Gallbladders of the young
August 17, 2022 12:19 PM Subscribe
A young adult in my life (age 19, nonbinary, assigned male at birth) has a referral from a primary care doctor to a surgeon for discussion about their gallbladder. Beyond what I can Google (and I am decent at the internets!), what can you tell me about gallbladder removal, particularly in a teenager or young adult? And is there anything they can try to avoid surgery? Did you manage to improve your gallbladder problems without surgery?
This young adult has had a few extreme pain (I would have said stomach pain before) episodes a few times over the past year and finally got an ultrasound a few weeks ago. It seemed to get bad when they worked at a pub and would eat a greasy burger late at night after their shift. We ended up in the ER a few months ago after a family dinner that included some steak and dessert. The latest episode seemed to be triggered by fast food friend chicken.
What's a bit confusing is that they are slender and I'd say eat a somewhat healthy diet (fried chicken notwithstanding) -- or at least I know they are eating fruits and veggies. Not a lot of junk food and processed food, especially for a teen.
I did see that there seems to be an increase in gallbladder problems with young women, but that it's primarily associated with weight and diabetes. I'm reading that dehydration and skipping meals can contribute to gallbladder problems, so perhaps that's one path towards improvement.
A family member in medicine suggested they get a referral to a gastroenterologist, so we will do that as well. I'd welcome any other advice or insights.
This young adult has had a few extreme pain (I would have said stomach pain before) episodes a few times over the past year and finally got an ultrasound a few weeks ago. It seemed to get bad when they worked at a pub and would eat a greasy burger late at night after their shift. We ended up in the ER a few months ago after a family dinner that included some steak and dessert. The latest episode seemed to be triggered by fast food friend chicken.
What's a bit confusing is that they are slender and I'd say eat a somewhat healthy diet (fried chicken notwithstanding) -- or at least I know they are eating fruits and veggies. Not a lot of junk food and processed food, especially for a teen.
I did see that there seems to be an increase in gallbladder problems with young women, but that it's primarily associated with weight and diabetes. I'm reading that dehydration and skipping meals can contribute to gallbladder problems, so perhaps that's one path towards improvement.
A family member in medicine suggested they get a referral to a gastroenterologist, so we will do that as well. I'd welcome any other advice or insights.
I know that this is not everyone’s jam, and may be a non-starter depending on where you live: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a well-respected herb-based protocol for dissolving gallstones; I’ll assume it’s a similar treatment for gallbladder issues in general.
Further information here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6601506/
posted by Silvery Fish at 12:42 PM on August 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
Further information here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6601506/
posted by Silvery Fish at 12:42 PM on August 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I have avoided surgery over the last 20 years, after one excruciating bout and two subsequent, milder ones. My best guess as to why and how is managing my weight (clearly not an issue here), focussing on the hydration, and for the last few years, eating a lot of legumes almost every day. It has been four years since the last rumbles which went away after I lost a little weight, ate regularly and went higher fibre... the specialist I saw swore I would be on the operating table in three months.
Immediately, pain relief and management is important or at least just acknowledging the severity of the pain. I have a friend who is a midwife with four children of her own and gallbladder pain: she says it is worse than childbirth. People can be mean or not get it when you are doubled over but otherwise look healthy.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:43 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Immediately, pain relief and management is important or at least just acknowledging the severity of the pain. I have a friend who is a midwife with four children of her own and gallbladder pain: she says it is worse than childbirth. People can be mean or not get it when you are doubled over but otherwise look healthy.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:43 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I kept mine seven years longer than expected with diet (mostly cutting out fats). But I also had the kind that was functional and not with gallstones. You'd have to ask a doctor but I never had one.
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 12:45 PM on August 17, 2022
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 12:45 PM on August 17, 2022
Also someone may recommend some kind of olive oil and cider "flush" and I'm sorry to say it's a bogus remedy. When people say they have expelled "stones", it's basically soap. I've actually seen removed stones in a jar from someone else's surgery and they are essentially crystalline, not what people describe in those flushes, and also if you look at a chart and see how tiny the duct is, there is no way that a pea sized stone is getting out there. Don't waste the olive oil.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:45 PM on August 17, 2022
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:45 PM on August 17, 2022
Best answer: Anecdata: My wife put off getting her gall bladder out and tried to fix the issues with diet.
About a decade later, the gall bladder issues resulted in pancreatitis and a year going in and out of the hospital. In the end the gall bladder had to be removed anyway and her pancreas is never going to be fully functional.
