When it Rains it Pours

Today is my last night at Cedar Rapids with Chris and Aileen. It's been fun, but I feel it's really time for us to go. It's official, my gallbladder is out. It's has been a week today since I have had my gallbladder out and let me tell you, I am reminded of it each and everyday. Lately I have been reminded for the past few days. Everything that I have eaten tells me that I don't have my gallbladder. I feel like everything that I have eaten I can't eat anymore. Yesterday we ate Taco Salad and that went through me and today we had Lasagna and I am almost positive that I will be going to the bathroom pretty soon. What in the world can I eat?! I am going to have to mention this to the doctor's this Friday when I have my post-operation check up. I really hate this feeling because it looks like I will be restricted to just soups and that's all. Or if I want to eat what I really want to eat, I will have to take some sort of medication to prevent me from going to the bathroom after I am done eating.
I have been warned that this may happen, but I didn't think that this will happen this quickly. It's quite depressing let me tell you. What a good way to lose weight, right? NOT! I just hope this process (watching what I am eating and seeing what my tummy can tolerate) doesn't get me down in the dumps because I have already cried about it and I don't want to do it here because they (Chris, Aileen, and James) would think that there's something wrong with my stomach (like I am in pain after surgery) and would want me to take something for it. I am going to sign off now. Have a good night everyone and God bless! Oh and by the way, who ever reads this, please pray for me. Thanks!

Updates and Info about my Procedure

Right now, I am in Cedar Rapids, Iowa visiting James' cousins Chris and Aileen and their two little girls Kathryn and Kailyn. I gave into temptation (I am NOT supposed to lift anything or anyone over 20 pounds) and carried Kailyn for a while and let me tell you, there's a reason why the doctors tell you NOT to do it!!! It kicked my butt big time and I am still paying for it. Besides that, my throat is killing me because of all of the acid that's in it; can't win can't win at all. It snowed this morning. I wish I took a picture to show you, but it did. It's supposed to be Spring not Winter. For crying out loud, Easter is next week and we aren't supposed to see snow, we are supposed to see green grass and flowers, not white stuff. I just hope that today is the LAST and I do repeat LAST day we see snow until December.

Every now and then, I look at my stomach and I was curious to all what was entailed when they removed my gallbladder, so I looked it up on Wikipedia and this is what I found:

Cholecystectomy (pronounced /ˌkɒləsɪsˈtɛktəmi/, plural: cholecystectomies) is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. It is the most common method for treating symptomatic gallstones. Surgical options include the standard procedure, called laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and an older more invasive procedure, called open cholecystectomy.

Open surgery

A traditional open cholecystectomy is a major abdominal surgery in which the surgeon removes the gallbladder through a 5-7 inch incision. Patients usually remain in the hospital overnight and may require several additional weeks to recover at home

Laparoscopic surgery

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has now replaced open cholecystectomy as the first-choice of treatment for gallstones and inflammation of the gallbladder unless there are contraindications to the laparoscopic approach. This is because open surgery makes you more prone to infection. ^[1] Sometimes, a laparoscopic cholecystectomy will be converted to an open cholecystectomy for technical reasons or safety.

A US Navy general surgeon and an operating room nurse discuss proper procedures while performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy requires several small incisions in the abdomen to allow the insertion of operating ports, small cylindrical tubes approximately 5-10 mm in diameter, through which surgical instruments and a video camera are placed into the abdominal cavity. The camera illuminates the surgical field and sends a magnified image from inside the body to a video monitor, giving the surgeon a close-up view of the organs and tissues. The surgeon watches the monitor and performs the operation by manipulating the surgical instruments through the operating ports.

To begin the operation, the patient is anesthetized and placed in the supine position on the operating table. A scalpel is used to make a small incision at the umbilicus. Using either a Veress needle or Hasson technique the abdominal cavity is entered. The surgeon inflates the abdominal cavity with carbon dioxide to create a working space. The camera is placed through the umbilical port and the abdominal cavity is inspected. Additional ports are placed inferior to the ribs at the epigastric, midclavicular, and anterior axillary positions. The gallbladder fundus is identified, grasped, and retracted superiorly. With a second grasper, the gallbladder infundibulum is retracted laterally to expose and open Calot's Triangle (the area bound by the cystic artery, cystic duct, and common hepatic duct). The triangle is gently dissected to clear the peritoneal covering and obtain a view of the underlying structures. The cystic duct and the cystic artery are identified, clipped with tiny titanium clips and cut. Then the gallbladder is dissected away from the liver bed and removed through one of the ports. This type of surgery requires meticulous surgical skill, but in straightforward cases can be done in about an hour.

Recently, this procedure is performed through a single incision in the paitent's umbilicus. This advanced technique is called Laparoendoscopic Single Site Surgery or "LESS".

Procedural Risks and Complications

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy does not require the abdominal muscles to be cut, resulting in less pain, quicker healing, improved cosmetic results, and fewer complications such as infection and adhesions. Most patients can be discharged on the same or following day as the surgery, and most patients can return to any type of occupation in about a week.

An uncommon but potentially serious complication is injury to the common bile duct, which connects the gallbladder and liver. An injured bile duct can leak bile and cause a painful and potentially dangerous infection. Many cases of minor injury to the common bile duct can be managed non-surgically. Major injury to the bile duct, however, is a very serious problem and may require corrective surgery. This surgery should be performed by an experienced biliary surgeon.^[2]

Abdominal peritoneal adhesions, gangrenous gallbladders, and other problems that obscure vision are discovered during about 5% of laparoscopic surgeries, forcing surgeons to switch to the standard cholecystectomy for safe removal of the gallbladder. Adhesions and gangrene, of course, can be quite serious, but converting to open surgery does not equate to a complication.

