Hi everybody, my name is Jamie and I’ve been diagnosed with gallstones, but this wasn’t my first guess. In December, I caught a bad stomach flu and while 3 other of my family members caught it too, I was the only one who had nausea afterwards. Along with this, I had burping. Some reflux, but mainly after I would eat and lay down so I blame it on that.

I went to the doctors a month later in January and she said it was possibility GERD. This wasn’t my normal doctor, since she was out of town. But anyways, I started getting better slowly by taking a Tums every morning as I woke up.

Fast forward to late February, I was eating meals happily and not worrying about a thing. The only thing that caught my attention was after having a big meal of Domino’s, I had major pain and bloating. Thought I was gonna be sick but turns I just had to BM. Nothing happened until ‘that time of the month’ and I was back to not eating again, dealing with nausea and burping.

Finally went back to the doctor’s, got put on Omeprazole 20mg(?) capsules and went on my way home. Slowly built back up to eating without having to take meds. Then March comes around and on the 18th, I have the worst abdominal pain that I can only describe as labor pain. Started at 2 p.m., went to the E.R. finally at 12 a.m. when the heating pad clearly wasn’t working for me and it went away until I went to do a urine test. Immediately pain through my left shoulder, middle of my chest/abdomen, and nausea full force. Thought I was gonna be sick (and I hate to throw up, I do everything to avoid it.) but I wasn’t. We did a blood test after I calmed down, went to ultrasound and came back around 1:30ish. Fell asleep, they woke me up at 3:30 a.m. and turns out I have gallstones at 16! Prior to this hospital visit, I had another ultrasound at another clinic and the results came back as fine. So?? I’m a bit confused but anyways.

They gave me zofran to take as needed for my nausea but since that attack, I’ve had none. I’ve stuck to a low-fat diet, eating before 6 p.m., and not laying down after I eat. I’ve managed to be healthy this way but we’ve decided on surgery (I have consultation this upcoming Friday) and while I want to prevent another attack, I’m scared to death. I’ve read online that gallbladder surgery and gastroparesis are connected often. My mother had gallstones and the same surgery I’m getting and she’s perfectly fine but I know everyone is different.

So my question here is, what were your gallbladder disease signs? Did the gallbladder surgery help you? Has anyone found themselves with gastroparesis or other illnesses? Is there pros and cons to taking it out?

Please help. My anxiety and depression are having more bad days because I’m scared of this chronic illness happening to me. I just want to get better and feel ‘normal’. Is this selfish of me?

My current symptoms are: bloating, burping, brain fog, general feeling of unwellness, some days loss of appetite, burning gurgly stomach, constipation, orange-colored stools, maybe indigestion??? I’m not sure, I don’t feel full after eating and when I feel that, I normally burp and I feel fine. Nausea comes and goes. Get little bits of pain in my GB area. Wake up in the middle of the night randomly.

The only health issues I have are asthma and low vitamin D. I am also (hopefully) getting a lipoma out at the same time of the GB surgery.

I’ve never had prior stomach issues to this. I caught the stomach flu about three times in my life. But I did have bad eating habits. I’ve been through a lot of emotional trauma in my life as well and stress is not good on me either.