Single Very Large Gallstone, gallbladder otherwise good?
I have a solitary, nearly 3cm stone. Gallbladder otherwise looks healthy, no sludge, no irritation. Anyone else experienced this? I have occasional (maybe once a month) gallbladder attacks, have had them for about a decade (since my last pregnancy) - they last about a half hour, and feel very much like labor pains. I think it's when the gallstone rolls and blocks the duct. But when I have imaging done, the gallbladder looks pretty good, and my blood work looks good (other then high cholesterol, but regular triglycerides). After I had two attacks this past week, I was referred for surgery. but I'm not sure it's the right thing to do, considering my gallbladder is healthy. Especially since I already have a lot of gastro issues that I'm pretty sure have nothing to do with my gallbladder (I've had the issues since early childhood - food intolerances and related IBS). So I'm terrified of making things worse. Honestly I would rather deal with the occasional attacks than constant diarrhea and cramps.
Anyone have lithotripsy to have a large gallstone successfully removed? Or used drugs to dissolve it? I'm having a really hard time finding any doctors in my area who will do anything other than remove the entire gallbladder.