Sometimes surgery is the best course of action.
posted by toddforbid at 12:53 PM on August 17, 2022 [11 favorites]
About a decade later, the gall bladder issues resulted in pancreatitis and a year going in and out of the hospital. In the end the gall bladder had to be removed anyway and her pancreas is never going to be fully functional.
Sometimes surgery is the best course of action.
posted by toddforbid at 12:53 PM on August 17, 2022 [11 favorites]
Best answer: Immediately, pain relief and management is important or at least just acknowledging the severity of the pain.
Regardless of the course this person takes, I do want to stress this. Attacks are painful.
posted by praemunire at 12:55 PM on August 17, 2022 [8 favorites]
Regardless of the course this person takes, I do want to stress this. Attacks are painful.
posted by praemunire at 12:55 PM on August 17, 2022 [8 favorites]
Best answer: You seem to have latched onto the diet-and-exercise explanation, which is...not great.
Especially since gallstones can be caused by fasting, weight cycling, and rapid weight loss. If I knew a thin young person with gallstones I'd spend at least a little time making sure I didn't think they had an ED.
posted by babelfish at 1:18 PM on August 17, 2022 [13 favorites]
Especially since gallstones can be caused by fasting, weight cycling, and rapid weight loss. If I knew a thin young person with gallstones I'd spend at least a little time making sure I didn't think they had an ED.
posted by babelfish at 1:18 PM on August 17, 2022 [13 favorites]
Best answer: I had my gallbladder out more than twenty years ago. It was laparoscopic surgery, they didn't even keep me overnight, and recovery was less than a week (they gave me Vicodin to take but it gave me panic attacks, so I just took ibuprofen after the surgery and it was fine.) Unless there's some compelling reason to avoid surgery, just get the thing out, because gallbladder attacks are horrible (definitely right up there with kidney stones, appendicitis, and childbirth, which have been my other severe pain experiences.)
posted by Daily Alice at 1:19 PM on August 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Daily Alice at 1:19 PM on August 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
(Oh and I was 29, so not young-young, but not old either.)
posted by Daily Alice at 1:21 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Daily Alice at 1:21 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
If they don't trust their doctors, it would be best to find different ones. Not always easy in the US, but neither is avoiding trigger foods for the rest your life. Gallbladder surgery is one of the simplest and most common outpatient surgeries today. It is not clear why you don't believe the diagnosis, or suggested diagnosis, other than this person's weight.
In the meantime, it seems like they have identified trigger foods to avoid until they can get more answers.
posted by soelo at 1:33 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
In the meantime, it seems like they have identified trigger foods to avoid until they can get more answers.
posted by soelo at 1:33 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was diagnosed with gallstones as a relatively slim 18-year-old. Mine were basically caused by rapid weight loss over a short period. Please don't fall into the "they aren't fat so they can't have this condition that people bring upon themselves!".
In my case, I initially prevented further attacks by cutting out nearly all fat from my diet, while waiting for surgery. This is boring, difficult to achieve and probably not healthy in the long run (the catering people at my university were very helpful, though). Then life got a bit chaotic, I moved abroad and missed a crucial letter, so missed out on surgery. The attacks seemed to have stopped and I gradually became more lax with the diet.
Cut to ten years later and the attacks started again. Fortunately I didn't have any serious complications and I had surgery a few months after the attacks restarted.
posted by altolinguistic at 1:34 PM on August 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
In my case, I initially prevented further attacks by cutting out nearly all fat from my diet, while waiting for surgery. This is boring, difficult to achieve and probably not healthy in the long run (the catering people at my university were very helpful, though). Then life got a bit chaotic, I moved abroad and missed a crucial letter, so missed out on surgery. The attacks seemed to have stopped and I gradually became more lax with the diet.
Cut to ten years later and the attacks started again. Fortunately I didn't have any serious complications and I had surgery a few months after the attacks restarted.
posted by altolinguistic at 1:34 PM on August 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I should add: if gallstones are present, there's not a lot that can be done to get rid of them apart from removing the gallbladder. Plenty of people live with gallstones and never even know about them, but once symptoms develop, surgery makes sense, because of the risk of pancreatitis, as mentioned above.
posted by altolinguistic at 1:38 PM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by altolinguistic at 1:38 PM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
I would encourage the young person in your life to talk to the surgeon, and if necessary talk to an additional doctor, until they are confident they know what is going on and what their options are. Your description doesn't even give a diagnosis. We don't actually know that it is gallstones. We don't know if there has been an ultrasound. We don't know how severe the problem is.
