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

Nearly two months. It doesn't hurt and seems to be fine now I've squeezed the undissolved stitches out. It looked like they'd started to break down but clumped up rather than dissolving.

@CleanQueen123 , that would have really unsettled me!

I found it strangely fascinating but then I'm generally a bit like that with spots and things. It seems totally fine now so I don't think it needs medical attention.

how long did your digestive system take to begin to work again. My gut is very lazy at the best of times and I take lactulose regularly to keep me going. But might need senna or a bomb.

I was prescribed senna tablets for the first 7 days to keep everything moving. By the time I stopped them I was off the opioids and didn't have any issues.

I've got two massive boxes of Movicol but didn't need to take it.

🤣 @whitewave ! Mine can be sluggish too at times. I find senna helpful, but I've been given a couple of bottles of that gloopy lactulose during the whole gb fiasco too. If say my system returned to normal pretty quickly as I didn't need pain killers post op.

I'm still waking up with nausea though. I've started having to eat as soon as I can bear it upon waking. Bleurgh.

Yes! Lactulose is a miracle worker, and as far as I am aware it is benign.

I am eating everything but think that my system is reacting to the “extra” bile - might try stopping the lactulose -I reckon it is trial and error until first your system settles - dr. Said 6-8 weeks and you adjust to the extra bile in your gut which apparently “loosens” things.

I am awake with stomach cramps and visits to the loo at the moment so that is after, macaroni cheese and ice cream today plus a dose of lactulose. . So I’ll make a note of that

It's funny how it impacts people differently. I was fully prepared for weeks/months of further issues because of excess bile but fingers crossed I haven't had any.

Currently feel like I've been hit by a bus but that's because I had my Covid and flu jabs on Saturday 🙄

I reckon it is probably because you’ve been more sensible.

I'm not so sure. I think I was sensible for about a week and since then it's been a free for all 😂. I've been very lucky.

Has anyone experienced any issues with their eyes or tongue? My eyes are so dry and itchy at the moment (not usual for me), no jaundice that I can tell but my tongue has really hurt the last few days as its really sensitive like I've burnt it (I haven't). It's also got a very yellow coating which goes away when I brush it but then comes back?

That sounds like a digestive problem with your tongue, but I honestly have no idea really. Have you googled it?

my stomach is better today - not so much fat.

I never had that@MiniCooperLover but i think it's worth checking out.

I’m kind of struggling with my food. As I have ibs and other food problems. So u add the low fat I’m kind of struggling. Just wondering if anyone else just has egg whites. I cut out the yolk as they said that would be too much fat. But I want to double check this. As having eggs would make a huge difference.

I've had to avoid eggs unfortunately, it was and still is too much of a trigger for me (and it's the yolk that's the worst bit for gallbladder sadly as I love eggs).

I went back to the gym today to do some weight training, it felt really good! I’ll be four weeks post surgery on Wednesday and I know we should wait 6 weeks but I’m feeling so sluggish I needed to get back to it.

Hi all I have not read the full thread, but OMG I think time has come that my gall bladder is now playing up

I have lost a lot of weight recently and have been morbidly obese for years so am a prime candidate for gall bladder issues

I noticed a few weeks back a funny sensation on the right hand side under rib cage, like a pulled muscle and as Ive been trying to sit up straight properly I thought it was just strained, theres been niggles recently with it and I wondered it was something more.

My god today it is really hurting, grinding away, hurting when I breathe in or walk around, or sit down, whatever really. I took some paracetamol and it feels slightly more bearable but Im dreading real pain (as I had kidney stones years ago which were excruiating)

Ive been googling to get a private scan as I dont want to wait for a GP appointment, then all the toing and froing while I argue that I want a scan, then whatever wait time there is for that

Has anyone gone private for this and if so what scan did you get, ultrasound or CT scan?

Has anyone had it privately removed? I had the view that if I found out I had sludge or stones I just want it whipped out, I cant be having unpredictable pain. I cant take anti inflammatories due to weight loss surgery and dont have a job where I can just take time off with pain randomly, I want it dealt with quickly.

