Talk to me about Gallstone please!

[Inmyownlittlecorner]

I was diagnosed with gallstones (lots of little ones) about 9 years ago during an abdo scan for something else. With hindsight I realise that I’d had a couple of attack previous to the scan, just after the birth of DD1.
I’ve had a few attack since, very far apart & no other signs that I know of. In the last 4 months I’ve had about 8, one of them involving an ambulance & a trip to A&E. They feel like someone is tightening a belt round my abdomen & upper back & I struggle to get my breath. It’s agonising. I’ve got a Consultant app on the 28th, but I’m living in fear of more attacks. I’ve see my GP & he’s given me tramadol, ranitidine & Peptac & said if my temp goes above 37.5 when I have an attack to go to a&e because it’s likely to have become infected.
I’m trying to eat as low fat as possible, I have lots of acid reflux burning pains, mainly in my back & feel like I’ve got trapped wind almost permanently. Does anyone have any tips to cope or can give me any positive stories of surgery etc. I’m utterly miserable.

So sorry you're going through this it is awful. I found that making a really pedantic food diary really helped as I was able to pinpoint triggers which reduced the number of attacks I was getting pending my operation.

When it was really really bad for me I used to get an excruciating pain in my chest and in my back - for me the only thing I could do was get into the shower (electric power shower) and try to target the really bad points with the water /heat - a bit like a vigorous water bottle if that makes sense (sorry only way I can think of describing it).

I also used to try sleeping with earphones in, playing music I could sleep to as I've always found that helps send me to sleep. In this instance it helped to distract my mind from the pain.

Really hope you get your op soon.

Update.
My GP rang to say that yesterday’s bloods came back & my liver is become more elevated than 2 weeks ago. He said if the pain gets bad, if I start to vomit, if I have localised pain in my gallbladder area or a temperature to go to A&E. I’m not in pain, just uncomfortable & bloated & feel nauseous. My temp is 37, but it’s normally 36.4 & I do have a dull ache in the gallbladder area that occasionally turns stabby. I’m going to give it a few hours & then re-evaluate. My health anxiety (which started after a particularly bad gallbladder attack 3 years ago), my Mums sudden death from bronchopneumonia 2 months ago & the fact my Grandmother died from gallbladder surgery are not helping in keeping me calm.
Thanks again for all of the advice & well wishes.

Did they discuss next steps like the op to get it removed? Have they put you on a waiting list?

To put your mind slightly at ease the gallbladder surgery back in your grandmothers days was barbaric, the literally cut you wide open from hip to ribs to access the gallbladder. I know because I worked with a lady who loved showing me her scar at every given opportunity when she found out I was having mine removed These days it's keyhole with 4 tiny incisions, one in your bellybutton, one just below your sternum and 2 others in your belly. Gallstones must have a hereditary link as my grandmother and my mother both had theirs removed but weirdly my mother had hers out 10 years after me!

You sound like you've had a lot on your plate recently

I was never in pain with mine, apart from the odd attack that was always shortlived but increasingly severe. I begged to die the pain was so great.
Had it out, told quick operation back in ward in an hour; three hours later I got back to the ward. They knew there were gallstones due to scans, but not the huge infection.
It had grown into my liver, and had to be cut away from it. It was. in the end, making me go to the toilet when I wasn't in a toilet!!

Was told I should have been constantly rolling around in agony.

Now it has gone I have an absence of the pain I never knew I was having, I feel SO, SO, SO much better. Told to avoid alcohol so my liver can recover. I can eat anything, although my avoidance of fat has given me a better diet. I've lost 1.5 stone and feel fantastic.

OP do find out the cost if you go private, if NHS are pissing you around, my DP said they would happily have paid far more than it cost to avoid the stress of seeing me in pain.

My quality of life is now so much better. I had pizza for the first time in years on Friday. I feel like the woman on that old Bodyform advert, I'll be rollerskating around in a minute.

I have very recent experience of this - mine was removed on Wednesday.

Mine first acted up when I was pregnant ; around 24 weeks I woke up with agonising stomach pain. Worst pain I'd felt. Waited an hour or two but it went nowhere so we eventually phoned NHS who (because I was pregnant) called an ambulance. Taken in to maternity, baby fine, scan done - no gallstones found, apparently. Sent home.

Nothing happened until 4 weeks post birth, I get another, worse, longer attack. I was fairly sure it was my gallbladder (thanks to Dr Google) and ended up waiting until the following morning to see my GP - old school doc who immediately recognised what it was, did some blood tests as he suspected I had a stone stuck in my bile duct. Called back next day to say liver results were off, redid tests following day. Same again - told to present at hospital for urgent ultrasound. That ended up being a wasted day, but the following day I was called in and had ultrasound and MRI which both confirmed that I had a crapload of gallstones (i.e. no fucking way was that earlier scan clear) and I was put on the waiting list but told it would be bumped up if the pain was becoming unmanageable.

Two days later, another attack. After it had gone on for 5 hours with tramadol making no dent, we eventually want to A&E. I was sobbing with the pain, truly awful - the A&E receptionist took one look and put me straight to triage and I was on the surgical assessment ward within 20 minutes of arriving, I must have looked horrific! Given oramorph, then soon after IV morph. By that point the attack had gone on for 6 hours and I pretty much passed out as soon as the drugs hit.

Consultant came round (this was the Sunday morning) and said as the pain was unmanageable he was bumping me up to semi-emergency surgery to be done Wednesday. Sent home with bottle of morphine. Had another attack on the Monday night which passed just as we approached the hospital.

So my experience is definitely that once it starts acting up, it gets worse and more frequent - I went from a 5 month gap, to 6 days, to 2 days. Mine wasn't triggered by any particular foods as far as I could tell either. My liver was struggling too - I had the massively discoloured urine that they tell you to watch for, in additional to bad blood tests.

Had surgery on Wednesday and it was done as day case - managed to get home Wednesday night. The surgery was honestly fine, I was sore for a couple of days but I've not had any painkillers for the last day or two and I'm up and about. I'm breastfeeding and apart from it being occasionally sore for the first day or two even that's been fine. It was done as keyhole surgery, so I have 4 roughly 1" long wounds rather than anything bigger.

I had another attack a couple of days after surgery which I think was most likely an escaped stone (I believe this can happen) but nothing since so I'm hoping it's gone now.

Thanks everyone. I went to the urgent care as my temp went up & although the pain wasn’t horrendous it was constant for nearly 24 hours. My liver was even higher & I was given penicillin & had to go back to ambulatory care for the next couple of days to get bloods done. They did an MRI of my gallbladder to check nothing was in the bile duct, there wasn’t so they think I passed it.
I’m currently on a liver shrinkage diet (my BMI is 34) & I’m booked into have it out next Tuesday. I’ve had no pain since last week but relieved to nearly be rid of it. I’m obviously bricking it as I’ve never had an operation before, but really looking forward to a milky coffee & a glass of wine!

I had my gallbladder removed in 2012 after several bouts of cholycysitis ( sorry wrong spelling) I had 3 kids with no pain relief but I couldn’t have got through this without pain relief. After op I have to be a bit careful with spicy food but other than that it’s been fine.