Maybe find out what the diagnosis is as a first step.
(I had my gallbladder out a few years ago because of gallstones, and from what I was told after the ultrasound, there was more stone than bladder by the time I had surgery.)
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:43 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Maybe find out what the diagnosis is as a first step.
(I had my gallbladder out a few years ago because of gallstones, and from what I was told after the ultrasound, there was more stone than bladder by the time I had surgery.)
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:43 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
(The OP says an ultrasound has happened, therefore I presume gallstones have indeed been diagnosed)
posted by altolinguistic at 1:53 PM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by altolinguistic at 1:53 PM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: To address a few things: yes, as I said, they did get an ultrasound. However, everything we know now is from reading the content on their online chart while we wait for this next appointment so I'm not clear on what the diagnosis is.
(What's a bit confusing is that they are slender and I'd say eat a somewhat healthy diet (fried chicken notwithstanding) -- or at least I know they are eating fruits and veggies. Not a lot of junk food and processed food, especially for a teen.
Side note: I'm sure you didn't intend this, but there's a little overtone of "how can they have this problem, they're not even fat!" here. You seem to have latched onto the diet-and-exercise explanation, which is...not great.)
Just want to clarify that this was my reaction to reading online content about gallbladder problems, and the use of the really terrible phrase "fair, fat, female, fertile and forty" -- apparently an actual mnemonic used in medicine?! -- to describe who usually has gallbladder problems. I saw "fair, fat, female" everywhere. The person I'm asking about is none of these three things, so that's partly what's led to my question here.
Also, my mention of the healthy-ish diet was (in my head) in comparison to the other teenager whose diet I observe, but that's totally a fair point. Thanks for mentioning this, and I apologize to folks who might have felt shamed by my comments.
Especially since gallstones can be caused by fasting, weight cycling, and rapid weight loss. If I knew a thin young person with gallstones I'd spend at least a little time making sure I didn't think they had an ED.
Yeah, I think there's some relevant history that is likely related to this. Thanks for mentioning this as I hadn't yet connected those dots.
The issue isn't that they don't trust their doctor. They are an adult and make their own medical decisions. But they will also listen to me, so I'm trying to educate myself. We haven't talked to any doctor since the referral; that appointment is coming up today. Also, I do think it's reasonable to find out about non-surgical options regardless of whether you trust any one medical professional.
And I am definitely not underestimating the pain. We called an ambulance a few months ago for the very short trip to the ER when they were in too much pain to get down a flight of stairs and out the door to the car. The pain is real. I actually told them to message the doctor for pain management medicine while we waited for the next appointment.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:22 PM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
(What's a bit confusing is that they are slender and I'd say eat a somewhat healthy diet (fried chicken notwithstanding) -- or at least I know they are eating fruits and veggies. Not a lot of junk food and processed food, especially for a teen.
Side note: I'm sure you didn't intend this, but there's a little overtone of "how can they have this problem, they're not even fat!" here. You seem to have latched onto the diet-and-exercise explanation, which is...not great.)
Just want to clarify that this was my reaction to reading online content about gallbladder problems, and the use of the really terrible phrase "fair, fat, female, fertile and forty" -- apparently an actual mnemonic used in medicine?! -- to describe who usually has gallbladder problems. I saw "fair, fat, female" everywhere. The person I'm asking about is none of these three things, so that's partly what's led to my question here.
Also, my mention of the healthy-ish diet was (in my head) in comparison to the other teenager whose diet I observe, but that's totally a fair point. Thanks for mentioning this, and I apologize to folks who might have felt shamed by my comments.
Especially since gallstones can be caused by fasting, weight cycling, and rapid weight loss. If I knew a thin young person with gallstones I'd spend at least a little time making sure I didn't think they had an ED.
Yeah, I think there's some relevant history that is likely related to this. Thanks for mentioning this as I hadn't yet connected those dots.
The issue isn't that they don't trust their doctor. They are an adult and make their own medical decisions. But they will also listen to me, so I'm trying to educate myself. We haven't talked to any doctor since the referral; that appointment is coming up today. Also, I do think it's reasonable to find out about non-surgical options regardless of whether you trust any one medical professional.
