# Anyone had gallbladder surgery while pregnant? Is it safe??



## veggielover (Apr 17, 2004)

Anyone had gallbladder surgery while pregnant? Is it "safe"?? Please share your stories and/or experiences with me.
I have gallstones and my attacks are getting progressively more severe and longer. (I've had a few attacks that have lasted over 12 hours!!) My midwife has given me a prescription for Tylenol 3 (w/codeine) to relieve the pain. I normally HATE taking any kind of medicine (*especially* painkillers while pregnant), so it worries me when I have to break down and do it. But the pain is BAD.







I've had 3 attacks in the last 48 hours,







and have taken _7 pain pills_, just to give you an idea of how bad it is.







I am seeing a surgeon once a month who is following me through the pregnancy. Our goal is to make it through with no surgery. He is very supportive, and said he wants to avoid doing surgery if possible, and only at 28 weeks in case of emergency (Infection, risk of pancreatits, etc.) b/c of the risk of premature labor. I am 19 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow......
Has anyone made it through a surgery like this and had a healthy baby?? I am so stressed about the health of my baby, and worried that I won't be able to hold out on surgery much longer.







: Do the risks of surgery outweigh the risks of taking this much codeine????? Please help if you can.......THANKS!!








**cross-posted in HEALTH & HEALING**


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## Debstmomy (Jun 1, 2004)

Not much advice about pending surgery & the choice you have make. That must be really hard & I wish you the best. I recently remember seeing a post on MDC about a mom that had an apendectomy while pregnant & it went well. I completely understand gall bladder pain. That was the worse pain ever! I know for me before I had my surgerty that I could control it somewhat with a non fat diet. Again, not pregnant at the time, so I am not sure if you can do that while gestating. Just thought I would put it out there. Good Luck to you & I hope you get through this fast!


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## OnTheFence (Feb 15, 2003)

Most drs do not like to do gallbladder surgery unless it is life threatening. I have attacks like you are talking about and have had them while pregnant. I have had one attack this pregnancy early on. I do need the surgery, and have for 8 years.
Doing it laproscopicly is the safest way to do it, but it may depend on how high your uterus is at this time. There is a risk of miscarriage, but if you have a horrible attack that causes your liver to go capute, its really down to weighing pros and cons.
My son's birthmother had gallbladder surgery at 32/33 weeks gestation. Her life was at risk. A stone got lodged, she was in horrible pain, and she had jaundice. They had to do traditional gallbladder surgery that put her into premature labor. She was on mag for a week and major narcotics for pain from the surgery. She was in the hospital I believe a total of three weeks. It was a long recovery, and she was on moderated bed rest once she was home.

One of the things I am doing to keep the attacks down is not eating any red meat, eat frequent small meals and I drink a lot of apple juice(this helps with the stones) and lemon juice. I also try to limit offending, spicey foods.


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## ryleeee (Feb 9, 2005)

I know that my Mom needed to have gall bladder surgery BADLY when she was pregnant with me and chose to wait until after I was born, even though she was in an intense amount of pain. A couple weeks after I was born she went into surgery.


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## RaggedyAnn (May 30, 2004)

I don't know about how risky it is while pregnant, but I do know the pain you are feeling. Mine started to turn into pancreatitis, but I was lucky and the stone passed into my intestines. I had jaundice.
I'm sorry I am of no help I just wanted you to know that I know what that pain is like it is excruciating. I had a natural childbirth with my first daughter and the pain I felt with those attacks was like I was having 10 babies coming out at once.


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## Ankeromi (Feb 7, 2005)

Hi,

please do not sacrifice your gallbladder unnecessarily! You need your gallbladder, and any surgery will harm you and your baby-the anaesthetic is poison that will affect your liver, and your baby too. You may feel worse afterwards, because the stones will then form in your liver, which takes over after the gallbladder is gone. My friend had hers out, and now regrets not having known about the liver/gallbladder flush earlier.

You have gallstones for a reason, and you CAN do something about it. Pregnancy is one aggravating factor, because the bile becomes less liquid due to hormonal changes. Diet is another one.
There are herbs you can use safely in pregnancy to help dissolve gallstones. Go to www.susunweed.com and ask Susun about a safe approach. She has written a great herbal for pregnancy and birth. Dandelion is a good herb to start with, drink the root tea at least 3 times a day.

