January 25, 2012

Gall-lly! That Hurt

So if you read my tracker post from yesterday you know that I ate a lot. It was not good for me. No really--it was BAD for me. Physically bad as in I hurt. After I ate the last thing I ate last night (and how sad is it that I can't remember what that was?) it was like something inside of me clicked. It clicked and I finally felt how full I was. The expression "to the gills"? That really made a lot of sense right then.

It felt like a balloon inside of me had been inflated so much that it was beginning to put pressure on my rib cage from inside the rib cage. The closer it got to bedtime, the feeling intensified until it was pretty painful and more so on the right side. I knew what this was from my last pregnancy. Every time I would eat high fat foods this area would hurt and my doctor told me that was my gallbladder. Her amazing prescription for this condition? Don't eat high fat foods. Genius.

Anyway, I somehow managed to fall asleep and when I woke up this morning I felt pretty good. I was relieved that the pain was gone. It had lasted longer than any other time I experienced this. So I got up and started to get breakfast and school stuff ready for the kids and then it suddenly hit me. The inflated balloon was being inflated even more. It felt like my rib cage was going to explode. I could not catch my breath and I broke out into a cold sweat. It would have been scary except I had read up on gallbladder attacks and this fit the bill. I laid down thinking...wishing...praying it would help. But it didn't. I was completely debilitated.

This lasted for about 15 minutes I think. The horrible pain finally let up. Now I just have a slight tightness on my right side at the bottom of the rib cage. It's whispering I will do it again...I will do it again...Creepy.

I know that there are probably many reasons for a gallbladder that acts up like this. Sometimes people probably don't even know why it does. But I know why mine did. Is it enough for me to know that I ate so much unhealthy food yesterday that my body literally did not know what to do with itself? Is it enough to keep me from ever doing that again? I have abused my body for many, many years and she has always been pretty forgiving. Maybe this is her idea of some tough love? Dang. I think it worked.
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9 comments:

Kyle said...

wow...sooo sorry for that. I too have been diagnosed with gallstones...more or less found out while they were doing an ultrasound for another condition. Regardless, my doctor said if I had an attack, they'd probably remove the gallbladder.

I did have one small one that I did go to the ER for because I wasn't sure that was what was happening.

Regardless, I'd like to keep all the organs God gave me for as long as possible even though living without a gallbladder seems manageable.

I hope you continue to keep them at bay for now.

Unknown said...

That pain is almost unbearable. I'll never forget mine that lasted 4+ hours, that's the one that put me in the ER. I ate brussel sprouts for dinner that night and turkey sausage... Haven't touched that meal since and my gallbladder has been removed! ha!
Anyhow, hope that you can keep the attacks away. Hard lesson learned huh.
Have a wonderful day ! :)

Molly said...

Glad you're feeling better and that you knew what it was!

Mom on a mission said...

I hate that super full feeling:( It makes you feel like your going to be sick!

Absolutely, Positively Josie said...

Been there, done that! It put a huge damper on my eating sugar and fat. I had a summer of gallbladder attacks that oddly subsided till five years later, when the pain was just unbearable. The day after Thanksgiving, I went outside barefoot in the cold night and paced around the house for relief from a three-hour attack. Mine always shot straight up my back.

Here's hoping yours subside forever, one way or another.

BEE said...

sorry
hope you never do that again so u dont haveta feel like that ever again
sounds horrid


love the tracker though
most dayd it gives me some good ideas on things to eat but im juicing right now
so ill just havta right all the good ones down lol

feel better

Sharlie said...

I had mine out couple of years back but the attacks are not fun AT ALL..and don't beat yourself up about everything you ate. It's a new day :)

Tammy said...

the body knows all and sees all!!!! Adversion therapy for free, curtesy of the gallbladder! :)

Jenn said...

I too have been there done that .. Went to er bent over, had to have it removed. Right then and there, they said it was major infected. They removed it a stone got lodged and .. ICU for a week. I don't know how to spell it but I had pancretitis . My pancreas was dying. I was in the hospital a total of 9 days if i remember correctly. It was bad. So my advice it when it comes to that, either never eat any fat food EVER or.... have it removed... My weight seriously had a role. But that should have been my wake up call. I was 260s and because I couldn't eat anything for a long time, I ended up in the 220s in like 3 months. Well Here I am. I just said goodbye to the 260s for the LAST TIME! Your blog is so inspiring to me. Thanks for sharing your life with us!