Gallstones & gallbladder surgery?

[Moidershewrote]

More of a WWYD than AIBU, but posting for traffic😬

Have had gallstones for well over a decade, they were found on a scan when I was pregnant and monitored on a couple of scans since then, but up until the past year or so I’ve not had too much trouble with them. But now I seem to be having issues and I ~think~ I’m having bouts of biliary colic (although not diagnosed) which leave me in agony for 3-4 hours when it kicks off. I’m then exhausted and feel sick for a few days afterwards.

I know I can probably push for the gallbladder removal surgery with GP and have private insurance via work. But I am really scared of surgery (past traumatic medical experiences) and also worried it will leave me with continued digestive issues (thanks Google!) as I’ve read a lot of that online.

Looking for personal gallstone / surgery stories and anything that might help me get on with it..

This one.. they close down for the weekends, but it's a great group. Quite busy, always someone around to give moral support!

My gallbladder was removed 10 years ago.

I have zero issues! I can eat anything, it's not an issue whatsoever. I was fully recovered within 14 days.

I had no significant symptoms, despite my gallbladder being full of stones and very 'unwell'.

Definitely have the surgery! I've heard horrendous stories of pain when it does start to become an issue.

This. No big deal for me either and no future issues. Had mine out about 12 years ago. Signed off for 2 weeks, the second week of which I went on holiday and was absolutely fine.

This is total crap.

I researched heavily into alternatives to surgery but there is zero evidence supporting alternative remedies.

I developed gallstones as a result of my pregnancy (DD born healthy etc) and the symptoms became apparent soon after giving birth. I was collapsing in severe pain and had to be taken to A&E on a number of occasions late 2004/5. Dismissed as 'well, you've just had a baby/are breast-feeding etc.' so get on with it. Went on for months.

It was only when I finally woke up one day with severe jaundice (rushed to A&E) that my problem was investigated. I had about 15 small stones lodged in my gallbladder which required flushing out. DD was only 10 months old and I was still breast-feeding. I always remember some bow-tie wearing old fart consultant surgeon (with a team of med students in tow) coming to see me in hospital & telling me I had breast-fed 'long enough' and it was high-time DD went on a bottle.

Upshot. I had a procedure to flush out the stones but was warned I would get a reoccurrence and would need the gallbladder removed.

And this is what did happen - gallbladder out 5 months later and happy days

I had some back pain on infrequent occasions for about 10 years, just assumed it was because I spend all day sitting at a desk.

Then one Saturday night l woke up in agony, could not find a position that eased it, felt like a stake was being pushed through my back and out under my right boob. Took painkillers, paced, curled into a ball, then 8 started vomiting every couple of minutes.

Made my way to A&E early hours of Sunday morning where they diagnosed a gallbladder infection and put me on IV antibiotics and lots of lovely Oramorph. On the 3rd day of IV antibiotics with no effect they decided I needed surgery. It was so badly infected my gallbladder was adhering to everything around it and there was enough goop and pus that they had to do a big wash out and put a drain in and stick me with more antibiotics. Total of 5 nights in hospital.

Since then no pain, no problems at all, the surgery was a one stop fix. Do it!

Had mine out in my late 20s. Absolutely amazing how good I felt afterwards. I didn't realise how ill I felt until I had it out.
The pain prior was excruciating. Attacks up to 4 times a week and constantly in hospital on morphine.
I had no pain from the surgery.

I was unaware the I had gall stones until my gall bladder nearly burst. I needed emergency surgery so probably best to get it done before it gets too bad! Following surgery I have had gastric problems but it has settled after two years.

I used to do GB surgery. The vast majority of patients were very positive about their choice to have surgery . The patients who had complications were almost almost those who had had serious problems before such as pancreatitis / stones in the duct or cholecystitis. Those like you who only had recurrent biliary colic had very good outcomes.

I had my gall bladder out in 2021 (through private medical cover) and have zero regrets. I was having similar issues to those you describe which were agonising and pretty debilitating. Combined with the pain I also would vomit through every attack which was just horrendous.

The surgery went well. Recovery was ok - I was tender and pretty zonked out by the anaesthetic but fine within a week.

Please be aware it is NOT possible to flush out gallstones. That, like the homeopathic nonsense up thread is not true. Please believe the scores of women here who have told you that this simple op to have your gallbladder out will change your life.

I had lots of pain incidents and sickness but was on Mat leave so I wasn’t taking sick days, just lying on the sofa if I was ill (luckily baby was an angel and didn’t move much).
Then it developed into acute pancreatitis which was the most painful thing ever.

I had my gall bladder out privately, it was very quick and keyhole surgery. Out the same day. I think I had the week off as I’d had a GA, but back to work easily enough.

@Moidershewrote
Everyone's experience is undoubtedly different but mine was fine!

