Pregnancy and gallbladder surgery?!

[YouandMe]

Hello girls! I figured I might post in here to get the opinion of women who have already been pregnant or could have faced the possibility of gallbladder surgery already in their pregnancy now or in the past!

My fiance and I have been TTC since December with irregularly long, and non existent cycles...UGH!

This cycle was finally turning out to be totally normal! We have been using the CBFM and we did everything right BD every other day during the 'high' period and this morning I FINALLY got my very FIRST EGGY on the monitor! YAY! I am beside myself with happiness!!

Downside? I just went to my gastrointestinal doctor for help with what I THOUGHT was flare ups with my IBS-D. Come to find out he thinks it is my gallbladder and I have an ultrasound on Saturday to find out! I asked him about TTC during all this with a possibility of him having to do surgery and take the gallbladder out. He said " Because gallbladder issues only get worse with pregnancy I would reccomend waiting and you can pick back up where you left off TTC. In about 3-6 weeks after the surgery should you need surgery you can go right back to TTC" He also mentioned that it "could" be done...the surgery during pregnancy that is!

I don't think he understood that we have BEEN TTC...so for all I know I COULD still catch that eggy!!! ..... *secret happy dance!*

I was doing research last night and it seems like a lot of women have actually had the surgery during pregnancy with no complications but there are ALWAYS risks. And who wants to put their baby or herself through that?

What do you girls think?? Have you or anyone you know had this surgery during pregnancy?

Like I said, I JUST got my eggy this moring and we did BD last night...so do we STOP TTC now or continue on? I mean if we stop now in all likely hood I won't catch the eggy anyhow...OH THE BAD TIMING of it ALL!! LOL

 

[sllydrkfsh]

I didn't have the surgery during pregnancy but the dr didn't say anything about me waiting to get preggo for awhile after. I had mine the end of last August beg of Sept and got preggo in October. How bad is it though? Because I know if it gets really bad (where the stones are too large) they do the big surgery where they have to cut across your tummy but mine hadn't gotten that bad (and they didnt figure out what it was for a year) and I had the laproscopic which was only 4 little holes they had to cut. That might make a difference.

 

[sweetangel]

Hey Hun,

I had my gallbladder surgery back in 2004 via keyhole. Although the recovery was ok, I really wouldnt risk the surgery during pregnancy if it could be prevented. I nearly had to have surgery at the start of this pregnancy due to something different and refused it due to the fact there is an increased risk of miscarriage and so decided to suffer.

What i will say is gallstones are horrific when they flare up the worst pain i have ever experienced and really wouldnt want to experience that during pregnancy as i would imagine the stress not very good for the baby, although everyone is different and some girls may have experienced this unexpectadly if it could be prevented before falling pregnant then Im sure that would be way more ideal.

Only you can make the decision though hun. Good Luck xx

 

[hayleyh26]

I had a similar decision to make when we were TTC - I have gallstones, and before I got pregnant they caused me incredible pain - but only once every month or so. My Doctor referred me to have my gallbladder removed, but we decided to postpone the surgery as I didn't get the pain too often.

Thankfully it hasn't been too bad - I've only had pain a couple of times in the last 29 weeks, and although I can't take anything for it (Paracetamol wouldn't touch the pain!), I managed to get through it with a hot water bottle.

I wouldn't advise having the surgery whilst pregnant, but if you got your 'peak' today and tomorrow, you should be able to take a pregnancy test in plenty of time before your operation is scheduled, and postpone it if needed xx

 

[Kristin52]

It's not the same... but I have an appendectomy at 35wks via laparoscopically.

 

[bjl1981]

hmm, well I've had 2 gall bladder flare ups, both pregnancy related (its due to hormone levels) and this time whilst I was actually 26 weeks pregnant I had to stay in hospital for 5 days. They have scheduled me to have my gall bladder out once baby arrives as its too risky at this stage in pregnancy, and they would prefer to wait (although the last time I had it it led to pacreatitis which is life threatening, and could have been a risk to the baby too, so if they thought that would have been a risk this time I think that would have swung it in the direction of surgery). Personally I would have the surgery and then TTC, because as others have said if you get a stone stuck it is the WORST pain I have ever experienced, and also accute pain can send you into early labour too. Hope that all makes sense. Happy to answer any other questions.

