Going under the snips...

**Sonnie** · **05-14-07, 07:44 PM**

I will not be bashful about asking for prayers. Due to gall stones, I will be having my gall bladder removed tomorrow morning about 10am CST. This is supposed to be a simple outpatient procedure and I would like for it to stay that way. Simple is in and out in 4-6 hours plus a few days to a week recovery, while not so simple can end up requiring an overnight stay and up to about six weeks for recovery. So... if you pray, please pray for everything to go the simple route...

Thanks! I should have plenty of time to spend on the laptop over the next few days.

**brucek** · **05-14-07, 07:48 PM**

Good luck my friend.

I know it will all go smooth as silk.

I don't want this to be an excuse not to keep up with your posting though.

brucek

**Sonnie** · **05-14-07, 08:19 PM**

Thanks... and I actually hope it will be an excuse to catch up on my posting. I think I just got too much going on and this will give me a much needed break.

**drf** · **05-15-07, 02:02 AM**

consider it done, I will also pray for an easy and peaceful time at home while you recover

Cheers

Drf

**lcaillo** · **05-15-07, 04:30 AM**

Best wishes and prayers for you! Be well. Be in touch.

**Otto** · **05-15-07, 07:07 AM**

Good luck, Sonnie! We'll all be here for you.

**Sonnie** · **05-15-07, 08:14 AM**

Thanks guys....

... just about to head that way.

**Prof.** · **05-15-07, 06:45 PM**

Sonnie..my prayers will be with you for a speedy recovery, since at the time of writing this, you will have already had the operation...

**Sonnie** · **05-16-07, 11:07 AM**

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers and best wishes!

Everything did go very smooth. It took a little longer than normal, but I have survived thus far. I had excessive infection and scarring with several small stones. That part of me already feels better. Lot's of soreness where they cut on me, which makes it tough getting up and down. Lortab will be by friend for a couple of days.

**JCD** · **05-16-07, 01:37 PM**

I missed this until just now.. I'm glad everything went well and hope your recovery is speedy.

All the best..

JCD

**Sonnie** · **05-16-07, 03:09 PM**

Thanks Jacen.

I just took all my bandages off and I was surprised to not see the first stitch... other than paper strips.

I also count 6 holes in me...

2 are about 3/4" to an 1", while 2 are only 1/4" or so. Then another one and the one where the tube was inserted is about 1/2" and has nothing over it. One thing is for certain, I'll not forget the nurse pulling that tube out. That was by far the most painful part.

**Darren** · **05-16-07, 04:40 PM**

Doh! Glad it all went well.

**Sonnie** · **05-16-07, 09:33 PM**

Thanks Darren.

**Otto** · **05-17-07, 07:50 AM**

Sonnie,

Glad to hear you're out of surgery and doing well.

Especially since I have some questions about my forum!!!

**Sonnie** · **05-17-07, 08:28 AM**

Thanks Otto!

As a matter of fact, I'm preparing for our upgrade right now. It's a pain for us, but for yours it will always be a breeze.

**wbassett** · **05-21-07, 10:53 AM**

I'm glad to hear you're doing well too

**Sonnie** · **05-21-07, 11:49 AM**

Thanks Bill... I'm actually back at work today... feeling much better and recovering very well.

**Prof.** · **05-21-07, 07:03 PM**

Hey Sonnie...Good to hear everything went well and you're having a speedy recovery..

You're lucky...When I had my Gall bladder removed, many years ago, they didn't do keyhole surgery and they cut me open like a Hog..I still have a 12" scar across my stomach...and it took 6 weeks to recover..
These days you can just about go home the next day and start work the next!
The first thing I ate after the recovery was a huge cream cake!...That would have killed me previously..It didn't even raise a burp...

Enjoy your gall bladder-less life.

**Sonnie** · **05-21-07, 08:32 PM**

lol... thanks Prof.

I'm most thankful for the advanced technology.

I've ate about nearly everything that was giving me fits previously and not an issue thus far. The worst on me was actually ice cream and then hot peppers if excessive. Both of those always seemed to have cause my stones to do whatever it is they do to cause all the pain.

We were talking about how many gall bladder removals done here locally... it's astronomical. Not many folks have gall bladders in these parts. Yet... we've heard of some with no gall bladder who have had stones similar to gall stones. I wonder if you'd call those "gall" stones since there is no gall bladder. I guess we still have bile... just no place to store it...

Where's the doctor on duty here at the Shack?

**Prof.** · **05-21-07, 08:45 PM**

Quote:

Sonnie wrote:

Yet... we've heard of some with no gall bladder who have had stones similar to gall stones. I wonder if you'd call those "gall" stones since there is no gall bladder. I guess we still have bile... just no place to store it...

Where's the doctor on duty here at the Shack?

Yes, I heard the same thing a few years ago...Evidently gall stones can still form in the tube bypass, but for the most part they generally get flushed through the system before they can get to any size..
I still have my fingers crossed that that's going to continue to be the case..

**Sonnie** · **05-21-07, 11:14 PM**

Let's hope so...

**terry j** · **05-22-07, 12:07 AM**

glad to hear everything is fine, only just saw this thread today so I guess I had nothing to do with it all going so well!!!

Seeing as how we are on the subject, briefly what are gall stones and what are the usual main causes??

If it is not too personal, how old are you and is it something that the incidence of increases with age??

Anyway ignore them if you like, it's good to see you back and well.

**Sonnie** · **05-22-07, 12:19 AM**

Thanks terry!

I'm 45. From what I've read gall stones use to be something more common in older women. I guess over the past 40-50 years we've began to see much more fatty foods go down the food pipe, thereby causing more problems even in younger people. I have heard of a 9 year old with gall stones.

Here's more medical info that will explain better than I can:

Quote:

Gallstones are pieces of hard solid matter in the gallbladder. They form when the components of bile (especially cholesterol and bilirubin) precipitate out of solution and form crystals, much as sugar may collect in the bottom of a syrup jar. In general, either cholesterol or bilirubin precipitates out of solution to form stones, but not both. In the United States, almost 80 percent of patients with gallstones have cholesterol stones. Gallstones may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball, and the gallbladder may contain anywhere from one stone to hundreds. Sometimes the gallbladder contains only crystals and stones too small to see with the naked eye. This condition is called biliary sludge.

No one knows why some people develop gallstones and other don’t, but doctors do know some things which seem to increase the risk of developing stones. Anything that increases the amount of cholesterol in bile increases the risk of cholesterol stones, and those things that increase the bilirubin in bile increase the risk of pigment (bilirubin) stones. Other factors are probably also important in gallstone development, such as poor contraction of the gallbladder muscle with incomplete emptying of the gallbladder, and the presence of substances in bile which may speed up or delay precipitation of crystals. Many people with gallstones have a combination of factors. Exactly how diet affects gallstone formation is not clear, but diets which are high in cholesterol and fat, and low in fiber may increase the risk of developing gallstones.

The gallbladder is a sac, about the size and shape of a pear, which lies on the under surface of the liver in the upper right-hand portion of the abdominal cavity. It is connected to the liver and the intestine by a series of small tubes, or ducts. The primary job of the gallbladder is to store bile, which is produced and secreted continuously by the liver, until the bile is needed to aid in digestion. After a meal, the gallbladder contracts and sends the bile

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