Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Gallbladder attack with no gallbladder

40 replies

Ahardmanisgoodtofind · 29/12/2018 22:17

I had my gallbladder out 6months ago. I'd been having gallbladder attacks quite frequently (didn't know what they were at the time though) had one that just didn't stop so had my gallbladder out after being sent to a&e by gp. Haven't had one since, until last night after work. It was horrendous, nothing eased it and it lasted around 5hours or so. I can feel another one coming on now. Has anyone experienced this? Any ideas what this pain is if it's not my gallbladder? I'll be going to the go next Wednesday when it re-opens but I'm hoping someone has some advice in the meantime

OP posts:
WWYDhelpplease · 29/12/2018 22:28

Me! I am waiting on an mri to see if a stone has been left behind. It can be quite common according to the surgeon I saw last week. I am now back to a full set of pain relief, buscopan etc wherever I go.

It’s awful. I really sympathise.

squee123 · 29/12/2018 22:35

This happened to my friend. Turned out that scar tissue had formed where it had been removed. They had to do a follow up op to sort it out and if I remember right they injected steroids in to it. That mostly sorted it but she still had a few. It eventually turned out that they were triggered by taking codeine for headaches. Doctor said that wouldn't cause it but she has since come across a few other people that have found the same thing.

PenelopeFlintstone · 29/12/2018 22:37

When this happened to me I read that it is the sphincter of Oddi - it's left behind after the gall bladder removal.
When you say nothing eased it, what did you take?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health
MissMarplesKnitting · 29/12/2018 22:39

You may have a stone stuck in the bile duct.

Hope it's sorted soon

CantChoose · 29/12/2018 22:41

Yes you can have a stone or 'sludge' in the duct. Not that uncommon unfortunately.

hmmwhatatodo · 29/12/2018 22:46

Yes it happened to me about a year after I had my gallbladder out. Very scary at the time. It happened again a few years ago and I even went to have a private ultrasound done to see what the issues were (gp had been disinterested) but no stones could be seen though she did say they could be hiding or that it was something entirely different. Strangely last week I’d been having issues with my stomach and then all of a sudden I got that colic pain under my ribs and had to walk it off, the scary part is the not knowing if the pain is going to get worse or not. It’s horrible it I’ve resigned myself to it now. Hope you get a better idea of what’s going on.

Original poster
Ahardmanisgoodtofind · 29/12/2018 23:06

Thank god I'm not the only one (sorry for everyone's pain) I was beginning to think I was going insane. I took some of the codine I had left over after the original operation.
I can feel the start of another attack forming, I'm terrified that I'm going to wake up in that agony again, but absolutely knackered and want to sleep.

OP posts:
Meesh77 · 29/12/2018 23:43

I have also experienced this after taking codeine. I talked to the surgeon about it (three attacks after gallbladder removed). He said it couldn’t possibly be linked to codeine, he’d never heard of that.

When I googled it, there were so many people online who had had the same experience. I haven’t touched codeine since and no further attacks in 7 years.

DH says I should try it again to see what happens. There’s no way on gods earth!

AnnaMagnani · 29/12/2018 23:49

It could be:

Still making stones

Scar tissue

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. This is what Meesh77 is describing after taking codeine (have it too) - the sphincter at the bottom of the bile duct contracts in response to codeine and gives you the same pain as you had with the gallstones. It's a known complication. You need to avoid codeine and may have the same issue with morphine (other strong painkillers are available should you ever need them that won't have the same effect).

Athena51 · 29/12/2018 23:49

I have had a violent reaction to codeine, co-codamal or similar since I had my gall bladder out over 20 years ago. It feels just like an attack. Absolutely horrible.

Athena51 · 29/12/2018 23:51

I can take paracetamol or ibuprofen but that's about it.

Einszwei · 29/12/2018 23:53

I also can no longer take codeine after gallbladder removal. I would definitely go to Dr's though to rule out gallstones in the bilary tract.

