It looks like that’s exactly what I’ll have soon–unmitigated gall. Yes, my gall bladder will soon be no more, and thus my “gall” (bile, rather) will no longer be regulated by the pear-shaped organ that was causing so much pain.

The pain began as mild cramps in a band around my stomach and back in the weeks following Silas’s delivery. I dismissed it as muscle fatigue. Then the cramps worsened with one to two attacks per week that were debilitating.

The pain jumped all over my torso–stomach, rib cage, right side, between my shoulder blades. It was intense, so intense that I began vomiting. Finally, after suffering for 10 hours last Sunday, Stephen drove me to the ER where I was treated quickly, to my delight. Almost immediately the nurse said it was probably my gall bladder. Apparently, gall bladder problems are often related to pregnancy due to the presence of extra hormones which don’t allow the gall bladder to release bile as it should. Thankfully, they gave me some medication to ease the pain. Then I had an ultrasound. It wasn’t nearly as much fun as my first ultrasound when we discovered we were having a baby!

The diagnosis came back that I have “sludge” in my gall bladder. No stones, just “sludge.” What a great medical term to learn! The sludge could potentially form stones or cause pancreatitis. I scheduled a consultation with a surgeon who confirmed that my gall bladder probably should be removed. It should be an outpatient laparoscopic surgery scheduled sometime soon. Thank you for your prayers!