Gallbladder issues

daniellelovesjacob · August 2014

Anyone else experience/experiencing this? Mine started around 31 weeks and went away at 34 weeks. It came back in full force on Saturday at 37.5 weeks. I am miserable. The midwife said there isn't anything they can do. I have been told to take zantac, tums, and Imodium. I honestly don't know if I can handle more than two weeks of my stomach feeling this way. It seems to hit me most at night and usually in the middle of the night waking me up. So frustrating.

[Deleted User] · August 2014

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daniellelovesjacob · August 2014

Do you mind telling me about your symptoms?

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jamie5709 · August 2014

I had gallbladder problems for months.....super bad pain in the upper right part of my tummy. It would last for hours too, when I went in there were so many gallstones they couldn't count. I had my gallbladder removed a week later - this was a year ago, before conceiving

Allison7 · August 2014

I had my gallbladder removed a couple of years ago. I had numerous stones that were trying to get out - really bad stuff! If you do have stones, you may want to look into if it should be removed sometime in the future when you are not pregnant.

As for symptoms, it was always worse at night. At first, I woke up and would vomit. As it progressed, I would have dreams that I was being stabbed in the back and wake up in excruciating pain. It kind of started feeling like the core of my body could just explode. On the night that I finally went to the ER, I could identify the source of the pain being below my ribs on my right side. Hopefully, you aren't to that stage yet! I really let it go too far before seeing a doctor - the job I was in at the time made it hard to take a day off to see the doctor and in the end I paid for it.

The best way to prevent attacks is through diet. Your gallbladder stores extra bile that is used when you eat something fatty or high in cholesterol. If I ate pizza, French fries, or fast food at the time I would have an attack. The extra hormones associated with pregnancy are associated with the start of attacks for many women, but try your hardest to avoid fatty foods and hopefully that will help minimize attacks. I sincerely hope it goes away soon, I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone!

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MandMLeona · August 2014

I developed this with my second pregnancy. Most of my symptoms disappeared after birth. They'd reappear from time to time. I found drinking large amounts of apple cidar softened the stones I had and they would pass.

jamielcall · August 2014

I had emergency gallbladder surgery a few years back... The attacks hurt like hell!! Don't eat fatty foods if your gallbladder isn't working properly it can't break down the fat... Alfredo was the meal that finally did me in... I had 4 gallstones and a severe liver infection by the time I finally walked into the emergency room. Hope you feel better!

Allison7 · August 2014

MandMLeona said:

I developed this with my second pregnancy. Most of my symptoms disappeared after birth. They'd reappear from time to time. I found drinking large amounts of apple cidar softened the stones I had and they would pass.

I am not saying OP should have surgery, but I want to say that you are very lucky. It is hard to safely pass gallstones. When they are exiting if they are not softened enough they can cause perforations in your intestines. They can also cause damage to your liver or pancreas. All of these things could be life threatening. Additionally, getting a stone or stones stuck in your common bile duct can be life threatening.

Each person is different, therefore so is the amount and size of gallstones. It sounds like you were fortunate to have them at a minimum size and with little inflammation. But @daniellelovesjacob please follow up with your primary care physician after you give birth to determine what long term treatment is best for you.

VelvetElegance · August 2014

I had the worst gall stone attack ever two days before my daughter was born a couple weeks ago. The pain was horrendous. Went to L&D praying they wouldn't take my daughter before her scheduled c/s. They ended up treating me for the pain and sending me home. I have had gall bladder issues for over a year now. My OB RX'd Tylenol 3 when the Percocets didn't work. Turns out the ended up giving me Percocets in L&D anyway. I keep some on hand. They told me I need to see a general surgeon and just go ahead and get the gallbladder removed. If I can get it done on an outpatient basis, I'll get it done while I am out on maternity. If they can't, I'll probably put it off since I can't imagine being away from my baby overnight at this point.

winterkate · August 2014

@daniellelovesjacob‌ - I had my gallbladder removed when I was 18 and agree with all pp with regard to the severity and location of pain as well as the etiology (my doc blamed hormonal bcp for the onset of the stones/attacks). As for my surgery, it was outpatient and as the heavy duty pain killers always give me nausea, I believe I took some type of Tylenol and was well recovered within a week. Basically, what I'm saying is that I agree with the pp about the importance of getting it removed sooner rather than later for your quality of life and for your ability to eat a well rounded diet (esp if you are breastfeeding- I wasn't sure). But I was a headstrong teenager at the time of my attacks and held of on surgery for a couple of weeks- drank clear fluids and are cereal basically. Any fat will bring them on. Sorry for the long-winded reply but I hope it helps you. Good luck!

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