Meesh77 · 29/12/2018 23:57

It’s amazing that so many of us know we can’t take codeine and yet apparently it’s not ‘a thing’ to the medical profession!

I think in some ways the attacks o had after taking codeine were worse that the real ones.

keepondreaming · 30/12/2018 00:09

Just to add, I had my gallbladder out about a year ago. No problems since.
Had awful awful backache last month, took some co-codomal and lo and behold, had a full on "gallbladder" attack in the night. Horrible. This confirms to me it was the codeine!

hmmwhatatodo · 30/12/2018 00:13

I refuse anything with codeine in. Hate the stuff. Made me feel totally spaced out.

maras2 · 30/12/2018 01:26

Cholangitis or inflammation of the Biliary Tract can occur if there's a stone left after cholecystectomy.
If you have a fever as well as pain you need treatment.
Go to GP if possible if not then A and E.
Hope you feel better soon.Flowers

PenelopeFlintstone · 30/12/2018 02:10

No, to codeine, but yes to Buscopan. I worked for a GP and he was so angry at the a&es that prescribed codeine and morphine for gall pain. He gave me intravenous Buscopan which was a very quick fix but you can buy it over the counter. Go and get some now. You will be so happy. Just get the normal strength and take one as soon as you get a twinge. You can take another after an hour if it hasn't gone away.
This was life-changing for me.

ChatNicknameAlreadyInUse · 30/12/2018 08:26

Another here who can't take codeine or morphine after having gallbladder removed years ago.

Meesh77 · 30/12/2018 08:28

Good shout re Buscopan. I’ll get some!

WWYDhelpplease · 30/12/2018 08:51

What medication do you take if Codiene and morphine are a no?

AnnaMagnani · 30/12/2018 09:25

There are various other opioid medications that don't cause the same degree of contraction in the sphincter of Oddi as codeine and morphine.

I do occasionally take codeine and risk it - the pain releif for me lasts longer than the gallbladder attacks but sometimes I have been screaming sso it's a high risk strategy. If ever I needed something as strong as morphine which thankfully I haven't so far, I'd ask for oxycodone.

But at the weaker end, I found a v old paper suggesting tramadol (which isn't actually weak) and buprenorphine may be OK. It's a case of trying and seeing if they trigger you.

WWYDhelpplease · 30/12/2018 09:33

I had tramadol when I had my gallbladder. When I was able to get it down it was always vomited back as that was my release from pain.

Now a year on and I am getting similar attacks again I have been given tramadol again but that’s just recent following my 4th attack on 11 December.

MrsSkeffington · 30/12/2018 09:37

Can I ask - sorry to hijack - are any of you constant constipated since having your gallbladder out?

Jenasaurus · 30/12/2018 09:44

omg, I stumbled on this thread while posting on another and it is such a relief to find it.

I had my gall bladder out 20 years ago. following on from that I broke my leg and needed surgery, I was in hell with the morphine and Codeine the same, the ended up giving me paracetamol until they discovered tramadol didn't trigger the pain. I just thought I was allergic now I realise its likely to be connected to the gall bladder removal.

Thank you so much for this thread.

WellThisIsShit · 30/12/2018 09:44

Hang on, is this is a specific interaction with opioids & the spincter of oddi that occurs only/ mainly after gallbladder removal?

If so, why the hell hasn’t anyone told me about this risk before, as all this is incredibly relevant to my medical circumstances and I need this information to make a decision on whether to have surgery or not!

Ffs.

Also I had no idea that surgery wasn’t a perfect cure all either. Humm.

I’m incredibly glad the nurses found me unfit for surgery earlier this year and refused to have me on their ward, and stood fast against the surgeons pressure.

Thank you very much nurses Flowers You may just have saved me from an op that would have been very risky for me anyway, and these unspoken side effects may have caused huge complications in managing my main illnesses.

And thank you mumsnetters for posting on this thread, and giving me this info to explore further...

OP I’m so sorry you’re in pain Flowers