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

Great news.

Great update. Glad it went well and you're home. I felt like that too. Didn't sleep but also couldn't quite seem to wake up properly for ages.

Glad you are home safe & sound.

Sorry to hear your scan was cancelled @Stressedandpoorlydressed, I've been there with my consultant appointment, it's so frustrating.

That was it exactly @CleanQueen123 , i just zombied. I snapped out of it around 6.30pm. Still not needing any pain meds, just v v mild discomfort and bloating, but they gave me fentanyl around noon and that was a second dose, and the first was only a couple of hours before that, so i may still be experiencing that.

That's so dispiriting @Stressedandpoorlydressed, has it been rebooked?

It can be hard to remember these things, when's your next appt @HeyBwoss ?

And there are others dipping in here too, where's everyone at in the process?

I have a scan on Monday (28th) which was actually a referral from my very first GP appointment. Imagine if I hadn't gone for a private scan, I still wouldn't know I had stones and would be no where near a consultant appointment! I've decided to keep the NHS scan incase my consultant doesn't accept my private one/wants a more up to date one. Also to check there are no other issues hopefully.

I then have a appointment with a consultant on the 7th September. They could do the pre op on the same day, if the consultant decides I need surgery (he better!) So hopefully it wouldn't be too long a wait for surgery after that.

Glad you are feeling ok as you can be

That sounds really smart going to the nhs scan too, and only two weeks away from the consultation is fab. It sounds like your in a better served area then mine. My wait was going to be a year after the consultation, and I'd already suffered for 7 months by the time i got the diagnosis. I was considered lucky that the surgeon who saw me in the SAU was apparently one of the ones who didn't require an additional actual consultation appointment or it would have been longer still. It will be so exciting if they can do your pre op!

Out of curiosity i just flipped back to the beginning of the thread and read your first post. We have similar time lines re pain and wondering what it was and then the episode frequency stepping up!

So i did take a codeine at some point in the night but i deliberated for a while whether i really needed it. Ididn't, I wasn't suffering by any struck off the imagination, just felt a little more stiff. The discomfort i feel so far is just a 1 or 2 compared to an attack or flare up.

I haven't slept well but was able to lay on my left side.

And the food i ate yesterday was fine, though i may have the opposite of a loose tummy at the moment because of the painkillers tuesday and then Wednesday, I haven't really passed much, even with 3 doses of the anti constipation stuff.

@dudsville you sound like you're doing well. Good news. Have you tried food you would usually avoid or are you sticking to the normal stuff at the moment?

I have! Yesterday i ate a plain butter croissant, plain is usual for me. I love croissants, used to buy 6 on my way in to work, share 1 or 2 and then plough through the rest! I also ate a small cereal bowl of a cheese based veg and pasta dish last that my dh made. Today i really didn't feel like eating for a long time, but just had an M&S pancake (7ish% overall fat but low sat fat) with the turkey bacon and AN EGG 🥳 and feel fine so far. But the thought of following it with another fatty meal later actual feels like a turn off right now.

My digestive system started kicking in after my last post, which I'm happy about.

I bet that was the nicest croissant and egg you've ever tasted!

It was! it's funny though, I'm not rushing to eat all the stuff, and reading labels i can see a lot of things are higher in over all fat, like that pancake but low in sat fat. Because of my heart i need to keep with the low fat diet so I'm finding this interesting.

I also had a croissant this morning. Almond, my favourite!

I'm back to eating normally with no ill effects so far 🤞

Dressings came off yesterday. Still bruised and a bit sore but I haven't needed to take any pain medication today.

Oh you're both making me so excited that one day I'll eat nice food again and a bit jealous

You will@HeyBwoss! The anesthesiologist used the topic of food when he put me out!

@CleanQueen123, i was told to take my dressings off today. How long ago was your surgery? I had a shower and have left it undressed, wearing a cotton tee-shirt.

7 days today. They told me to leave the dressings on for 7 days and then they'd start to peel off themselves.

As it was they came off in the shower yesterday. I've put a dressing back on the belly button one because that didn't quite look ready but the rest I've left off. They've still got the steri-strip on them but seem to be alright.

I took my dressings off after a week, but one still needed a dressing for a few days more. They are all healing nicely three weeks on. Some stitch came out of one of them but it's not caused me any bother I just snipped it off.

Hm, i checked my paperwork again. I shall keep an eye on them, though they did all look dry 😬

I had lentils and rice for dinner 😂

I'm anxious that you both kept your dressings on for a week, so I've put on a knee length substantial fabric nightdress as some form of damage limitation! Not helpful given that I've been having hot flushes the last several weeks. DH has been set up in the spare room so i can run the air con unit in our bedroom all night again.

This is silly but I'm feeling a little dull and sorry for myself today after the emotional high of getting the damned thing out only 2 days ago.

Can I ask @Lionoso and@CleanQueen123, and anyone else who's had this done 1) how long did it take for the post op bloat to go down? 2) How long did you feel tired? 3) How long did you feel tender? Google tells me my progress is normal, and I've not been in any pain but i just feel so dull, lethargic, walking stooped around my bloated belly.

@dudsville About 5 days after I started feeling more like myself. It helped that that's when my bowels started moving again. I stopped taking strong painkillers around then too. Around 10 days I was eating a lot more normally.

I still have tiredness and some tenderness but I have other chronic issues including gastritis and IBS so I'm probably not typical.

You are very early doors still. Rest up and take it easy, you will get there.

I have to say, I didn't bloat as much as I thought I would. I did get prescribed cenlax tablets for the first 7 days which seemed to combat the "binding" effect of the dihydracodeine.

I've stopped the painkillers now. Sticking with the Buscopan when needed.

It took a good 4 or 5 days to stop feeling really tired.

Still feeling tender and itchy but not needing painkillers regularly.

It is early doors. Enjoy the rest. I know I'm certainly making the most of being signed off for two weeks.

Thank you@Lionoso , i know i shouldn't be mopey. This whole thing is the worst thing I've experienced physically, thankfully, so i have no perspective!

Thanks@CleanQueen123, that's helpful too. I actually thought I'd feel worse, but i can see I'm having an easier time of it by the sounds of things. I just don't have a reference point and this isn't what i thought it would be like. It's silly. I appreciate you both sharing what is been like for you.