Gallstones & gallbladder

[DCTCLM]

Hi,

Can anyone point me to references to Gallbladder removal and the medical, class 1, consequences thanks.

[Loose rivets]

7mm is very small, but so is the exit tube. I can't find the diameter at the moment, but let me tell you this: you do NOT want to have it blocked any time - let alone when you're flying.

I had a stone the size of a small chicken egg and it gave me some problems a couple of times but then was asymptomatic for years. Then it got me.

The pain - like a spear shoved in my solar plexus that came out between my shoulder blades - is indescribable, so I won't try.

I had one of the first laparoscopic procedures and walked out of the hospital in 36 hours, and that included taking the bag out as well. Never missed it, despite being a glutton. Back to flying time? Rules is rules, but I felt fine in a week.

As a pilot, I'd like to have been without the gall-bag and appendix over those years.

[Muzzey]

Get it sorted - like LR, I had a flare up last summer and had a bag of gravel as it turned out, whilst waiting for the op nature opted to force my hand and a 5mm stone blocked my bile duct - I will also pass on describing the pain but did not know what do with myself! Intravenous paracetamol, codeine and three doses of oramorph finaly dulled the pain.
Also like LR, I had keyhole surgery leaving four cuts approx 12 - 15mm long, in & out in 24 hours, back to work in two weeks!
All good now, just avoid fatty food as it gives me the sq***ts
Hope this help you make the right decision.

[Radgirl]

Not sure I agree with the risk level of leaving it. If we look at the proportion of gallstones found at post mortem following 'death from old age' .....

But I guess you cant argue science in the UAE

So the good news is the operation is far more routine nowadays. We do an operating list of 5 such operations in a morning and finish for lunch. 40 minutes each and the patients go home 2 hours later. There are risks so dont ever allow any surgeon to operate without asking how many they have done in their life and how many in the last year (suggest 150 and 25 to be the minimum target for my family). And steer well clear of any surgeon who claims to be the best in the world!

[Loose rivets]

Radgirl, does that include taking out the bladder, or just the stones?


I'm mindful of the utter incapacitation of a blocked duct. I would have been a liability on any flight deck. However, I'd let mine get really bad. The bag had black spots. I have no idea why the surgeon thought that so significant, but he let my GPs know and told me a couple of time.

[obgraham]

Rivets, there are very few reasons to remove the stone(s) but leave the GB behind -- mostly when it is really inflamed and too complicated to remove. Best to just have it out and move along.

IMHO a solitary small stone is a bit of a dilemma. Big solitary stones aren't often an acute problem. It's the small ones that can migrate out and clog things up rather suddenly. On the other hand, that big one was once small, so who knows?

I think if my livelihood depended on my GB behaving, in this scenario, I'd have it out. Radgirl's points are well taken.

[helimutt]

I had to have my gb out year before last. It had 10 stones and was well filled. Removal was an overnight stay in private hospital. Arrived 5pm day one and left 11am next day. Laparoscopic. Unless there are complications, it's a straightforward op with about 3-4 weeks and your completely healed. It's 6-10 weeks recovery if it's a full op as they make a big incision.
If you are asymptomatic then you can, in theory, leave it and see. If it's affecting liver function then best to remove and be done with it.

Just a couple of points, if you develop gallstones, the calculi can still form if you don't have a gb anymore, just not in the gb. This can mean stones can form further down the line which may be just as bad, or worse.

Also, some people have digestive issues after gb removal, Also you may have bile salt malabsorption leading to, as was mentioned above, 'squits'. (Try drinking 4-5 large mugs of tea over the day, I find that this helps a lot)

All of the uk caa medical info is on their website under medical requirements. AME's aren't always perfectly correct in their decision making process.

[helimutt]

Look at uk caa website under medical section. Have gallbladder op. Recover. Get AME to sign you off as fit. Job done.