top of page
Search

A little hiccup in the maintenance journey



A little hiccup in the maintenance journey.
A little hiccup in the maintenance journey.

I learned this month that gallstones are common with rapid weight loss. It doesn't matter if you are on a GLP-1 like Mounjaro, Zepbound, Wegovy or Trulicity, etc. or if you have gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. Rapid weight loss, whether through dieting or weight loss surgery, can lead to increased cholesterol levels in the bile, which can contribute to gallstone formation. 


A year ago I had my annual PAP test and something looked suspicious, so I was sent for an ultrasound which led to a CT scan and all the bad stuff was ruled out - no worries - or so I thought. In the process they discovered I had gall stones. Since I had no symptoms (cramping, nausea, radiating pain, fever, chills,etc.) it was decided to check back in a year and monitor liver enzymes in my blood work.


Fast forward a year and I had everything but the fever and chills when I ate certain foods...anything greasy would send me straight to the bathroom. I thought it was my Zepbound and just continued to avoid those foods. Wrong. It was my gallbladder and the new bumper crop of gallstones bursting at the seams!


Thankfully, my gallbladder removal surgery was not under emergency circumstances. However, there were a few hiccups along the way. First I had to be off of the tirzepatide for a few weeks...which turned into 6 weeks...and I gained 20#. Ugh! As frustrating as that was, I was 100% confident returning to shots routine would correct the issue. It's winter and while pants were a bit tight, I had plenty of sweater dresses with the ultimate stretch to get me through.


Why 6 weeks? Wellllllll, there were complications. Understanding there were concerns from the get go, I stopped my shots when I met with my doc. A week later I had a CT scan, and a week after that I met with the surgeon for a consultation. Outpatient surgery was scheduled two weeks after that. After they removed the gallbladder laparoscopically, there were a few gallstones stuck that wouldn't budge in the bile duct. That whole area in your gut is a very tight knit spot intertwined with the liver, pancreas, bile duct and the duodenum (which is at the beginning of the small intestine). The pancreatic duct also got inflamed because of the gallstones passing by.


I was whisked by ambulance to a specialist in a neighboring town - not in any pain mind you - where the stone was removed and a stent was added to prop open the pancreatic duct. Liver enzymes afterwards did not cooperate, so I was stuck in the hospital an extra day. I was told the stent would prevent pancreatitis and should fall out on its own into the bile when swelling decreased now that stones were gone. If it did not, it would have to be removed surgically.


And, wouldn't you know it, I was that complicated patient whose stent decided to stay put. So....two weeks later, an x-ray revealed it was still right where they left it. Round 3 - another procedure to remove it. All is well now. This was an outpatient procedure so I was home the same day.


The maintenance journey continues. I'm back with my buddy Zepbound - and jumped onboard at 5mg since I've been off it so long. At this point, I'm two weeks post-op and am down 5 pounds. So, things are going back in the right direction. I'm thankful it's effective at this dose.



 
 
 

Recent Posts

See All
Losing Gains

Well, all that time off of Tirzepatide made it abundantly clear that I will need to stay on this medication long term. But you know what....

 
 
 

Comments


Serving Bloomington, IL • Nashville, TN • Sarasota, FL
  • Facebook Black Round
  • LinkedIn Black Round
  • Flickr Black Round
  • Twitter Black Round
google-icon black.png

© 2014 Kauth Design

bottom of page