Gallbladder attacks advice PART 2, where heybwoss gets ready to celebrate

[dudsville]

In June 23 Heybwoss started the thread titled "gallbladder attacks advice". I don't know how to do links, but that thread helped a number of us through some really dark and scary times. Now heybwoss is finally getting her gallbladder removed this Friday! This thread is to have a space to check in about that, and for anyone suffering the awful physical and psychological pain and suffering while waiting to have theirs removed, for all those missing all the celebratory and holiday meals, missing the ease of simply eating when hungry, and simply missing the ease of enjoying eating without The Fear. Come on heybwoss 🥳🥳🥳

I've tried to link posters names but i can't work out how to do this.

@vinoandbrie - sorry you've been suffering with the misery of gallbladder issues, but good news that you have a date for the op. As @ihaveayod says, the blood tests are to check for inflammation, which would make it unsafe to proceed with surgery. It's to protect you.

This situation may well be about to happen to me. However, I'd prefer the inconvenience of a delay to any risks from the surgery.

Goodness! I didn't know this was possible. It's like something out of Star Trek.

Thank you for this, that’s really good to know. I really hope everything will go ahead as planned.

For years now I’ve had attacks of intense pain at night every few months (like a fire in my stomach / like a band pulling tight in my stomach), and it’s been put down to ‘acid reflux’. It always passed. I once went to A&E, but was sent home.

It was this pain that came on when I was admitted to hospital, and it just wouldn’t go, hence having to go to hospital. Just pain in my stomach. Nothing on the right hand side.

I am really hoping that once my gallbladder is out that these attacks will stop altogether. I think they must have been gallstones, whereas this last time my gallbladder was swollen and infected, which is why the pain didn’t go.

Is this me grasping at straws, or is it likely that these nighttime horrendous episodes of pain were actually gallstones all along, and not acid reflux, which no painkiller would touch, and which omeprazole wouldn’t touch?

Thanks - it hasn't been good. When I spoke to the doctor yesterday evening, I said I felt more ill than I'd ever felt in my life, which seemed to worry her. It wasn't just the pain, which was awful - I also had a sense that something was going really wrong with my body.

It's odd that the pain had eased this morning. I took an ibuprofen last night - maybe that reduced the inflammation a little. Or maybe my body started to fight the infection on its own. I still feel weak, and my abdomen feels bruised, but today is definitely a better day. Hopefully, I'll soon start to pick up with the antibiotics. I'm making sure I get the first three in tonight to give myself a headstart.

Thanks @ihaveayod

It's in the evening. I guess the robot can work 24/7!

@stargirl1701 it's a human surgeon doing your surgery, not a robot! The robot just allows better manoeuvrability of the instruments. Hope it goes well!

It's hard to know the answer to that, I'm afraid. But I think it's most likely to be related to your gallbladder, especially if omeprazole didn't help.

I'm in a similar position as I started out being diagnosed with acid reflux after awful attacks. The first one, which woke me up, felt like a heart attack.

Over time, the symptoms turned into the more classic gallstone pain under my righthand ribs, but I still continue to have pains across my stomach and in my chest, which always confuses the doctors.

At first, when I was diagnosed with acid reflux, I thought the omeprazole was working because the attacks eased off - but then they suddenly got worse and nothing helped. I suppose it's possible I had acid reflux followed by gallbladder disease, though.

Anyway, I've stopped taking the omeprazole now and not had any reflux symptoms.

I really hope you find that the operation stops any further episodes of pain.

Thank God for that 😄!

Tried to book my blood test for Monday: no appointments available at our local surgeries, so I had to try the hospitals - and they were fully booked until Wed! So I went back to my GP's surgery and have been advised to turn up first thing Monday morning and they'll see if they can fit me in even though they are fully booked.

I have to have that test, though. It will show whether the antibiotics are working or not. I'm not taking the risk of letting an inflammation continue spreading inside me.

I've spent today in bed. No need for codeine - I'm just exhausted. I slept till midday. Still feeling bruised, but no worse than that.

@stargirl1701 - I hope your surgery went well yesterday and that you're not feeling too sore this morning. ⚘️

Oh guys. I spoke far to soon when I said my gallbldder doesn't give me horrendous issues anymore. I've had the worst right sided rib/ going round into my back pain for the last couple days. At first it was only coming on when I walked but its so sore to the point it's hard to walk or do any movement. I'm assuming.its my.gall bladder b cause it's in the same place. I'm not really sure what to do. No point in A & E because they won't do anything and it will be a lot of sitting for no reason really. Hoping to just present to GP Monday and see what happens. Paracetamol and ibruprofen not touching the hs sides right now.

You poor thing! Having just suffered inflammation and put off seeking help, I suggest you think again about going to A&E. I didn't have any signs of inflammation (temperature, etc), but had ongoing pain, like you. It was only when paracetamol and codeine together didn't work that I thought I'd better get checked out.