And I am definitely not underestimating the pain. We called an ambulance a few months ago for the very short trip to the ER when they were in too much pain to get down a flight of stairs and out the door to the car. The pain is real. I actually told them to message the doctor for pain management medicine while we waited for the next appointment.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:22 PM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: My sister had an episode of bad abdominal pain in her early 20s: she went into an ER and was sent home. Lucky for us, one of her best friends was a nurse, and was deeply alarmed. She hauled my sister back into an ER and demanded better assessment: my sister’s gallbladder was “about to burst”, in my memory of the description. She went into emergency surgery, and the medical consensus was that she might have died if her friend hadn’t brought her back in. That was 20 years ago, and I’ve never heard her talk about subsequent problems, regrets, or consequences.
Your young friend will surely benefit from a GE’s professional medical perspective! Given my sister’s experience, I wouldn’t fuck around to find out what happens if I tried to avoid gallbladder surgery by making lifestyle changes.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 2:25 PM on August 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
Your young friend will surely benefit from a GE’s professional medical perspective! Given my sister’s experience, I wouldn’t fuck around to find out what happens if I tried to avoid gallbladder surgery by making lifestyle changes.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 2:25 PM on August 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Hubby, who is 34 and definitely not slender, had a couple bouts of extreme abdominal pain recently. Started one night and Pepto seemed to resolve it after a while. Happened again two nights later, much worse, so he went to the ER. They ran bloodwork and, seeing nothing abnormal, diagnosed it as very bad constipation and scheduled him for an ultrasound two days later just in case. He had the ultrasound and later that day had another attack and went back to the ER. This time his bloodwork showed white blood cell issues(?) that were not normal (not sure how exactly) and they diagnosed a problem with the gallbladder, possible stone. They scheduled him for surgery the next day, with an eye towards either removing the gallbladder or locating the possible stone.
Once they got in they found the gallbladder was mostly dead tissue and removed as much as they could. He was kept overnight for observation. He was released the next day and given a narcotic painkiller script which he got filled but only took one pill of (and even then it was probably not needed). He has had zero abdominal pain since except for one occasion when he overdid it with both too much food and too much fatty food, which caused him to vomit and then the pain went back away. They also believe there wasn't actually a stone because if there was, he would have at least some continuing pain.
If the gallbladder is dead, the pain is not going to stop without addressing that particular issue. It's possible in your friend's case it's not dead, or there is an actual stone (which could be addressed in some other way potentially), but as strongly as you can, recommend surgery if that's what the doctor thinks is the correct course of action. I wouldn't wish the pain I saw my husband going through on anyone.
posted by tubedogg at 2:39 PM on August 17, 2022
Once they got in they found the gallbladder was mostly dead tissue and removed as much as they could. He was kept overnight for observation. He was released the next day and given a narcotic painkiller script which he got filled but only took one pill of (and even then it was probably not needed). He has had zero abdominal pain since except for one occasion when he overdid it with both too much food and too much fatty food, which caused him to vomit and then the pain went back away. They also believe there wasn't actually a stone because if there was, he would have at least some continuing pain.
If the gallbladder is dead, the pain is not going to stop without addressing that particular issue. It's possible in your friend's case it's not dead, or there is an actual stone (which could be addressed in some other way potentially), but as strongly as you can, recommend surgery if that's what the doctor thinks is the correct course of action. I wouldn't wish the pain I saw my husband going through on anyone.
posted by tubedogg at 2:39 PM on August 17, 2022
Best answer: what can you tell me about gallbladder removal, particularly in a teenager or young adult? And is there anything they can try to avoid surgery? Did you manage to improve your gallbladder problems without surgery?
I had a gallbladder attack on Thanksgiving 2020 (after a large-for-me meal). I knew what it was since I'd had gallstones seen on imaging I'd had for another thing a few years earlier. I was lucky to live across the street from the hospital and went over there, got some attention, an ultrasound and serious pain killers and was sent home a few hours later (with a few extra painkillers in case this recurred).
It was the worst pain I've ever experienced. I ate a low fat diet for a while so that I could wait until vaccinations had happened for surgery but then after a bunch of surgeon retirements, I decided to hold off a while longer until I was in a more stable health situation (other stuff) and that's where I am. I eat more like my normal diet, but just less of it. I am fair, fertile, fifty, female and medium sized. Many people never have another attack. But some do. The smart plan is to get it taken out at a time that is convenient so that the choice is not made for you by an attack that doesn't wind down. I've had some friends who have had that surgery recently and after some recovery and a little adjustment for a few weeks they were able to get right back to their normal eating habits. I look forward to getting mine out.
posted by jessamyn at 2:41 PM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
I had a gallbladder attack on Thanksgiving 2020 (after a large-for-me meal). I knew what it was since I'd had gallstones seen on imaging I'd had for another thing a few years earlier. I was lucky to live across the street from the hospital and went over there, got some attention, an ultrasound and serious pain killers and was sent home a few hours later (with a few extra painkillers in case this recurred).