Have to get a loan out I think

So I have read a bit more of the thread and things I have picked up are -

What food people eat and can manage is hit and miss in terms of preventing attacks

Beetroot and bitter stuff might help prevent attacks? Anyone had success with this?

What do people mean by digestive enzymes, I already take Bio Kult every day which are pro biotics

Would I be able to join Benenden Health care and then in 6 months ask for a referral for a scan through them and hopefully surgery? Has anyone done that, are there restrictions such as what if 'just' for sludge or with low level attacks perhaps they might not decide I need the surgery?

Oh and how do people know they have 'passed' a stone, do these things come out in the loo or something?

My MiL swears by hot bottle, when she had an attacks before she had operation only hot water bottle was keeping her sane she said. And that was 20years ago.

Hi @bellac11

Have you had a scan yet and been diagnosed with gallstones?

The general rule with food is to avoid fat. You ideally want to keep fat under 5% for a meal, as it's the fat that triggers spasms in your gallbladder.

I never found any food that helped attacks including beetroot. As my stones got more and more, the range of foods I ate got smaller. I was living very very low fat before removal.

Some people take digestive enzymes like Ox bile. But I haven't seen any medical evidence regarding their effectiveness, nor have I tried them myself, hopefully someone else can advise you.

I got mine removed through Beneden after going round in circles with the NHS. Soon as I had been with them for six months I was able to see a private consultant and arrange surgery. I had already been diagnosed through the NHS though and was on their waiting list. I had my surgery done privately through Beneden and it all went smoothly. I'm very glad I did, as my bladder was absolutely full of stones and in a bad way, another few months waiting probably would have ended up with me in an emergency situation.

Thanks for that

No I havent had a scan yet, I was also asking in another post about what sort of scan to try to source if I was doing this privately, CT scan or ultrasound?

I have a problem with such low fat, my diet is low carb and I dont have room for carbs and dont have room for much as Ive had a sleeve, my priority is protein so that will often involve higher than 3% fat, I dont even like or 'believe in' low fat foods, so will struggle considerably to amend my diet, its all geared up to provide me with optimum nutrition and protein given the small amounts I can eat and given the things that now give me heartburn (quite a few things)

After I posted that last night I needed to eat my dinner, I didnt have lunch because I felt unwell and was scared to eat, but finished the rest of what I should have had for lunch which was a salmon salad. I was ok after that

Ive just eaten an egg muffin which has cheese and tuna in it. This is what I'd eaten mid morning yesterday and the pain came on about 2 hours after that, not sure if its connected as I read that eggs are quite a trigger.

So if the pain comes on later I know to chuck the rest of the muffins in the bin. Such a shame, they're packed with protein and goodness.

@bellac11 Your first step will be to get gallstones confirmed, I'm not sure how expensive it would be privately but an ultrasound is the standard for confirming stones rather than a CT. I think some private ultrasound studios that do baby ultrasounds also offer private scans for other things. They might be cheaper than somewhere like a Bupa hospital.

I have had success with changing my diet and my gallbladder now works ok-ish. I don't do low fat but I avoid triggers, which I identified over time, and keep my diet healthy. I was recommended Udo's digestive enzymes rather than one with ox bile so my gallbladder wouldn't get lazy. But I was only on the edge of getting attacks. Yes, bad discomfort but I never had a full-blown agonising one like people describe here, so my consultant advised to keep my gallbladder if I could. It's also got a lot better post-menopause so I think that was a big factor.

I think this is the 1000 post on this thread, so possibly the last one! I'm not sure I will start a new thread, but obviously anyone else is welcome to. If this is the end, then thank you all so so much for all your advice and support over the last few months! It's been so helpful. I have my surgery on Friday, hopefully an end to my pain. I hope you are all doing well.

@bellac11 I have had much success with eating as low fat as possible, it's definitely helped but not taken the pain away completely. It still happens unexpectedly. I went for a private scan at a baby scan clinic, it was a upper abdominal scan for about £110 and they gave me a report which I took to my GP. She didn't query it at all, just referred me to a surgical consultant. I did buy digestive enzymes but didn't end up taking them. After advice on here I also swear by taking buscopan, paracetamol and a hot water bottle as soon as it starts. I hope it all goes well for you