LONG wait in er, may have to have surgery

Yesterday my stomach started giving me trouble, pain rolling through it. Not bad when i went out to lunch with dd. Started hurting worse and when i went to bed at 10 pm, it was hurting really bad. Enough that i was moaning. I started throwing up and arm and chest was hurting. This is the same that happened before i had problems in April. We decided not to take chances and went to the er. We checked in at 11 pm telling the receptionist of my arm and chest hurting and the past problems with heart, seizures and strokes. It took them 55 minutes before they called me to triage and get my insurance info. I went back to the waiting room. 4 hrs later i was called to a room. 4 hrs with these symptoms! I could not believe it.
Once i got in the room things started going more quickly. The dr was pretty sure it is my gall bladder even though the ultrasound did not show a problem, so now to the stomach dr for a nuclear x ray. The er dr said he expects i will have to have surgery. I am so tired of pain and being sick.
seems if not one thing it is the other.
I want to get this done asap due to deductible met. Anyone else have gall bladder surgery? Only thing i know about it is what i have seen online and what the dr said.

Sorry you are hurting:(

I haven't had this particular one myself..just appendix removal and other lap surgeries....but I have quite a few friends who have had it done.

It's an easy laparscopic sugery (teeny tiny incisions) where you come in the morning, they do the surgery which is usually less than an hour, and then back home by afternoon.

Recovery is a a week or two of taking it easy and it's more about making sure you take care of your diet from here on out.

The only real pain that comes from it is the same with most laprascopic procedures....the air that they use gets trapped up in your shoulders and is uncomfortable until it disapates.

When I had my first laprascopic surgery they removed a bunch of ovarian cysts and my appendix and just had the "air" pain for the first 24 hours....and then I was off driving to the beach within 5 days for my vacation:)

So..others can come on and tell more but every person I know who has had it done is so happy because of the awful symptoms...as you experienced last night, are finally gone.

Post Edited (Snowbunny21) : 9/26/2012 8:06:09 AM (GMT-6)

Robin.....regular incision surgery was done for most everything back then...same with my appendix removal...people have large scars before they developed the way to do it laprascopically which we are all lucky to have now.

And with most all of these types of surgeries, unless there is some unusual complication, you are in and out in the same day. No need for a hospital stay.

It's like with spine surgeries now. My mom had a lumbar fusion back in the 80's and was in the hospital for two weeks.

I had my cervical fusion which was more levels and going in 360 and only stayed one night in the hospital.

Hopefully LWF can get the test done soon and schedule surgery quickly to get it over and done with and not have to deal with the awful symptoms anymore..

I use part-skim mozzarella at home. Most pizza places will use full-fat mozzarella, and have more fat in the sauce/toppings. Beware doughnuts, beware fried chicken.

The dr said he was pretty sure it was the gall bladder causing the problem. My urine sample came out normal so that was good. At first my blood work showed my potassium was very high but he said he thought that might be an error and had it redone. It came out normal that time which he says happens due to something or other. With my history, the fact i take an acid reducer every night and the way i described the pain i think is why he is saying gall bladder. He took time to really talk to me and dh and explain things, which i really liked.
I have been diagnosed with gastritis many times over the years, but this pain was sooo bad. I never had any contractions when my dd was born, but i told dh i wondered if that was what it felt like.
I called my pcp and left a message for them to call me so we could get an appt set up with the stomach dr. they can usually get one quicker than i can. dh and i was just so scared

BTW according to online i fit the profile for a gall bladder problems. I am considered obese, diabetes 2, and have a fatty liver. I am so tired of being sick. I want to thank everyone for posts and to listen.

Post Edited (ladywithfibro) : 9/26/2012 12:01:47 PM (GMT-6)

Frequent Flyer: I see your point about people already dying in the ER, etc. I know an elderly lady who had a stomach aneurysm and had to wait 2 weeks to get it fixed! They told her not to bump into anything and watch for back pain, and if she had any, it was an emergency. And she already had chronic back pain!!
This type of thing shows the beginnings of universal healthcare, even though it's not in effect. Actually the standards of care will continue to go down, doctors will be so regulated that many will have to quit, we will only get the minimum care allowed, the money is not available to sustain this health 'plan,' so rationing of care will certainly be needed, 'health boards' made up of people who don't even know us will make big decisions on our health--especially the elderly and disabled, forcing everyone to fund contraception, sterilization, and next--abortion, even against the First Amendment rights, etc., etc.. (There are 20 some lawsuits against the HHS Mandate already, but the 'media' is silent on them!!)

Very, very scary stuff, which is why I hope this changes drastically after the election and is overhauled. Yes, we need a system which serves everyone's health, but this boondoggle is a disaster waiting to happen, and we deserve better.

Cant advise about gallbladder but if you ever have severe symptoms like that again, call 911 for ambulance. If it WAS a heart attack or stroke, they could be helping you on the way to the hospital AND you'd have priority when you got there. This could have been deadly.

Luvzminis.... Wow. I will happily stay in Canada where my universal healthcare far outstrips much of the US. I still can't believe that a country that claims to care for its citizens can be so against something so necessary.

Lady... I sure hope this all gets taken care of soon and you can start feeling better!

applevenus said...
Cant advise about gallbladder but if you ever have severe symptoms like that again, call 911 for ambulance. If it WAS a heart attack or stroke, they could be helping you on the way to the hospital AND you'd have priority when you got there. This could have been deadly.

It would take longer to wait for an ambulance than it would for dh to drive me. I live about 5 minutes away from the hospital. I did say i was going to tell my mom that the next time my dad had a problem to call an ambulance instead of us to take him. He had a heart attack a couple of years ago. He would not allow mom to call an ambulance (why she listened, no idea). A part of me is like, what if it is nothing, then i wasted money and would be embarrassd it was not a true emergency. I know, what if it was though.

I did ask the dr if i was being crazy to have come in the er and he said he did not know if i was crazy, but i was right to come in to be checked out.

As for the obese part: years ago, i was heavier than i am now. I complained about pain in my side, thinking it was a hernia. The dr i saw said i was too overweight to really know if it was or not. That really made me feel bad.

I am now waiting for my pcp to call back with the appt time for the stomach dr. When i explained what happened she said she will get the report and call back asap.

question for ones who have had the surgery. Did you have to give up diet coke? read that some have trouble drinking them and i am addicted to diet dr pepper. Dh said maybe he would not have to buy so many. I said he did not want to live with me if i have to quit them.

Post Edited (ladywithfibro) : 9/27/2012 10:34:00 AM (GMT-6)

Got an appt at 4 pm on oct 11 to see the stomach dr. Will be scared to death to drive it. Will be allowed to drive after the 4th. Always nervous in traffic. Luckily it is close by and i know i can do it though will be in heavy traffic coming home. It is tough getting back to "normal". My bp will be sky high when i get there.