Remove Gallstones, Not The Gallbladder!

My name is Lawren and I had a gallstone for years. It caused me pain intermittently at first, one attack every 2 months or so. I thought I was having muscle cramps in my back because the pain completely referred to my back just under my right shoulder blade. I was living up in the mountains and didn’t go to the hospital although the pain was really bad. I’d just lay on my heating pad and suffer through it. That was easier than taking a two-hour car ride to the hospital without my heating pad just to receive what I thought would just be muscle relaxants. Well I moved away from the mountains and now live about 10 minutes from a great hospital. So in June 2015 I figured I’d had enough pain and I had no more excuses for not going to the hospital. So off I went. Come to find out, I had a gallstone and the pain was caused by gallbladder attacks not muscle cramps. The hospital recommended a surgeon and recommended I have my gallbladder out as soon as possible.

In the weeks and months that followed, I went from doctor to doctor and surgeon to surgeon to find another solution. I was not a fan of the idea of having a useful organ taken out. But no, every answer was “you need to have your gallbladder removed” and it seemed like the longer time went on, the more condescending and flabbergasted the doctors were. How could I be so stupid? It’s just an organ, it’s not vital, you can lead a totally normal life without it.

About a year after my diagnosis in June 2015, I’d tried everything. Or so I thought. I’d done several gallbladder flushes (grapefruit juice and olive oil, taking Epsom salt before and after), Gold coin grass as tea and supplements, I did a vegetable juice cleanse for four weeks (so awful, and even more awful because my gallstone only grew in size during that time), and even tried apple cider vinegar and honey in hot water. Nothing helped. I was eating a fat free diet for over a year while I was trying these different remedies and looking for some alternative for surgery.

(Side Note: I do believe gallbladder flushes work to empty out the contents of your gallbladder and ultimately help your situation. But if you have a stone that is too big to pass through the very small ducts of the biliary system, you'll either get the stone stuck in the duct which leads to jaundice, infection and an emergency ERCP or you'll just end up in pain and your gallstone will plug your gallbladder. So it is helpful in some situations, such as my parents' situations (they both have sludge from time to time), but it was not helpful in mine.)

Eventually, I ran out of time. Thankfully I was living with my parents because in August 2016 I was in constant pain with my gallbladder. I had to lay on my heating pad most of the day, every day. I finally gave in and scheduled my surgery with a very qualified surgeon that I was confident would do an expert job with the cholecystectomy. The wait list for this surgeon had me scheduled for September 14, 2016. My general practitioner was able to prescribe a painkiller to help me last til then. Emotionally, I felt so defeated. Why wasn’t there an alternative? It’s my body and I’d rather risk re-occurrence of my gallstones than have the organ removed. And for doctors to say that people go on to live normal healthy lives just isn’t true. Are there some? Sure. The majority? Perhaps. But a quick google search will reveal myriads of people with countless numbers of side effects and issues that they’re dealing with after having a cholecystectomy. And once the organ is out, that’s it, you’re up a creek. They don’t transplant gallbladders.

As the day approached for my surgery, I kept looking for an alternative but mainly my concerns turned to my surgery and what exactly was involved. I work in the medical field as a CNA and I’m not squeamish, so when I discovered that I could watch an entire Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy on youtube, I was quite intrigued. I watched several. But I noticed in the videos that they use little titanium clips to squash and seal the neck of the gallbladder. It left this little stump (that’s the official name for it apparently) that looked so unnatural. What is your body supposed to do with that? Why couldn’t they stitch the tube shut? Seemed like it’d be a lot more natural for your body to heal. Another google search revealed that people have had lots of issues with the clips. Some have even had the clip migrate into their bile duct (it’s an exit and the body was obviously trying to get rid of it) and it caused a blockage which necessitated another procedure, like ERCP. Needless to say, I was not thrilled. I felt even more hopeless. Not only was I going to be losing an organ, I was going to have metal left inside my body. Probably not a big deal to most (like those who support amalgam/mercury tooth fillings), but it was beyond disappointing to me. I more frantically tried to find an alternative and against all odds, I found it. I found the alternative and it is the reason for this blog.

China

Yes, I found out, through the blog of an Estonian man living in London, that my answer was lying in China. Through his blog ( whatisgallstone.com ) I found the English website for a hospital in China that is home to a surgeon who invented and has pioneered gallstone removal surgery. ( nogallstones.com ) In fact, he engineered the tools he uses to do the procedure and has them manufactured in Germany. Reading their website was such a breath of fresh air. I’d been treated like I was an idiot by the Doctors in my homeland yet here was a Doctor in China who was speaking the words that I believe with all my heart. Our body was not made with extra parts. Preserving the wholeness of the body is worth the fight. You can live with one kidney, but when faced with the possible loss of a kidney people fight! Its your organ, it serves a known purpose. It preserves your bodies delicate systems. Why do something irreversible, like removing your gallbladder if you don’t have to?

