To just have my gallbladder removed privately if I can afford it?

[MoveYourArmsLikeHenry]

I have been suffering from gallstone pain for several years, only finding out the cause earlier this year. I went to see the consultant a month ago, feeling relieved that the ball is rolling and something may be done to stop these awful pains.

The consultant doesn't want to remove my gallbladder :( he wants me to lose weight to control it, which is fair enough, have been trying for a month now. And also said I'm am very young (nearly 26) for gallstones, surgery isn't necessary right now, let's try losing weight and improving overall health first and review you again in 6 months.

All well and lovely. Except I am still having these godawful bastarding pains :( even if I am not having an attack, the right side of my back feels like someone has struck it repeatedly with an iron bar, nearly everyday and I can't take it anymore :(

Wibu to say sod the 6 month review, I am in daily pain, and see about having it removed privately? I feel like because I am fat and young they are just fobbing me off but I cat bear the agony of it any more.

Girlie the last time they checked my bloods was, I'd say, about 2/3 months ago.

I had my gall bladder out last year after being hospitalised with biliary colic. I had to wait 6 weeks so it had time to calm down. Dr said have low fat diet whilst waiting for op but no guarantee wouldn't flare up anyway no matter what I ate . I have had no problems since the surgery. I can't understand why your Dr won't just refer you. The only cure is to have it out. You shouldn't have to pay but I understand why you'd want to. I would insist on referral/2nd opinion/new gp/ keep going to a and e

I was told that because I'm only 27 they should remove it as it will likely cause more problems, I'm booked in for the operation on Tuesday (privately, but the NHS were going to do it). I have a family history if gallstones so maybe that is why. My Mum's was left for 10 years and it resulted in her gallbladder fusing to her liver and needing part of that removed too, so I would pester. Alternatively go to A&E if you have another attack as that's where I went as my jaundice was getting worse and my GP advised it and they were very helpful, although I was in hospital for pain management for quite a few days.

Also, with weight loss, don't lose lots quickly as that can cause gallstones!

I'm horrified at the level if suffering some of you are - and have been - going through. It's bloody scandalous. My pain was only ever the upper right quadrant and it was bad enough for Tramadol but never that I was on the floor with it. It's so so wrong that people with this awful condition are having to wait for surgery.

Well I've had five babies and a mastectomy none of which floored me quite as much as gallbladder attacks.

Ledkr
It's absolute shite isn't it. I hear you with the controlling of your diet and while it can and does help, often something will come along and throw it all out of the window. My worst non-fat culprits were oranges, coffee and some veg - wtf?
I hope you get the go ahead for the op.

Girlie
Oh how awful, I'm sorry your little one had some problems and there's certainly room for thought regarding the effects of stress levels on the foetus - It has to effect them somehow, how can it not?
I had oramorph medicine and also dihydracodeine + paracetamol and I'd also try to take as least as possible, only when I couldn't bear the pain and was close to passing out.

I laugh now but my son at 7.5 months actually learned to crawl because of my screaming. I'd been home from hospital after the GB op around 6 days - was still feeling unwell and thought it probably normal. I remember I ate a cheese sandwich for lunch (yey cheese, I could eat it again, I thought)

Within 20 mins I had turned yellow and screaming with the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life - I also thought I was going to die, Exh called an ambulance and they came and gave me a shot of pethidine and G&A in the ambulance and took me back to hospital - There they found that my bile duct had been damaged during the GB surgery so I needed another op to fix it. Anyway baby ds had been practising on his hands and knees for a few days before and was sat like that when I began to scream - poor little sod got such a shock he quickly moved his little arse to the other side of room away from me :)

Move For the love of christ please go to your GP and get some strong painkillers. Paracetamol is useless against this pain. Strong ones won't take the pain away completely but will help to take an edge off.
Fucking Paracetamol!! -I'm furious on your behalf.

For those that vomit/feel to sick to take pills. If you have to take them try and do so with a warm/hot drink - it dissolves them quicker allowing them to reach your bloodstream before you vomit them whole or partially back up.

My doctor in UK told me that no painkillers would work on gallbladder pain, and I would just have to manage as best I could. I didn't get anything for the sickness either - I used to drink sweet, weak, black tea as it tasted the same when it came back up.

I moved to Belgium, and was still having attacks - called the out of hours doctor out one Saturday, who took one look at me, sent me to A & E, where they scanned my gallbladder, pronounced it "packed" with stones of varying sizes (we counted 64, but there were probably more that we couldn't see). I waited two weeks, then had it removed with keyhole surgery. I have been much better since then, but occasionally get what my last doctor called "phantom gallbladder pain" - usually when I am stressed or eat something high fat like a lot of cheese.

What a barbaric bastard Doctor Mrs
I agree the painkillers don't take away the pain but sometimes when they kicked in the difference they made allowed me to catch my breath and stop shaking thus making it a little better to cope with.

MmHm! Phantom GB pain - the name given because they don't know wtf it is never mind wtf to call it. :)

Can I ask if anyone has been diagnosed with a hiatus hernia here? Could that be the 'phantom' post op pain? I know they can mimic the symptoms of gallbladder pain and a heart attack

I had phantom pain for a few years after my gallbladder was removed. In April last year i gave up diet coke. And while shrinking my portion sizes in the last year i ended up with colicky pain for the first 4 or 5 months and losing weight has been slow this time and im sure its due to not having a gall bladder. I (touch wood) dont get the colicky pain now and my doc told me not to eat citrus fruit because that aggravates it too.

No citrus fruit and no diet coke seems to help me POST op.

