10
Things You Need to Know About Gallstones
1. That’s right! Women everywhere are telling me that when
gallstones are in spasm the pain is worse than that of childbirth. Well ok at least two women have told me
this. But there is no denying it the
pain is probably the worse anyone can experience and is known as biliary colic.
Before
actually being diagnosed I had no idea what gallstones were and wouldn’t have
shown much sympathy for anyone who had them.
Now it’s different. The pain is typically
a steady gripping or gnawing pain in the
upper right abdomen near the rib cage, which can be severe and can radiate
to the upper back. No matter what
painkillers you take or position you lay in there is no relief. Gas and air wont even touch it. It’s the worse!
2. So what are gallstones?
Gallstones are
lumps of solid material that form in the gallbladder - the reservoir for bile.
Most are the size of peas, but they can be as large as pebbles. In my case I think it was from taking Caroline
out for “afternoon tea” and too many “Frappuccino’s” at Starbucks whist on
compassionate leave. If that’s the
reason then the pain is worth it. Just!
3.
Gallstones
are common among:
• Overweight /
obese people and is a major risk factor especially in women.
• Oestrogen
excess
from pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy, or birth control pills
• Women are
twice as likely to develop gallstones than men.
• People over
60 are more likely to develop gallstones than younger people.
• Takers of
cholesterol-lowering drugs can actually increase the amount of cholesterol secreted
in bile.
• People with
diabetes generally have high levels of fatty acids,
• Rapid weight
loss. Fasting
decreases gallbladder
movement, which causes the bile to become over-concentrated with cholesterol.
• Ethnicity
Native Americans have the highest
rates of gallstones in the US.
So there
you have it. Not sure where I fit in to this
cross section. Perhaps I will ask my
father, Fred “Two Dogs” Watson if we have any Native American descendency.
4. So is it serious or is it a case of just
enduring it? Well if
you’re on NHS then in my experience you have to see your Doctor, ask for a
diagnosis and then you have to wait your turn. So you need to be careful about
what you eat and drink. However, there
are some serious conditions that you should get medical advice
immediately. If the conditions persist
you should keep returning to your doctor for further diagnosis until he takes
notice.
Gallstones
that obstruct bile ducts can lead to a
severe or life-threatening infection of the bile ducts, pancreas, or liver. In my case I developed pancreatitis ending up in hospital for three nights. Have to say a very scary experience in which
I was awoken in the early hours with tubes coming out of a part of my body that
will bring tears to every mans’ eyes.
What was worse the nursing staff couldn’t remove the tube eventually
resorting to a 12 inch long piece of wire and a lot of nerve on my part.
5.
So
if you’re diagnosed with gallstones how do you control it? The recommendation made to me once diagnosed
was to have the gallbladder removed.
Apparently, you can function perfectly without it. Begs the question “why have you got one?”.
But hey ho! Until you have that
operation though you must avoid large or fatty meals which can
trigger the pain, but it usually occurs several hours after eating and will
often awake you during the night. Eating
a low-fat diet and maintaining an ideal weight may help to prevent the gallstones
going into spasm. Avoid sugary foods
such as cakes, biscuits, and chocolates.
As my consultant told me “if your
food looks fun you cant have it”
On a
positive note eating low fat meals you start to learn good eating habits and
can lose excess weight relatively easily.
I now eat much more fish, chicken and vegetables than I ever have whilst
cutting right down on red meat, cheese, full fat milk and cake. Please do not repeat the mistake I made. By
eating a piece of carrot cake believing it to be “healthy” Doh! I certainly paid for that mistake.
6. Can you drink alcohol? The medical advice given to me was that it
was ok to drink alcohol. However, in
hindsight I think this was a mistake
and wish I now that I hadn’t. I did seem
to have attacks following drinking and later discovered that I had developed
pancreatitis. Studies have shown that
acute pancreatitis occurs because alcohol acts as a stimulant for the pancreas
to produce fatty acids and other fatty substances. These substances can destroy
cells and stop energy production in the pancreas. Very serious which needs urgent medical
attention
7. What is the treatment for
gallstones.
I opted for the removal of the gallbladder using keyhole surgery. After the operation there is some pain in the
stomach muscles but controllable with prescribed painkillers. Don’t under-estimate how much the operation
will take out of you. Due to the
anesthetics you will not be able to drive for a few days, recovery time is
about two weeks and no heavy lifting for 6 weeks.
There
are other ways to tackle the issue and some people even choose not to have the
gallbladder out.
8. Can you prevent gallstones? Low vegetarian diets will minimize the
chances of getting gallstones as will controlling your weight. But you have to live a bit too!
9.
For
more information use these web pages.
10. Take medical advice. These notes are just my own ramblings. Always take professional medical advice. Mostly, do not under estimate the seriousness
of gallstones!
To cut a long story short I
left home at 10am and returned at 6:30. As I opened the front door I couldn’t help but notice that all the lights were on and there was a
disgusting smell in the hallway. As I stepped in I noticed there was a note on
the floor. It read “Sorry, long story.
Fell in river. Phone / i-pod broke.
Sorry. (phone Eve if you need me)”
I couldn’t help but have a
wry smile. Pippa had set the security
scanner off and was being frisked by the security guard. What I would have given for that job! There we were stood at the conveyor belt
together waiting for our stuff to come through.
It was one of those awkward moments.
We both knew what each other were thinking. We were made for each other and this was our
chance. Sadly, neither of us grasped the
opportunity. A fleeting look and it was
over. We could have been so good for
each other. Then the alarm went off. I
floated back to Earth. All I could see
was that beautiful butt disappearing into the BA Lounge. What might have been J
