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Gallstones and Crohns

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 11/1/2019 7:02 PM (GMT -6)
I managed finally to see the GI the medicare system has referred me to for a second opinion. When I had my last colonoscopy, it showed that I had mild inflammation but with active disease. As a result, the medicare decided that my Remicade infusions are not going to be covered. Their pretext was that that was mild inflammation and they wanted a second opinion other than my doctor's. They even specified a certain doctor whom I had to see. This doctor I saw him 12 years ago when I started my symptoms and he saw then that I had IBS. I was very reluctant to see him again and paid for my own infusions.
Paying for Remicade was very expensive for me so I decided to see this doctor. My appointment was two days ago. I told him at the beginning that I was seeking his second opinion. He examined me thoroughly and performed an abdominal ultrasound. He informed me that I had several tiny gallstones. I told him that I was told this many years ago but a CT scan didn't show anything. He said that ultrasounds were more accurate in such a case and said that sooner or later I have to have my gallbladder removed even if I don't have any symptoms.
Well, actually, I'm worried. Is this normal? I don't want to undergo any surgeries at the time being.
As for Remicade, he decided that I don't have any mucosal healing yet, thus he recommended I should continue taking Remicade every 8 weeks and undergo a colonoscopy every 6 months. If mucosal healing is achieved, Remicade infusions will be stopped.
Posted 11/2/2019 11:26 AM (GMT -6)
It is possible that the CT did not pick up the stones. Keep in mind stones can be tiny, as in a grain of sand. Not everyone needs surgery, just keep monitoring the condition. Educate yourself on the symptoms so if you have a gallbladder attack you will know what to do. If you are unsure of what an attack is, google it on a medical website, they will list the symptoms. The real issue is if one of the stones get stuck in the bile duct.

I did not have gallstones, mine was not functioning correctly. I had what was called a HIDA Scan that checks the function of the gallbladder.

The dr is correct, odds are pretty good at some point you will need the gallbladder removed. Take care.
Posted 11/4/2019 9:48 PM (GMT -6)
I had my gallbladder removed after a series of painful attacks during pregnancy in 1997. Years later when I was diagnosed with Crohn's the doctor told me that he was surprised they hadn't referred me to a GI at that time, after years of IBS like symptoms and then a Gallbladder problem. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point you need the surgery, but fingers crossed not anytime soon,
Posted 11/5/2019 7:30 PM (GMT -6)
I had my gallbladder taken out, probably unnecessarily since I didn’t have symptoms. Like you, they said it had to go because of the stones. Back then I trusted doctors more, and let them do it. The surgery and recovery were both pretty easy to deal with (unlike my surgical hernia repair, which was a nightmare to recover from). I was lucky and didn’t have chronic complications (like never ending horrible diarrhea). Personally, I would read up on the symptoms of a gallbladder attack, so you’ll know what to expect should an attack happen to you. I’d also read up on the complications a person can have after gallbladder removal, because the gallbladder is not as “unnecessary” as doctors like to lead you to believe. Gather all the pro / con info you can before making a final decision. If I had done my research, I would have declined the surgery since all the tests they ran (like the HIDA scan) were fine. I always wondered why they bothered to run a battery of tests if their plan was to do surgery regardless of the results.
Posted 11/6/2019 9:07 AM (GMT -6)
I would say whether you have gb surgery or not depends on your symptoms and if it impacts your daily life. I had no choice but to have mine removed as stones moved to the bile duct, were large, and the pain was almost equal to the gut rupture pain. Your doc is saying that it is likely you will need the surgery, but not requiring it. Research diet for gallstone....I was very careful on the diet before i had my surgery because my gb acted up 6 months before my wedding-I wanted it to be an easy surgery and to not have an emergent need & I could control much of the pain with the diet cautions. It meant my limited diet was more limited, but it was worth it.
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