 

[YouandMe]

I really appreciate all the input ladies! I'm at work now and can't write much but I think we are going to just wait it out and if surgery is needed then we will try again after! I'm just concerned if we happened to catch the eggy and I am already pregnant possibly... Only time will tell!

 

[LizziesMama]

My gallbladder is malfunctioning, but we suspect it's pregnancy related. I've had an u/s that showed no stones, but the GO specialist thinks it's contracting improperly which is causing my pain, which isn't caused by stones. The test to confirm this would expose the baby to radiation, so I'm waiting to see if it's resolved with delivery.

Even if we could confirm it without the radiation exposure, I wouldn't have surgery while pregnant. In first tri anesthesia poses risks to the developing mervous system and acter that there are risks of pre-term labor.

It hurts A LOT to eat, but I would have to be near my death bed to choose pain relief over my baby's safety. I realize it can go smoothly, but for me it's not a risk I'm willing to take. I'd rather deal with the pain. I've also got peptic ulcers so pain is my reality in pregnancy. You need to decide if that's a risk you're willing to take and of not how much pain can you tolerate and for how long? In my case I'm near the end, but 40 weeks is a long time for someone who has this issue from day 1.

 

[YouandMe]

My gallbladder is malfunctioning, but we suspect it's pregnancy related. I've had an u/s that showed no stones, but the GO specialist thinks it's contracting improperly which is causing my pain, which isn't caused by stones. The test to confirm this would expose the baby to radiation, so I'm waiting to see if it's resolved with delivery.

Even if we could confirm it without the radiation exposure, I wouldn't have surgery while pregnant. In first tri anesthesia poses risks to the developing mervous system and acter that there are risks of pre-term labor.

It hurts A LOT to eat, but I would have to be near my death bed to choose pain relief over my baby's safety. I realize it can go smoothly, but for me it's not a risk I'm willing to take. I'd rather deal with the pain. I've also got peptic ulcers so pain is my reality in pregnancy. You need to decide if that's a risk you're willing to take and of not how much pain can you tolerate and for how long? In my case I'm near the end, but 40 weeks is a long time for someone who has this issue from day 1.

Lizzie'sMama thank you so much for your input. You are absolutely right, it is not worth the risk. I'm just nervous that we may have caught the eggy. It would be very ironic if we did. We have been trying since Dec so..a little over 6 months and if we got it this cycle RIGHT when it's not the right time it would be too weird!

It is a lot of pain to endure for 9 months but I think I would just have to do it. I wouldn't want to risk anything...at this point I feel like pain is a part of my daily life. I know it gets much worse with pregnancy and that scares me...I guess at this point it is out of my hands in terms of pregnancy if I AM. If I'm not, we are definitely decided on not trying until AFTER it is taken care of.

Thank you again for everyone's input!! It was so nice getting responses right away from you all!!

 

[Rosered52]

I have not had gallbladder surgery, but I did have to have emergency surgery on a broken ankle when I was 7 weeks pregnant. It was very scary, because it was general anaesthesia, and carries a significant risk of miscarriage at that gestation. But, I had no real choice, and the surgery went well. No complications, no scares, our little girl hung right in there.

Just wanted you to know that, yes, surgery while pregnant can have a good outcome!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

 

[luvmypups]

I had my gallbladder removed in Jan 2011, got pg in Oct 2011.

While I don't regret having my gallbladder out, being pg without a gallbladder intensifies the sickness. On the plus side, I've only gained 12 lbs, but I would have rather not been so sick everyday. I've stayed nauseated (thanks to extra bile) and heartburn is uncontrollable. My doc told me that when you a pg your liver makes extra bile to combat extra hormones and since the gallbladder is gone all the bile goes straight into your digestive system.

I am so hoping it gets back to normal after my son gets here (don't know how BF affects bile, hoping not as bad). After my surgery and before pg, life was great. I could eat things that had bothered me for years. By the way, mine was gallbladder disease, no stones. If I could do it over though, I would be pg first. My 2 cents

 

[YouandMe]

Well, just an update. I got my ultrasound results back, no stones. The nurse who called me yesterday was such a jerk to me she actually made me cry! I am 25 years old, I do not need to be treated badly or like a child!

