Gall Stones
 

A quick question on gall stones.

Yes I'm getting old and have just been diagnosed as having a gall stone. Now I know that people can have them all their life without knowing but after a nasty colic attack, one passed through into the bladder itself. The Doc's advise me to have the whole thing removed and not just the stone:

1. How would that affect my class 1 med?
2. Do I risk leaving them in and getting another colic although it only happens at night strangely enough?
3. Should I just get the stone removed and run the (apparently high) risk of getting another one?
4. Anyone had it done and still flying???

Ta for any info

Rick

See 27 Sept.

Get it out...trust me on this one!

I had Gallstones
 

I had them many years. They where spotted in Sept. 2000 and then we decided to remove them as a precaution to avoid any trouble. After removal they guessed they where older then 10 years. I had silent Gallstones, never a colic, no sympthoms or anything else. I was in the hopital in July this year and they are out now. After 14 days I was found fit for flight again and can eat and drink all I want. No diet or anything else required. I had my last medical in Sept. and the FAA and the JAA 1st class got renewed. Don`t be scared and get rid of them as you had a colic once and that can happend again, anytime anywhere even in FL410! I guess that is the last you need!

NG

Agreed - have the thing taken out. Mine was a day procedure, by laproscopic (?) technique. Never missed it, and I can't imagine what it would be like having an attack while flying (my first happened in the middle of the night, thankfully).

Thanks alot for the info, makes me feel a bit better.
I doubt I'll have an attack at FL410 in a helicopter though!:) I think I'd have a few other problems first!!!
Oh well orf to the hospital on thursday, I hope they don't take my liver out instead..I still need that :ok:

Well it's out now and I don't feel so bad, off to my AME soon I hope he's in a good mood!:ok:

Good luck. Did they give you the stone? Mine was the size of a small chicken egg and looked like rusty iron. I cut it in half with a Dremmel wheel, and inside was opaque glass-like crystal spokes, all pointing into the centre. They hoiked it out of a hole so small that it left about a 10mm scar.

The real danger for me was that the bladder had become inflamed...but gave very little warning (one undiagnosed episode a month or so before) until I became very ill late one night. It was then mis-diagnosed as a spasm of the sphincter–at the top of the stomach–by the midnight visiting doctor. 15 pethidine pills later I was a blue light job to an Essex hospital. It took a week on a drip to stabilise. A very conscientious surgeon, who had picked up on the fact that I was commuting to the US, called me from his car and offered to take it out the next day if I went private. The anaesthetist rolled up in his gardening clothes, and the small team were very jolly...until they saw the bladder: it was covered in black patches.

The point of all this is, that once I was feeling better, it was deemed a non critical problem. With a lot of traveling, I would have been at great risk by trying to carry on a normal life while waiting the 8 months for the NHS. I felt perfectly well 15 mins before being very unwell, hence my laboring the point about aircrew not delaying the procedure after the first episode.

My thanks to that surgeon, he could well have saved my bacon.

N.B. This comment is based on one person that could not have surgery because of emphysema, but did have recurring problems with positively diagnosed gallstones. There is some evidence to show that it is just possible, that lying on the right side and pummeling deep into the gall bladder area might release the blockage and save a lot of pain. Mine released while being rolled onto the trolley, the relief was beyond description.

Well done... Good luck in the future and happy landings.

NG

Loose Rivets

You poor sod that sounded like a real episode! I'm glad I didn't get it that bad, but the last cholic I suffered was a bad one to say the least.
Yes I've got the stone, it's about 1/2" in diameter and really black and surprisingly heavy (very dense). Apparantly it's made of cholesterine crystals ( good job you can't get them in your blood system :uhoh: )
The colics I got were a couple of smaller stones that passed out of the bladder into the duodenum, the first Doc got a couple of smaller ones out with an Endoscope but he couldn't crack the big one or pull it out.
Are you sticking to some kind of diet now? I was told to avoid very fatty things which is logical and avoid too much alcohol which is distressing :{ but sofar I'm fine.
I got an op appointment within about 5 days ( public holiday inbetween!), there is something to be said for the system over here even though it's a little pricey it certainly works!

Diet? Nope...I'm a total Gannet, planning the next meal and wine lists while I'm still eating lunch: or stripping a smorgasbord bare, like a sky black with Homer Simpsons. The surgeon said ‘eat what you like' so I have, ever since.

I've checked a few web sites and they all said "no diet necessary".... thank heavens for that, I'm gagging for a curry :E

I think I'll get a vasectomy next ;)