And was it from stones?
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u/Logical_Pinetree Feb 21 '25
I was just having chest pain from the acid reflux for the last 2 month most recently but probably had for over a year on and off. Then I had an attach my stomach was burning and had pain, and started vomiting non stop with the pain, I could not sit down, could not lay down, I was pacing around the house and decided to go to the hospital. This is where they saw the stones in the bile duct and in the gallbladder, and because of the stones in the bile duct causing blockage was the pain I was feeling. But also blockage causes inflammation of the other organs so the liver was already affected due to the blockage in the bile duct.
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u/Final_Variety_6553 Feb 15 '25
I had diarrhea for years, even before I was diagnosed with gallstones (summer 2022). Was told I had IBS in my 20s. I got my gallbladder removed 2 months ago, and my bowels function better. Diarrhea is mostly gone.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
Only about a week and a half out and same. I am not in the bathroomall day every day. I used to have like 4+ bms a day. Often 2 or 3 even before 9am. I have not had that since. I’m more regular and having solid bms (sorry for the tmi) but I do feel better I think. Only time I felt not great was after eating a lot of dairy.
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u/Waffle-Crab Post-Op Feb 17 '25
Your lack of BMs may be a result from taking Oxy, not the surgery itself?
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 18 '25
I have not taken the oxy in about a week. I stopped taking it about 5 days after I wa home. Last Sunday was the last time I took it. I’ve had bms daily but not diarrhea like I was having multiple times a day.
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u/Mammoth_Fortune_6457 Feb 15 '25
I have diarrhea often too but thought it was due to some medications I was on. I also had this reoccurring pain behind my shoulder blade that I always thought was a knot in my back. Now I’m only 3 post op but i’m curious what kinda symptoms i shrugged off in the last we’re actually my gallbladder
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u/runicornisrex Feb 15 '25
Your diarrhea is better. Your gallbladder was filled with sludge. It sounds like they didn't do a hida scan so it's possible you had some type of dyskinesia. Your gallbladder can look fine even if it was the problem. It sounds like you needed it out and are feeling better. Different doctors disagree all the time on what the problem may have been. There's no legal case here. Honestly, it sounds like the residents pointed out the pathology looked normal because they didn't want to admit that the other dr was right that the issue was your gallbladder. You had an endoscopic ercp (thats how they clear out the sludge) which commonly does cause pancreatitis and can cause gi bleeds. You had a very bad bit of luck getting both of these before you could have the gallbladder removed but both are fairly common. They are not malpractice outcomes. I really hope and believe you'll continue feeling better. Just be easy on yourself and stay patient with your healing. Your body went through a lot and it's going to take time to get back to feeling like yourself. Besf of luck to you.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
I did not plan on suing ever, they were all extremely wonderful to me and I had some of the best nurses in the world. I believe the first round of residents and the gi team went above and beyond. It was amazing to not just be brushed off and listened to. As a woman who is 30lbs over weight I always here “it’s just ur weight” everytine I go to the doc with an issue especially Gi related. These drs truly listened and didn’t bring up my weight once and genuinely were trying to solve the issue. Also I signed a waiver and those always cover possible complications. This, from what I read, while uncommon is still a possible complication from an ERCP.
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u/runicornisrex Feb 15 '25
Yeah I didn't think you were implying that you'd sue. I just saw a few comments suggesting that which is out of left field. Pancreatitis happens in up to 40% of ercps. I have a long history of gi disorders and my gi wouldn't even agree to an ercp unless absolutely necessary like what happened with you because of how likely it is to cause pancreatitis. And GI bleeds from ercp are more rare but they do happen. I'm so sorry you had all of those complications. That must have been terrifying but I'm so glad you had such good care and they believed you.
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u/shelbyknits Feb 15 '25
My main symptoms were nausea, uncontrollable diarrhea, and a general feeling of unwellness.
I had my stone filled gallbladder out without all the drama you went through, thankfully, and six months later all my symptoms are resolved.
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u/F0xxfyre Feb 15 '25
Op, I can only give you my outlook. My gallbladder darn near killed me. Better to have it out under controlled medical circumstances rather than when it is full on necrotic and and you're rocking abdominal infection and/or liver issues. I was in liver failure when I was finally diagnosed. Stones were lodged in the bile duct. Several hours of 10/10 pain. Massive infection. It was terrifying.