Anyway, she said she would send a call in to the hospital for a test called CCK/Hida? anyone had this? She then said if that comes back negative nothing is wrong.

NO. Something is very wrong. TMI ALERT: I wake up in the middle of the night vomiting, diarrhea, the WORST pain I have ever felt in my life in my stomach, under my right breast bone, and into my back and shoulder blades. In addition to this I can't eat pretty much ANYTHING without having pain under my breastbone, pain when I breathe deeply, feelings of nausea, and fullness! Sometimes I can't even FINISH my meal without running to the bathroom with diarrhea! I do have IBS but it is a very different feeling from these symptoms. I know and understand my IBS....these things I do not understand. And I am not saying it HAS to be my gallbladder, I just know something is not normal here.

I just cried and cried when I got off the phone. She acted like I didn't even deserve a call back! I DESERVE answers! :'(

I pray this CCK/Hida will find SOMETHING out for me...I am at the end of my rope here! Thanks again for the input and listening to me rant guys!!

 

[LizziesMama]

My mom just had her gallbladder removed. It was decided based on symptoms because she had no stones either. When they took it out the surgeon said it was full of cholesterol or something like that. He hopes it wouldn't be a pointless removal and after that he knew they made the right decision. My mom has no more pain. It was a lot like you described, but I don't recall her being as bad off as you described. They did do some kind of test where she had to drink something and they watched it contract. Her results from that were kind of abnormal, but not definitive. But surgery turned out to be the best choice for her.

 

[Rosered52]

Honey, you need to go to the hospital now! That is a classic presentation of pre-eclampsia or HELPP Syndrome! (pain in right quadrant, radiatin up to the shoulder) I'm sorry to be scary, and I hope I'm wrong, but look:

https://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/hellpsyndrome.html

https://www.preeclampsia.org/health-information/hellp-syndrome

 

[LizziesMama]

Honey, you need to go to the hospital now! That is a classic presentation of pre-eclampsia or HELPP Syndrome! (pain in right quadrant, radiatin up to the shoulder) I'm sorry to be scary, and I hope I'm wrong, but look:

https://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/hellpsyndrome.html

https://www.preeclampsia.org/health-information/hellp-syndrome

She's not pregnant that she knows of. They are TTC.

 

[Rosered52]

Honey, you need to go to the hospital now! That is a classic presentation of pre-eclampsia or HELPP Syndrome! (pain in right quadrant, radiatin up to the shoulder) I'm sorry to be scary, and I hope I'm wrong, but look:

https://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/hellpsyndrome.html

https://www.preeclampsia.org/health-information/hellp-syndrome

She's not pregnant that she knows of. They are TTC.

Oh, really?! I'm an idiot then, thank goodness!!! So much for my diagnostic skills! It'd been so long since I read the start of this thread, I completely forgot that little detail.

 

[tu123]

If you can avoid it then do so but sometimes it isnt easy to do that.

I had oral surgery, morphine, tramadol and masses of codeine during the middle of 2nd tri. It was either that or get scepticeamia which could have been fatal for either of us. Baby was and is totally fine though.

Sometimes it is neccessary, but most often you can delay

 

[YouandMe]

Rosred52 like she said I am not pregnant that I know of. We were trying up until the moment the doctor told me not to though so it is "possible" but definitely not preclampsia. I really do appreciate your concern and looking out for me! It's wonderful to feel such kindess and care! Still haven't gotten a call for my cck/hida test. In the meantime I am just avoiding any fatty foods or anything I think could trigger an attack. The waiting game is torturous though!!

 

[Rosered52]

Sorry, I'm such a freak! Glad there's no baby to be in danger, but I hope they can figure it out soon.

 

[YouandMe]

Ladies...BIG news!

I just got my very first BFP!! I am in complete shock and disbelief, I don't think I will fully believe that it's real until I go to the doctor!! I am thrilled, and scared, and cannot believe that of ALL times in the last 8 months of TTC that this would be the moment we would conceive! Now...I guess there will be A LOT of talking to doctors to see where to go from here as far as my IBS or gallbladder issues....I'm so scared. I don't want to do anything AT ALL to harm the baby!! I pray that I can get through a healthy happy 9 months with a sticky bean!!

OMG!! I STLL CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!