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Discussion

Vicodin or Surgery??

My best friend is about 6.5 months pregnant. She just got news that she has gallstones and an infection, and her gallbladder needs to be removed. She has been takin vicodin 1 pill 5/500mg everynight for about a week to help her sleep. Which is safer? Having the gallbladder removed while she is pregnant or taken 1 vicodin a day and waiting until after the baby is born. She does not want her baby to have defects or become addicted and she does not want the surgery while she is pregnant. Kinda between a rock and a hard place. Any advice??

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What did the Dr. recommend? For me I would chose the surgery.

renerian]

Tough spot to be in...but Vicodan for another 3 months? That does not even seem like an option at all! In depth consult with her OB and her surgeon...stat!

I would never imagine any doc suggesting or recomending Vicoden for sleep purposes while pregnant.

Actually..I would never hear of any doc recommending it for sleep purposes when NOT pregnant.

If she really needs an operation and is afraid of repercussions on the fetus because of surgery...tell her to think about what she may be doing to the fetus by taking all those drugs...for the rest of her pregnancy.

Tell her...like the others said...to get to her doc FAST ! Like NOW !!!!

In the mean time....tell her to try warm milk..or tylenol.....

I know the first 3 months and last 3 months are critical........get thee to the ob stat ! (not saying the middle isn't important now)

Z

Not only does the Vicodin sound dangerous, there's also the risk of the gallbladder rupturing, depending on the infection and the stones (a stone can poke a hole in it as well.)

Sounds like she needs to consult another doctor if this one is saying Vicodin is fine.

I would trust my OBGYN's advise on this one, but 1 vicodin a day is seemingly better than surgery at this point, and if the situation is a true rock and a hard place situation, I can see the docs opting to deliver early, possibly 35 weeks. and warm milk can aggravate the issue...tylenol pm is also a doable thing.

A nurse I used to work with had to have her gallbladder taken out while she was pregnant. She couldn't keep anything down, which was worse than the surgery. Her OB was present in the OR during surgery, and both she and baby did fine both during and after. She definitely needs to talk to both the OB and the surgeon, and both those docs need to talk to each other to figure out the best action plan.

I would trust my OBGYN's advise on this one, but 1 vicodin a day is seemingly better than surgery at this point, and if the situation is a true rock and a hard place situation, I can see the docs opting to deliver early, possibly 35 weeks. and warm milk can aggravate the issue...tylenol pm is also a doable thing.

How is warm milk bad? Curious. Always learning I am . :)

Z

What's worse, a vicodin a day or general anesthesia and other risks?

Also depends on how severe the symptoms are. Unfortunately now is not the time for her to diet, but can adjust her intake of fatty foods.

Lot's of people live with gallstones for long periods of time. The troublesome note here is the infection. Is she on antibiodics? Is it her gallbladder that's infected? That's not good.

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Have to definitely agree with Marie on this one. For those of you that have not had the personal experience of seeing a ruptured gallbladder, it is not a pretty site. And the patient actually becomes much sicker once the peritionitis kicks in. Three months of vicodin in a pregnant female is way too much. If she is already taking one every night, the pain is more than likely going to increase, and more Vicodin will be required.

With that much narcotic over an extended period of time, then you run into trouble with the infant. You are going to have a neonate going thru withdrawl and that is not a pretty picture either.

Interesting question, who was the one that prescribed the Vicodin in the first place?

How is warm milk bad? Curious. Always learning I am . :)

Z

Fatty foods like milk cause the bile duct to constrict, which in turn causes pain.

  • Experts

And there is already an infection there? Just a set up for anything else to happen.

And there is already an infection there? Just a set up for anything else to happen.

That to me is the worrisome part of the equation. Where is the infection.

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