My nurse practitioner's nurse left a message that my ultrasound showed gallstones. A doctor who goes to my church and works at the hospital recommended a few surgeons. I have an appointment set with Dr. Watkins for July 29. I'd like to see him sooner, but that's his first available appointment. I'll keep calling in case he has a cancellation.
The doctor-friend from church also gave me advice about deciding whether or not to have my gallbladder removed: if it's not inflamed, don't have it removed, but try a low-fat diet and weight loss instead. Large gallstones that could never fit in the duct aren't a reason to have surgery. I was glad to get the advice. I'm reluctant to have an organ removed.
First, I'm not sure it can be definitively known whether my gallbladder is causing my pain and vomiting. Some of my symptoms are textbook gallbladder attack, but some are not. Surgery might not help my current symptoms, but it could cause new ones. After I heard I had gallstones, I looked online for information about the surgery and recovery and found a message board full of people who had continued pain and new digestive symptoms after surgery. I don't want to continue in pain and gain diarrhea. I'd rather live with my current symptoms without adding another one.
Second, even safe surgeries like gallbladder removal aren't 100% safe. Dying is unlikely, but I don't want to take risks that aren't absolutely necessary.
Third, the logistics of caring for Lucy while recovering are tricky. Matt can care for her. But when she's sleepy, she wants mama and milk. Matt can't provide that. When she doesn't get mama and milk, she cries for a long time until she passes out from exhaustion. We would have to try to change her expectations before I had surgery so that we're not all miserable. Also because she is still breastfed, I would need to have a supply of milk frozen for her to drink while I'm on pain meds.
Fourth, timing is also an issue. I'm teaching this semester, so I don't have time for surgery, especially if I don't see the surgeon for a consult until the end of July.
Whether I have surgery or not, the low-fat diet is going to be a good idea. If I don't have surgery, it's still what my doctor-friend recommended. And if I do have surgery, I may need to eat less fat to compensate for no longer having a gallbladder to release stored bile to digest the fat. So I've started eating more mindfully. It's easier to do in the summer when there's so much good fresh produce, especially if that produce is growing in my yard. (Garden update soon)
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