To think gallstones hurt more than labour?!?

[BishopBrennansArse]

9 hour session of what I suspected was biliary colic overnight confirmed by ultrasound this morning as gallstones. Thought I was dying.

Honestly I'd rather do labour more than once than be like that again, and I know that it will happen again soon...

Or is that just me?

Quite agree. I had an attack of biliary colic three weeks after having my first baby.

Went on two deliver two more babies with just gas and air for pain relief and the gallstones were FAR worse. I was rolling around the floor in agony. It is truly the most painful thing I've ever experienced.

At least with labour you know it's coming. The first time I had a gallbladder attack I genuinely thought I was going to die.

Yanbu! Gallstones made me cry. Labour did not, even at 8cm with no mw having arrived with pain relief yet.

Flood - me too. I really thought I was dying.

I've had a natural birth and a planned section. The gallstone attack is by far the worst. I thought I was going to die when I had the first attack. I looked at my phone on the way to a & e and thought. Hmm this is the day I'm going to die, it's the only explanation.

I had 7 gallstone attaches before having it taken out. Was a bit surprised that had another massive attack 3 days afterwards. Apparently it's not uncommon to have one left in. It was the only time I needed an ambulance

I really feel I for you i had them during pregnancy I was in so much agony my mum and aunt thought I was in early labour at 20 weeks! I got my gallbladder out after my lo was born best thing I ever done.

Yes give me labour any day. It's terrible painful. Thank goodness I had my gallbladder out and don't have to put up with it anymore

They sent an ambulance for me when I had mine, but it never came, so dh took me in by car. My blood pressure was high and I was dripping sweat with the pain. They still made me sit for over two hours in the waiting room with the drunk people and I never was seen because I went home once the colic had burnt itself out because I knew that I had codeine there at least. I took a load of codeine, buscopan and nightnurse and knocked myself out.

The blood test which they'd done showed pancreatitis when the GP gave me the results. Luckily, the ultrasound showed no further gallstones, so I must have passed it/them.

It was agonising. I think the nice NHS touch of allowing somebody who was kicking off in the waiting room to be seen quickly just added to the distress.

Yes worse than labour. And coffee set my off so watch the coffee.

Yep worse than labour!
I was hospitalised over gallstones and within the day I was in intensive care nearly dying.
Squeezing baby out of foof was actually quite easy. It was my second child so my body knew what to do (unlike the first time) and my pain threshold was so high I was fine with the contractions and gave birth within 10 mins of arriving at hospital even though I saved all of my energy to shout "epidural" as was convinced I'd be in labour for 5 days

So happy you actually got the right advice bishopbrennan! So many still get told low fat diet. Hope this gets sorted for you soon and you get some good painkillers in the meantime

I was in A&E on Sunday morning after my 2nd gallstone attack in 24 hours. The nurse said, "Obviously as you've had children, labour will have been the worst pain, but what is your pain like now on a 1-10 scale?" I replied that I may have laboured 4 times, without pain relief, but I would happily give birth daily rather than deal with the pain I had, and would take whatever drug they offered me! It's horrendous. I have a scan in a couple of weeks to see what going on. My husband actually laughed at me writhing in pain thinking I was over-reacting, he felt very bad when we found out it was gallstones.

I had something like this at the weekend. The pain started under my right ribs, radiated up to my sternum, shoulder and right jaw, then wrapped itself around my ribcage. There is something under my right ribs that has been tender since July. I've had an ultrasound for gallstones, but nothing was found, and 9 sessions of physio as it was thought it might be muscular. I think it must be gallstones. I'm back to see the doc next week, but I'm in Belgium where they tend to exclude one thing before thinking about the next.

Scary watch out you don't have sludge or sand gallstones, easily missed on an ultrasound. Or indeed inflammation of the gallbladder.

Good luck.

Thanks all for the sympathies

I agree - far worse than labour, I collapsed with the pain. Was given pethidine for it in a and e - never needed that in labour!

Oh dear god yes. The first time I understood what 'white pain' was. I was pretty much delirious. Absolutely bloody awful. I waited nearly a year, with 5-6 attacks before getting my gb removed. I still have meds to calm my now 'free flowing' bile (nice ) but its much more manageable.

