About gall stones

Hi all!
Let me say this is a very informative group and I’ve been reading and
studying here for exactly one year, since my first and only gb attack.
After careful considerations of the pros and cons, I had the lap.
surgery on Wed morning. I am a Registered Pharmacist and would like
to think that I made an informed decision.
My “procedure” was done here in Long Island, at North Shore
University Hospital, which some say has one of the best reputations
for patient care, in this country.(There are published rankings on
this which you can check). The surgeon was the Chief of Lap Surgery
there, and has done such advanced lap surgery such as hysterictomies,
and overian malignent tumor removal, not to mention over 1000 GB,
since 2005, with 73% being ambulatory, same day release from the
hospital.(I will offer his info for private emailers)
I’ve had ZERO side effects after 2 days, except for some belly button

discomfort, and was walking around recovery within 2-3 hrs. I would
have been released then, if not for sleep apnea, which they decided
required an overnight stay to monitor,no problem..
I have had moderate to severe lower back pain for the better part of
10 years, as well as limited range of motion from turning my neck, to
bending down to touch the floor to even hygiene in the bathroom.
These problems were attributed to my standing at work, bad
mattress,falling asleep on the couch,being overweight,lack of
supplementation, and bad diet. Here’s the point:
As soon as I was aware, in the recovery room:
MY BACK PAIN WAS GONE, and I could turn and bend without seeing stars
anymore!!!!!
I had never had ANY surgery and was scared to death. That was one
reason I delayed. I mentioned the Hospital and Surgeon, not to brag,
but to let some people know, that trusting your selected “team” will
help you eliminate that factor, in making your own decision.
Now, I did try an herbal cocktail of Vitamin E/ Lecithin/ and Omega-3
Fish Oil that provided great relief of all symptoms for most of the
one year that I waited, and I only went to the surgical consult as a
way to complete my thought process, since I felt I would never
subject myself to surgery, and therefore the visit wouldn’t scare me,
or otherwise phase me at all. Follow me now, almost finished!!
The surgeon, after exam and sonogram report told me that if I had
only an isolated attack, and no symptoms, he agreed with the forum,
that “we just leave well enough alone, and don’t do surgery”.
Everyone has something in their body, and I got up to leave!!!
My case was a little different in that I appeared to have only 1
stone,of enormous measure of 2.8. He showed me documented medical
literature that said that anything over 1.8-2.0 would provide up to a
10x greater risk of developing cancerous changes, within 10-15years.
We were also convinced that flushes would not work on this size,
especially since the back pain was resurging. Again,you may dispute
this, but at that point I felt totally comfortable with my choice.
Moral of the story is: Make your own choice whether it be popular or
unpopular here, or with anyone else. It’s your body and you must live
with that choice. Don’t take the easy way out, and be swayed by
either side, and PLEASE, do your share of homework, which includes
listening to your body. The surgery was a success for me, if nothing
else, for the relief of the constant back pain and strain.
If the timing is such, that anyone reading would like to persue my
course of action, just write back and let me know. I’m so happy as I
write this, I would just be glad to offer someone else the
possibility from my perspective…..
Healthy Regards;
Len Spitale, R.Ph.