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 know what you mean. I expected to have weeks of feeling like I'd been hit by a bus so this has been a real surprise.

@HeyBwoss , is your scan going ahead today? I just realised it's a bank holiday. Hope it provides the back up evidence for your consultation!

Hi @dudsville, yes, still going ahead as far as I know! How is your recovery going?

Fab, I'll be interested to hear what they say. Is it the CT or the sonogram?

My recovery is going really well. I had that silly emotional dip when on day 2 post op I didn't see an improvement, but it was helpful here to have my unreasonable expectations adjusted, and I have had improvements since. I've not needed pain meds, the bloating is reducing, I've given in to sleeping a lot and I've not had a dodgy tummy even with eating something with fat content everyday. Yesterday i went for a walk! I walked so slowly that i think i probably looked odd, but it felt like a good thing to do and i hope to go for another walk today. I had a brief but painful episode of what i presume was trapped wind, but it was right in the middle under the sternum and worried me as it was so familiar from the flare ups, i plan to keep buscopan on me from now on. A few times in my sleep I've stretched and sparked pain in the incision top middle of my chest, but it looks ok.

The thing that is weird for me though is food. I spent so long mourning things i loved but they just don't taste the way they used to. Cheese, eggs, peanut butter that i used to get through at the rate of a jar every 10 days, nothing's grabbing my taste buds.

All good here too. I've been away at a parent's house for the weekend for a change of scene.

Takeaway pizza, pub fish and chips, homemade curry with sides and a roast dinner have all gone down without issue.

Haven't needed painkillers or Buscopan. I honestly think this surgery has been the best thing I've ever done.

Oh my God, @CleanQueen123, I can't even imagine a weekend like that. I'm sooo hoping I have surgery soon! Really good news that you are both recovering well, sorry that you aren't enjoying food as much @dudsville. Maybe you just need time, or maybe your taste buds have adjusted after so long without. I guess that would help keep the weight off though?

My scan was fine, but they told me nothing. GP will have the results in a week.

That's sooo motivating @CleanQueen123 , sounds wonderful!

And yes@HeyBwoss , I'm not yet at my goal weight so this is not a problem!

Argh, it takes so long to get results. Hope it's useful @HeyBwoss .

@CleanQueen123 and @dudsville great to hear your recoveries are going well.

@HeyBwoss fingers crossed you don’t have to wait long for your results. Both times when I’ve had a gallbladder scans the sonographer has told me whether there have been stones - the first time none the second time many!

I have my pre-op today. Starting to feel nervous about the op. One of my friends has a lung blood clot after having an operation and it’s made me realise how easy things can go wrong.

Hey@Trollfeet, it is anxiety making, but they give you all the stats before your surgery and the odds are really in your favour for it all to go well. Over 600,000 gb's are removed each yr in either England or the YK, can't recall, so that's a lot of reassuring evidence! When's yours booked for?

Did anyone watch ambulance new episode yet? It featured a young man who needed an ambulance due to a gallbladder attack. He even needed gas and air to get into the ambulance!

I never even went to A & E when I passed a stone. I probably should have but I hate hospitals. I probably would have got mine out sooner if I had.

I haven't seen it but I can well believe it. They had to give me morphine and wait for it to kick in before I was able to walk out to the ambulance.

I'd try not to worry too much about clots. If you've got even the slightest increased risk, as I do, they'll likely prescribe blood thinners for a short period post surgery.

I haven't seen it, but did catch the end of a similar show where a woman was in an ambulance having morphine for an attack. I haven't been to a&e, I think I should when I have an attack but I'm scared of being ill and out of control in a public place.

I haven't seen those shows. I do remember a GP telling me to go to A&E next time it happened and I said there's no way I could get into the car and that's when they told me to call for an ambulance. It was an eye opener.

I'm glad I bit the bullet and went to A&E. I'd still be waiting until 2025 just to be considered for surgery if I hadn't called an ambulance.

Even with my ambulance ride i was looking at May next year at the earliest on the NHS.

Can I ask how much weight everyone lost. I lost eight pounds last week. And more this week. I need to loose three stone anyway. But I don’t like the way I’m loosing so fast.

I am on the 3% fat diet. But since giving up all the junk food I don’t get as hungry as I did anymore. Even when I have a huge plate of veg and fruit I’m not where near the amount of calories I should be on even for a diet amount. But I’m just not hungry.

Gb flare ups was always a double whammy on my appetite. It gave me the psychological fear of food as well as a reduced appetite from the tenderness and bloating that resulted from a flare up.

I'm not certain of my starting weight, but I lost around 20 to 26 pounds from june 17th (diagnosis and diet change from this date) to Aug 23rd.

I've lost around a stone since May which is when my symptoms really ramped up. I'm at my goal weight which is a good thing but it's certainly been an unorthodox way of getting there.

The challenge is going to be not putting it all back on now I can eat normally.

Hey all, l had my CT scan on Friday and am now awaiting the results, hope they come sooner rather than later. I have been following this thread still and keeping up to date with how everyone is but just haven't felt like posting lately. Wishing you all pain free days ahead x

That's amazing you got to your goal weight @CleanQueen123 . We've all really suffered the harshest diet ever, we can celebrate the only good thing about this ordeal. I remain 9 pounds away from my goal but i did shift my goal post as i got nearer, and it will be easier to reach since i don't seem to be running toward the old faves.

Hope your scan helps clarify things @Stressedandpoorlydressed, it's a long process, hard to keep your spirits up.

Hi there, looks like I've found the post for me (for now). I've had two attacks so far, the second one (about 3 weeks ago) when I ended up in A&E (and passed out when they put a canula in my hand for the pain relief meds, very unlike me!). I've had one GP blood test since where they said my enzymes were still high so I've got another one booked for next week. I've got a more detailed ultrasound booked in for Thursday, these were organised on the back of the A&E visit by Urgent Care. I've been trying hard to be healthy and stick within the below a certain fat limit but it's very hard isn't it, so limiting. I've also felt like I have a very constant low grade indigestion ever since the second attack, and no matter what I eat every meal ends up in some form of Diarrhoea so three weeks of that has left me feeling rather bleugh.

@Bananas1350 have you had an attack recently? In the few weeks after an attack I feel bloated constantly and with no appetite. When I posted in June I was eating half portions, if that. I think I've lost about 3 stone since starting this thread, but I have a lot to lose. My scales were rubbish and showing over a stone in a week at one point! But the bloating does make the scales very up and down.

I hope you get your results soon @Stressedandpoorlydressed.

Welcome, @MiniCooperLover. Sorry you are suffering too. I hope your tests bring you some answers. The diet is so hard, particularly at first. So much is high fat that you don't even realize at first. You get go-to meals as you go along. The indigestion feeling is horrible, not as bad as the attacks obviously but so draining and worrying that it will escalate.

@HeyBwoss not had an ‘attack’ so far. Just hurts. Which is why I went back to the doctor ( this happened a few years ago ). So I went back to the 3% diet. And if I’m careful the pain goes away. But I’m learning about layering food in terms of fat. To be honest I’m scared of putting food in my mouth after hearing the horror stories about the pain.

not so much fussed about the restricted food as I was already on one anyway. So used to not being able to eat what I want anyway. But I know that loosing weight fast isn’t great for a gallbladder. But I’m really struggling.

Hi @MiniCooperLover, the struggle to find safe food that i also liked to eat was so hard and got depressing at times. And the bloat daily for me from late afternoon. The fear was powerful. It's a hard way to live.