more medical tracking

[the_siobhan]

Notes for myself and conversation with doctor.
Dates of gallbladder attacks so far.

May 24
June 17
June 19
June 28

Based on what I ate this weekend I'm going to make a prediction I will have another one before the end of the week. We'll see if I'm right.

This is the part that actually worries me; I'm definitely losing weight, I'm down about 12 lbs, 4 of those in the last week. I'm averaging four bowel movements a day. That started while I was in Amsterdam (I originally attributed it to the unfamiliar food) so lets say it was around May 10.

I'm starting to wonder about deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins. My skin usually clears up in the spring, it hasn't done that yet. My last dye job was at the end of April, I should have at least an inch of root growth, instead there is less than a centimeter. Vitamin-D deficiencies are strongly correlated with depression. (Hello) And I cannot seem to get enough bloody sleep.

Tracking what I eat is a good idea, I'm going to start keeping a food diary again.

Comments

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

This is genetic - every woman in my mother's family has had her gallbladder removed. I may end up having to have it removed eventually anyway, but I'm hoping I can hold it off for a while with dietary changes.

How does your body handle fat digestion now that you've had yours removed?

[baratron.livejournal.com]

You know there exists medication that can help the gall bladder work better, and maybe even dissolve gallstones? (If they're the cholesterol type and not the calcium-deposit type). Ursodeoxycholic acid. It's one of the natural bile acids that your body should be producing anyway. People with gallstones generally don't produce enough of it, which is how the stones build up.

I've been taking it for several years, and my last ultrasound showed that the stones had virtually gone. Started off on 450 mg per night, now on 150 mg and going to drop that to 75 mg soon.

Also, the rather cheap antispasmodic Buscopan, sold for IBS, is not bad at fending off gall bladder attacks if you know that you've eaten too much fat in a meal. The drug in it is hyoscine-N-butylbromide.

I get annoyed with surgeons who see everything as a surgical problem.

btw,

[theevilchemist.livejournal.com]

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (http://www.ajcn.org/) is online and most all of the journals are full PDF and free. You can type in "gallstones" and see what sort of research has been done on diet and gallstones, as well as the efficacy of various treatments.


jv