gall stones

Woohoo i get mine removed on Tuesday i am getting a bit nervous not sure why but i can't wait everynight i lay in bed thinking ohh is that pain going to happen tonight..

Had my surgery in September 08 and my gall bladder removed in Feb 10 due to gall stones. Now it could of been from rapid weight loss and probably was, but then I could have already had them prior to surgery but with no symptoms. Anyway feel soo much better with it gone and I find now, that if I eat too much fatty food, then it goes straight through me (bit of a blessing really). Basically the gall bladder is a reseavoir of bile which aids in the breakdown of excessive fat intake that the liver cannot absorb, so therefore when the gall bladder is removed, and you consume more fat than the liver can absorb normally, then the body gets rid of it. yeah. one good side effect of not have a gall bladder. gall stones are basically made from cholesterol, so when you lose a lot of weight and your cholesterol is no longer blocking your arteries etc, then stones can form.

I was sleeved 9th of Jan 2009 and have just had my Gall bladder out due to stones 4 weeks ago. The surgeon told me that the stones could possibly have been caused by my dramatic quick weightloss. He said the biggest causes to gall stones is obesity and sudden weight loss. I have had both. I feel so much better without the gall bladder.

melpaulned wrote:

If it's the same medication my doc told me about (and i can't remember the name) apparently it's quite exy and the side effects are terrible

not sure if it's the same though

Not sure of the cost, will ask my doc about it when I see her. I don't think it has bad side effects though. The drug name is ursodiol, it's basically a bile salt.

Some info from: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=19396

Looks like it can be used for either prevention or to dissolve current stones.
Gallstone Prevention

Two placebo-controlled, multicenter, double-blind, randomized,
parallel group trials in a total of 1,316 obese patients were undertaken
to evaluate Actigall in the prevention of gallstone formation in obese
patients undergoing rapid weight loss. The first trial consisted of
1,004 obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 38 who underwent
weight loss induced by means of a very low calorie diet for a period of
16 weeks. An intent-to-treat analysis of this trial showed that
gallstone formation occurred in 23% of the placebo group, while those
patients on 300, 600, or 1200 mg/day of Actigall experienced a 6%, 3%,
and 2% incidence of gallstone formation, respectively. The mean weight
loss for this 16-week trial was 47 lb for the placebo group, and 47, 48,
and 50 lb for the 300, 600, and 1200 mg/day Actigall groups,
respectively.
The second trial consisted of 312 obese patients (BMI ≥ 40) who
underwent rapid weight loss through gastric bypass surgery. The trial
drug treatment period was for 6 months following this surgery. Results
of this trial showed that gallstone formation occurred in 23% of the
placebo group, while those patients on 300, 600, or 1200 mg/day of
Actigall experienced a 9%, 1%, and 5% incidence of gallstone formation,
respectively. The mean weight loss for this 6-month trial was 64 lb for
the placebo group, and 67, 74, and 72 lb for the 300, 600, and 1200
mg/day Actigall groups, respectively.

REACHED AUGUST 30TH 2010

Well done you!!!!!!!!!

Oh dear. yes I posted the topic then remembered someone telling me about the "search button"

I will get the hang of this.... emmmm soon (ish)
Elaine

Hi Lainey,

There is quite a long thread on Gallstones in "Post-op", here's a link: Gallstones

Cheers - Carrie

I lost 70kg several years ago, and after gaining it back :( i had a scan a couple of weeks ago, and they found one wopping stone which is coming out when they do the sleeve :) .... :)

They also say the following... fair fat and forty is an ideal combination to get them :?

i think i got mine from the previous weight loss, just never had a problem with it since i dont' eat alot of fatty food.

I have just found out that i have gallstones and they are due to be removed on the 14th of sept, Doc told me that it can happen after weight loss i have lost 45kgs... but still super happy that i had the sleeve done..

If it's the same medication my doc told me about (and i can't remember the name) apparently it's quite exy and the side effects are terrible

not sure if it's the same though

There is a medication they use in the US sometimes after bariatric surgery (usually for 6-12 months) to prevent gallstones. I can't remember the name off the top of my head.. Actigall I think? I am actually going to ask my GP about it when I go next. Apparently it's 98% effective at preventing gallstones during the most vulnerable 12 months postop.

Yes and the answer is stay away from fatty foods mostly......
someone else can add more for sure!!!

i would love to know this too

Hi

Can anyone help me. Ive just been told that if you loose a lot weight you can have trouble
with gall stones.
Has anyone heard of this before.. and if so.. Is there anything I can do to help prevent this?

much love
E