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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask about your gallstone symptoms

77 replies

foxyrox79 · 09/03/2015 22:29

I have been diagnosed with gallstones (had a scan to confirm) and need to have my gallbladder removed. I have an appointment with a surgeon soon. But I am genuinely scared that gallstones are not the real issue, instead something really awful.

My symptoms are: pain (impossible to describe but not sharp, stabby pain) in the centre of my stomach, just below breastbone that radiates to my upper back/shoulders and sometimes to the left or right of my stomach.
I am on a very low fat diet to control and can be pain free for the odd day, sometimes a week but am usually uncomfortable to some degree for part of every day.
I find I naturally curl into a very tight ball when the pain is bad. This helps a little -sometimes. Paracetamol/nurofen do nothing.

I am finding it increasingly difficult to lead a normal life because of the pain. It can't just be gallstones, can it??

OP posts:
pictish · 09/03/2015 22:31

Yup sorry. Gallstone pain is straight from Satan's darkest thoughts.
Truly it's abysmal.

gamerchick · 09/03/2015 22:33

Yeah those are the daddy's.

I miss bacon Sad not enough to put myself through that again though.

notnaice · 09/03/2015 22:35

My pain wasn't where it is typically supposed to be. I curled up too.
Dreadful pain Thanks

pictish · 09/03/2015 22:36

I don't know why I'm sorry - it is of course good that it's nothing more sinister.
But it's gallstone pain is exactly as you describe.
I had my gall bladder out two years ago.

NormHonal · 09/03/2015 22:36

Yes, tiny little gallstones truly can cause all of that pain.

You won't know yourself after the operation.

Presumably you've had an ultrasound of some sort? I know in mine they checked for anything else lurking. But no, just gallstones. Angry

TapStepBallChange · 09/03/2015 22:36

Yep that's what I had. You may well have a stone that has escaped and is making the pain worse, that's easily fixed if you have surgery. As well as low fat I found giving up milky coffee like lattes helped and giving up fizzy drinks I finally cured my diet coke addiction

FarFromAnyRoad · 09/03/2015 22:38

Yes - your symptoms sound rather like mine were. I didn't have the excruciating agony that some people speak of - more an ever present period pain style ache in my upper right quadrant made worse by any fat in food. Also had quite bad gastric irritation which gave a different sort of pain. I was a walking fuck up basically! Hope you soon get yours sorted - once you're over the initial post op stage you'll be a lot happier

notnaice · 09/03/2015 22:38

Yes mine were like gravel. Is that supposed to mean worse pain?

heymammy · 09/03/2015 22:38

Yes, that's it exactly. I had to breathe through the pain like having contractions. From what I remember, the pain is from a stone getting stuck in the exit tube so only goes away when the stone has passed through.

It felt like I was being constricted around the band of my bra and is truly the worst pain i have ever experienced aside from labour. Tmi but vomiting was the only thing that helped put the pain away.

Sorry to hear. At least you are on your way to being pain free.

dietstartstmoz · 09/03/2015 22:39

Gallstone pain is horrific. But once you have had your op it will go. It has been 2 years since i had mine removed and i am mostly ok now. Sympathy it is awful pain.

Trufflethewuffle · 09/03/2015 22:41

I reckoned I would rather give birth to oversized triplets in the breech position with no pain relief than have another gall bladder attack. The worst thing I found was that whereas for most types of strong pain such as labour pains breathing helps but with a gall bladder attack breathing made it worse.

I got given a codeine based painkiller which didn't help much but it rendered me unable to speak. I have vivid memories of everyone talking around me saying that I must be feeling better as I wasn't complaining of the pain any more. The blasted tablets didn't stop the pain, just stopped me being able to say anything!

fourcorneredcircle · 09/03/2015 22:42

Those pains sound horribly familiar. Nothing since has come close to feeling like it - every single time my brain told me I was going to die, the pain was indescribable. I hope you feel better soon, don't do what I did and try and drive on Tramadol. If you can, get yourself signed off until the operation, the longer it goes the more frequent the pain and the more triggers.

The further I went along the gallstone road I found that dairy became a big trigger along with eggs (vegetarian so don't eat meat anyway). Spicy food too. Then I could no longer have fizzy drinks or caffeine. Eventually I was living on wholemeal toast, jacket potato and baked beans. Ahhh... the memories...

pictish · 09/03/2015 22:42

heymammy that's what I heard about a stone making a bid for escape...that's when it's awfy bad. I too breathed through the pain like contractions, and did indeed compare it to labour for intensity.
I went to A&E in the end and begged them to help me. I was taken in the next morning. Omg the relief. Wasn't the funnest time ever, but no regrets.
So much ouch.

MrsBungle · 09/03/2015 22:42

Yes that's what my symptoms were like except I had "attacks" on top of the constant pain. Only morphine could help with the attacks. They were horrendous.

heymammy · 09/03/2015 22:43

2 years since my op too and I know what you mean diet about being 'mostly' ok. No pain at all now for me but get upset stomach and nausea very easily.

fourcorneredcircle · 09/03/2015 22:43

The blasted tablets didn't stop the pain, just stopped me being able to say anything! this. Also, the dark was touching me...

fourcorneredcircle · 09/03/2015 22:45

Oooh yes, gallstone attacks are routinely treated with morphine - which tells us everything we need to know about how much they hurt.

MrsBungle · 09/03/2015 22:48

Just to let you know op, I've been totally fine since my op apart from the fact that they 'nicked' my liver and I was hospitalised for a week and I can eat what I like - no extra acid or dodgy tummy.

pictish · 09/03/2015 22:51

I'm fine now too. No problems so far.

And yes to the dark touching you...

Original poster
foxyrox79 · 09/03/2015 22:51

I actually feel so relieved! I genuinely thought it must be something else that had been missed and is going to kill me......
I had a scan and they didn't see anything else out of the ordinary but I am a bit fat so wondered if the picture wasn't good enough to see anything I still thought they must have missed something.

I have cut out anything over 4% fat, all fizzy, tap water, spicy, acidic and most me as. I think dairy will have to be the next thing to try.

At least I am losing a few lbs, every cloud and all that.

OP posts:
CommanderShepard · 09/03/2015 22:53

Yep, that's gallbladder pain. It is, in my experience, worse than labour. I had a stone in my bile duct and oramorph only just took the edge off. Like mrsbungle though I had mine out and no side effects afterwards.

Original poster
foxyrox79 · 09/03/2015 22:53

*most meat

OP posts:
fourcorneredcircle · 09/03/2015 22:54

At least I am losing a few lbs, every cloud and all that. I lost two stone i was the wrong side of cuddly mind, t'was the only upside.

Original poster
foxyrox79 · 09/03/2015 22:55

That's another concern for me. I have read (I know you should NEVER consult Dr google but I can't help myself) that lots of people still have the pains after gallbladder removal due to a stone/stones that have escaped and are now elsewhere in the body.

OP posts:
FarFromAnyRoad · 09/03/2015 22:56

I found that right before the op when things were pretty bad all I could eat was bananas and ready brek with skimmed milk. Lived on that for two weeks and unsurprisingly I can no longer eat the damned stuff without having a Pavlovian reaction!