Update on upcoming GB surgery

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2004
Update on upcoming GB surgery
7
Tue, 01-10-2006 - 8:30pm

I saw a gastro dr this afternoon about the pain on my left side (have pain on my right also, but figured that is due to my gallbladder problem). He does not think any of this pain is gb related, rather stomach related. Soo...he is trying to get me in this Thursday to get scoped and see what is going on in my stomach before I have the surgery to get my gb out on Monday. If he cant get me in this week, I am going to postpone my surgery until we figure out if something else is going on. I asked him what it could possibly be and he said ulcer or gastritis? Anyone else have this?

Vicki

2009 siggy
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-06-2004
Tue, 01-10-2006 - 10:13pm


Hi Vicki,

I hope that your Doc is sucessful and is able to do your scope this Thursday. I'm assuming that you are having an upper endoscopy? have you ever had one before? If not don't worry - I had two last year and they were not terrible as they give you an IV with versed and it puts you into "la-la land". I was completely out of it and was fine right after it was done.

As I mentioned to you in the the other thread (Hello Everyone)I have lots of upper left quadrant pain also. I was diagnosed with IBS, GERD and a hiatal hernia and am taking 40mg Protonix twice a day and prescription pepcid at bedtime. I have lost 50 pounds and have eliminated coffee, caffeine, spicy & fried foods and carbonated beverages and still have random GERD attacks and an almost constant left gut pain. mine is especially bad when I wake up in the morning or in the middle of the night. sometimes it happens during the day. when do you have yours? I find that I have to sort of massage it to make it feel better. I also feel very bloated in my upper chest at times with my indigestion especially at night when I lie down and the best thing to make that go away or feel better is to have my DH pat my back - like when you "burp" a baby. And although I keep a journal of what I eat and what I feel I can't find a speicifc pattern because soemties I will eat soemthing and be fine and other times I'm miserable. I do have to admit that I don't have that "feel like a heart attack pain" very often though so that is good.

My GI doc gave me a prescription for Reglan at my last visit on November 29 but I have not filled it because I am a little leery of one of the possible side effects - irreversible neurological spasms.

If your Doc thinks you have ulcers - he needs to do blood test for H-pylori. did he send you for that? If not ask for it. I had that twice and it was negative.

I think you are wise to hold off on the GB surgery until you have more information.

Good Luck and keep us posted!

Susie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2004
Tue, 01-10-2006 - 10:30pm

Hi Susie, thanks...I hope they can fit me in Thursday too. Yes, it is the test you said, and no I have never had it. Do you have to swallow the camera or do they push it since you are out of it? I have HORRIBLE gag reflux!

I am sorry you have all three things, I just looked up GERD and the hiatal hernia, do they think the hernia caused the GERD? What are your symptoms for the IBS?

I really feel the pain in the left and right after I eat. I have eliminated spicy and fatty foods, but still have the pain. Some days are worse then others. The only time I seem to have relief these days is when I wake up in the morning and my stomach is empty. It also is worse at night. Does any of that sound familiar?

HUGS.

Vicki

2009 siggy
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-06-2004
Wed, 01-11-2006 - 5:58am

Vicki,

About the endoscopy:
I had my first in Feb 05 and a follow-up in April. In february i was actually scheduled for a routine colonscopy and while talking with the GI doc I mentioned I had lots of indigestion & reflux and he offered to do the upper endoscopy since I was already there and all prepped.

Anyway as I remember the nurse woke me up after the colonscopy and asked me to change positions or sit up perhaps - I'm not sure since I was very groggy. She then put a mouthgard in my mouth to bite down on. I think it keeps your tongue out of the way and my mouth opened. They did say they were going to spray my throat and they told me to breathe through my nose. I remember feeling like I was gagging but then I was totally out of it and next thing I knew they were waking me up and wheeling me down the hall.

The follow-up went way better. I think they must have sedated me sooner because I didn't remember the mouthgard or the spray. Neither time did I see or feel the camera going in or down. I'm sure that you will do fine because I am the biggest coward there is and I survived! Please relax - it is not that bad I promise! Be sure and tell the nurses and/or the doc about your fears and that you don't want o be conscious during any of it.

Afterwards they told me not to eat for at least an hour until I got my gag reflex back. I ate a normal meal afterwards. I don't remember my throat feeling huge or out of the ordinary. As a matter of fact on the day of the second scope it was a beautiful day and my husband and I stopped at the local nursery on the way home and looked at all the pretty spring plants in bloom!

About my symptons:
I don't have any right side pain at all. I'm sorry that you have both. Mine is always on the left above my waist up to and around my breast and sometimes into my armpit and around my left shoulder blade except when my IBS acts up and then my "belly" (front and center under belly button)hurts and has spasms and cramps and then it goes away after I have a BM which varies from day to day - sometimes very dry and other times very soft like diarreha and sometimes more than once in a day. My other big complaint is the excessive burping and belching. I burp more and worse than my DH but sometimes it really relieves the pain.

It is so confusing sometimes to figure out where exactly the pain is directly coming from i.e. my GERD or my IBS. And which food triggered it. Fatty foods are a problem for me too!

Well I hope they find some answers for you. Take Care and let us know how you did!

Susie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2004
Wed, 01-11-2006 - 1:12pm

Thanks soo much Susie, I feel better about the test. I will DEFINATELY let them know I want to be OUT! Nurse called this morning and I go tomorrow at 11:30am. Do you get results right away?

Vicki

2009 siggy
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-06-2004
Wed, 01-11-2006 - 1:47pm

Hey Vicki,

Yes I got the results immediately after. They let you sleep for about 20 - 30 minutes and then my GI doc came in to talk with me. Ater the first one he actually showed me color pictures that he took in my esophagus - as if I knew what I was looking at!!! And then he expalined the erosive esophagitis and gave me my first presciption and instructipns for follow-up. A few days later I got copies of the biopsy reports from the samples that he took during both the colonscopy and endoscopy. Make sure you remind him to do biopsies! Just looking is not good enough. The biopsies can show if you have
H Pylori or gastritis etc. I mention this because I was told that it was important to be sure that the doctor did biopsies as well as just look.

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow at 11:30
Take Care!!!

Hugs
Susie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Wed, 01-11-2006 - 6:10pm

Vicki,


Good luck tomorrow!

 
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2004
Wed, 01-11-2006 - 6:23pm

THANKS! I AM looking forward to the drugs...

Vicki

2009 siggy