It was the worst pain I've ever experienced. I ate a low fat diet for a while so that I could wait until vaccinations had happened for surgery but then after a bunch of surgeon retirements, I decided to hold off a while longer until I was in a more stable health situation (other stuff) and that's where I am. I eat more like my normal diet, but just less of it. I am fair, fertile, fifty, female and medium sized. Many people never have another attack. But some do. The smart plan is to get it taken out at a time that is convenient so that the choice is not made for you by an attack that doesn't wind down. I've had some friends who have had that surgery recently and after some recovery and a little adjustment for a few weeks they were able to get right back to their normal eating habits. I look forward to getting mine out.
posted by jessamyn at 2:41 PM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
The gallbladder is an organ that is nice to have, but not really necessary. It is a storage facility, a hollow organ that holds bile, which is manufactured in the liver and which moves to the gallbladder for storage. It's purpose is to release bile into the duodenum when there is a meal that moves from the stomach to the duodenum, especially after intake of dietary fat. The gallbladder has a "neck", a short tube emptying in the duodenum, which can be blocked by gallstones, but the gallbladder continues to contract, or pulse to move bile into the small intestine, and excruciating pain can occur when a stone is blocking the way.
Because the pancreas is close by, the distress of the gallbladder and the possibility that a stone from the gallbladder can lodge in the pancreatic duct (the pancreas, in addition to making insulin also emits digestive enzymes which enter the duodenum from its pancreatic duct.) It's tight real estate in that area, stones can move where they shouldn't, and you really, really don't want to get pancreatitis.
The essential effect of gallbladder removal is, aside from pain relief . . . not very much. The bile made by the liver simply is deposited into the duodenum as it's made, rather than as fatty food is ingested. People live decades and decades without a gallbladder with no ill effects.
posted by citygirl at 3:42 PM on August 17, 2022 [7 favorites]
Because the pancreas is close by, the distress of the gallbladder and the possibility that a stone from the gallbladder can lodge in the pancreatic duct (the pancreas, in addition to making insulin also emits digestive enzymes which enter the duodenum from its pancreatic duct.) It's tight real estate in that area, stones can move where they shouldn't, and you really, really don't want to get pancreatitis.
The essential effect of gallbladder removal is, aside from pain relief . . . not very much. The bile made by the liver simply is deposited into the duodenum as it's made, rather than as fatty food is ingested. People live decades and decades without a gallbladder with no ill effects.
posted by citygirl at 3:42 PM on August 17, 2022 [7 favorites]
This may or may not be relevant to your family member, but taking oral contraceptives and hormone therapies are also known risk factors for gall bladder disease.
posted by bluloo at 3:58 PM on August 17, 2022
posted by bluloo at 3:58 PM on August 17, 2022
Best answer: My wife's girlfriend's kiddo had to have his gallbladder out at 12. Yes, you read that correctly. He went from pain and being sick as a dog to being right as rain (and being a teenager [he turns 18 at the end of the month] he can still mostly eat what he likes. 3 out of his 4 adults [my gallbladder is still firmly in my body] are kind of jealous). He is the youngest of the folks I know who have had their gallbladder removed but I've known several younger folks, and it's been my experience that docs are very reluctant to pull a gallbladder from someone that young unless it needs to come out.
posted by joycehealy at 6:40 PM on August 17, 2022
posted by joycehealy at 6:40 PM on August 17, 2022
Sorry to have implied that YOU wouldn't care about the pain. Your concern is very clear. I was thinking of other people around them (the pain can strike out of the blue, at any time) and also about whether doctors are offering appropriate relief while this is happening (again, doctors don't necessarily take pain as seriously as they should).
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:14 PM on August 17, 2022
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:14 PM on August 17, 2022
Best answer: I got misdiagnosed despite fitting the criteria perfectly and spent three days in pain before being admitted for emergency surgery that had to be delayed several more days due to complications. It was endless pain and just. I’ve been through a lot of physical trauma and a septic organ is horrific. The operation was an enormous relief and the scar is tiny. I would highly recommend she talks to a surgeon. My recovery was complicated but the several other people who had this that I know had easy recoveries.
