Gallbladder pain. How much pain is 'normal'?

[grumpygallbladder]

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.

Sorry 12mm

So sorry you're still in pain, @grumpygallbladder. It must be really bad if morphine isn't working 😕.

Good that you've had a scan and blood tests, though. I hope the doctors come up with a plan soon.

Thank goodness you went to A&E!

@Rarewaxwing I know, I am so grateful for everyone's advice to go. I don't think I would have otherwise

They will want to avoid removing the gallbladder while you have active inflammation due to the increased risk of complications. However do push to get moved up the list if you can. Some trusts run a "hot list" for gallbladder removal, which normally means the operation happens within days of discharge from hospital once the acute issue is resolved/resolving. You may not meet the criterion for it, but it's definitely worth inquiring about.

@loudbatperson I am due to go on holiday in a couple of weeks so they have said hopefully I will be able to get it done as soon as possible after coming back

Goodness, do you have to stay in pain until then?? 🙁

My dh went to an and e with gallbladder pain. He was in agony over it.

Hopefully the pain will ease shortly and you can go on your hols.
Then the sooner they whip it out the better.
It really is the worst pain ever.
A tip for when you have your op, get some stretchy joggers or hareem style trousers with lots of room on the waist.
Hope you get some sleep, it will be lights out soon 💐

Hooe the pain is under control now OP, and that you're feeling a bit better.
Thinking of you, you were very brave.
Speedy recovery x

Hi OP. Have you sorted travel insurance?

My DH has gallstones which inoperable - due to other conditions - so I am a bit of an expert ! Weirdly intraveinous paracetamol works better for him than morphine . I heard a lady recommend Apple juice on the radio she just said apple juice, apple juice, apple juice! and yes we can vouch that it does work. If you drink just a tumbler of apple juice every day it does keep it under control.

I had gallstones in 2010 and thought the pain I was getting was normal. Until I had my Gb out and pain continued and it transpired a gallstone had damaged my pancreatic duct which was causing damage to my pancreas. Causing constant incredible pain. I had a lot of treatment for 5yrs, stents etc, finally a major surgery to remove the head of my pancreas and part of the damaged duct. I’ll always be in pain, but it’s a lot better since the surgery than it was. I have 24-7 pain relief. I wish I’d have gone to A&E with the pain but the doctor was very dismissive when I said the pain was bad. So don’t ignore really bad pain, it could be pancreatitis and it’s very important to seek urgent medical attention

Thanks for continuing to comment. The pain is starting to ease and interestingly I have been having apple juice with my meals so maybe that has helped too. My blood tests are starting to get back to normal levels and I may get out of hospital today and if not it will be tomorrow. I can't express how much I appreciate everyone's advice. I would never have gone to a and e without this thread as I didn't want to make a fuss but 3-4 days in hospital says it was the right call!
I do have travel insurance, the consultant said we have to tell them about this to make sure I am covered whilst we are away.

@grumpygallbladder - I'm so pleased that the pain is easing at last. It was definitely the right thing to go to A&E. Seems like the Mumsnet advice was better than 111, which is a bit worrying.

If you have any problem getting travel insurance, I found Staysure were the only insurance company that would accept me when I was waiting for an operation recently (but you have to ring them, not apply online).

I hope you continue to get better. And make sure you're on the list to have your gallbladder out.

Another one that went into system failure due to blocked ducts because of gallstones. Liver and kidney failure at 24 weeks pregnant was no fun and I had the stone blocking the duct removed in surgery with no anesthetic other than a spray to the back of the throat and a drug to immobolise you. Pain was worse than labour and c section by about 5 fold. I ended up on morphine once I delivered my baby and they removed the gallbladder entirely 10 days after an emergency c section to delivery baby. 19 years ago but I still get palpitations thinking about it.

I would go to A& E and get checked out asap. They can't do surgery whilst you are inflamed to remove the GB but if there is a blockage they can do that and remove GB later once inflammation goes down. If you are admitted they can also give you morphine until inflammation dealt with.

We are both fine now

sorry slightly late to the party - glad you got sorted. Follow a super low fat diet while you are away - even the slightest amount of fat could set you back.

Yes I heard apple cider vinegar also good due to acidity

I'm going home today! Blood levels are back to normal and the pain is now a 1 or 2 instead of 7 or 8.

I am a bit nervous of being home without all the drugs though

That's great news!

Make sure you have Buscopan and co-codamol at home. And stay on an ultra low-fat diet. My surgeon also told me 'no alcohol' 😢.

FYI, I was advised to stick to food containing no more than 3 grams of fat per 100 grams. I ate mostly chicken, vegetables and rice for months before my operation. Some low-calorie readymeals meet these guidelines if you want an easy meal. I gave up chocolate, but found rice crackers with chocolate on didn't trigger an attack.

Post-op, I can eat and drink anything!

I am surprised so many people are still saying you should avoid fat! I had gallstones nearly 10 years ago and it was debunked then.
Different things seem to trigger different people, I could never work out what mine was, but lowfat certainly didn't help me.

It was certainly the case for me that fatty greasy food would trigger an attack, but so too would any large meal, and coffee also. I ended up losing a good bit of weight as I was almost afraid to eat. Funnily enough since I had mine removed fatty food is no problem but I developed acid reflux and have terrible pain after eating raw food, so no more salads for me. Go figure 🤔

@hexsnidgett that's what the consultants and specialist tells you to do, avoid fats.
Everyone has different triggers but it's a well known fact to avoid fats and alcohol.@grumpygallbladder glad you are home. If you get severe pain again, go back. As others have said, buscopan and heat pads really help with the pain.
Good luck, hopefully you can enjoy your holiday

I have been prescribed buscopan and have a couple more days of antibiotics. I have codeine for the pain and tramadol if it gets too bad. I'm so glad to be home and can't wait to get in my own bed. I have been told to eat low fat food and am happy to comply if it means I get to stay out of pain and go on holiday!

I would checkout the nhs website for advice. A low fat diet can actually cause gallstones, it might help with pain in the short term as it will reduce the amount of bile the gallbladder releases and stop the gallstones moving.
This is not desirable long term as it can cause the gallbladder contents to stagnate and make existing stones bigger.