Hi! And welcome to the best resource for your gallbladder on the web.
First and foremost – if you have immense pain from gallstones, please contact 911 or consult your doctor immediately. There is no substitute for the immediate help you may need.
Now, if you are here to learn about us and why you should trust our information, let’s dive deeper.
Who is Behind this Website?
Hi again! My name is Kristin and I have created this website to help people who are suffering from gallbladder issues, specifically surrounding gallstones, and to prevent them from the agony my sister has had to suffer for YEARS. I have also reached out to doctors and specialists to get their medical expertise regarding some of the topics. We are here to make this a truly helpful resource for you.
This me and my sister (I’ll share her story below in a minute):
Please be aware that while there is a lot of generalized information out there, this website is meant to focus on primarily gallstones and your gallbladder: there were some serious complications that went into a “simple” procedure of removing my sister’s gallbladder and a lot was missed by the surgeon which caused my sister years of suffering.
Personal Story
This is a personal story for me, as my sister has dealt with two gallbladder/gallstone related procedures both of which landed her in the emergency room a few times over the years…and I am the one who took her to the ER every time. These “issues” should’ve been caught by regular doctors, during regular check-ups, but it didn’t happen that way. Maybe you can learn from what happened to her and get help sooner, which is why I have put together this website with a lot of care.
The idea is to put together information based on science and expertise by doctors to help you identify symptoms you may be having in connection with gallstones or your gallbladder.
Late in her 20s, my sister started having extreme heartburn…to the point where it bothered her a lot. She started skipping meals and staying in her bedroom, miserable.
Her diet was excellent because she was a health-conscious and active person: super active with exercising and most of her meals consisted of chicken, rice, and veggies for her meals, nothing unhealthy.
Soon, her instances of “serious heartburn” turned into events full of physical distress that included pain in her ribs, back, shoulder.
One day, I found her slumped against the bathroom door, keeled over, and color drained from her face.
She could barely form any words to communicate with me. She told me how nauseous and in pain she was.
I begged to take her to the ER. Fearing huge bills, she turned away my help, told me to leave her there, and suffered for hours. After a few hours, these episodes would go away.
Until she DID end up in the ER during another “episode”.
And thank God she did because they saw the culprits: stones in her gallbladder!
After another year of insurance battles, she had her gallbladder removed. This was at the age of 27 which is unusual.
She went back to eating her favorite foods and bounced back.
But Something Wasn’t Right…
At the beginning of the pandemic, my sister experienced another episode of the SAME type of episode.
From the tone of her voice in the emergency call she made me, I knew something was very wrong.
“Hey… I don’t feel good. I’m having so much heartburn and there’s a pain in my chest and upper back. But my gallbladder was removed…”
Stubborn as can be, she let this episode pass. She let a few more pass. After all, her gallbladder was removed, so in her mind (and mine), this had to be something else.
More paralyzing similar painful episodes came where the color would drain from her face.
Doctors told her heartburn can happen. Take Tums.
Until about 8 months ago, in January 2022, when she felt so bad, I saw the color drain from her face and then pass out on her bed…twice. I begged to take her to the hospital.
She resisted help until she couldn’t take the pain anymore. She begged for help.
After a 5 hours wait (Covid wait times), the ER doctors dismissed her because her bloodwork didn’t show anything unusual.
Hours later, when the pain didn’t subside due to the strong painkillers they had given her, I took her back to the ER….. she looked like she was on the verge of fainting.
Watching someone you love look like they are lifeless… it’s a jarring experience.
A few hours later, she called me and told me the ER doctor had a “hunch”, after he heard her medical history and saw her liver numbers off.
“What does he think it is?!” I said as I held my breath.
“He saw my liver enzymes are elevated. He thinks I might have gallstones but they have to do an ultrasound and they are backed up. They have me on pain meds.”
With some relief, anger, and feelings of being upset. I held my breath until I heard back from her hours later.
“I still have gallstones and need an emergency procedure. They’re stuck in the bile duct. How could this happen? Why wouldn’t my doctor check for this?”
It turns out that she had gallstones blocking a duct, aged ones, that the initial surgeon probably missed.
It is sad that the doctors missed this issue for so many years and that she suffered for years and years. It’s to the point where she has developed fear of eating.
My Sister Inspired Me to Create this Site to Help Others Identify Similar Symptoms
With that in mind, this website contains researched, scientific information, cited from reliable sources, has been created for people who may be suffering from gallbladder or specifically, gallstones. I will also be creating a FB community where people can join and learn from each other or heck – it’s simply nice to connect with each other and know you’re not alone out there.
Nothing Replaces a Medical Expert!
If you are having immense pain, please! Immediately seek help (911 or whatever is equivalent of that in your country).
This site provides you information but when you’re in pain, you need to seek immediate help.