Background on Gallbladder diseases: Place your hand on the right side of your abdomen above your last few ribs. Your gallbladder, a small pear shaped organ in close proximity to the liver, lives just underneath where the palm of your hand is positioned. The gallbladder is responsible for storing and releasing stored bile salts every time you eat a meal with fats. This means everything from french fries, to eggs, to cheese, to lentils, will get the gallbladder working to different extents. Gallbladder disease encompasses a wide variety of conditions related to the gallbladder including biliary colic and acute cholecystitis. Often the villian in such conditions is a stone, also known as a gallstone, that blocks the passage of contents out of the gallbladder. In such situations, the blocked gallbladder is contracting but unable to empty itself, leading to inflammation and scarring. Symptoms of an acute cholecystitis often result in sudden and ongoing pain mainly on the right side of the abdomen, with more pain when palpated. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort can also be accompanying symptoms, among many others. Many people, including yourself, may currently have a gallstone, but while many do not even noticed the presence of their stone, in a few individuals this stone can cause frequent and severe symptoms and pain.
"Symptoms creeped up on me like an uninvited guest. Nausea, vomiting, intense abdominal and epigastric pain. In fall of 2020, I had my first gallbladder attack, not knowing what it was at that time. It started in the evening and lasted until early next morning. I laid there in bed, holding my body in a tight ball, crying, fearing that I was perhaps having a heart attack. It's a tendency to think the worst when you don't have answers, right? Since then, every second or third night the symptoms would return. I was frightened to think that something could be wrong with me.
Several months and several doctor appointments later, I was still being prescribed medications for gastric reflux and anti-spasmodics. I am no advocate of doctor shopping, but I was fortunate to have two separate family physicians from different provinces (one from my permanent residence and the other a temporary one during school). It took almost 13 months for an ultrasound to be ordered to investigate my symptoms. It always shocks me how several failed medications and months later, gastric reflux continued to be the top cause of concern. It was as if no one was listening to my story and blaming my symptoms merely on my diet and hormones. I couldn't be more grateful to my current family doctor who offered me the space to speak about my symptoms and to offer my opinions on the diagnosis from what I had researched. I believe that as a patient we must do our research and be in charge of our health and offer this insight to a knowledgable physician who can direct our thoughts towards an appropriate diagnosis.
I had learnt about gallstones at that time. In the books, it looked like a "not too bad" disease. A small stone can't do much after all right? I was sure I did not have gallstones but something worse. I definitely had underestimated the condition based on the words.
I had my first ultrasound in November 2021, a positive scan for acute cholecystitis. I was having another gallbladder attack but a milder one this time. "Go to emergency if it gets worse" they told me. You hear the word 'emergency' and suddenly there is a gush of adrenaline. "Is this really that bad, what is going to happen?". Going from thinking of a gallstone as 'nothing to worry about' to this, felt like one big punch. And indeed, a few days later I went to emergency, having a gallbladder attack. As I sat there on the triage bed I was tearing up. The nurse came to ask me about my pain. Seeing me teary she asked if the pain was really bad, and yes it was a 9/10, but the tears were of fear. I was extremely terrified where the day would lead me. 'Is today going to be the day for the surgery?'
Now, 9 months after my diagnosis, I have been offered surgery for gallbladder removal (the fear kicks in again and being alone in the city doesn't help decrease the nerves to take up that surgical option). Luckily my surgeon is phenomenal and has been very accepting of my wish to control my symptoms non-invasively until the need arises to do otherwise. I feel proud looking at how far I have come on this journey from daily nausea, vomiting, and intense pain all night, to more infrequent episodes.
There are days when I would rapidly search for an answer so I could point to the one mistake I made that led to this condition. I was looking to blame myself, when in fact there may be nothing to blame at all. I thought disease meant you did something wrong, but disease is just another one of destiny's obstacles to test your strength.
My experience with gallbladder disease has taught me a few very important lessons. This would differ between people, but most importantly dietary adjustments has been a big part for me since my diagnosis. It took 3 months for me to test foods and suffer through gallbladder attacks in order to realize my trigger foods. I still love a good slice of cheesy pizza, but realizing when I can eat it and when it may be a trigger requires weeks of self-reflection. Physical and mental health have also been a priority for me. Believe it or not, a good 1 hour workout and a 30 minute meditation has gone a long way in decreasing my symptoms but also making me stronger. Cortisol, the stress hormone, can really add gas to the fire, so there could be nothing better than making meditation my best friend. Recently, I have had immense success with medicinal amounts of turmeric. I do caution that it could increase your symptoms, but for me it has really helped reduce the underlying abdominal discomfort that is caused by the inflammation. Above all, good family support has helped me get through all these months since the first symptoms.
The biggest thing to remember is to not give up. Change takes time, whether that is your nutritional habits or incorporating physical and mental health into your daily routine. Do your research because nothing is better than being in charge of your own health, and seeking advice from a medical professional can only make your efforts from fruitful.
I continue to infrequently have gallbladder attacks, but with a stronger mind and dedicated reflections for future change I have passed each attack with ease. Not a person on the street could know that I had a gallbladder attack last night, because I have learnt to live with it like everyone else."
- Anonymous
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