This is a experience living with gall bladder stones for the past 20 years, it is a lucky story, which ended up in gall bladder removal and not something else more serious.
From the first time in 1989 in Boston were I lived I was 1 year into my marriage, working hard 2 sometimes three jobs, when after eating irregularly and fast food most of the time, my stomach mouth started to heart, it was like a rock sitting right on my stomach, the pain was getting harder and harder, after a while the pain was so hard that it was hard to breath, it was at night when I could not take it no longer and took a cab to the ER room close were I was living. I waited for a while when I started to be in so much pain that they took me in a room and they started some IV and they added some pain killer, never in my life till than I had such a pain. The doctor came and asked me what exactly I felt, I gave him the explanation, about how it started, and the ultimate cause bringing me to the hospital.
They started with some blood work, than with some ex ray, and some urine work, I stayed in the ER for about 7-to-8 hours that night and when the doctor came and told me the cause of all this it was stomach ulcer, so they thought. They game me some penicillin pills and some pain killers. Stayed on a diet of no fat or salty or citric, for about a month, and that was that.
For the next 8 years everything was great no problem, when suddenly on a trip to Greece and on the Island of Naxos, after eating a wonderful diner which consisted of a whole snapper with head and all juiced in a lime and virgin olive oil, with a tomato and cucumber and olives and feta, I was in heaven at that moment, I eat it all, did not leave anything to anybody, it was so good, that after returning to my villa where I was staying with my family and talking on the veranda and looking up at the stars, the same pain and the same symptoms were comming to hunt me again, only this time no hospital and I had to suffer till the morning, till I could get to a pharmacy. After beeing in the pain for about 2 hours, the same simptoma with my shortage of breath started to apear, I know than that it will be hell till the morning. But right their when I thought that it will last till the morning, the pain became more embareable and actualy I felt a realife of some kind, even though the pain was still their. In the morning I whent right to the pharmacy and bought me some pain medication and felt much better buy the end of that day, even though my stomach was very sensitive. We finished our vacation in Greece, buy visiting Santorini, and later Skopelos.
We came back to the states and whent back to my doctor and toled him all that whent down on the Island of Naxos. His answear was preaty much the answear that I received back in Boston 8 year ago. Stress, Fatigue, my intake of food it was not the right food, and so on, so on.
Another 5 years gone buy and the same thing accured again, exactly the same, but this time I had no medical insurance I started to work on my owne, so it was no way that I could go to the Hospital, see a doctor, so I thought that this stomach virus Helicobacter pylori it was comming back every so often. I started to do some research on the web and more more I was reading about this the more I thought that truly this is stomach ulcer. Their was only one thing not wanting me to truly believe about this, it was the fact that when the strongest pain came I was in a pain that you could not beare it too long, but after that the pain calmed down.
So I thought that I will have to leave the rest of my life with this, but it was not sow, three weeks ago the pain and everything else with it came back again, this time I had Insurance and I when directly to the hospital, were after placing me in a room and starting some IV, with some stomach and chest ex ray and some stomach sonogram, the verdict was back, the very young doctor told me that I passed a stone from my gall bladder, and my gall bladder looks very bad, and they want to take it out right away so they will call the general surgeon. When I heard this I was confused scared and my first reaction was, hold on to your horses, for all this years I thought I had stomach ulcer, and now suddenly is something very serious, no way hose. So the doctor toled me that if I do not sign a paper which states that I left the hospital on my own will without the doctors pushing me out, from their, he can not let me go, he told me that this is very serious and I could die. Well all this and my belief that all this time my body was making fun of me, I did not take it well.
I came home that night and I took two days to work my brain, in these two days I made a couple calls and talked with some people, I set up two appointments with two doctors, one was a general or otherwise family doctor, and the other a general surgeon, I made the appointments and after seeing both, the verdict was that it had to come out. I got scared and happy at the same time, at least know I know whats up and I was scared not about the procedure of taking out my gall bladder, but actually about the anesthesia, putting you to sleep and waking you up, that was the thing that was bugging me.
But I made a great choice in my general surgeon, and a great choice of the hospital, so on May 4th., 2009 at 9:30AM I was ready and on my way up to the surgical unit of the hospital, when the nurse told me that how I felt my response was you tell me, she said that everything was OK and I should be OK. And than something I saw that I got very jolted inside in me, my hart rate sky rocketed, I was in the pre OP room with about 20 to 25 more people, about 30 nurses and about 20 helpers, each having surgery of different kind, I felt like I was in a meat market place, if ever was a time to pray for God it is now, so I did, my wife was next to me, both of us were very suprised, so they told me to take my close off and put this rope on me, this was the end of the line for me, if I wanted to leave that I would not take my close off, but by praing I was calming my self down, my wife was very nerveus I could see that, so I was in the pre OP room for about 3 hours till my turn came, I said by to my lovely wife and that was all I can remember till later I awoke in the post OP room. I was wanderring if it was over, I actualy felt it when I wanted to move on my side and I could not. In a meter of 1/2 hour I was in my room resting with my wife on my side. After awaking the second time from a deep sleap, I sow my kids and I was instantly feeling better. That night I stayed in the hospital, and next day I left, I was realived, to be home. After 96 hours my sergery I am doing great and writing this blog. I learend alot and this experience has giving me different prespective to life, get a second opinion if you are talking with a doctor, rationalise and decide, and always have in mind your family, it is very important to have their support.
Now with my gall bladder out after a month I will be able to eat things that I could not till now, so I am happy for that.

Life is Short, Maximize IT!