What a Whirlwind!
Wednesday the doctor told me I needed to have my gallbladder removed. Thursday morning I had an appointment to consult with the surgeon. Friday I had my gallbladder removed. Wow! This happened so fast - from diagnosis to surgery.
Today (Saturday) I am sore and tired (with those pain meds one moment I'll be talking to you and the next I'm asleep), but overall I feel really good.
I would normally say that I wish someone had figured out it was my gallbladder six years ago when I first started having symptoms. But I cannot say that. God has truly blessed me with this experience in many ways.
Now some people may say that six years ago when I had my first symptoms it probably was due to my endometriosis for which I had a hysterectomy four years ago. I am not quite ready to jump on that bandwagon. The symptoms I had prior to my hysterectomy were exactly the same as my symptoms after my hysterectomy. At first when my symptoms resurfaced a year after my hysterectomy, I regretted even having that surgery. I thought it was the wrong treatment... But then my husband would remind me that prior to my hysterectomy I had started having these attacks monthly. Well, okay, more recently I was having attacks every couple of months. So where does that leave me now?
I have decided that even if my reproductive organs were not the cause of my attacks, that I am glad the hysterectomy was the first stop on this journey. Why? Because if the doctors had first looked at my gallbladder I would still be carrying around two diseased ovaries. They needed to come out regardless.
Now what other reason would I have to rejoice in waiting so long for the gallbladder surgery? There are several. First... even though I am in pain and sleepy from the pain medication, I feel GOOD. God let me travel through a dark time that made me forget what it felt like to not be in pain, to not feel fatigue, and not feel bad in general. Now I feel good... and that feels great! I have reason not to take feeling good for granted, but to count each day I feel good as a blessing.
Another reason is I know I have friends. I have been lonely since we moved to Tennessee. Not being overly outgoing, yet always wanting to fit in... I never really knew where I did fit in and who were my friends versus my acquaintances -- even wondering if I really had friends. Well, let me tell you, I do. I have friends I didn't even know I had! And I treasure each one of you.
So, now you may be wondering... why did I stop having attacks after my hysterectomy but then they started up again? I do have my own theory on that. I do not have any medical training and have not study chemistry or biology in a very long time. This is just a theory about my health that I derived after listening to my husband's questions and talking with my doctor.
According to my doctor, there are three chemicals in the gallbladder: file acids, phospholipids, and cholesterol. If the balance of these three chemicals are off, gallstones can form. Gallstones are seen mostly in women in their fertile years (generally 18-45). My husband asked the doctor if hormones can be related to gallstones. She stated that hormones can affect cholesterol which is one of the three chemicals in the gallbladder, so in theory, hormones could be related.
So here is my theory. My body has always been a bit whacked out with hormones. My estrogen had always been on the low side, and I never really had normal cycles (it was normal for me to go months between cycles... as in SIX months) unless I was on birth control pills.
All of my mild attacks have followed a lack of sleep, an increase in stress, or a bad food choice. All my severe attacks have followed all three triggers.
I had my first attack when my third child was five month old. I believe this was caused by a natural shift in my hormones. The added stress of moving to another state probably helped bring on this first attack, plus we had just eaten out at a buffet. My attacks increased to monthly just after having surgery in which the doctor cleaned up my endometriosis, which is also when I started having normal, regular cycles (sorry, guys... it's a part of life!).
When I had my hysterectomy, I stopped having attacks for about a year. Why? I believe this is because my doctor and I decided not to use hormones for the first year. I had a lot of bad moods and some other physical issues related to the lack of hormones, so when I changed doctors I agreed to begin taking hormones. After I started the hormones, the 'attacks' slowly crept back into my life until they reached a pivotal point this month where something absolutely had to be done... and quickly. So when I had the sonogram of my heart, the sonographer decided to include my gallbladder. And I am so thankful he did! And the rest is history!!
Now, I do know that the jury is still out... there is still a chance that the gallbladder wasn't the only thing wrong. I am not counting the chickens before they hatch, but I am rejoicing in the progress that has been made! I do hope and pray I have reached the end of this painful journey, and look forward to the many journeys the Lord has planned for my future.