Keyhole surgery, 5 tiny incisions, relatively short recovery, HUGE relief of ongoing, debilitating symptoms!

Have to take daily Omeprazole tablets now (small dose) & occasionally get a bout of diarrhoea but small price to pay.

I took advantage of my husband's family private healthcare plan in the end as the NHS waiting lists at the time were SO long & a particularly bad episode led to an ambulance ride & a 2wk hospital stay. I had to have a stent inserted temporarily & wait 6wks for my gallbladder to stop being so 'angry' but then I was in & out in a couple of days.

I had my gallbladder out as part of a whipples procedure to remove pancreatic cancer 5.5 years ago so can't comment on the gallbladder surgery.

However, if a gallstone lodges itself in your duct it can cause pancreatitis which is honestly one of the most painful conditions you could ever go through. It could also cause you some lasting problems although this doesn't always happen.

I have frequent pancreatitis due to hormone fluctuations so can honestly say I wouldn't wish the pain on anyone. It's truly horrendous. Do whatever it takes to avoid this happening because it makes biliary colic look like fart pains and I know how painful biliary colic can be in its own right.

Gallbladder op is relatively fast and you recover quite quickly from what I've heard from people who've had it.

Well I agree I am sure the NHS don’t prescribe South American plant drops, it doesn’t mean they aren’t correct.

Well my “study of one” from being told by a GP to have my gallbladder out, me thinking that’s a strange suggestion without trying anything first to having 3 gallbladder attacks over the next 2 years, to seeing a qualified Natropath who was a registered nurse, who suggested these drops, fast forward to two years later being told at a scan the stones were small, and they weren’t a problem anymore.

I say that’s a win for my “study of one”. No gallstones/gallbladder attack since June 2020 when I first started taking these drops, can you say the same for your natural remedy?

I am merely suggesting this is what worked for me. It’s been lovely not having an attack for nearly three years and I still have my gallbladder and I can still eat fatty foods if I choose too.

I am not forcing anyone to take these drops, maybe you want to be a little more open minded?

I had mine removed and so happy I did no more issues

Thanks everyone for your honest experiences. I am not looking at the ‘natural’ route, mainly as I don’t 100% trust using unregulated and untested herbs to heal myself.

Whilst I don’t necessarily doubt the efficacy of some herbs, the problem is actually in the lack of testing of them. Whilst one herb may be great for your gallbladder, it may be very unkind to your other organs, for example your liver or kidneys, especially when ingested over months and years. I’m not willing to take that risk. Save my gallbladder but damage my kidneys with years of untested herbal supplements.. No thanks.

My friend had her gallbladder taken out due to multiple stones and his had no problems since. However my MIL left hers for years, ignored all the symptoms of pancreatitis thinking it was just the gallstones, and now has terminal pancreatic cancer. Get the surgery.

Had mine out 10 years ago. Still eat spices, chillies, cheese and fatty foods if I feel like it. No problems at all. No advice post op as to limit what I ate.

I had to have my gallbladder out last week as blocked bile ducts were causing me to have pancreatitis which was awful.

A week on, my stomach area is tender but not too bad. I did have diarrhoea and a bit of vomiting for a couple of days after but everything has settled down already.

The surgery wasn’t bad, I stayed in as I was hospitalised beforehand but I understand most people have gallbladder removal as day surgery and go home that night. I think if you need the surgery, you should have it.There are always things which go wrong but I wonder how likely it is things will go wrong for you?

The doctors told me very clearly that further pancreatitis attacks could kill me so I didn’t have an option about having the gallbladder removed there and then .

Do it. I had mine out a couple of months ago after an agonising few episodes of hospital admissions via A&E. I was jaundiced, my liver was deranged (such a strange phrase), and had pancreatic gallstones. I had to have antibiotics for seven weeks prior to surgery, which I had done privately thanks to my partner's insurance.

The operation itself was about three hours long as I had so many adhesions and the gallbladder itself was necrotic. Nasty, nasty pain for a couple of days, but back to better than normal now.

Sorry that should read gallstone pancreatitis.

Had mine out in August and it was fine. I needed painkillers when I woke up and paracetamol/ibuprofen for a couple days, but it didn't even slow me down much

I too have never looked back after gall bladder surgery. My trigger was a sudden pain. We consulted 111,who sent out a paramedic, who summoned an ambulance and I was blue lighted to hospital. DH says I looked in terrible pain but I don’t remember it! This was a few years ago and I was moved to a ward from A @ E within 2 hours or so. I was there for a few days while they tried to make space on the operating lists (which was actually reassuring as clearly I wasn’t considered an emergency). They then discharged me (I suppose they needed the bed!) and said they’d contact me about an op date. I went private in the end. But no problems since and Ive eaten everything (well, put it like this, my diet has not in any way been restricted by the surgery)