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Gallstones and surgery?
Hi, I am a 29 year old boy, I suffer from depression and anxiety (severe hypochondria) and I am an asthmatic allergy sufferer.
Last August, following a big binge, during the night I felt very strong pain in the upper right abdomen and in the shoulder area. The pains, very severe which lasted for about 8-9 hours, ceased with the intake of Orudis. However, I did not have a fever or nausea.
I therefore decided to investigate the causes by doing ultrasound and blood tests the next day.
The values of the blood tests were ok (amylase, lipase, bilirubin, cholesterol and also white blood cells), the abdominal ultrasound instead showed: "Gallbladder in place, with walls of increased thickness as from possible dangerous cystitis, presence of indistinct material in the lumen , not sure signs from calculations and free infundibulum. Coledocus at the hilum with a diameter of 0.2 cm does not appear dilated its final intrapancreatic pars "the rest was all normal.
I was then advised to take an antibiotic, and a fat-free diet while waiting to repeat the ultrasound that I repeated a few days later and from which it emerged: "Gallbladder in place, inside large colaculus with clear cone of rear shadow with a diameter of 2.1x0.8x0.7 with walls of regular thickness and free infundibulum ".
The doctor then advised me to take Deursil (225mg slow release twice a day), a fat free diet and to wait for it.
In all these months there have been no more pains but I constantly have a sense of heaviness in the scapular area, sometimes stinging and at other times (both fasting and after meals) with small intermittent twinges such as pulsations.
Last week, given the persistence of these small annoyances, I repeated all the analyzes to evaluate the situation and see if the deursil had any effect.
In blood tests, all values are normal with the exception of amylase (103 out of 100). I was told this is not of concern as bilirubin and lipase were largely normal. The ultrasound showed:
"Distant gallbladder, with regular walls and with lithiasic concretion in the lumen with a diameter of 21 mm (unchanged compared to the previous examination). No dilatation of the intra and extra hepatic biliary tracts in progress. Normal caliber of the vein leading to the hilum. Normal. morphology of the head and body of the pancreas, the tail not written due to ileus colic meteorism ".
I was then told that it is necessary to solve the problem ... However the times (due to covid) are very long. So I wanted to ask you, what risks do I run in the meantime? The stone being so large, I was told that it cannot go into the duct, so I wondered: is it really necessary? This situation is aggravating the anxiety I suffer from, because at every meal I have the fear of being sick. I have already lost 7-8kg because I eat very little. Are there any non-surgical alternatives? I would not like to be reassured about the very low risks of the surgery because I am already aware of it, however the idea of having an operation destroys me. I also read about endoscopic stone removal ... is this a possible practice in my case? Thank you in advance for your understanding and answers
Last August, following a big binge, during the night I felt very strong pain in the upper right abdomen and in the shoulder area. The pains, very severe which lasted for about 8-9 hours, ceased with the intake of Orudis. However, I did not have a fever or nausea.
I therefore decided to investigate the causes by doing ultrasound and blood tests the next day.
The values of the blood tests were ok (amylase, lipase, bilirubin, cholesterol and also white blood cells), the abdominal ultrasound instead showed: "Gallbladder in place, with walls of increased thickness as from possible dangerous cystitis, presence of indistinct material in the lumen , not sure signs from calculations and free infundibulum. Coledocus at the hilum with a diameter of 0.2 cm does not appear dilated its final intrapancreatic pars "the rest was all normal.
I was then advised to take an antibiotic, and a fat-free diet while waiting to repeat the ultrasound that I repeated a few days later and from which it emerged: "Gallbladder in place, inside large colaculus with clear cone of rear shadow with a diameter of 2.1x0.8x0.7 with walls of regular thickness and free infundibulum ".
The doctor then advised me to take Deursil (225mg slow release twice a day), a fat free diet and to wait for it.
In all these months there have been no more pains but I constantly have a sense of heaviness in the scapular area, sometimes stinging and at other times (both fasting and after meals) with small intermittent twinges such as pulsations.
Last week, given the persistence of these small annoyances, I repeated all the analyzes to evaluate the situation and see if the deursil had any effect.
In blood tests, all values are normal with the exception of amylase (103 out of 100). I was told this is not of concern as bilirubin and lipase were largely normal. The ultrasound showed:
"Distant gallbladder, with regular walls and with lithiasic concretion in the lumen with a diameter of 21 mm (unchanged compared to the previous examination). No dilatation of the intra and extra hepatic biliary tracts in progress. Normal caliber of the vein leading to the hilum. Normal. morphology of the head and body of the pancreas, the tail not written due to ileus colic meteorism ".
I was then told that it is necessary to solve the problem ... However the times (due to covid) are very long. So I wanted to ask you, what risks do I run in the meantime? The stone being so large, I was told that it cannot go into the duct, so I wondered: is it really necessary? This situation is aggravating the anxiety I suffer from, because at every meal I have the fear of being sick. I have already lost 7-8kg because I eat very little. Are there any non-surgical alternatives? I would not like to be reassured about the very low risks of the surgery because I am already aware of it, however the idea of having an operation destroys me. I also read about endoscopic stone removal ... is this a possible practice in my case? Thank you in advance for your understanding and answers
Hello and welcome to the forum. If I am understanding you correctly, you have had gallbladder distress that has resulted in medical evaluation revealing a large gall stone. Is that correct? But because of the current medical situation with the pandemic, surgical centers are taking a long time to work patients through. Am I following you accurately? There are also medications that dissolve gallstones to try. They really are not used too often but if you can't have surgery, they are an option. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gallstones/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354220 I think it could be very painful if the gallstone tries to pass before treatment. And if it is large in size, it may not be able to pass at all. Now, removal of gallstones is usually recommended because they are linked to cancer. That isn't said to scare you as the odds are still small. But you do need to be followed by a health care professional for this to receive proper treatment. Any updates on when you can be seen and treated?
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