Today (Saturday) I am sore and tired (with those pain meds one moment I'll be talking to you and the next I'm asleep), but overall I feel really good.
I would normally say that I wish someone had figured out it was my gallbladder six years ago when I first started having symptoms. But I cannot say that. God has truly blessed me with this experience in many ways.
Now some people may say that six years ago when I had my first symptoms it probably was due to my endometriosis for which I had a hysterectomy four years ago. I am not quite ready to jump on that bandwagon. The symptoms I had prior to my hysterectomy were exactly the same as my symptoms after my hysterectomy. At first when my symptoms resurfaced a year after my hysterectomy, I regretted even having that surgery. I thought it was the wrong treatment... But then my husband would remind me that prior to my hysterectomy I had started having these attacks monthly. Well, okay, more recently I was having attacks every couple of months. So where does that leave me now?
I have decided that even if my reproductive organs were not the cause of my attacks, that I am glad the hysterectomy was the first stop on this journey. Why? Because if the doctors had first looked at my gallbladder I would still be carrying around two diseased ovaries. They needed to come out regardless.
Now what other reason would I have to rejoice in waiting so long for the gallbladder surgery? There are several. First... even though I am in pain and sleepy from the pain medication, I feel GOOD. God let me travel through a dark time that made me forget what it felt like to not be in pain, to not feel fatigue, and not feel bad in general. Now I feel good... and that feels great! I have reason not to take feeling good for granted, but to count each day I feel good as a blessing.
Another reason is I know I have friends. I have been lonely since we moved to Tennessee. Not being overly outgoing, yet always wanting to fit in... I never really knew where I did fit in and who were my friends versus my acquaintances -- even wondering if I really had friends. Well, let me tell you, I do. I have friends I didn't even know I had! And I treasure each one of you.
So, now you may be wondering... why did I stop having attacks after my hysterectomy but then they started up again? I do have my own theory on that. I do not have any medical training and have not study chemistry or biology in a very long time. This is just a theory about my health that I derived after listening to my husband's questions and talking with my doctor.
According to my doctor, there are three chemicals in the gallbladder: file acids, phospholipids, and cholesterol. If the balance of these three chemicals are off, gallstones can form. Gallstones are seen mostly in women in their fertile years (generally 18-45). My husband asked the doctor if hormones can be related to gallstones. She stated that hormones can affect cholesterol which is one of the three chemicals in the gallbladder, so in theory, hormones could be related.
So here is my theory. My body has always been a bit whacked out with hormones. My estrogen had always been on the low side, and I never really had normal cycles (it was normal for me to go months between cycles... as in SIX months) unless I was on birth control pills.
All of my mild attacks have followed a lack of sleep, an increase in stress, or a bad food choice. All my severe attacks have followed all three triggers.
I had my first attack when my third child was five month old. I believe this was caused by a natural shift in my hormones. The added stress of moving to another state probably helped bring on this first attack, plus we had just eaten out at a buffet. My attacks increased to monthly just after having surgery in which the doctor cleaned up my endometriosis, which is also when I started having normal, regular cycles (sorry, guys... it's a part of life!).
When I had my hysterectomy, I stopped having attacks for about a year. Why? I believe this is because my doctor and I decided not to use hormones for the first year. I had a lot of bad moods and some other physical issues related to the lack of hormones, so when I changed doctors I agreed to begin taking hormones. After I started the hormones, the 'attacks' slowly crept back into my life until they reached a pivotal point this month where something absolutely had to be done... and quickly. So when I had the sonogram of my heart, the sonographer decided to include my gallbladder. And I am so thankful he did! And the rest is history!!
Now, I do know that the jury is still out... there is still a chance that the gallbladder wasn't the only thing wrong. I am not counting the chickens before they hatch, but I am rejoicing in the progress that has been made! I do hope and pray I have reached the end of this painful journey, and look forward to the many journeys the Lord has planned for my future.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Philippians 4:4
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