My husband tried a flush years ago. We’re not even sure if he had gallstones, but I will say that the treatment left him weak for a few days afterwards. He has a very strong constitution, but he was really laid flat by the process.
Even if you do the flush there is no guarantee that you will not have recurrence of the gallstones. There are obviously risks with surgery, the biggest probably being a stone getting stuck in the duct as they remove the gallbladder. There are options for surgery now like laparoscopic, which is not as involved as the open procedure and I would imagine has a shorter recovery.
I had a very similar experience as you and, after having the diagnosis made after blood tests following an attack that showed my elevated enzymes, the doctor sent me for an ultrasound, which showed the stones, and then I realized that I had actually been having lots of small attacks for a long time, especially on Sundays. For some reason they stopped – I wasn’t necessarily particular about a low-fat diet or anything like that.
I do remember that there are increased problems when a diabetic has gallbladder problems. My father’s became gangrenous and they had to do emergency surgery to take it out.
What are your hesitations about surgery or the other procedure you mentioned? I would say that having something done is more advisable when you’re NOT having an attack and it’s not an emergency.
Refuah Shleimah!