[2022-06-09] Gracie and George
On May 10, I shared in Seize the day that I had had an ultrasound of my gallbladder. The technician who did the assessment had indicated that I have a mobile gallstone.
So I wasn't surprised when the nurse in my doctor's office called on May 16 to confirm the gallstone and to offer me an appointment with my family doctor, Dr. Daverne, to discuss treatment options. Though the nurse clearly suggested two possibilities—(1) watching my diet (avoiding high-fat, high-sugar foods) to fend off a gallbladder attack, or (2) having the gallbladder removed, albeit only if I started having recurring gallbladder attacks—I got it into my head that Dr. Daverne would recommend surgery.
Today, I had a follow-up with Dr. Daverne and was bracing for the possibility of having to prepare myself, mentally and physically, for another operation. To my relief, Dr. Daverne recommended option 1. She told me that she has patients with gallstones who kept their gallbladders and never had a problem, which is consistent with my own reading on the subject. There appear to be no health risks to having a mobile gallstone, only the risk of a gallbladder attack. But I'll happily take that risk to avoid surgery.
As I explained previously, my omentum—a layer of fatty tissue that surrounds and protects the stomach, large intestine and other abdominal organs—was removed during the operation to deal with ovarian cancer. I would therefore likely need a more invasive surgery than the laparoscopy that is commonly used to remove gallbladders these days should I need an operation in the future. This more traditional operation would be major surgery, which would be best avoided given all the scar tissue I already have in my abdomen.
I mentioned to Dr. Daverne that I sometimes feel a tightness in my abdomen, which is noticeable but not painful. Dr. Daverne surmised that this was caused by adhesions, which are bands of scar tissue that join two internal body surfaces that are not usually connected. In other words, organs or tissues within the body adhere to other internal surfaces. This creates a tugging sensation. I described it to my daughter as the feeling you have when you wear a shirt that's too tight: it's noticeable and annoying but not necessarily painful.
I took my doctor's conclusion as good news. If the tightness I experience is caused by adhesions and not my gallbladder, then perhaps the mobile gallstone is not causing any problems after all.
I've decided to call my gallstone "Gracie." She deserves an honourable name given that it was her antics on July 29, 2020, that alerted me to the fact that all was not well in my abdomen. I firmly believe that the pain I experienced on July 29, 2020, was a gallbladder attack. Had I not gone to the emergency department of the Queensway Carleton Hospital that day, where I was given an abdominal ultrasound, my ovarian cancer might never have been discovered, or it might have been discovered too late. Who knows what the outcome of my cancer treatment would have been without this incidental discovery.
They say that ovarian cancer whispers. Fortunately, Gracie spoke loudly and clearly.
I'll try to keep Gracie the Gallstone and George the Gallbladder (named after husband-and-wife comedy team Gracie Allen and George Burns) for as long as possible. And, as I said to Dr. Daverne, a diet low in fats (especially saturated fats) and careful about sugar (especially refined sugar) is a healthy regime to follow. If such a diet keeps Gracie and George happy, then I'm happy.