But I know what you mean about not wanting to go to A&E because I didn't either.

If the pain is bearable, you could see if you can make it till Monday. But if it gets worse, please get yourself to A&E as they'll give you stronger painkillers and check if you need antibiotics. My GP told me that I need to go to A&E if I can't bear to press under my rib cage.

It doesn't hurt to touch. Its just tender with movement and spreading round to my back, especially when walking. If I'm completely still it's not so bad. I sometimes have flare ups but this just feels different this time. Its like a dulll nagging pain on movement. Quite painful. Kind of feels like a stitch!!

i have suspected gallstones waiting a scan. Bloods showed up very high liver and b12 . Liver protein supposed to be between 0-5 mine was 74. Is this a thing related to gallstones or should I be worried about something else does anyone know . TIA

The surgery went well but recovery has been tough. I'm a little better just now. Last night was pure hell.

@AlltheJays23 - definitely worth a visit to your GP on Monday. And go to A&E if the pains become severe before then.

I'm no expert, but I know it was high liver results (what the doctors called 'deranged liver results'!) that got me sent to ambulatory care for an ultrasound. This showed stones in the gallbladder. They probably check this first as it's a relatively common condition.

I don't know about B12.

I hope you get your scan soon so that you can get some answers.

Oh, how awful. I'm so sorry. Is it the gas and stitches hurting? I would hope pain relief could sort this, but I just asked DH about his recovery from appendectomy and he said no pain relief was enough at first 😢.

Tell me the worst - I may as well be prepared.

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better now. Hope you continue to feel better each day.

I never had anything tested so I'm not sure about liver results, @Nobu32. Hopefully others have more experience.

Sorry to hear recovery is tough @stargirl1701, but glad the actual surgery went well! I hope you feel better soon.

@AlltheJays23 if it gets worse you should definitely think about a&e. I know others on here got put on surgery waiting lists and had infections that needed treating. But I hope it eases soon for you.

@Rarewaxwing that's so annoying about your blood tests! In terms of recovery, I know everyone has a different experience but mine was ok. I woke up feeling extremely sick and out of it, I felt really dizzy and couldn't eat/barely drink until the nurse gave me an anti sickness injection. After that I ate toast and just wanted to go home. I felt shaky and tired for the evening but was taking codeine and paracetamol so the pain was minimal. I'm fat so it mostly hurt when my belly moved/hung around! I was able to sleep on my side from the first night, I just had to turn over carefully and slept with a pillow under my side. Honestly the worst part was the constipation from the anesthetic and the codeine so definitely take those laxatives!

@HeyBwoss - that's comforting to hear. I'm glad surgery wasn't too bad for you.

I'm having a small hernia repaired at the same time, so will have one extra incision, but I hope that won't make much difference.

I take your point about the constipation. My mum had a terrible time with constipation after major emergency surgery because she was given strong doses of morphine. So I am intending to make good use of the laxatives the doctor gave me alongside the codeine.

The pain was as bad as the initial attack pain. Nothing but IV morphine could touch it but I have maxed out on that for 24 hours. Vomiting 700ml of water - once in the night and again this evening. Peeing is a challenge but similar to that first pee after birth. I needed a nebuliser last night and this morning. Still on supplemental oxygen. 4th bag of fluids going up now on the IV.

What a dreadful experience. I'm so sorry you went through that. And you still sound really poorly.

I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight and that tomorrow is a much better day.

@Rarewaxwing Hope you managed to get your blood test today.

@stargirl1701 Sorry to hear that you have had a rough time after surgery. Hope you are feeling better now.

@AlltheJays23 Did you manage to get a GP appointment today?

I have a date for my surgery - 1st March, so if all goes to plan, not much longer to wait.

I haven't managed to call and get an appointment. I've got a stinking cold/flu like illness and I don't want to go the surgery and spread my germs around! Still got this side stitch pain although it's been less noticable over the weekend as I've not been very active over the weekend. I'm dreading when I have to go out and run errands again cos I know the pain will b back!

@AlltheJays23 - great news that you have a date for surgery! But sorry you're ill with a cold/flu.

It's interesting that your pain comes back when you're active. This makes me wonder if it's muscular. Activity has never been a trigger for my gallbladder pain - it's either been food-related or completely random (biliary colic or inflammation). I hope you get an answer once you're well enough to see your GP.

I did get my blood test, thanks 😊. I've just phoned for the results: they're back, but a doctor hasn't looked at them yet, so I need to ring again at 6. Hope my CRPs are down.

But I am feeling so much better now that I think the antibiotics must have worked. I have no pain and I've got my energy back. I managed to tidy up the kitchen and put a load of washing on, which felt good (I mean boring, but useful).