Yep, I've got em'. And they are painful!
Last week I was sitting at my desk working in South Jordan, 40 miles from home when I experienced a searing pain in my abdomen just below my sternum. It got so bad that I thought I was having a heart attack! I tried walking around, drinking some water but within 10 minutes I was so crippled that I had to run downstairs because I thought I would pass out from the pain (and no one would find me in my closed-off office). I called Kyle and he convinced me that I needed to get to a physician fast, so I got in my car and drove (I do NOT recommend this) to the nearest Urgent Care facility I could find. About a mile before I arrived, the pain ceased. Just like that! "What is wrong with me" I thought! The entire episode lasted about 20-25 minutes, and it was extremely painful. I was having a hard time breathing and I couldn't talk without choking on the pain that was coming from behind my sternum. Kyle made an appointment with a local physician for the next day...
The next morning (Tuesday), I went to see Dr. Hellewell. After describing what happened, he feared it was something with my heart (I was diagnosed with a small heart murmur when I was born). He ran a few normal tests, including an EKG to monitor what my heart was doing. Everything looked normal. After talking about some of my heartburn symptoms I experience about 2-3 times a month, he decided that I must be having irritation issues with my esophagus that is causing it to go into fits of spasms. He told me to pick up some Prilosec OTC at the pharmacy and come back if I had any more "pain attacks"
Seven hours later, the pain came back. I was on my way to pick up Kyle from school (driving again I know--what am I thinking?!) when the horrid pain returned just as fierce as the previous day. This time I waited it out, for 25 minutes and then just like the day before--it was gone. I decided the sooner I started taking the Prilosec...the better!
Fast forward 4 days/pills later. It is Saturday night, we are getting ready for bed. I am happy and confident that my pains are gone for good. That Prilosec must be working! Good Night!
3:30 A.M.
I wake up because I am having a strange indigestion feeling in my upper abdomen. It can't be--right? NO....it can't be happening again, I've been taking my daily regime of pills! The longer I lay in bed, the more agitated it becomes. Finally, I realize the pain IS coming back so I prepare for the onset. I wake Kyle up and tell him whats happening. Sure enough, within those 5 minutes that searing pain is happening again. I can't talk, I start shaking and sweating. 10 minutes.......20 minutes.......I continue to ask Kyle the countdown so I know when it will be over. I just have to wait the 25 minutes.....25 minutes comes and goes. The pain is becoming more intense.....30 minutes, 40 minutes. At this point Kyle is getting dressed and demanding that we go to the ER. I am so exhausted from the pain in my chest I can't disagree and I clumsily make my way down to the car. It has been almost 50 minutes and the pain won't stop.
As soon as we get to the ER they sign us in and take us to the room where they take your vitals. I can't sit still long enough for the nurse to take my blood pressure, she tried 3 times. Finally they take me back into the ER and I see Dr. Hyer. He asks me what I'm feeling and then asks a question I think is odd. "Did you eat Ice Cream tonight?" "What!?" I think between bouts of pain. Kyle responds since I am incapable of speaking, "Yeah we did..." The doctor asks if anyone in my family has Gallbladder problems. My Grandma Carlson. He leaves and tells me the nurse will be in soon.
As promised, I am IV'd up and given two large syringe fulls of Morphine. Unfortunately the first thing Morphine does is relax your muscles, not wipe out the pain. My body went limp first--which was strange because I was still in a lot of pain and I couldn't move at all. After a minute though the pain started to dull. It wasn't gone, but dull enough I could talk appropriately and relax my tense body a little.
They took a blood sample and told me they'd be testing my pancreas and gallbladder. "Ok" I thought, "but Dr. Hellewell didn't even mention the possibility of that".
Around 5AM the test results came back and the ER doctor said everything looked normal. "Normal!?!" I was frustrated. How could everything look normal! At that point I wished I could transfer what I was feeling to that Doctor so he could feel what "normal" felt like. I was bummed to say the least. I felt silly taking up space in the ER with Dr.'s telling me I'm normal. Maybe I was imagining the pain...Ok not likely.
The doctor gave us the option to stick around for an ultrasound (which wouldn't be there until 7:00 AM) or we could go home. I thought about the idea of going home, but when I thought of having another attack of pain I decided I needed to find out what was going on inside my body. So we waited.
Without going into the details of the Ultrasound, the sonogramist wrote in his report, "has gallstones". The doctor came in to tell me the news and was literally smiling. I think he was just as happy to have a diagnosis as I was. He explains what they are, how they cause that excruciating pain-(through fatty foods, like ICECREAM) and what steps need to be taken. Surgery is required, Gallstones are not kidney stones, and cannot be pulverised or dissolved. The entire gallbladder must be removed. It is pretty common and only requires 4 small incisions where they use a scope to remove the organ---ewww....
