Gallbladder attacks advice

[HeyBwoss]

Been having episodes of pain since January but have now had 2 in the past 2 weeks. I thought it was trapped wind (actually the first one I thought was a heart attack, at first) but have seen it may be gallstones. All my pain matches everything I have read. Except for labour, it's the worst pain I've ever had.

Anyway, I'm hoping to see the GP tomorrow, but in the meantime I'm terrified to eat incase something triggers it. Does anyone have any advice on how to manage or anything that stops the attacks? Thanks in advance

I can absolutely feel mine and I'll be damned if it's psychological.

@Lionoso how are you gauging that? I've been sticking to things that say 3g per 100g, and making sure that the content of those things doesn't include, eggs, butter, coconut, etc , and i am having small portions as I'm bloated and mostly never hungry, evidenced by the amazing weight loss of the last 3 weeks, but i would like to hear any tips.

🤣 totally agree@CleanQueen123, it was such a bizarre comment. I told her what i was feeling during the time that is not painful because i wanted to know what that meant, and she gestured to her mind and said "it's here", i gestured to my gb and said "no, it's here", but she dismissed it as psychological at that point. That was annoying but i was tired, the thing that bothered me most was my dh then held in to that idea for a bit. I think he's shaken free of that now. I can see the "psychological" component to the fear of eating, but that's also based on experience, it's not unrealistic. I'm excited about Monday and being able to get some control over this.

This mostly happens to women of a certain age and I'm getting angry. I have so much sympathy for an underfunded NHS, but it's appalling the amount of suffering. I'm sure the staff don't think it's acceptable either, but I'm feeling angry tonight. I'm taking funds out of my retirement to pay for this. I'm trying to see it as helping one other anonymous lady to get that bit further up the queue, but i do feel let down.

With diffulty and a lot of sighing in the food aisles at Tesco!

It's tricky. I read fat contents of everything. At home I only cook chicken breast or turkey, use fat free yoghurt, skimmed milk etc. A couple of months ago I was able to eat egg occasionally, lean mince, now I can't even eat that.

I still get it wrong too. I didn't bother reading the fat in a packet of snack a jack's as I thought the fat would be negligible. Turns out they have sunflower oil in them, still pretty low but I had eaten er... let's say a few before I noticed. I'm hoping I don't pay for it later.

I get some odd looks in the supermarket when I pick up item after item, peer at them for a minute and put them back grumpily. I swear I spent about 20 minutes in the yoghurt aisle today. It's very frustrating, and it's not helped by the nutritional information being so tiny on a lot of packaging.

That made me laugh! I need reading glasses, or bifocals as i wear glasses generally. So i peer at an item, pick it up, glasses off, scrutinise the fat content, then what the ingredients are, then replace my glasses, peer at the next...! Today is not unusual. I had applesauce on 1 small wholemeal toast for breakfast, again at about 11, at about 3 i had an oven dry baked chicken breast with rice and sour sauce, the total of which filled a small cereal bowl, a banana for dinner. My stomach bloat would suggest I feasted! Tomorrow I'm going to brave this very low fat turkey "bacon" on toast as I'm desperate so to find a savoury breakfast.

I'm going the same thing when I'm food shopping. Picking something up, muttering under my breath, putting it back and moving on to the next thing.

I've found I'm eating the bare minimum. I had a slice of toast for breakfast and a wafer thin chicken wrap at about 3pm. No dinner.

They weighed me on Friday and I've lost another two lbs since last week. I think I'll be down nearly a stone by the time I get to my op next week.

I'm trying this very low fat turkey rasher. It's a nice flavour. However I grilled it without any added oil and it's a little tough - need to perfect my cooking style. It makes a good sandwhich with mustard or low fat dressing. This would be nice with chicken in a low fat rissotto.

Oh that sounds good, what brand is it? I cooked bacon and eggs for my family today, while I had bran flakes with skimmed milk. :(

Your been flakes are low fat? None of our cereals are, i wouldn't mind a bowl! The rasher brand is Oakpark.

I've had a new pain all day, not bad at all, not requiring pain meds. It's just like a poke that could take my breath away but is gone a second later. Mostly just very disconcerting, it's kept me feeling low all day wondering if it would become worse. This is such an awful thing.

On the up side was the food. I had a piece of toast with applesauce on it, then a piece of toast with the rashers. My main meal was a soup with wheat "egg" noodles (no egg in it, just wheat), with broccoli, carrot, mushrooms and chicken. For the base i used miso and soy sauce. It wasn't overly tasty but it was nice addition to my menu. Dinner was porridge.

How's everyone else doing? Any other new food ideas?

As soon as we got home from hospital when I had my op, my dp went to the chippy & fetched me the biggest portion of fish, chips, scraps & curry sauce, I wolfed the lot down, it didn't touch the sides. After 3 months of living on fresh air, it was lovely to eat a proper meal. I had been living on fat free cottage cheese, toast, jelly & bananas.

Did you not find you had to reintroduce normal food slowly @Nat6999 ?

Everything I've been reading advises sticking with the limited diet for about a month before starting to introduce healthy fats e.g. nuts, oily fish etc.

And excuse the personal question, but have you found it hard to maintain a healthy weight post surgery? Longer term effects of not having a gallbladder seem to be weight gain because your body can no longer digest fat as well.