A Consensus Development Conference panel, convened by the National Institutes of Health in September 1992, endorsed laparoscopic cholecystectomy as a safe and effective surgical treatment for gallbladder removal, equal in efficacy to the traditional open surgery. The panel noted, however, that laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be performed only by experienced surgeons and only on patients who have symptoms of gallstones.

In addition, the panel noted that the outcome of laparoscopic cholecystectomy is greatly influenced by the training, experience, skill, and judgment of the surgeon performing the procedure. Therefore, the panel recommended that strict guidelines be developed for training and granting credentials in laparoscopic surgery, determining competence, and monitoring quality. According to the panel, efforts should continue toward developing a noninvasive approach to gallstone treatment that will not only eliminate existing stones, but also prevent their formation or recurrence.

One common complication of cholecystectomy is inadvertent injury to an anomalous bile duct known as Ducts of Luschka, occurring in 33% of the population. It is non-problematic until the gall bladder is removed, and the tiny supravesicular ducts may be incompletely cauterized or remain unobserved, leading to biliary leak post operatively. The patient will develop biliary peritonitis within 5 to 7 days following surgery, and will require a temporary biliary stent. It is important that the clinician recognize the possibility of bile peritonitis early and confirm diagnosis via HIDA scan to lower morbidity rate. Aggressive pain management and antibiotic therapy should be initiated as soon as diagnosed.

Biopsy
After removal, the gall bladder should be sent for biopsy . (pathological examination) to confirm the diagnosis and look for an incidental cancer. If cancer is present, a reoperation to remove part of the liver and lymph nodes will be required in most cases

Long-Term Prognosis

A minority of the population, from 5% to 40%, develop a condition called postcholecystectomy syndrome, or PCS.^[4] Symptoms can include gastrointestinal distress and persistent pain in the upper right abdomen.

As many as twenty percent of patients develop chronic diarrhea. The cause is unclear, but is presumed to involve the disturbance to the bile system. Most cases clear up within weeks, though in rare cases the condition may last for many years. It can be controlled with drugs.

I am sure that I bored whoever just read this, but I was curious so I thought that I would share. I hope that I can do some functions at work next Thursday. I mean how hard can it be to count pills, check out customer's items, and walk to and from the break room? Not that hard, but the way I feel right now, I feel like I CAN'T do anything. I feel so weak it's not even funny. I hope that I will regain my strength soon. Until next post, God bless and have a great weekend!

Weak, in Pain, and Woke up too early..

So I decided to blog for a while. I am Weak because I had my gallbladder removed yesterday. I am in Pain also because of the fact that I had my gallbladder removed yesterday. I should take some of my pain medications, but that makes me dizzy and drowsy, so I will wait on that for a little bit. I woke up too early because I went to bed at 10:30 after waking up at 10:00. I have never done that before and James thinks it's because of the medications and I have to admit, he's right on that one! I think that I mentioned on my last post that I had my blood drawn to see everything was OK and it was! On Saturday, I went back to the doctors because she wanted to test my blood again but this time for the fact that my iron is low. I haven't received those results yet, but I think I already know the answer. I am anemic (I think) and this is just confirming it. My doctor is also referring me to a fertility specialist in Shawnee Mission. I just need to fill out the necessary forms and mail them out so they can schedule me an appointment. Hope that everything goes well and there's no complications. I think that I am done for this entry so I will sign off. I think that I will take some of my pain medication and see if I can take a nap... Until the next post, have a great day and God bless!

Update...

Remember when I said that I got blood drawn for tests? Well, the results are in! Everything is good! PTL!!!! I am really happy about this. Although my doctor wanted me to give more blood to figure out why my iron is so low (I am thinking that I am anemic, but I could be wrong). I will keep everyone (or whoever reads this) informed about what she finds out. Oh and the time changed on my surgery. It was supposed to be at 12pm, but it's now earlier. I don't know what time it is, but I do know that I have to be there at 9:45 versus 10:45am. My eyelids are droopy so I will sign off now. Have a great rest of the weekend and God Bless!

Interesting Week....

I have had an interesting week and it's not over until tomorrow. On Monday, I went to the doctor's to see what James and I can do about trying to conceive again and ended up having my blood drawn (three vials total!!!) and the results came in, but unfortunately, I wasn't home to receive the call so I have to call tomorrow (pray please). I also went to the doctor's to see what they can do about this throat thing that has been bothering me and come to find out, it's my yes my fault. If I just took the Omeprazole like I was supposed to when I was done with my medication for H-Pylori, my throat wouldn't be hurting me. Come to find out, it's acid build-up and the only way to get rid of it is to take Omeprazole (generic for Prilosec). Go figure! I just rolled my eyes as I typed Go Figure! When it rains, it pours, I guess. My doctor also wanted to see if I was doing better from all the treatment when I had H-Pylori and I told her that I am fine; just had to watch what I was eating and I have had flare-ups every now and then and she told me that it would be best if I get my gallbladder removed since I am doing better. "It's better to get rid of it now while you are healthy than to have to deal with occasional flare-ups", she said. So today, I went to see the surgeon and she had no choice but to schedule a day for me to have my gallbladder removed (only because I told her that I am still in pain even though I am done with treatment). I am having it removed this Monday. A week from today, James and I are going to Iowa to spend time with his cousin, his wife, and their two girls...or so we thought. Just kidding... we are still going, but instead of me using my vacation hours, I am using my sick hours. Long story short, in order for me to get the time off for my surgery, I needed to use my sick hours and the fact that the time off the doctor wanted me to re cooperate coincides with the time that I am going to Iowa, Connie (Personnel Manager) figured that I should use my sick hours and save my vacation hours for another time. I will write here tomorrow when I find out my results from my blood work. To be continued...