Homeopathy is another one, find a classical homeopath.

Please go to www.curezone.com (free support forum for natual therapies)and read about the liver/gallbladder flush and pregnancy, including pictures of expelled gall/liver stones!!. There is a protocol which is safe in pregnancy, and basically it involves taking a quantity of lemon or grapefruit juice and olive oil at bedtime, sometimes combined with epsom salts or a herbal laxative. Most people expel their gallstones and liver stones with this protocol, and many repeat this several times until "clean". Go to the forum and read what experiences people have made-it is amazing!!

Also start juicing carrots, beets and some fresh ginger root. Have some lemon, lime or grapefruit juice first thing in the morning, and a little olive oil (on-going cleanse).

Sorry if I come across too harsh or something, but it just hurts me to see how people are being damaged by conventional medicine....
Follow your inner wisdom.


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## OnTheFence (Feb 15, 2003)

DO NOT DO THE FLUSH WHILE PREGNANT. ITS DANGEROUS.

While I believe in "natural" medicines, the above poster is misleading. A flush while pregnant is dangerous. No one, unless they are a total quack would recommend doing one while pregnant. The flush could dehydrate you, cause you even more paind and complications while pregnant.

Also, you may have to have surgery despite a flush (I know people who have). There is a time and place for convention medicine, and gallstones while pregnant can be dangerous, to you and your baby.


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## Ankeromi (Feb 7, 2005)

On the Fence,

I am not sure where you have found the information that liver flushes are dehydrating?? If done correctly, there should be only slight discomfort, if any, and what you pass are stones. It is not diuretic! Check with your naturopath, and weigh the pros and cons. Having to undergo gallbladder surgery seems like a much bigger evil than doing a flush.
Read the experiences of pregnant women on the curezone board, and form your own opinion..


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## mommyof2soon2b3 (Sep 22, 2006)

I was in my 1st trimester when I found out that I had gull stones...I know they hurt so bad...I was hospitalized for pain control until I was in my 2nd trimester the second trimester is the safest time for surgery...I was sent to a special hospital that dealt with surgery during pregnancy...I tried to eat non fat food so I didn't have to have surgery but they told me that pretty much nothing was completely fat free...I was scared but also in so much pain...I had the surgery done and right away they listened for the baby's heartbeat at first they didn't hear anything but the doctor hurried and got the machine for an ultrasound and there she was heart beating just as good as before...Now I have a healthy 3 year old girl...It's very stressful but I hope this helps...


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## umami_mommy (May 2, 2004)

everyone i know has had to wait until they were not pregnant anymore to do the surgery.

i'm not calling anyone a quack, but honestly a flush can only get rid of the stones (which if you know anything about anotomy and physiology, you know why this kind of flush is really unlikely to actually flush out your gallbladder), but that doesn't cure that is actually wrong wth your gall bladder. you can get rid of the stones and that is unlikely to stop the attacks as the stones are formed in response to the chronic inflamation in the gall bladder. the inflamation is what is causing the pain.

when i was sick with gal bladder disease i went and saw 3 very respected natural practioners. (2 naturopaths and 1 acupuncturist) and all three said "try this, but most likely you will need to have it removed eventually." and both naturapths said the flush was bogus. there are people who can contol it with diet, but i had a severe case.

during pregnancy i would strongly recommend acupuncture and a careful diet and when all else fails, a painkiller, as some are safe for pregnancy.


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## Ahappymel (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OnTheFence* 
Most drs do not like to do gallbladder surgery unless it is life threatening.

I respectfully disagree. Gallbladder surgery is among the most needless surgeries performed (also included are c-sections and hysterectomies).

http://www.quackwatch.org/04Consumer...rhsurgery.html

I also second the suggestion that the OP do her own research and decide what's safer for her and her baby.


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## The Lucky One (Oct 31, 2002)

This thread was started over a year ago. The OP has delivered her baby by now.


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## umami_mommy (May 2, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *The Lucky One* 
This thread was started over a year ago. The OP has delivered her baby by now.

i would hope so!!


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