# Friend about to get induced because of gallbladder??? Need immediate advice!!!



## Lisa Lubner (Feb 27, 2004)

hi everyone!

i told a friend i would look into this for her... where better to ask than here?









Quote:

Ok so finally i am at the end of my pregnancy.... 37 weeks... but there is a problem. Two days ago i had another gallbladder attack as it was discovered 2 months ago i have gallbladder stones. So now my only option to avoiding a c-section is to induce labor before the gallbladder gets too bad.
thanks!


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## Lucky (Nov 14, 2004)

Since, she's pregnant she will want to check before trying this.

Accupunture with cupping.
Doing both together relieved my horrible symptoms, due to gallstones. My body responded immediately. The results were miraculous.


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## weebitty2 (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LoveMyLittles*
hi everyone!

i told a friend i would look into this for her... where better to ask than here?









thanks!

erm ...










Firstly .. if it's a minor gallstone attack, and the stones pass, or are just plain sitting there in the gallbladder ... labor's not going to affect them all that much. Induction is supposedly safer than c-section in relation to gallbladder problems, but at 37 weeks is there really a reason not to wait another week or two?

Is there any other health background for your friend? The size/placement/speed of gallstone formation? Something just doesn't seem quite right.


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## Lisa Lubner (Feb 27, 2004)

i'm getting more info...

i thought it sounded fishy too... there are hardly ANY circumstances where there is only ONE option.







:


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## mwherbs (Oct 24, 2004)

So what is her bishop's score? before she even thinks induction this should be looked into. Blind induction is not avoiding a c section, it is preping for one.
I don't know how much of this is doctor generated and how much is mom generated> gall bladder attacks can hurt like hell-- and be scary.
What normally happens in pregnancy is everything gets soft and then it also gets displaces so if there are any stones they may be getting stirred up.
eat a low fat diet, take digestive enzymes maybe even those ones that have HCL in them instead of just the papaya, pineapple ones. also eat a bunch more green/raw food.
Apple juice will stem some attacks
for supplements lecithin and vitamin B6 and magnesium - I have known of people who have taken this for 15-20years and have kept from having surgery or repeated attacks


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## ~Megan~ (Nov 7, 2002)

It can be tricky. I had gallbladder problems and within a week I was starting to jaundice and my pancreas was shutting down. I had to get them out immediately.

To prolong your health you can eat a very low fat, liquids diet....but that is not healthy in last weeks of pregnancy.

There are also cleanse diets one can do, also not safe for pregnancy.

I'd think induction would be the best choice based on the information that I have.


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## OnTheFence (Feb 15, 2003)

Our sons birthmothre had an acute gallbladder attack when she was 32 weeks pregnant. She was put in the hospital when her blood work came back "bad". I am a little confused but it had something to do with her liver. Anyway, she got a blockage. Having gallstones myself and still do, I know that during pregnancy things go slower and there is more risk for problems. The longer you are pregnant, the worse it can become.
Since my son's birthmother was only 32 weeks, they ended up doing traditional gallbladder surgery on her. They actually cut her open (her scare was 11 inches) and rolled her uterus with Dylan in it still over to do the surgery. It was a giant complicated mess. She was in premature labor for five days and was on major meds, for pain and to stop the labor. She was in the hospital ove two weeks.
Last time I was preggo, I developed more gallstones.







I had two very bad attacks later in pregnancy. Not only did I have stones and lots of "sludge" but because of pregnancy, there was a lot of pressure put on the gallbladder, liver, etc which made it worse. The offered to do a combined surgery: csection and gallbladder, but I refused, I ended up doing a juice fast for 48hrs. Apple Juice seems to be key. I also took lots of warm baths and went to the bathroom often. After that, I stopped eating meat and lots of green leafy veggies -- cabbage, spinach, lettuce makes things worse unfortunately, that and red meat. I made it to the end of my pregnancy and was advised to have my gallbladder removed. (I haven't)
I am 13 weeks pregnant today.