So today I am feeling great! I wasn't dreaming those pains after all and the best part is it can not only be managed, but fixed completely! I meet with the surgeons next Monday and I'm *hoping* we can have this little procedure done before Christmas. However, to control the pain attacks, I am on a strict vegan fat-free diet. The pain is mainly caused by animal fats so I really cannot have anything that I consider, "fun food" (no dairy products, chocolate, meats or sauces). Thanksgiving will be a little duller this year, but again, hoping to get my sweets at Christmas!
Side note: I realize I discuss my pain a lot in this entry. I don't consider myself a whiny person. I have a high (ok-medium) tolerance for pain. I've torn both ACL ligaments in each knee and although very painful, not intolerable. This however, made the list of the worst. Another woman who had this problem noted "In particularly bad attacks, the pain is excruciating, radiating through to the back and mimicking heart problems. (I would happily have shot myself if there'd been a gun handy, just to make the pain stop.)" Maybe some of you have had this or know of people who have. If so, please share your stories with me so I know what to expect pre and post surgery. Thanks!
Last week I was sitting at my desk working in South Jordan, 40 miles from home when I experienced a searing pain in my abdomen just below my sternum. It got so bad that I thought I was having a heart attack! I tried walking around, drinking some water but within 10 minutes I was so crippled that I had to run downstairs because I thought I would pass out from the pain (and no one would find me in my closed-off office). I called Kyle and he convinced me that I needed to get to a physician fast, so I got in my car and drove (I do NOT recommend this) to the nearest Urgent Care facility I could find. About a mile before I arrived, the pain ceased. Just like that! "What is wrong with me" I thought! The entire episode lasted about 20-25 minutes, and it was extremely painful. I was having a hard time breathing and I couldn't talk without choking on the pain that was coming from behind my sternum. Kyle made an appointment with a local physician for the next day...
The next morning (Tuesday), I went to see Dr. Hellewell. After describing what happened, he feared it was something with my heart (I was diagnosed with a small heart murmur when I was born). He ran a few normal tests, including an EKG to monitor what my heart was doing. Everything looked normal. After talking about some of my heartburn symptoms I experience about 2-3 times a month, he decided that I must be having irritation issues with my esophagus that is causing it to go into fits of spasms. He told me to pick up some Prilosec OTC at the pharmacy and come back if I had any more "pain attacks"
Seven hours later, the pain came back. I was on my way to pick up Kyle from school (driving again I know--what am I thinking?!) when the horrid pain returned just as fierce as the previous day. This time I waited it out, for 25 minutes and then just like the day before--it was gone. I decided the sooner I started taking the Prilosec...the better!
Fast forward 4 days/pills later. It is Saturday night, we are getting ready for bed. I am happy and confident that my pains are gone for good. That Prilosec must be working! Good Night!
3:30 A.M.
I wake up because I am having a strange indigestion feeling in my upper abdomen. It can't be--right? NO....it can't be happening again, I've been taking my daily regime of pills! The longer I lay in bed, the more agitated it becomes. Finally, I realize the pain IS coming back so I prepare for the onset. I wake Kyle up and tell him whats happening. Sure enough, within those 5 minutes that searing pain is happening again. I can't talk, I start shaking and sweating. 10 minutes.......20 minutes.......I continue to ask Kyle the countdown so I know when it will be over. I just have to wait the 25 minutes.....25 minutes comes and goes. The pain is becoming more intense.....30 minutes, 40 minutes. At this point Kyle is getting dressed and demanding that we go to the ER. I am so exhausted from the pain in my chest I can't disagree and I clumsily make my way down to the car. It has been almost 50 minutes and the pain won't stop.
As soon as we get to the ER they sign us in and take us to the room where they take your vitals. I can't sit still long enough for the nurse to take my blood pressure, she tried 3 times. Finally they take me back into the ER and I see Dr. Hyer. He asks me what I'm feeling and then asks a question I think is odd. "Did you eat Ice Cream tonight?" "What!?" I think between bouts of pain. Kyle responds since I am incapable of speaking, "Yeah we did..." The doctor asks if anyone in my family has Gallbladder problems. My Grandma Carlson. He leaves and tells me the nurse will be in soon.
As promised, I am IV'd up and given two large syringe fulls of Morphine. Unfortunately the first thing Morphine does is relax your muscles, not wipe out the pain. My body went limp first--which was strange because I was still in a lot of pain and I couldn't move at all. After a minute though the pain started to dull. It wasn't gone, but dull enough I could talk appropriately and relax my tense body a little.
They took a blood sample and told me they'd be testing my pancreas and gallbladder. "Ok" I thought, "but Dr. Hellewell didn't even mention the possibility of that".
Around 5AM the test results came back and the ER doctor said everything looked normal. "Normal!?!" I was frustrated. How could everything look normal! At that point I wished I could transfer what I was feeling to that Doctor so he could feel what "normal" felt like. I was bummed to say the least. I felt silly taking up space in the ER with Dr.'s telling me I'm normal. Maybe I was imagining the pain...Ok not likely.