Yes 0.8 grams per 30g serving. Where are you that bran flakes have a lot of fat in them?
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/all-cereals/sainsburys-wholegrain-bran-flakes-750g-8005604-p-44
I'm fine with most wholegrain cereals like bran flakes, Weetabix. Can't have granola any more, and porridge only if I make it with water, which is very bland.

Hm, England, and also a sainsbury brand, although mine is in a different coloured box i think. I shall look again when i get home!

Sorry to hear you had another bad attack @dudsville. How are you feeling now? And how is everyone else?

I've had awful back ache and bloating again but otherwise feel ok.

@Lionoso , my mistake, mine is fruit and fiber, comes in at 6% per 100g.

The bloating is awful, I keep having to change clothes into something looser, just changed ut of elasticated waited trousers into a wide loose dress. When's your consultation appt @HeyBwoss ? I think you may have the longest wait here on this lovely supportive thread you created, and I'm sorry about that.

I had the ultrasound scan and more bloods today on the NHS. There are stones but no blockages, and my blood work is near enough to normal to not concern them. The gb lining is thick, and it was contracted, but they aren't concerned, and anyway they're obviously overwhelmed. I came home and rang the private clinic. They got me booked in for the initial consultation ths saturday, and they currently have about a 5 week wait for the surgery. Lots of places have 0% financing if that makes it at all more feasible for you @HeyBwoss, but it's still pretty expensive.

I don't even know where to start looking to go private to be honest. And I feel so guilty for spending 1000's on myself when we need so much as a family (house renovations etc).

I managed to change my appointment to 7th sept, feels like such a long time away and I won't be surprised if it's cancelled again. Obviously that is for the initial appointment so who knows what the wait for surgery will be. You'll all have moved on by then! Hopefully, anyway. Glad you have an appointment soon.

@HeyBwoss, this is a weird problem to have. Those who haven't suffered it don't know how agonising it is physically and the toll it takes emotionally. When we're not physially showing signs of extreme pain we can be misunderstood for being fine. It's in your family's best interest for you all to be well, including you. You could do an initial google to see what prices are like in your area and who's offering 0% financing. Also if you can travel for it then it instantly becomes a lot cheaper. I just have come out of another weekend of feeling so low and sorry for myself, and the moment I had some control over the matter my mood soared.

@HeyBwoss I looked on the website of my local private hospital, gall bladder removal was listed under general surgery. The website gave the total cost and monthly cost. There were also bios of the four drs, all work within the NHS and two of them in my local trust. I have decided against it at the moment because I’m due to have the op by October.

@Trollfeet thank you, I'll take a look.

@dudsville I feel exactly the same, so low. I've just come home from a birthday dinner for my DM. She told me to choose somewhere so there was something for me to eat, so we went to the harvester (not the best place but we went with 5 kids and it has unlimited salad). I chose the "simply chicken" which is a chicken breast, jacket potato and veg as the website said the whole meal was 3g of fat. But the kitchen destroyed the last jacket potato they had, to the point the waitress argued with them and refused to serve it, and the chicken was coated in oil to be grilled. I'm embarrassed to admit I got teary in a restaurant!

@HeyBwoss ,i think we've all had this teary moments, you need a cuddle, we all do, this is sorely misunderstood. I have been able to avoid eating out, but it's soul destroying, it's how I socialise with my main friends. Walking with them has been a post pandemic back up, but I am so bloated i haven't been up for that. I've also read that this zaps energy generally, and i just feel so constantly preoccupied with my gb, So i haven't seen friends since my main attack and diagnosis. You have my complete sympathy. Although I'm on a high emotionally since deciding to go private i still have no energy for socialising.

Oh @HeyBwoss 😔

I'm out with friends this evening going to a local Thai place which would usually be like heaven for me.

Looking at the menu they seem to do salad, stir fry and a fish dish that's cooked in lime stock and comes with rice so I'm hoping there's going to be something I can eat that won't trigger an attack.

The hospital have called and cancelled my surgery! Due to the junior doctors strikes. They've rearranged for the 28th. So another 2 weeks of anxiety and rice cakes 🤬

Nooo @CleanQueen123 I was worried about the strikes affecting treatment! I'm so sorry, what a nightmare for you.

I just wanted to say thank you to you all, this has been the most popular thread I've ever started which is both sad as it's about pain but also a bit lovely to have so much support from you all

Poor you. It’s an awful pain. I had monthly attacks and my GP kept telling me to do yoga. She thought it was stress induced.

I was really poorly in the end and had gallstones blocking my bile duct. 3 weeks in hospital with pancreatitis after they removed the gallstones via my throat. It felt like knives stabbing me in the gut. Then I could have my gallbladder removed.

Hope you get medical help soon!!

You've founded a nice little community here @HeyBwoss !

How frustrating @CleanQueen123 . Two weeks feels like ages with this.

I just came across a little guide for low fat i had screen shotted weeks ago and since forgotten about. It said alongside the fat content generally below 3%, that sat fat should be below 1.5, sugar below 5g and salt below 0.3.... i can't fermenter where i find this, but if it's true then it changes things drastically, my tomato pasta sauce and 0%fat yogurt are out. Anyone else come across this? I wish so much that this diagnosis came with a dietician appt.