Maybe I Just Need Some Pepcid

I had my appointment with the surgeon today. After hearing my symptoms and pressing on my abdomen, Dr. Watkins said he's not sure I have a gallbladder problem. I have gallstones--the ultrasound showed that--but 30% of people with gallstones don't have gallbladder problems. I may be in that 30%. He said that there's no sign of inflammation on the ultrasound, neither fluid nor thickening of the gallbladder. My friend, Dr. Annie Skaggs, had told me not to have my gallbladder removed if there's no inflammation, and Dr. Watkins agrees. He said that we should try a prescription for Pepcid twice a day for a couple of months to see if that helps. We can reassess then. He said that he could take my gallbladder out, and it's pretty safe to do so; but he's not inclined to remove organs without more evidence that it will help. Matt and I were both relieved to know my surgeon wasn't overly eager to slice me open and hack bits out of me. I asked about the possibility of digestive problems after gallbladder surgery and told him that my Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) had gotten better only relatively recently and that I don't want to return to life with IBS. Dr. Watkins said that gallbladder removal sometimes makes IBS worse. Yet another reason to try to keep my gallbladder! I don't have answers. But I have a prescription and an expert opinion. So I'm going to take my medication and continue/renew my weight-loss efforts and healthier diet as Dr. Annie recommended.

I had a little digestive/pain episode on Sunday afternoon, but before that it had been quite a while since my last episode. And my episode on Sunday didn't end with my vomiting. Stretching, a warm bath, and strangely enough breastfeeding Lucy kept the episode from escalating. Now I've got the Pepcid, so maybe that was my last episode. That would be nice.

Garden Update: Late June

Pea Haven
Filet-style green beans are on the right. Purple hull peas to the left. And weeds further to the left. The green beans are already producing beans. The purple hull peas have a ways to go. The front border has kale, chard, and a marigold. The side border has basil. The middle planters have oregano and thyme. I planted other herbs, but these are the only ones that have come up.

Front Garden
The snap peas to the right have produced fairly well. I've gotten a handful of pods every few days for the last few weeks. The vines are starting to die. The plant on the left I thought was a strawberry plant, but it may actually be a very large, well-tended weed. Some marigold seeds from last year sprouted as well.

 Annex
I've got a really good sage plant. My Brussels sprouts and eggplants aren't looking very good. I've got a surprise cabbage that was supposed to be broccoli. But it's doing better than the broccoli did, so it's a good surprise. I transplanted some store-bought celery leftovers, which have taken root and are growing pretty well. The asparagus is still putting out occasional shoots, which are still tasty. In the front planters there are a few beets, parsnips, and carrots. But mostly the annex is growing weeds.

The corner of the annex and squash ghetto is where I have six pots of cherry tomatoes. Three are red, two are yellow, and one is sun-dried tomatoes. One of the yellow tomato plants has blossoms. All of the plants are looking really good.

Squash Ghetto
The ghetto is doing OK. I've got corn, sunflowers, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, spaghetti squash, butternut, acorn, pumpkins, and watermelons. They look good, but I don't get my hopes up too much when it comes to the ghetto. It tends to disappoint. I think I planted late enough that the squash bugs won't be a problem. Very little is planted around the ghetto. A few beets seem to be doing OK.

If I get tomatoes and green beans, I'll feel the garden has been minimally successful. If I actually get squashes, corn, and purple hull peas, I will feel very successful.

Trying to lose the fat and keep my organs

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)