poll for my curiosity

[baratron]

Is it my imagination, or is gall bladder trouble about as common as appendicitis? In the past week, the number of people I know who've had their gall bladder removed has expanded from 3 up to about 10, or 15.

[Poll #549899]

I certainly won't be so paranoid about having it out if I find out that everyone and their dog has had the same op.

Comments

[geminigirl]

I haven't, but I think I'd need both hands to count the number of people who I know who have.

[barakta]

I think it's fairly common, especially amongst women. My mum says they don't leave people with 'irritated' gallbladders in the hope they can cure them anymore, as the consensus is now that even after one nasty attack/stone you should have it out. When kim saw her consultant after the 'stone' incident she had not had any further trouble and the consultant still said "have it out, really, if it was mine I would" and said that was what research had been saying for a while.

The reading I did (wikipedia has some good content) suggested that cholecystic problems had a strong genetic/family history component. It seems that if you are female and your mother/sister/aunt have gallbladder issues then you are 50% more like to have issues too. In my case my grandmother and my aunt both have/had problems with theirs, my gran won't have hers out and as such still suffers debilitating attacks which land her in hospital a couple of times a year.

I reckon in the scheme of things and over a lifetime gallbladder issues are about the same as appendicitis and the operation to remove it is a lot less traumatic (unless they can do appendectomies by keyhole these days too?)...

When kim's gallbladder was removed it didn't have many stones in it (normally stones pass out/get trapped/etc. I think they feel that once you are producing stones in the gallbladder (for whatever reason, diet, genetics, biochemistry etc etc) that it's safer out than in. Some of the complications of severe cholecystic nastiness aren't good, and can get actually dangerous quickly.

[ludy]

but i know several people who have and where so much better after the surgery.

And i do have kidney stones

[griffen.livejournal.com]

The surgery is no big deal. I had it done laparoscopically and I was out the same day - and I had no pain once the surgery incisions healed. Are they doing yours laparoscopically?