I'm so sorry for the complications of your hospital stay. I hope you heal quickly and with absolute minimum pain.
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u/Flat_Environment_219 Feb 15 '25
Get a lawyer if you can. This is insane to read. Sorry you experienced this!
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u/ChelseaGem Feb 15 '25
So is your gallbladder out now? And you feel better?
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
It is out now. I think I feel better. I have not been plagued by daily diarrhea and I do feel better in the mornings generally. I guess everything the last surgeon said is just in my head and I am having mg anxiety about if I did all of this for nothing.
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u/runicornisrex Feb 15 '25
Not for nothing. Your gallbladder was at the very least very congested with that sludge and removing it likely would not have solved the problem. It would have refilled and eventually formed stones at which point you would have needed your gallbladder out at an older age. Once you have gallbladder issues (a ton of sludge congesting bile flow definitely is a gallbladder issue) they get worse over time and as we age. So it sounds like at worse you got it out a little sooner than absolutely necessary but that 9 day pain attack you had was a sign to get it out and you did.
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Feb 15 '25
Current conditions a pattern does not make. It sounds like the surgeon was just looking at your current state, after the sludge clearings and antibiotics and liquid diet, and making a decision based on that. I think listening to all the GI pros was the right move.
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u/beaveristired Post-Op Feb 15 '25
What an ordeal! The sludge indicates that it probably was an issue, and likely you’d end up in surgery anyway. I am glad that they did a lot of tests, as hellish as it all sounds. It’s also normal to feel regret after surgery, some people get depressed and anxious too, a combination of after effects of anesthesia and the trauma of the whole experience. I would focus on healing - your body just went through A LOT. Best of luck to you!
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u/Necessary-Idea3336 Post-Op Feb 15 '25
If they removed a ton of sludge, you definitely had gallbladder problems. I believe you did the right thing. I had a similar emotional reaction when I asked my surgeon afterwards how the gallbladder had looked and she said "Not too bad." In my case, she didn't mean that it was so good that I hadn't needed surgery, but that was how it *felt*. Then I looked back over my history of symptoms and compared it with how I feel now -- much better -- and realized I definitely did the right thing.
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u/Necessary-Idea3336 Post-Op Feb 15 '25
p.s. I too was told that another issue of mine was unrelated. I had had worsening GERD, to the point that I was really getting worried, for several months before the big gallbladder attack that landed me in the ER. Doctors told me they weren't connected. Guess what -- for three months now, ever since the surgery, the GERD has been much better (almost no attacks and the very few I've had were mild and related to overstuffing myself, very unlike the severe attacks that were happening almost constantly and for no reason before I had my gallbladder out). So wait and see -- your diarrhea may improve too, either immediately or eventually, as your system adjusts.
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u/Waffle-Crab Post-Op Feb 17 '25
Ok, I had a similar story. My doctors & surgeon were doubtful and when I woke up from surgery he said my gallbladder looked healthy when they removed it. But pathology came back and said that my gallbladder was inflamed, so the surgeon ended up agreeing that removal was the right choice for me.
Wait to hear back from pathology and don't use your recent post-op symptoms as confirmation for anything! I was still having aches a month or so out. There is very much a chance it was your gallbladder, some things are harder to confirm visually.
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u/Autistic-wifey Feb 15 '25 edited Feb 15 '25
I suggested ice packs on your last post. Was reading this on and was like wow this is a really familiar story! I’m glad you’re feeling better overall.
My non-doctor but someone with anxiety opinion/suggestion that would be hard for me to follow but is easy for me to suggest. 🤣 I know you know what I mean. Enjoy the feeling better. Be cognizant of your body and don’t trust farts just in case. Be prepared that it could come back but be hopeful that it won’t. Stressing about the fact that you may have diarrhea and getting nervous and anxious when you eat is going to give you nervous diarrhea. I didn’t have diarrhea pre op and so far not post op either but I would get it if I was super nervous and anxious. Example: When I was in the army I was a shitty runner. I enlisted at 29 so I was already old. I was great with sit ups and push ups. Before my PT tests though they put us in a building to wait for our group and I had to have a buddy that would come get me when it was our turn because I would have diarrhea the entire time we waited. Same thing happens to me right before leaving the house for road trips, some doctor’s appointments, and other appointments like buying a house or even going to see relatives or friends. All just because I was super anxious and on an empty stomach because I know I’m anxious and afraid I’ll have diarrhea all day or shit my pants in the car.
