I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that grilled cheese sandwich. I don’t diet, but I’ve spent years watching what I eat, eating high-fiber, low-fat foods; a diet full of salads, lean meats and whole grains. I indulge with pizza or French fries now and then, but grilled cheese sandwiches hadn't made my menu in years – until a few weeks ago.
I’ve suffered from acid reflux for about three years. I assumed this was part of the aging process and my doctor suggested the same. The acid reflux pain was bad enough to keep me up some nights. I began taking over the counter medication for acid reflux and I found myself eating antacids as well. Then, about a year ago, I seemed to develop an onion intolerance. Eating onions or garlic made me feel ill, and gave me pain throughout my torso, pain that felt as though it spread through my very tissues. After a few hours, these symptoms would clear up, and I would feel like my old self again. A few weeks ago (the same week as the grilled cheese sandwich), I came home in terrible pain, feeling sick to my stomach. I assumed I’d somehow eaten onions unknowingly, and took Benadryl to stave off what I assumed was an allergic reaction. It didn’t help me sleep as I’d hoped, but by the next morning, I felt better. Not great, but definitely better. I was exhausted, but I went about my day as planned, assuming the episode had passed.
Sunday morning, the pain returned, and it was worse than ever. I spent the day on the couch wrapped in blankets, delaying the inevitable: a trip to the emergency room. By that evening, I was running a fever, and my husband insisted that we head to the hospital. I expected to be back later that night.
Twelve hours and one morphine drip later, I was formally admitted to the hospital with a severe gallbladder infection. I was shocked. Though cholecystitis, or inflammation of the gallbladder, is fairly common, I never suspected that this was the cause of my pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, over one million new cases of gallstone disease are diagnosed each year. Gallstones are more common in women ages 35 over, especially women who are overweight. Treatment is only necessary in about 50 percent of these cases, so many people live with gallstones without ever knowing they have them. However, if these stones move into the bile duct that connects the gallbladder to the liver, bile may build up in the gallbladder, leading to inflammation, infection and even tumors. In my case, a tiny gallstone had caused a severe infection that required surgery immediately.
After I’d been admitted to the hospital, I was sent for what turned out to be a four-hour round of nuclear testing. The tests proved what I’d already been told – the problem was in my gallbladder. Luckily, the gallbladder infection hadn’t affected my pancreas or liver, since gallstones that move into the common bile duct can cause life-threatening problems in those organs.
Several hours later, the surgeon finally came to see me. He said my gallbladder had be removed; the sooner, the better. My surgeon explained that the surgery would be laparoscopic, or minimally invasive. The laparoscopic procedure requires four small incisions in the abdomen, making recovery fairly easy. According to the Mayo Clinic, gallbladder surgery is performed laparoscopically 98 percent of the time – only the most severe cases require a more invasive procedure.
I went into surgery at 10:30 that night. My surgeon said he hoped to finish the surgery in about 45 minutes, but the procedure ended up taking over two hours. The next morning, my surgeon explained that though I only had one small gallstone, my gallbladder was greatly enlarged and severely infected, only hours away from necrosis. We joked that the attack was triggered by my first grilled cheese sandwich in years.
On the bright side, I felt better immediately. I had some pain from the four incisions (which were surprisingly small), but I was able to sit up and walk around. I felt alert most of the day, though I was still exhausted. I spent another day and a half recovering in the hospital before I got the cue to head home. Recovery has taken a solid three weeks, and though the pain has mostly subsided, I am still quite tired. The good news? Life without a gallbladder has been pretty good. Once the gallbladder is removed, bile will move from the liver directly into the small intestine. Though some patients experience diarrhea after surgery, removing the gallbladder generally has no noticeable impact on a patient’s digestion. Once the patient has fully recovered, life goes back to normal – life without a gallbladder does not even require medication or a specialized diet. I’ve even noticed a slight change for the better – my acid reflux has already improved, and after a recovery diet of soft, refined foods, I’m starting to eat normally again.
Looking back, there were subtle signs of trouble. My mother had gallstones when I was very young, though I didn’t remember the details of her illness. One of my sisters also has some issues. In the weeks leading up to my gallbladder attack, I was exhausted – much more so than usual. On top of that, I’d had what I’d believed were two severe reactions to onions in the past couple of years, which I now assume were gallbladder attacks. I’ve also learned that eggs, dairy and onions are all foods that can trigger gallbladder attacks, which helps explain my reaction to onions. Other things that can trigger gallbladder attacks are rapid weight loss, crash diets, a sedentary lifestyle and skipping meals.
My experience was not necessarily typical; a lot of people with gallbladder issues have symptoms long before surgery becomes necessary. It is important to keep the symptoms of gallbladder attacks in mind, especially if you know you are at risk for this condition. Gallbladder attacks are often accompanied by fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, sweating, bloating, and severe abdominal pain, which is steady and generally concentrated in the upper right abdominal quadrant. Though having no gallbladder means I don’t have to worry about gallstones anymore, I think it will be a while before I have another grilled cheese sandwich.
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