And I have already started to experience gallbladder problems. I have cut red meat almost entirely from my diet, I drink apple juice and lemon juice often, and I really watch the fat intake. So far veggies are not bothering me. After reading about the accupuncture I may try it!

Here are some things your friend shouldn't do"
A gallbladder cleanse. Its not safe while pregnant and can complicate things should the stones get lodged. Also the cleanse can cause her to go into labor, have extreme diarehea, and cause vomiting.

Do not have gallbladder after she has her baby unless its an emergent situation. She will still need to watch her diet post partum. The reason not to have surgery immediate post partum is that there is a higher incidence of damaging the intestines and other organs until everything kind of settles back down into place. Risk of infection is greater, and she may have to pump and dump do the drugs they give you. (I had a family friend have surgery 2w post partum, they knicked her intestines, she ended up in ICU with a horrible infection and had to have a "bag")


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## Henry's_Mamma (Jan 23, 2004)

I think it would depend entirely on the severity of the stones and/or gall bladder disease. I know they can dx a little bit using u/s and blood work, but that may be hampered by her very pg state.

My mom had her gall bladder removed last year (while I was 12 weeks pg) due to severe -- almost septic -- infection (she was very close to being in ICU). If your friend should start to feel even remotely like she's getting the flu (my mom's earliest symptoms), she should go to the hospital at once. The infection issues are not a laughing matter. I have never seen my mother so sick (the infection sent her into congestive heart failure -- she was hx for 8 days with her laproscopic surgery on the 7th). Oh, and removal doesn't necessarily take away the digestive issues. My mom still struggles with bouts of diarrhea and gas regularly regardless of what she does/doesn't eat (she's type 2 diabetic, too, so most jucies are out for her).

Otherwise, no advice except I hope she feels better and the attack goes away w/o induction or c/s.


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## party_of_seven (May 10, 2004)

I think it all depends on the severity and frequency of her attacks. There is the possibility of having a stone get lodged in the bile duct....if that happens it causes a back up of all of the fluids of the pancreas, and can cause infection. So if her attacks are so bad that they are worried about the posibility of a lodged stone then maybe an induction is necessary. It could just be that mom is uncomfortable and wanting to get it over with and using the gb as an excuse.

I had gallstone attacks all throughout my first 3 pregnancies. Everytime I went into the ER they would just say it was indegestion, so I came to accept it as normal. During my 3rd pregnancy. I was having an attack nearly every day. I had almost a whole month where I lived on chicken broth because any solid food would trigger an attack. Then I had an attack that lasted 48 hours solid. I had already been to the ER once and they said to take some antiacids and sent me home. I suffered through the night and drug myself back to the ER the next morning and refused to leave until they figured out what was wrong with me. The new doc on call just looked at me and saw that I was jaundiced and said she thought I was having a gallstone attack. They ordered an ultrasound and blood work. The ultrasound comfirmed that I had a stone lodged in the bile duct. They sent me to a larger hosptial and used a scope down my throat to clear the blockage. Then I spent 2 weeks on antibiotics to clear up the infection. (I was 20 weeks pregnant at the time) I was so sore from the infection that I felt like I had gone 10 rounds with Tyson. After the infection was cleared I had surgery to remove the gallbladder at 22 weeks pregnant. I was worried, but it beat the alternative which was to cross my fingers and hope that I didn't have another attack that bad and risk a c-section, premature baby, and surgical removal of my gallbladder. (Mine was early enough in the pregnancy to do it laproscopicly(sp?))

So yes, it can get rather bad. Gallbladder attacks are awful. I would go through labor everyday rather than have one attack. I have been told that they rank up there with passing a kidney stone or a heart attack. Its no fun, and if your friend is ready to have that baby to get it all over with then I guess that's her choice. I can't say that I blame her.

Good luck to her!!


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## OnTheFence (Feb 15, 2003)

I felt an entire csection with my first child, I can tell you that a severe gallbladder attack can be the worst pain you ever feel in life. I would have to say feeling the csection and the gallbladder attack that I had in my last pregnancy rate about the same in the pain department. I should probably have mine removed, but believe it or not I am chicken to be put asleep!


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