The doctor gave us the option to stick around for an ultrasound (which wouldn't be there until 7:00 AM) or we could go home. I thought about the idea of going home, but when I thought of having another attack of pain I decided I needed to find out what was going on inside my body. So we waited.
Without going into the details of the Ultrasound, the sonogramist wrote in his report, "has gallstones". The doctor came in to tell me the news and was literally smiling. I think he was just as happy to have a diagnosis as I was. He explains what they are, how they cause that excruciating pain-(through fatty foods, like ICECREAM) and what steps need to be taken. Surgery is required, Gallstones are not kidney stones, and cannot be pulverised or dissolved. The entire gallbladder must be removed. It is pretty common and only requires 4 small incisions where they use a scope to remove the organ---ewww....
So today I am feeling great! I wasn't dreaming those pains after all and the best part is it can not only be managed, but fixed completely! I meet with the surgeons next Monday and I'm *hoping* we can have this little procedure done before Christmas. However, to control the pain attacks, I am on a strict vegan fat-free diet. The pain is mainly caused by animal fats so I really cannot have anything that I consider, "fun food" (no dairy products, chocolate, meats or sauces). Thanksgiving will be a little duller this year, but again, hoping to get my sweets at Christmas!
Side note: I realize I discuss my pain a lot in this entry. I don't consider myself a whiny person. I have a high (ok-medium) tolerance for pain. I've torn both ACL ligaments in each knee and although very painful, not intolerable. This however, made the list of the worst. Another woman who had this problem noted "In particularly bad attacks, the pain is excruciating, radiating through to the back and mimicking heart problems. (I would happily have shot myself if there'd been a gun handy, just to make the pain stop.)" Maybe some of you have had this or know of people who have. If so, please share your stories with me so I know what to expect pre and post surgery. Thanks!
10 comments:
Becca! I am so sorry! That sucks so much but at least you know what it is! I don't know much about it but Scott had his gallbladder (and appendix) taken out in high school so maybe you can pick his brain. Good luck!
Oh man! I am glad that you know what it is and that you are going to be okay. On the bright side, it is a good way to lose some weight (not that you need to). Good luck!
That does not sound fun at all! I'm glad they got it figured out though. Good luck with the surgery!
That sounds horrible!!!!!!! I am glad they figure out what was wrong and that they can fix it. Good luck with the surgery!!! and good luck with Thanksgiving...doesn't sound to fun!! Miss ya.
i know your pain and i'm sooooo sorry!!! after i had my baby i had the same symptoms you were having. Several times a week (after bad meals), excruciating pain in my upper abdomen and back where i would just be crying and not able to hold still it hurt so bad. Sounds ridiculous, but it KILLS!
Although, funny enough, I went on a diet during all of it and haven't had it in a long time. :knock on wood: Good luck with your surgery. I have a couple of friends that had theirs taken out and they said it was a pretty quick and painfree (all things considered) procedure. Good luck!!!
oh jeez becca! once upon a time (a few years ago) my mother and father went on a cruise for their anniversary. the sad story was that after day 1... you guessed it, my mom started having gallstones! ..she wasn't able to have the surgery till they got home. in fact, i don't actually remember her having surgery, but she must have.
anyway.. from watching her pain, i KNOW they're no fun. just like my dad when he had kidney stones.
crazyness! all will be well though becca don't you fret! my mother hasn't had a problem since. :)
Hi Rebecca! Gall stones, yikes! Luckily technology is getting so advanced the removal of the gall bladder is a peice of cake. They do it laparoscopically and usually in an out-patient procedure. Since you don't have huge incisions the pain should only be minimal and be whisked off in a speedy recovery! Good luck! they have a lot of information about that kind of surgery online in case you're curious. :)
-katie
How ironic that this is your next post. I have been dealing with chronic pain for my whole life, on & off, but in the last 15 years it has been so severe as to require constant narcotic pain relievers. One interesting thing you will come to note is that the same dose of pain killer does not have the same level of side effects when you have different levels of pain. The chemicals that your body generates to signal pain are canceled out by the drugs, but - and this is important - the drugs are canceled out by those chemical signals.
So you may need to learn to dose yourself by the pain you feel in a way that allows you to maintain the best balance between easing the symptoms and causing fewer side effects.
I am so sorry you are going through this, though like my kidney stones, I know that gall stones are at least temporary. I am happy that you will be able to get past it and back to the same "normal" to which you are used.
with sympathy,
d
Thanks for the advice everyone! I appreciate all your concern!
I am SOOO sorry to hear this!!! Gosh, if I didnt know you I would have said you were prego and going into labor and those pains were contractions! Because the way you describe it that is how labor feels (not trying to scare you). Too bad they couldnt give you an epidural, haha! I am SOOO glad you get them out and you can be on the road to feeling better. With labor pains you at least get an adorable baby out if it (2 in my case), and with the pains you have you get nothing but relief. Hope you feel better sooN!
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