Gallstones...the beginning

After Riley was born I started having some pretty intense back pain. The first time I had it was just after I had come home from the hospital. My mom was still here with us and I woke her up and made her sit through it with me while I tried to decide what it could be. It honestly felt like a huge muscle spasm in my back--it was all tight and I literally couldn't relax it. The pain made me incredibly nauseous and I was pretty scared about how intense it was, but it passed in a few hours so I just thought maybe it was post-pregnancy back pain.

It happened a few times after that, but didn't seem to be consistent with anything--I couldn't see a pattern with what I was eating, overdoing it during the day, or really anything. From the very beginning my mom had suggested that it was either kidney stones or gallstones, but nothing I could read online showed back pain as a symptom. I went to a couple doctors to ask about it, but both times I was told it probably was post-pregnancy problems and was told physical therapy was probably all I could do. However, both times the doctors wrote me prescriptions for pain meds as well, so I just managed the pain when I felt the attacks. At one point I did go to a massage/physical therapy place and had some bodywork done and it helped a lot--for about three weeks. But after that the pain was back, and almost worst.

Finally one night I was having an attack so I went to the urgent care down the street. They were about to close, and I didn't even see the doctor, but they did prescribe more pain meds and a muscle relaxant to see if my back would calm down. During the next attack (the next night) I took the muscle relaxant and immediately felt all my pain localize to right underneath the right shoulder blade and into my abdomen. It felt like something was drilling through me! And, still, I was nauseous. I quickly googled my now-clearer symptoms and the page was full of gallstone warnings. The internet told me, however, that I needed an ultrasound to be sure. I suffered through the attack that whole night, and finally at about 3 AM I went to the emergency room. I begged for an ultrasound (and pain meds) and they found a few gallstones. They recommended a doctor and told me I would just need my gallbladder removed.

I went to a general surgeon the next week and scheduled the surgery. The doctor assured me (as did many others) that it would be "no big deal" and that I would be up and moving that day and eating that night. I wasn't worried and I wasn't in constant pain, and I had a ton of pain meds by now, so I scheduled the surgery a couple weeks out to avoid some RS activities and meetings I had--just in case. Ha!

Mom offered to come up and take care of me and the girls so Jim could focus on school and, although I appreciated the offer, I didn't really think it would be necessary. After all, the doctor had assured me that this would be a completely simple outpatient procedure. Mom planned a quick trip and then to spend some time with her mom in Alpine working on family history. Until then I was just supposed to manage my pain when the attacks hit. (and avoid fatty foods, which supposedly trigger attacks).

Everything was okay for a couple days, then all of a sudden the pain didn't hit in attacks anymore--it was constant. It was dull, and I could feel when it was going to get worse, so I would just take it easy, but still it wasn't consistant with what the doctor had described (attacks triggered by food). I was always nauseous and started skipping meals because I didn't want to eat. I felt a dull ache in my back and shoulders for about two weeks before my surgery, but nobody seemed worried about it. Several times I called the doctor's office to describe my changed symptoms and the only answer I got was to go to the emergency room if my pain got to bad--they could do a rush surgery for me. Are you kidding?! So I used my plentiful pain meds to get through and just didn't worry about it--since they weren't worried about it. It got to the point where I spent most of the day laying down and Tori got very used to my saying that I was tired, sick, or my back hurt.

Mom came up a couple days before the surgery was scheduled and we had a nice couple days just doing things around the house, and relaxing.

Finally it came time for the surgery, so I went in and was excited to get this over with (although a little scared--my first surgery!). Jim came with me, and all was fine going in. Right before the surgery I pushed to see my doctor (who was very quick to tell me this was easy and fast and I'd be up before I knew it) and told him personally about all my changed symptoms. I told him he had to look to see if the stones had moved--my internet research had convinced me that they had and he'd need to work to get them out of the bile duct.