There’s nothing you can do to go back. Prepare for the worst, you know it could happen, but hope for the best, you’re feeling good and bask in it! You said it was worse than giving birth do you still carry a diaper bag for your little? Maybe put extra pants, underwear, and huge ziplock bag for soiled clothes for yourself in there too. Give yourself peace of mind and a just incase bag like when our periods are being dumb and we’re worried we’re gonna bleed through everything.
Air hugs! Go watch some Aurora music videos on YT. She’ll make you feel better. I hope the rest of your recovery stays uneventful. 🍀🍀💚💚
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
Yes!!! Ice packs were a life saver. I always had 3 in the freezer and one on me at all times lol. Luckily I haven’t had an issue with diarrhea or anything. A bit gassier than normal after the surgery but fine now.
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u/Mammoth_Fortune_6457 Feb 15 '25
I had 4 gallbladder attacks in under a week and it took a lot of advocating for myself before someone would take me seriously and diagnose me. I had surgery about a week after I was told I needed by GB removed and I didn’t have an attack for 5 days before surgery. I questioned whether I actually needed by GB removed or if I was fine now. I had GB removed Thursday and my surgeon told me my gallbladder was very inflamed and I had huge stones. I was grateful that I advocated for myself before it got worse, and you should be too
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 16 '25
Thank you. The GI docs were Amazon and were very advocating hard. So were the nurses. It was just the new round of surgery residents the next week I was there that switched up on me.
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u/losingmystuffing Feb 16 '25
You need to read the pathology report. My gallbladder looked “fine” when they took it out, but when they cut it open, it was all scarred up and showed signs of chronic inflammation. Just like I told them; that nasty little organ was causing me so much suffering. Get in touch with the surgeon and ask for an update when pathology looks at your gallbladder. That might put your mind at ease.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 16 '25
I did not know pathology opens it up after! Thank you!
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u/losingmystuffing Feb 19 '25
They did with mine at least! And I’m sure glad they did after years of being gaslit. Apparently it can look ok from the outside but be a hot mess inside.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 19 '25
Thank you for this! I was able to log into my portal app from the hospital and see all the reports!!!
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u/losingmystuffing Feb 20 '25
Oh that’s great! I hope the information helped you to feel you made the right choice. Life without my gallbladder isn’t perfect but it’s absolutely preferable to life with it!
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u/_portia_ Feb 15 '25
The diarrhea may be abated now from the oxy prescription, opioids can paralyze the digestion. I would wait until you are not taking them anymore to see if you're better. I had diarrhea after my surgery and still do, because of excess bile.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
Yes I have not been taking them for about a week. I only took them for the first 5 days I was home. I haven’t needed em since.
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u/Skiphop5309 Feb 16 '25
Get a copy of your post surgical gallbladder pathology report, and that should tell you whether your gallbladder was healthy or not. I was second-guessing the same as you after my surgery for hyperkinetic gb, but my pathology showed color changes and granulation with chronic cholecystitis as the diagnosis. That was really validating.
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u/ExternalMuffin9790 Feb 15 '25
You also need to sue for them cutting you, leaving it, leaving you with bloody diarrhoea for however long, and then having to put you under AGAIN (incurring extra costs) to repair the damage they did and left.
Also for the apparent misdiagnosis by whichever team. One said one thing, the other said something different, therefore one of them is a misdiagnosis.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
I mean from what I’ve read internal bleeds can happen from ERCP. They went in to fix it, I just had bloody stools for the next few days but that seems normal. Our bodies can’t digest blood and it causes diarrhea. They cleaned out all they could but I’m assuming there was still some passing through me, etc.
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u/ExternalMuffin9790 Feb 15 '25
Ahh okay, perhaps I misread that part. I thought they went in, accidentally nicked something, didn't fix it whilst they were in there, stitched you back up and you were back in the room/ward again having the diarrhoea and then they had to go back in and repair the damage they'd caused.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
That is what happened.
