What It’s Like Having Gallstones

What+Its+Like+Having+Gallstones

Kianna Montano, Beat Investagator-ELL/Foreign

Have you ever had gallstones? Do you know what the pain feels like and how weak it can easily make you? If you experience sudden pain in the middle or upper right section of your abdomen, you may be having one. Or, the gallbladder attack pain may be located in your back, either between your shoulder blades or in your right shoulder. This is why I am here to tell you my experience in having gallstones.

On Easter Sunday the 23rd of April ,  I was eating carne asada, which made my stomach upset, I wasn’t feeling the food anymore. The rest of that night I didn’t eat anymore. The feeling I had was uncomfortable and something I have never experienced in my life. The next day I was fine until I ate a Hot Pocket and later that day I knew something was up. I went to sleep, woke up at 10:00 PM, and vomited everything I ate. After that there was this pain on my right abdominal side and a little bit on my left side as well, It felt like a throbbing empty stomach and it’s really hard to explain the pain, but it hurts and it’s very uncomfortable.

Gallstones are a worldwide medical problem, and woman are more likely to get gallstones than men. Getting them has to do with being overweight, not being healthy, and also people with family history of having them and they are located in the gallbladder. My mom had them and got them removed, maybe my nana too I’m not sure, and now me and my older sister have them. My sister has them from having a baby which has a lot of hormones including being on birth control which has more, and despite trying her hardest of eating healthy. Her symptoms are different than mine, they way she reacts to it isn’t as bad as I react to them. I feel so weak and it makes me want to stay in bed all day.

When you have gallstones you have to get surgery as soon as you can, and possibly stay on bed rest for about a week or two. It most likely depends on the human body. I’m scared of ever getting surgery but if it makes the pain go away then I might as well get it done with. Now I have to watch my diet. I can’t eat fatty foods, greasy foods, and just started eating baked and healthier foods. Since gallstones does run in my family and it also has a higher risk on Mexican Americans to develop them, it’s better to keep my future kids healthy. I would never want anyone to experience having gallstones – it’s the worse pain ever.

If you want to stay away from getting them try and eat healthier and workout a lot – that’s the best I can actually do for myself as well.

That’s my story about experiencing having gallstones