so unexpected thing is unexpected

[seperis]

Went to ultrasound; doctor states I have gallstones?

God, that word just lacks style so much. The question mark is more a product of my lack of ability to put this in context or like, you know, wtf? I am going to be consulting with a surgeon, or so my doctor reports. I feel this entire thing is a product of the fact that this morning I was texting svmadelyn about how pretty the hospital is. And it is! Glass and steel and a garden and all modern and comforting and now, you know, surgery.

Okay, yes, of course I googled, but you know, people who have had this or done this or whatever, give me an idea of what level of panic I need to be graduating to? I am more at the stage of "what the hell".

*sighs and hits google* I reserve the right to be really weird about this for a while.

ETA: I am breaking my soda only on weekends rule. Wikipedia is so very--informative. I've named my gallbladder Horace. If something has this many issues, it gets a name that is easier to use for hating it purposes.

Comments

[malkingrey]

I had my gallbladder removed a long time ago (so long ago that the US was still in possession of the Panama Canal, and I had the surgery at Gorgas Memorial Hospital.) These days, unless it's an emergency^†, I think they mostly either break the gallstones up with a sonic screwdriver -- or the surgical equivalent -- or do laparoscopic surgery with minimal incisions. I'd put the panic rating at no more than 4 or 5 out of 10, where 1 is outpatient treatment for minor lacerations and 10 is a straight-from-the-ER-to-the-OR crisis.

†And believe me, you'd have noticed if it was an emergency. A septic gallbladder is excruciatingly painful.

[seperis]

No, definitely not emergency. The reason he ended up scheduling it was because of the threeish flare-ups I had (and possibly my repeated whimpering about coffee). So at least I have an explanation on the entire acid reflux pain thing with some foods.