For another experience/testimonial go to: thebodymind.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/my-miracle-gallbladder-surgery

I was ecstatic, my parents and I contacted the hospital and sent them my most recent tests. They approved me, we bought tickets, and they sent an invitation letter which made getting the Chinese Travel Visa a breeze. It’s a long flight from Florida to Guangzhou, China. But we made it, without incident. Our wonderful liaison and Doctor, Nataly, met us at the airport on Monday, September 12 2016. She escorted us to the Hospital, about a 45 min drive.

They are very thorough, thoughtful, careful and professional. They took some blood and did an X-ray on Monday after I arrived. Tuesday morning they did an ultrasound and a CT and then Tuesday afternoon they approved me for surgery. They told me that my gallbladder had actually enlarged since the ultrasound I had sent them. My gallstone was stuck in the neck of my gallbladder and that was why I was in constant mild pain. I’d arrived not a moment too soon, thank goodness! Wednesday morning, I showered and then they came to start my IV and prep me for surgery. The nurse that started my IV did so good, flawless. I have very small veins. **Over the year I was having severe gallbladder attacks, I was in the emergency room 8(?) times (I lost count) they always had trouble finding my veins, both for taking blood and for starting IVs. Every time I’ve gone for blood tests at a lab, save maybe once or twice, I’ve been the human pin cushion. Time and again I’ve been told to come back another day so that they can try again later because my veins just aren’t cooperating.**

Where were we? So my lovely nurse found my vein and started the IV with ease. And that was it. I was ready. The took me to the surgical floor of the building, which was just state of the art I might add, and wheeled me into the surgical suite. My anesthesiologist told me “don’t worry” and before I knew it I was waking up and back in my own bed. The surgery only lasted an hour. Super quick. I was already on my way to recovery. For the next three days they kept a close watch over me and made sure I had everything I needed and more. By Sunday morning, my parents and I were on our way to our hotel. The city was amazing. Its twice as big as NYC and has the most amazing skyscrapers. The metro, their subway system, was so big and clean. It really puts NYC’s subways to shame. Monday, my mom and I took the metro to a mall and went souvenir shopping and Tuesday My parents and I went to the Chimelong Safari Park. We saw the pandas of course, but also saw a mind-blowing amount of the most happy, healthy tigers and tiger kittens you’ve ever seen! What an impressive zoo, also very clean, just spotless! Also, by Tuesday I was feeling great; we walked for several miles so my feet were tired and hurting but that was the extent of my pain.

Overall, this was probably the most surreal experience of my life. I never would have seen myself traveling to China, much less traveling there for surgery. But it’s a real shame all the bias in the media against China. We were treated with so much respect, we felt safe wherever we went and couldn’t have been more impressed by the massiveness and cleanliness of the city.

I hope this account helps people who are looking to keep their gallbladder. I hope that it will give people hope. I say hope because the surgeon, Dr. Qiao (Chow), is very careful. He has a perfect record. I couldn’t believe it myself but our doctor explained how it works. In the US and many countries, they will operate on you even if there are contraindications. Why? Because you signed a waiver of course. **I went to my pre-op here in Florida (before I found out I was going to be able to cancel the cholecystectomy) and that paperwork is scary. Part of it says you understand there are no guarantees that this surgery will fix your problem and another says that you understand that you can die during surgery and that you can’t sue if you do. Lovely, right?** Well the paper work I signed in China not only had my signature but also a formal promise from both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist, respectively, and then their signatures as well. That was so comforting, and that is unheard of in the US. What surgeon is going to sign paperwork to give to you promising to be sober minded and do a good job. I dare anyone to find me a general surgeon that does that.

This changed my life. I was back to eating a normal diet on Sunday. I finally had normal food for lunch. I couldn’t believe how fast the recovery was going and how real the results were. I was nervous to have any fat, but I did anyway. To my most pleasant surprise, no pain. None. I still haven’t had any pain. I’ve had caramel corn and chocolate, I’ve had Thai coconut curry, chicken tacos, pizza etc. I’m ecstatic! The surgery currently costs $5,500 USD. It includes everything, there are no hidden costs. They provided beds for my parents so that they could stay with me in a large room that also had sofas and Satellite TV. They brought us all three delicious meals a days. The price even included the medicine they sent me home with.

I wish you, my readers, the very best and I’m happy to answer any and all questions. The hospitals website as well as their staff are very informative and reply quickly.

Thanks for reading my story!