I did not get sufficient pain relief because I didn’t have someone to advocate for me at that time. If that happens again, I’m asking a friend who is pushy to advocate for me. When you are in that much pain, it is hard to make decisions and advocate with medical staff. Does she have someone who can do that for her?
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:25 PM on August 17, 2022
I did not get sufficient pain relief because I didn’t have someone to advocate for me at that time. If that happens again, I’m asking a friend who is pushy to advocate for me. When you are in that much pain, it is hard to make decisions and advocate with medical staff. Does she have someone who can do that for her?
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:25 PM on August 17, 2022
I do feel I should stipulate I haven't had the op because I have irrational feelings about retaining all my body parts in my body (partly because I have had a number of operations now for various reasons and I hated ALL of them and I hate hospitals for this and other reasons). I am not in any way advising people to follow my choices. The weight of medical opinion is very clear.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:19 AM on August 18, 2022
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:19 AM on August 18, 2022
Best answer: Gallstones can really just be a matter of genetic bad luck. One of my cousins had to get her gallbladder removed at 18, and I had mine out at 27. (I am female, 'normal' BMI, no history of diabetes or weight problems.) I believe my first gallbladder attacks were triggered by big or fatty meals, and at first I wondered if I could just control it with diet, but it got to a point where even a plate of pasta with sauteed veggies resulted in excruciating abdominal pain! Had a laparascopic surgery 8 years ago and have happily lived without my gallbladder ever since.
I truly believe that for an otherwise healthy 19-year-old, gallbladder removal and recovery shouldn't be unduly hard or scary. Frankly, the weeks leading up to my surgery were much more stressful, as every time I ate something, I wondered "is this food going to trigger another attack?" Being 19, learning how to "adult," is stressful enough as it is, and I suggest that your young friend will have way more peace of mind in the long run if they can just remove the offending organ rather than worrying about it every day.
posted by clair-de-lune at 9:02 AM on August 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
I truly believe that for an otherwise healthy 19-year-old, gallbladder removal and recovery shouldn't be unduly hard or scary. Frankly, the weeks leading up to my surgery were much more stressful, as every time I ate something, I wondered "is this food going to trigger another attack?" Being 19, learning how to "adult," is stressful enough as it is, and I suggest that your young friend will have way more peace of mind in the long run if they can just remove the offending organ rather than worrying about it every day.
posted by clair-de-lune at 9:02 AM on August 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was pretty freaked out about it myself, but I promise you that surgery is a far easier, less stressful, healthier, more permanent solution to this problem than attempting to control gallstones through diet. There's not really a compelling reason to avoid this surgery as long as they're otherwise cleared for it. The more gallbladder attacks you have, the more difficult the (eventual) surgery is. Just yeet it out now.
The truly terrible FFFF mnemonic is not actually accurate; it's a product of unexamined bias in medicine (but it sure does result in lots of people enduring years and years of erroneous diagnoses and gaslighting while gallbladder attacks put stress on their bodies!)
posted by desuetude at 12:55 PM on August 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
The truly terrible FFFF mnemonic is not actually accurate; it's a product of unexamined bias in medicine (but it sure does result in lots of people enduring years and years of erroneous diagnoses and gaslighting while gallbladder attacks put stress on their bodies!)
posted by desuetude at 12:55 PM on August 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Hey, all, thanks for all your insight and information. They had their surgery consultation and got some more information and scheduled the surgery. The pain has been so bad and it's clear that waiting this out isn't going to help.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:15 AM on August 25, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by bluedaisy at 11:15 AM on August 25, 2022 [5 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
If they have gallstones (which they probably do, if they've been referred to a surgeon) and the doctor recommends it, they should just go ahead and have the surgery. It's a routine day surgery and should only require a few days' recovery for a young and healthy person, with maybe only a day or two of that requiring prescription pain relief. Why subject themselves to an indeterminate number of attacks in the future?
(What's a bit confusing is that they are slender and I'd say eat a somewhat healthy diet (fried chicken notwithstanding) -- or at least I know they are eating fruits and veggies. Not a lot of junk food and processed food, especially for a teen.
Side note: I'm sure you didn't intend this, but there's a little overtone of "how can they have this problem, they're not even fat!" here. You seem to have latched onto the diet-and-exercise explanation, which is...not great.)
posted by praemunire at 12:41 PM on August 17, 2022 [21 favorites]