What do gallstones feel like

I found that anything could set it off, even an apple a couple of times.

When I had my attacks the buscopan injections worked amazingly quickly and coupled with warm milk to drink it made me feel quite full when I was scared to eat.

Yes I know exactly what you mean about eating the same things. I don't have a gallbladder any more but passed a stone last night omg. It's true the pain is cataclysmic, I was on morphine but it didn't touch the sides.

Thanks for your response @Caerulea I was wondering because my ibs has pretty awful the last few months, I wasn't sure whether it was the ibs or gb or a mix of the two. Sounds from @Kalei87 it's possibly a mix of the two.

@PrincessofWells both, I think, ibs bought on by stress (had a terrible start to 2024 & it didn't get better) & then some part of that was gb & then it was all gallbladder. Mucus in the stools is a giveaway for ibs. Yellow stools that can sometimes STINK for the gb being a tosser.

I was previously 'diagnosed' with ibs in my teens

Did you have IBS or was it actually the gallbladder?

When my issues started before the actual attacks, I tried to keeping a food diary but it made no sense at all for the things they were investigating (IBD, colon problems etc). There was no obvious pattern at all, not even now tbh. Can't do too much milk (half a tsp in my tea is all I have) or young cheeses but fine with mature cheddar & blue cheese etc. Also fine with any type of authentic Greek yoghurt so something going on with higher lactose.

No eggs. An oat biscuit tried to kill me as did some cherry molasses. Half an avocado led to an ambulance visit. Pork is an absolute no, but proper fries (in soya oil) & butter are fine.

Have you tried peppermint tea today to help with the stuck burp feeling?

Ooo one thing that really helped (I was running gastritis, IBS & undiagnosed gallstones at one point) was Moju gut health drinks, the pink one. It didn't upset me at all & seemed to do more for the gastritis pain then the omeprazole if I did it daily for a few weeks.

Gallstone pain for me was an awful pain right by the middle of my bra which seemed to go through and hurt in my back and right shoulder blade - gallstone pain is horrible

Yes, that sounds like gallstones. A pain that gets progressively worse, and then clears after 2-6 hours, when the stone has passed.

Your doctor clearly didn't think your clinical need was that high otherwise you would have been prioritised. Had it been life-threatening you would have been dealt with earlier.

Then why did the surgeon apologise for the delay and tell me it had caused unnecessary complications? I got overlooked in the system is the reason.

I’m not engaging with you any more, you’re not posting in good faith.

"what has anyone found is the wrong thing to eat? are there any common triggers?"

When it first began I kept a food diary - turned out to be linked to dairy, too much spicy food and (bizarrely) eggs. I don't think it was necessarily linked to the meal I had directly before the pain but I think my overall diet.
I let that slip over the last week with some postponed NY catch ups, threw caution to the wind and paid the price this weekend.

Fat is the culprit.

Your doctor clearly didn't think your clinical need was that high otherwise you would have been prioritised. Had it been life-threatening you would have been dealt with earlier. Perhaps the real issue is the lack of resources to enable immediate relief from health issues rather than keeping them waiting.

Lots of people have gallstones that cause them no issues at all through their lives. And it isn't the 'massive' as you put it, gallstones that create the issues, it's the smaller ones that get into the biliary duct and become trapped. I shan't continue arguing with you. Most people aren't stupid and foolhardy enough to exaggerate their symptoms that could effect the quality of their outcome. It is an incredibly stupid thing to do.

I had a stitch on right rib for months as well as being very gassy and also right back ache, made worse when I ate the wrong thing. I have a hiatus hernia and blamed it on that for ages. Then I had an ultrasound which showed two large gallstones - 25 and 27mm. So niggly pain rather than agony and now waiting for referral to consultant. I believe the agonising pain is caused when the gallstone blocks the bile duct. Hoping I can get mine out before that happens.

I hope it goes well for you. You’re far better prepared than I was and that’s helpful.

Had you bothered to read my post you’d have seen my clinical need, based on the ultrasound, was acute. I had two massive stones (I’ve posted a picture upthread) which were in danger of making my gallbladder burst. It was on the cusp of needing open surgery and the removal was so difficult I needed a blood transfusion due to internal bleeding. The surgeon apologised for the delay, which caused unnecessary complications. So maybe stop picking on me and accusing me of jumping the queue and spouting ignorant, judgemental nonsense.

I didn’t want to frighten you @Kalei87 but that’s why I - and a couple of other posters - have given you the advice we have.

Don't be disingenuous 'What’s wrong with exaggerating the symptoms to hurry it up?'

That is jumping some of the queue of people whose clinical need is greater than yours. Such clinical need is based on symptoms and test results.

Mine came on suddenly last month excruciating pain - worse than child birth i was lying on the kitchen floor vomiting into my mixing bowl as i was too ill to find a basin. I thought I was dying. A large stone tge size of a quails egg was blocking my bile duct so my liver function was impacted. Admitted, given morphine and antibiotics and had key hole surgery to remove stone and gall bladder the week before Christmas - released next day. Quick recovery. Entire abdomen painful to the touch but especially the top left

Derriford do what?! That's not been mentioned to me once & I was actively told not to go A&E (treliske obvs). As it is gp surgery messed up my referral so badly (nhs initially rejected u the referral cos the surgery did abs none of the things they were asked to do by the surgical team, then took another month after the rejection for the surgery to even contact me to book me in for tests I'd already had!) I've been referred to the Duchy hospital & so should be done within 8 months now which will be 14mnths or so after initial referral.

The difference in treatment depending on the gp surgery & your location absolutely disgusts & depresses me :(

If it's any help to you Derriford run gall bladder surgeries at the weekends. So if that's an option for you rather than Treliske it might be worth talking to your consultant or GP about the 'right to choose' thing.

But I do think to get on the list for urgent surgery you need to present at A&E. Mine was about 9 days after I went in in agony, had it out on a Saturday in Novemeber. I was very surprised with how quickly they dealt with it.