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Type 1 Diabetes and Gallbladder removal

A

AngieS

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Hello

Lovely to meet you all. This is my first ever post here, which is about my Mam (June). She knows I am posting and has told me to type away, as she doesn't know one end of a laptop from the other! : )

Mam has had T1 Diabetes for 46 years and is 72 years old. Early last year her Diabetes Consultant referred her to the Urgent Diagnostic Clinic because of unexplained weight loss. The tests revealed gallstones in her bile duct (which she has had removed). It also showed stones in her gallbladder and a hiatus hernia, which is quite big and high up in her stomach. She now has an appointment to have her gallbladder removed, but has no other symptoms. The weight loss has now stopped, so basically at the moment there isn't a reason to have any surgery... even though the doctors seem quite keen to do it.

We are going to discuss it with them on 24th Feb, but I wanted to ask you all for your thoughts on this. Are there any specific things to think about connected to T1 diabetes? Could sickness and diarrhoea be a problem and could changes to her diet be essential? Are there any questions we should be asking? She has a very plain diet, but does love a bag of crisps and butter on her bread! 🙂

Thanks everyone... We are both really great for any thoughts you can share.

Angie & June
 
AngieS said:
Hello

Lovely to meet you all. This is my first ever post here, which is about my Mam (June). She knows I am posting and has told me to type away, as she doesn't know one end of a laptop from the other! : )

Mam has had T1 Diabetes for 46 years and is 72 years old. Early last year her Diabetes Consultant referred her to the Urgent Diagnostic Clinic because of unexplained weight loss. The tests revealed gallstones in her bile duct (which she has had removed). It also showed stones in her gallbladder and a hiatus hernia, which is quite big and high up in her stomach. She now has an appointment to have her gallbladder removed, but has no other symptoms. The weight loss has now stopped, so basically at the moment there isn't a reason to have any surgery... even though the doctors seem quite keen to do it.

We are going to discuss it with them on 24th Feb, but I wanted to ask you all for your thoughts on this. Are there any specific things to think about connected to T1 diabetes? Could sickness and diarrhoea be a problem and could changes to her diet be essential? Are there any questions we should be asking? She has a very plain diet, but does love a bag of crisps and butter on her bread! 🙂

Thanks everyone... We are both really great for any thoughts you can share.

Angie & June
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum
Usually a gall bladder removal is a straightforward procedure done laparoscopically so minimally invasive and recovery pretty quick. Having it as planned surgery rather than as an emergency as it might if the stones became bigger and blocked the duct again is a better option.
Obviously they would take her T1 into account before and during the surgery but often it would just be day surgery.
My daughter (not diabetic) had hers removed about a year ago, she was told to have two weeks off work but didn't need it and did a 60 mile cycle ride 3 weeks later.
 
Evening Angie.Agree with LL the procedure is very straight forward and routine as a day patient.I had mine done about 3 years ago as a result of a bad pancreatitis attack.
Again as LL says it is better to have it done as a planned op rather than an emergency and if the surgery is not done and the gall stones removed it can trigger an attack of pancreatitis which is normally something that people recover from fairly well but in some cases like mine can trigger necrosis of your pancreatic cells which can cause different issues and your mams diabetes will just be an extra complication
So basically I would be guided by the Consultant but there is nothing to be feared from having her gall bladder removed.
ATB
 
Wendal said:
Evening Angie.Agree with LL the procedure is very straight forward and routine as a day patient.I had mine done about 3 years ago as a result of a bad pancreatitis attack.
Again as LL says it is better to have it done as a planned op rather than an emergency and if the surgery is not done and the gall stones removed it can trigger an attack of pancreatitis which is normally something that people recover from fairly well but in some cases like mine can trigger necrosis of your pancreatic cells which can cause different issues and your mams diabetes will just be an extra complication
So basically I would be guided by the Consultant but there is nothing to be feared from having her gall bladder removed.
ATB
Click to expand...
At one time they would have tried to fragment the stones with ultrasound but when I mentioned that to my daughter she said they didn't like to do that now as there was more chance of the fragments blocking the bile duct and cause more problem so better to remove the gall bladder.
 
I became lactose intolerant at 68 due to diabetic enteropathy.
Might be worth checking out and speaking to GP.
Bless your mum ...we oldies can be stubborn and stoical
 
Hi @AngieS and welcome to the forum.
Speaking from the unfortunate end of experience with the trouble of gallstones, as @Leadinglights says, they can get everywhere. Mine cause blockages in my pancreas and other organs. This led to me having a whole year of problems including severe weight loss, torn gall bladder and sepsis, causing a few operations one after another. Unfortunately I had to have open surgery because of the torn gall bladder otherwise they would have liked to have done laparoscopic surgery.
I think in your Mam's case they are trying to avoid these issues that can happen.
I too still love a bag of crisp, but they are accompanied with creon and sometimes insulin too!
Wishing your Mam well.
 
Glad you Mum’s weight has stabilised.

Hope whatever treatment she needs is able to happen in a timely way, and sorts the problem out for her <3
 
I can't comment on the gallbladder removal but I have had a few surgeries since my Type 1 diagnosis. They were all unrelated to diabetes.
I have always needed to be nil by mouth for at least 6 hours prior.
I did ask why and what would happen if I had a hypo. The reason is to reduce the nausea caused by the anaesthetic and they could treat a hypo with a glucose drip but not to worry if they took too long to set up and I needed to eat a little. They would not cancel the op. In reality, the stress/anxiety caused my BG to run higher.
On most occasions, they have scheduled my operation as first or second on the list because of my diabetes. It is definitely worth making a bit of fuss about it to reduce the waiting around without eating time.
They have wanted to know my hba1c and I believe there is a maximum level they will accept as a high hba1c brings added risks.
They have also measured my BG on the day before "going down".
The anaesthetist is responsible for keeping an eye on BG during the op. Recently, I have given them my phone so they can track it on my CGM.
I use an insulin pump but they have not touched it ( I made sure it was out of the way of their procedure). If necessary, they would control my BG via the drip.

After surgery, my BG ran high. I needed 50% extra basal for a couple of days as my body was pumping out extra glucose to help with the healing and I was moving around less. But after that, everything was back to normal.
 
I had trouble with gallstones 1980s. Then a major op, as keyhole surgery was just being introduced.
But, by the time of the op I was feeling sick all the time, unable to eat anything with fat, no cheese (I love cheese), just dry bread. Sounds like typical symptoms!
8 days in hospital, 9 weeks off work (this was years ago, things have changed) then told no heavy lifting. No diabetes at that stage.
No one warned me but best get loads of pillows ready and try and sleep as upright as possible. Then the bile doesn't come up, it tastes awful.
Young cousin had gallstones a few years later, out and about soon after, very different.
I hope your Mum has a sucessful operation, and the extra problems settle. My hiatus hernia came much later, so sending sympathy for that too.
The aching pain around the gallbladder is a bit frightening. It eventually should go.
Best wishes Carol
 
Just a quick message to thank you all so much for sharing your experiences... I am going to the hospital with Mam on Monday to talk about the procedure and we now have lots of questions written down, which will hopefully help her make the right decision.

Thank you once again...

Angie xx
 
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