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Original poster

Gallbladder pain. How much pain is 'normal'?

111 replies

grumpygallbladder · 31/07/2024 19:18

I am in such pain with my gallbladder and would appreciate some advice. I had a scan in 2019 so I know I have at least one gall stone. I have had no serious gallbladder attacks since then up until about 2 months ago when I felt absolutely awful. I was given antibiotics and they helped. On Monday the pain started again and I have been in so much pain. I went to the GP today and was given tramadol. This time I didn't have my temperature taken or my blood pressure, I already take cocodamol regularly for chronic pain and was told today as the cocodamol doesn't help at all I could add tramadol in too. I wasn't given antibiotics this time. The tramadol is doing nothing to help. I have taken both tablets together and am still in pain. I can't sit/lie/stand comfortably, it hurts to take a deep breath. Will this just ease off or should I have tried to get antibiotics again? Should I call the GP again tomorrow? I almost feel panicky because it hurts so much and I don't know how to make the pain stop. My Apple Watch is suggesting I have been exercising as my heart rate keeps going high with the pain.

OP posts:
hexsnidgett · 31/07/2024 19:23

When I was having a gallbladder attack, nothing short of intravenous morphine touched it.
I have heard that it's not always as bad as that- lucky buggers!
I would go a&e.

hexsnidgett · 31/07/2024 19:26

My consultant wouldn't give me any painkillers to take home whilst waiting to have it removed. He said "if you are in pain come to the hospital".

Original poster
grumpygallbladder · 31/07/2024 19:29

I was referred today to have it removed but he didn't say anything about the hospital if I was in pain. Last time the GP said I should go if I got worse but that time I was having shooting pains into my chest.

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Quornflakegirl · 31/07/2024 19:32

I feel for you OP, the pain is just unbearable.

I would sweat from the pain, my head would drip with sweat and I would shake. Morphine helped but it isn’t a proper pain solution. I had newborn twins when I had my most painful attack, they felt sorry for me and removed it that same week.

Call your GP again.

Rarewaxwing · 31/07/2024 19:37

If you're in that much pain, you should go to A&E. Or ring 111 for advice at the least. I don't understand why your doctor just gave you painkillers without doing a blood test. When my gallbladder pain was at its worst, blood tests showed that it was infected. This meant I needed antibiotics, high doses of codeine and, once the infection was controlled, an operation to remove my gallbladder.

Sorry to worry you, but there's also always a risk that gallbladder problems can turn into pancreatitis, which needs emergency care. So please seek medical help.

NightHouse · 31/07/2024 19:41

I was in so much pain, I vomited and nearly passed out. Was writhing in agony. Someone called an ambulance and after assessment, I was taken to the hospital and put on a drip.

I feel for you. The pain can be horrendous.

Splcam · 31/07/2024 19:45

The pain is probably the worst I've ever experienced. Absolutely excruciating. Over a 10 year period I dealt with it by eliminating fatty foods and other triggers but eventually everything I ate or drank was a trigger. If your pain is continuous you need medical attention. The pain is from your gall bladder contracting round stones when it pushes bile into your system to digest food (or so I was told by medics). It wears off when the digestion process has finished. If you're not eating anything but getting the pain all the time there could be a stone trapped in the bile duct or inflammation.

Buildingthefuture · 31/07/2024 19:46

It’s utter agony. I thought I was having a heart attack every time it came on. The useless NHS missed it for years (I was 25, and not overweight) I went private, they spotted it and I had my gallbladder out within a week. I have had no problems since, but op, you need your gallbladder out!

Pebbles16 · 31/07/2024 19:48

Get thyself to A&E. You have diagnosed gallstones, they are horrible, painful and dangerous

Petitchat · 31/07/2024 19:48

Mine was left too long by the GP and I turned jaundiced!!
Back to the doctor or A&E if you can manage it OP.

Fully sympathise, it's so bloody painful Flowers

AnnaMagnani · 31/07/2024 19:52

When I had gallstone attacks nothing, absolutely nothing touched the pain and I would go on all fours and wail.

I look back and wondered why it never occurred to me to go to hospital, but even then if you don't have an infection they'll make you go home

I lost a lot of weight on the fat free diet (nice accidental bonus) and even that was no guarantee they wouldn't flare up.

Moier · 31/07/2024 19:53

I would go to A&E. Two years ago l had same pain ( didn't know what it was because l suffer loads of pain) but I'd been vomiting all night.
The doctor at the hospital knew straight away. I was given a CT scan.. my gallbladder was inflamed and infected with many stones and sludge in the bile ducts .
Next day l had endoscopy to remove the sludge and stones. Then 5 days on IV antibiotics.
Two weeks later when infection gone l had my gallbladder removed.
Unfortunately three weeks after that l was back in.. another CT scan showed some more stones in the bile ducts and bad infection.. another endoscopy to remove them.. but the infection was so bad l was on IV antibiotics for three weeks because it had effected my liver.. but that is rare.
You don't need to suffer so much pain these days..
IV morphine would be better.. and hopefully you might get a scan to see how bad .
I wish you nothing but a good outcome and hope you get some relief. X

BestZebbie · 31/07/2024 19:54

The amount of normal pain is zero.

The pain you are describing has gone past even "background, grumbling" gallbladder and sounds like biliary colic.

If you go to hospital they can check if it is, and if it is, they have morphine (which actually will touch it if you can keep it down long enough) and might also find you a more urgent cancellation for the removal as your priority will increase with colic pains.