I was given tramadol and pethidine to manage the pain but neither touched the sides. Only IV morphine worked for me.

Take care...

Yes yes yes. Worst pain ever. Avoid fatty food and have buscophen and ibroprophen during an attack

It definitely is one of the worst pains ever. I've lost count of how many attacks I've had. Anything seems to set mine off.
My most recent attack started at 2pm on a Thursday and continued pretty much right through until the Tuesday evening. I was screaming in pain, couldn't even think straight, intermittent fever, severe itching, constant vomiting, etc. I made two trips to the hospital, one by ambulance. The first time I was ignored for 6 hours until a doctor came and told me I needed to lose 3lbs and not have an attack for a week before they'd consider doing anything for me and the second time I was offered oramorph which I never actually received and then told to go home and wait for a letter about an appointment with a consultant. Still waiting for that...

I really struggle with believing that I deserve to be healthy and receive proper care from doctors and other healthcare professionals so it was really difficult for me to actually go to the hospital, despite the horrific pain I was in. To be dismissed like I was has just made me feel like I deserve all this pain and I'm not worthy of treatment. It's my own fault I have gallstones so I should just deal with them but they are ruining my life.

God yes. I consider myself somewhat tough and dignified when it comes to pain, even smiling and remembering my p's & q's whilst in labour. Gallstone attacks had my crawling on the floor, puking over myself and screaming at DH to call a fucking ambulance.

Had my gallbladder removed 2 years ago and it was the best day of my life.

I agree ..I thought I was going to die during some attacks. Like others I had a gallstone stuck in my bile duct and that almost did finish me off..I was morphined out my face for a week in hospital before they figured out why I was so ill.

My gallbladder was removed in the Summer and I am so glad I won't experience that pain again.

Hoping you don't get a repeat attack anytime soon op

Christ, is this thread prophetic. Currently sitting in a&e with awful chest/back/shoulder pain that's been going on for about 6 hours and that has made me vomit. Had pale poos for a while; I should not have ignored that. Thought I'd better come down here as also have high cholesterol so you never know with chest pain, but I'm pretty sure it's the gallbladder from where the pain is etc

Urgh this is absolutely horrific! to everyone who's been through it!

Hope you feel better soon Temporaryname137. Gallstone pain is horrific. I've never had children so can't compare it to childbirth, but I have a pretty high pain threshold and I was writhing around in agony and constantly vomiting. At one point I was on codeine, morphine and tramadol and I could still feel the bastarding pain!

Mine was due to fast weight loss I was on Slimming World ( i lost ten stone) seven stone in seven months and over a year to lose the final three stones. I got my first gallstone attack back in July 2002 and didnt have op to remove the GB until 28th April 2003. I was told to take the same cocktail of drugs that a PP was. then i was in and out of A and E then duty doctors would come to my home and give me morphine injections then i was finally given a pack of morphine pills which melted under the tongue. It was hell It was not well known back then that fast weight loss can cause it but is is well known now And yet ppl still embark on VLCDs. Ive seen ppl complaining in the papers about how they have to wait six months for an op. While i understand this because the pain is HELL I had to wait very nearly ten months and that was 13/14 years ago. Despite me helping myself by losing all that weight. There was one doc who overdosed me on morphine on Christmas Eve 2002 and i spent all Christmas Day in hospital because of it. I got up that morning and couldnt stand My legs kept giving way. I kept collapsing.

I was only moved up the waiting list after a private appointment with a surgeon.

I was admitted to A and E a few more times. Then the same surgeon promised me that i would be on his operating table in six weeks. He operated on me 5 weeks later.

I had told him about my weight loss at the private consultation. I had lost 8 stone by that point with 2 more to go.

He and the doctor who prescribed me morphine pills were very sympathetic. They were great I would love to see him again to thank him and show him that i have kept the weight off.

Nerve i had a nurse slam i mean REALLY slam the cubicle door shut because she objected to my screaming.

And a GP interrogated me wanting to know the name of the doc who gave me morphine pills I lost all that weight and was in all that pain because of it and was being treated like a drug addict.

I couldnt remember his name and even if i did i wouldnt have told him.