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Categories » Due In... /Babies Born In... » Babies Due in December '09 » Gall Bladder problems

Gall Bladder problems
jentomchak

Rank: seedling
Posts: 22
Joined: 12/31/07
Full Term
Gall Bladder problems | 7/10/09 2:21 PM
For the last month or so, I've been experiencing a sharp or dull (sometimes either) pain below my right ribs. I went to my Dr. who ordered an ultrasound for my gall bladder and suggested a bland fat-free (if possible) diet. Well, the pain comes and goes and it doesn't appear to be too affected by what I eat (though out of fear I have cut down on the fatty foods). Sometimes it begins to hurt even if I haven't eaten for a few hours, or following a pretty healthy meal like rice and steamed veggies or a bowl of fruit.

This morning I had the gallbladder ultrasound and the tech said she doesn't see stones, but she did see a buildup of "sludge" or really thick bile that might be the cause of the discomfort. Has anyone else experienced gall bladder problems during their pregnancy?

On a lighter note; the technician wandered down and let me have another peak at baby. It's feet were crossed at the ankles and baby gave us a thumbs up signal. It was so cute. We opted not to find out what we're having until it's born, so hence, "it."
kim.abc.123

Rank: sprout
Posts: 75
Joined: 3/28/09
RE: Gall Bladder problems | 7/11/09 2:14 PM as a reply to jentomchak.
I haven't had gall bladder problems, but I had to have a root canal done! It wasn't bad because I was able to have novacaine. They also said I could have vicodin for the pain, but we (my husband and I) didn't feel comfortable with me taking it so I suffered though the pain once the novacaine wore off -- it was just as bad as the pain from the bad tooth!
Then about 3 weeks later, I ended up with bronchitis! I had to take an antibiotic. I didn't want to take it, but I went to my PC and then called OB to make sure I could take the meds. If I didn't that the medicine, the bronchitis could have gotten worse, making it worse for the baby!
I wish you luck and comfort -- I know what it's like the be sick...not fun!
ashtonpeach

Rank: seedling
Posts: 42
Joined: 6/23/09
Full Term
RE: Gall Bladder problems | 7/12/09 5:48 PM as a reply to jentomchak.
I actually didn't start experiencing gall bladder problems during pregnancy. I had it before. I started feeling it five years ago except they didn't know what it was at the time so they would just prescribe antacids to me. My stomach would hurt. It would be in pain and i would just feel like my stomach was burning. I went to the doctors and they finally sent me to a stomach doctor and ran several test on me and figured out that my gall bladder was dysfunctional and that they would have to remove it. I havn't had it removed yet but im 23 weeks and it doesn't help with being pregnant. It does cause a lot of discomfort.

 

 

snowball164

Rank: out of the nursery
Posts: 163
Joined: 6/15/08
Full Term
RE: Gall Bladder problems | 7/12/09 7:03 PM as a reply to jentomchak.
Not during pregnancy...but I had those pains right under my ribs and it was horrible. I ignored it and stayed away from spicy stuff..and it didn't get any better. no matter what I ate...the pain would return..
I waited too long to be seen and I ended up in the ER with horrible pain that I felt as if I was actually going to DIE.

They checked me out...and what had happened was, there were not large gall stones or anything...but a small gall stone (which are normal to have) had been lodged out of the gall bladder and up into my pancreatic tube; causing pancreatitis. (which means that, the acid, that the pancreas makes to break down food in your stomach, was blocked by that gall stone and the acid was eating my pancreas from the inside out)
And everytime you eat anything the pancreas starts producing this acid to go break down the food. but it couldn't make it out the tube.

Long story short. They had to make me wait 3 days in the hospital without food or drink, until the acid levels were down. Then removed my gall bladder. They never found the small stone during the operation. So they assume that it finally passed. and I haven't had problems since.
So this could be a possibility. Good Luck and please don't wait like I did.
Holz

Rank: bean
Posts: 5
Joined: 3/31/09
Full Term
RE: Gall Bladder problems | 8/13/09 5:26 AM as a reply to jentomchak.
I had terrible gallbladder problems early on in my pregnancy. I'm not sure why, but I had no symptoms before I was pregnant! It was awful, like being knifed in the stomach, and naturally I was really freaked out something was wrong with the baby.
My first bad attack (these lasted for hours, usually in the middle of the night) was after Thanksgiving dinner! We really pigged out that day.
I went to a gallbladder specialist who confirmed I had stones. He said they would only operate in the 2nd trimester. I really didn't want to have an operation, so I thought I'd try diet/natural cleansing.
Then I tried a natural gallbladder cleanse (consisting of olive oil, lemon juice, etc) which of course set another attack on. The olive oil "opens the gallbladder" and the lemon and apple juice was supposed to help dissolve stones. These were pretty bad, but I think I passed some stones.
I also noticed if I ate something fattening or greasy late at night, I got an attack. So my husband and I made a rule - no snacks or eating after 9 pm. This seemed to control it, and I haven't had an attack since. (except the time I cheated and ate a brownie at 10pm - I regretted that one).
The bonus was that it helped me control my weight gain (I really didn't need to gain more than 20-25 pounds in my pregnancy as I was already overweight) and set some boundaries on late night snacking.

I hope you are feeling better. It can in some cases like mine, be controlled by diet. I think the timing of the attacks is also important. Mine only happened in the middle of the night.
jentomchak

Rank: seedling
Posts: 22
Joined: 12/31/07
Full Term
RE: Gall Bladder problems | 8/15/09 9:59 AM as a reply to Holz.
Thanks for your response! My aunt (an RD) suggested the applejuice/olive oil/lemon cleanse... I'm just afraid of any type of cleanse! I've been able to keep the pain at bay with diet, but it still strikes at times. Thankfully, the craving for greasy foods isn't there anymore (like it was in my first trimester). Now I can't seem to get enough frozen yogurt (well, that's been my craving the entire pregnancy). The fro-yo doesn't seem to bother my gall bladder; and there's calcium in it (since I HATE milk it's good that I'm getting it from somewhere). My glucose test came back normal (I was afraid I was getting too much sugar), and my weight gain has been on the lower of the normal side (so far). I try to drink plenty of water and that seems to help with digestion also. Good luck, you're only two weeks behind me! Do you know what you are having? We are waiting to find out...