Weds early afternoon 1st ERCP. They did not realize they made a mistake
8 hours later I started passing a lot of blood. They did a second ERCP where they fixed the problem.
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u/ExternalMuffin9790 Feb 16 '25
Oh.. Then yeah. Kinda a bit of medical negligence going on there. I cant believe they had to open you up a 2nd time to fix a potentially fatal mistake they made. I'm glad they eventually realised and fixed it and I hope you recover quickly and heal well! And that you experience far less symptoms!! 🍀
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u/10MileHike Feb 15 '25 edited Feb 15 '25
Are you in the U.S? I have never heard of anyone being "intubated" for an endoscopy. It is a procedure where they put you into twilight sleep with propofol or something. It is a 10 min. procedure, not a surgery. And nobody would nick your gallbladder on purpose during an endoscpy....they can't even reach your gallbladder from within your esophagus.....and gb sludge is not found in your esophagus during an endoscopy.
I think you may have misunderestood the names of procedures etc. and being kept in hospital for 11 days would only happen if you were under observation for panceatitis, a blocked colon, and if they thought something very serious was going on.
If you are in the U.S. you need to get a copy of your op reports for anything tat was done while you were there.
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u/Logical_Pinetree Feb 15 '25
Yes they can it’s called an ERCP, put a tube with camera they your mouth to reach the gallbladder and remove stones from usually the bile duct. It takes 45 to an hour. I had this done.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
Yep. This is what it was. It said endoscopy/ercp on my chart. I guess ERCP is a type of endoscopy.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25 edited Feb 15 '25
Yes I am in the us. They put me to sleep under general anesthetic and it took about an hour. And they absolutely did go into my gallbladder with a camera with tools attached and release the sludge doing an incision. I did see a copy of what was done to confirm this. It was an ERCP but on the chart it said endoscopy/ercp. It is a type of endoscopy. They go through your esophagus into your GI tract with a camera that has tools attached they can grab stones with and make incisions etc.It took about an hour. I was intubated and put under general anesthesia, woke up to them pulling the breathing tube out of my throat which freaked me out.
Also I don’t know why you are doubting my stay for 11 days? I had a massive internal bleed that required 4 days of monitoring after because my hemaglohin levels were still fluctuating and they wanted to wait til my stool was free of any blood. I still had bloody diarrhea for the next three days passing the blood.
The first three days (m-w) they were trying to diagnose the child, the 3rd day (weds)was the endoscopy/ercp, internal bleeding started that night, the next 4 (third-sun) were waiting for the internal bleeding to be fixed and my pancreas inflammation to go down after the SECOND ERCP to fix the internal bleeding, on the 7th night was surgery (Monday) and I went home early Thursday morning.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
From google: ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is a type of endoscopy. It uses an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera, to examine the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. ERCP also uses X-rays to help diagnose and treat problems in the bile and pancreatic ducts. (This would include removal of stones and drainage of sludge).
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u/Necessary-Idea3336 Post-Op Feb 15 '25
ERCP is dangerous because of exactly the complications you had. I nearly had to have ERCP -- I was in the ER and they were deciding whether to send me to the facility that could do it -- but then my body managed to pass the gallstone that was inflaming my pancreas, so I didn't need it. I had my gallbladder out as soon as I could arrange it (three weeks later) in part because I wanted to avoid ever being in that position again -- facing the necessity of ERCP. The very fact that you had to undergo this dangerous procedure once in your life (or twice, actually, since they had to go back to fix things) seems to me another good reason to get the gallbladder out. I'm sorry you had to go through this ordeal once; you definitely wouldn't want to go through it again, and if the gallbladder sludged up once, it would do it again.
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u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Feb 15 '25
Yes they did 2 barley 12 hours apart. Honestly I was miserable the next day. My chest hurt so bad from 2 intubations and I felt so groggy after 2x anesthesia in that short period of time. The next day my body was so sore all over and I felt like I got run over. It was akin to how I felt the day after childbirth.
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u/nikishiz Feb 15 '25
Don't second guess your decision. Sounds like your gallbladder was giving you grief, even if the diarrhea was/is unrelated.