Gallstone

[Fuel Crossfeed]

Does anyone (Pilot especailly) have any experience of surgery to remove gallbladder due to a gallstone? (1 large stone not multiple small stones)
Are there any medical side effects which I can look forward too?
My AME says I can lead a normal life with no medication afterwards but to watch out for too much fatty food and possibly bloating after eating protein.
I'm just considering whether surgery is a necessity or to just continue normally flying with a medical restriction?

Thanks

[421dog]

If you are having symptoms, get it out. If not, wait until you are. Should have no long term effects.

[jolihokistix]

Had mine out in mid-April. Keyhole surgery. Handful of jagged stones, largest 3 cm.

Three months down the road and everything generally fine so far.

[occasional]

Had my gall bladder removed about 4 years ago. No noticeable consequences.

[Bullethead]

G’day Fuel,

I had mine mine out over twenty years ago and done by keyhole surgery. In and out of hospital overnight with no significant after effects. Eating oily or fatty food can cause mild cramping and irregular bowel movements temporarily but that sort of goes with the weird lifestyle we lead as pilots.

The aviation medical mob here in Australia gave me no choice, once I was diagnosed with a gallstone they said it had to come out and I was not to fly until it was. I was back at work within a week.

Gallstones sometimes can cause what is known as biliary colic which can lay you out quite quickly so better to have the surgery than to be incapacitated airborne.

I asked my medico why not just remove the stone instead of the whole gall bladder and he said if I was prone to growing gallstones then I would just grow more so out came the bladder.

cheers,
BH.

[Fuel Crossfeed]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I have no major symptoms at the moment, except slightly raised readings on liver function test which I believe can be caused by the stone irritating the bile duct from the liver.
I certainly would not want to be incapacitated on a flight, my AME said he would be more concerned with that if I had small stones, however with just one, at the size I have, it is too big to move down any ducts to cause incapacitation.

Cheers all.

[jolihokistix]

The pain in my side I had put down to other things, and even when it became unbearable I still thought it was discomfort from wind, bloated gut, etc. The immediate problem for surgery was that it had become gangrenous, so it presented a problem when being separated from the liver wall. You do not want to leave it so late. (I’d post pictures of the stones but it might crack the screen.)

[Joho123]

Thanks for all the information!
I can talk from my experience, if you have a colic you’re not able to do anything anymore so I got the gall bladder removed a few weeks ago!
Its not a big operation and it was a big relief so rather just do it

[noblues]

I had mine removed last year after a couple of really bad gallstone attacks, one of which at home involved an ambulance it was so bad.

No major side effects living without it, your liver still produces bile in the same quantity throughout the day, you just don't have that concentrated store of it for large fatty meals, so in many ways a wake up call to adopt a healthier diet and eat smaller meals.

My AME suspended my medical after having symptomatic gallstones, ultrasounds showed I had a lot of small stones, big risk of a blocked bile duct which is potentially serious.
I was told I had no option than to have surgery to regain my medical, but in hindsight their are drugs that can potentially dissolve gallstones but they can take over a year.

[Loose rivets]

Get it out!!!!!!!!!!!!! Half way across the oggin with this in full flow, you'll tear out an emergency exit and jump out.

Single large gall stone acceptable for Class 1?

And

Gallstones?


From one of my sub-links:

This could present the crew with a grown man lying on the floor screaming with pain. All their training could lead them to think that it was a heart attack. It is conceivable, that with a large single stone, it would be possible to manipulate this out of the bag's exit port so to speak. The ensuing bucket-full (well, it looks like that much) of bile that the patient will part with, will bring the immediate crisis to an end. Again, a lot of luck, because a small stone can be pushed too far to be persuaded out. But if you could pull such a manoeuvre off, the patient would thank you forever, especially if as mentioned, you were hours from a possible touchdown.