I wouldn't think so Ididn't. Usually when symptoms persist to the level which lands you in hospital, another scan is given so they'd pick it up then.

The phantom pain is usually the same as an actual GS attack and normally specifically related to food eaten = high fat.
The best explanation I've been given is it possibly happens because due to a heavy fat meal - the body can't deal with the amount of fat - the bile must be sent quickly from the liver, through the bile ducts and straight into the intestine to deal with it. Doing it this way is not what our body prefers, it's harder work and sometimes in some people there's pain, spasms and contracting and it causes the colic feeling - much like what an attack feels like.
It's a much simpler, gentler job if it comes in controlled amounts from the gall bladder where bile should be stored.
It also explains why some people have the xenical effect - shite out fat undigested.

Through researching myself I've found that after GB removal something can happen to the duct used for releasing our gastric juices it's called Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction. It's pretty much what I get and from speaking to various people on forums -what they get too. Go try speaking to a UK Dr about it and you'll be met with or
Some are willing to try and help, my own Uk GP started his own research into what the hell is wrong/goes wrong as I wasn't his only younger patient complaining of the same. He swore that his elderly Gb removal patients do not have the same issues - but as I said above, It's possible they do but it's blamed on something else age related.

Just a thought after I hit send.
I know I've said it before but I don't want to frighten those who are waiting for removal.

I absolutely, 100% would still go ahead and get mine removed today, even knowing what I now know, there's not a price high enough you could pay me to keep my bastarding GB.

My doctor in France told me that you can still get gall stones, even if there is no gallbladder, and they just get stuck in the duct instead. He did say that it was extremely rare, but I should go and have a scan if I was really worried. Mine tends to flare up when I am stressed, I think, rather than food related.

And I agree with Carbe's sentiment on there not being a price high enough to get me to keep the thing. I had years and years of pain and vomiting and lack of interest from doctors, apart from one French doctor, who had a new machine he wanted to play with. He put some of my blood into it and told me I had gallbladder problems and it was only a matter of time before I had to have it removed, and to tell any subsequent GPs this, and not to take any vague diagnosis of "colic" or "gastritis".

bump

I just had a tiny tiny taste of cheese and can already feel it bubbling. I've taken buscopan and Zantac drank water and said prayer!!
Seems I cannot deviate whatsoever.

Ledkr I found anything with a fat content over about 4% was another to set me off, hope you are o.kay. I found sitting bolt up right with a hot water bottle sometimes helped if the attack was mild. If it is getting worse now is the time to start taking the drugs!

I brought a low fat cook book for meal ideas which was useful, my Christmas dinner 2005 was rice, turkey and veg which a tiny amount of ready made gravy! Must be the only person on the planet who lost weight during pregnancy.

It's just twinging so hopefully ive just annoyed it rather than set it off on a full blown attack.
I bought some spray light stuff so I can at least have a chip or roast spud!

Hope you're ok Ledkr - it's fucking depressing isn't it.

Must be the only person on the planet who lost weight during pregnancy
You're not alone. From the back I looked hot, nice toned ass, not much jiggle on my hips it wasn't until I turned around that you could see the bump and huge norks.
I was slightly overweight when I fell pregnant and was half a stone lighter by the time I gave birth.

I've not lost as much as I thought I would but in eating bread and sweets so maybe that's why.

I am horrified at what you are going through, I had such awful pain with my gallstones.

I hope you can find a place to get referred for a second opinion. Perhaps there are MNetters in your area who can recommend a consultant to ask to go to. I think you have a right to ask for a specific person but someone else may be more up to date on that.

Good luck

This isn't very encouraging. I was in A&E three times week before last with what they now think is gallstones - initially diagnosed as hiatus hernia. It started after I had a horribly stressful incident (where my whole body shook) and I do think that was the trigger. I was frightened to eat the first week but I'm gradually picking up but avoiding fat. The pain was terrible but I wasn't screaming with it. I felt clammy because of the unbelievable pain.
During my 3 visits I wasn't once scanned Got a scan appt 23sept.

IF I get that pain again regularly I will call an ambulance each time - thanks for the tip. I wouldn't be able to afford to go private.

What was that olive oil drink posters were talking about? Does it break down the stones?

Oh, and YANBU

If what your eating contains high cals Ledkr then chances are your weight won't plummet quickly.

Springy - Sorry you're going through it too.
I've just physically shuddered at the thought of drinking olive oil with gallstones - arghh!! I don't think the GB cares that it's healthy - it's fat and very high fat at that so the likely hood of kicking off an attack would be huge. Be careful. As far as I'm aware there's some treatment able to break them up if they are small and not many but I'm not sure the UK docs offer it.

There's also many natural remedies that people try and they claim it's done the job of breaking them up. This one for example
www.biospiritual-energy-healing.com/how-i-got-rid-of-my-gallstones.html
If you read the comments under - the OP comes back to speak to some posters and from the lengths he is going to to remain GS free I think I'd rather have the frigging thing removed and be done with it tbh.

Good luck with the scan - I'm not wishing stones on you but if it's confirmed at least you know what can be done.

Back in 2002 it took 5 months of attacks before they gave me a scan. Im glad yours is soon springy. The scan that is.

Carbe i physically shudder when i remember the pain too. And mine was removed 11 and a half years ago. I still cant bear to look at a water biscuit or tiny tiny tins of salmon The only things i could eat at that time.

Before i went for the private consultation which moved things forward (which i mentioned upthread) i did receive a letter from the hospital telling me i would have to wait another year (when id already been having attacks and back and forth back and forth to A+E for 7 months. After opening that letter it is no exaggeration to say that i seriously contemplated suicide at that point.