ByCupidStunt · 31/07/2024 19:57

The only thing that helped my pain was having my gallbladder removed.

I would literally rather be dead than have that pain again, it was horrendous.

CaribbeanCupcake · 31/07/2024 19:58

The pain is bloody horrendous, however I had a terrible attack one evening and it turned out I had an infection as well as a huuuge gallstone so I would get to hospital and get checked/ have an ultrasound. How long have you had the pain? Sounds like more than just a day which I don't think is right for just normal gallstone pain either.
Hope you're feeling better soon; had my gallbladder removed 6 years ago and wouldn't wish the pain on my worst enemy x

olympicsrock · 31/07/2024 19:58

I’m a doctor with gallbladder experience…
The severity and nature of the pain varies depending on what complication/ problem the gallstones are causing.
It sounds like you have acute cholecystitis ie this is an inflamed gallbladder and not just the gallbladder squeezing on stones.
You need to see the on call general surgery team, have a new ultrasound and blood tests and antibiotics. Your GP can refer you to the surgical team.

Iloveeverycat · 31/07/2024 19:59

Gallbladder problems can cause pancreatitis which can be dangerous. Luckily I didn't have to go to hospital I just had to have a no fat at all diet that's how my gallstones where detected. They could tell pancreatitis by a blood test. It felt like I had a red hot poker going through under my ribs in the center to the back. Once I had sorted that out I still got gallbladder pain never had pain like it. Luckily the strong prescription Co codermol worked for me but I just had to lie there and let them gradually work. After being admitted to hospital a couple of times I had my gallbladder removed.

Original poster
grumpygallbladder · 31/07/2024 20:12

@CaribbeanCupcake I have been in pain since Monday.
I took the tramadol and cocodamol at about 6.30 and the pain hasn't eased. I haven't eaten since lunch because any food just makes it worse. It hurts to stand straight and is like a band around my chest just below my ribs. I'm not being sick though so I worry that I'm exaggerating it

OP posts:
Splcam · 31/07/2024 20:23

As I and other posters have said continuous pain is not 'normal' even for gallstones. I was rarely sick when I had the pain - not feeling sick doesn't mean you are exaggerating! And if you have taken tramadol and cocodamol and that's not working then that is a sign to me you need to escalate this and call 111 or go to a and e.

Petitchat · 31/07/2024 20:25

Splcam · 31/07/2024 20:23

As I and other posters have said continuous pain is not 'normal' even for gallstones. I was rarely sick when I had the pain - not feeling sick doesn't mean you are exaggerating! And if you have taken tramadol and cocodamol and that's not working then that is a sign to me you need to escalate this and call 111 or go to a and e.

Don't even have a cuppa with milk.
The fat in the milk makes it worse!!

Yes OP, 111 or A&E tonight. Please don't leave it any longer.

AnnaMagnani · 31/07/2024 20:30

In pain since Monday! Not normal, time for A+E.

Hadalifeonce · 31/07/2024 20:30

Over a period of time, my gallbladder pain got worse and worse, when it was excruciating I called 111 in the middle of the night, they called back with an 8am GP appointment, the GP then gave me a letter to hand in to a specific department in hospital. I went that day, I assumed just for a scan, they did the scan and my gallbladder was removed the next day. I would think if it's that bad, they should seriously look at removing it.

loudbatperson · 31/07/2024 20:35

If the pain is severe and is prolonged you need to be checked for cholecystitis or a blockage in a duct.

A GP will normally refer you to urgent care/A&E for screening. Depending on the condition you could need a few days in hospital, for antibiotics, no food and a drip for liquid. If a stone has got stuck you may need to have that stone removed.

Not to worry you, but I was in hospital for a month over Christmas and new year. In 2019 they found 1 gallstone as an incidental finding during a scan for something else. No issues at all until July 2023 I had a bout of cholecystitis, and got put on the list for a routine removal. Move forward to December, and I got really unwell, I was jaundiced, and my liver was functioning really poorly. I had another bout of cholecystitis and some stones had blocked the bile duct causing the liver damage. The inflammation and infection took a long time to get under control, despite having the blocking stones removed. I spent a month in hospital in the end, eventually having the gallbladder removed a week before I came home. The operation was a lot harder than the surgeon expected as my body had formed a cocoon around the gallbladder. He described the gallbladder as containing hundreds of stones. My recovery was a lot slower and more complicated than it would have been if the gallbladder had been removed sooner. That's partly my fault I kept putting off getting it done via bupa as the timing was never convenient.

Please do get checked and push for removal if you can. All the doctors I spoke to said once symptoms start it's best to just get it out.

FarmersWife2019 · 31/07/2024 20:38

I was only diagnosed after being admitted to A&E for the extreme pain from cholecystitis and the only pain relief that helped was IV morphine and then IV fentanyl.
After a referral for surgery was made the GP prescribed me Naproxen (Google said Codine exacerbates gallbladder issues) and found if I took a tablet it at the start of an attack it would usually help relieve the pain within half an hour or so. If I’m honest the one thing that did help relieve the pain (on par with the Naproxen) was making myself sick.
I had surgery 4 months after that A&E trip and it couldn’t have happened sooner as my triggers soon turned to simple things including water and ice lollies. Since having it removed I haven’t looked back and my recovery was smooth with a 5 month old baby.

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 31/07/2024 20:38

A stone might be stuck in the duct, if left it can become very serious.

I ended up with pancreatitis and my liver function was affected.

You need to go to a&e.