Gallbladder issues

[yellowriceandham]

Saw the Gp today as I have had a worsening stomach pains for the past week. He felt my stomach and said he thinks it's an issue with my gallbladder. He's put me on strong painkillers and said he will refer me for an urgent scan and then if that comes back positive then I may need to have my gallbladder removed. However he didn't give much more details. So I'm just wondering if anyone has been through similar and could possibly tell me some more info. If they find something on the scan will it then be surgery quite soon or is it a non emergency so could be on waitlist for a year etc? Also if it's not going to be removed what happens then?

Is it constant pain? That could be a gallbladder emergency, so ring 111 if you feel worse. If it comes and goes it might be more regular gall bladder issues which you might be able to manage by diet.

If you have any inflammation or infection you might have surgery sooner, mine is treated as non urgent and it's been 6 months since the gall bladder attack to surgery due next week, I managed the pain by going on a low fat non processed diet.

Not sure about how long you will need to wait if you need your gall bladder removed but I had mine removed a week ago as I had a massive gall stone. Surgery was 30 minutes under a GA and I was home within 3 hours after waking up in recovery. I had 4 really small incisions which 7 days later are totally healed. Day 1 was really painful but manageable with pain killers. Day 7 I feel ok but have a constant feeling of wind. My internal stitches hurt a bit but no longer on any pain killers. I find that eating small amounts often helps with the wind feeling.

I hope it goes well for you.

Was in pain for years. Had mine out, never felt better.

Following...... I'm seeing the gallbladder team at hospital next Thursday. Some day's good some bad. Would like to have it removed then I can relax 😭

I had gall stones for a couple of years with no pain. Once I had an attack - super strong griping cramps- I was greenlighted for surgery. My GP said I should have gone to the hospital emergency department when I had the attack. The gall bladder bursting is a serious problem.
Pain after surgery was quite bad until day four. My surgeon said no heavy lifting for a month but it was about two months before I could go back to the gym. A couple of days after the surgery the pain was agonising: you get gas trapped in your gut. Have some strong painkillers ready.
Walk every day after the surgery: it helps recovery.
Be prepared for your digestion to be a bit odd. Don’t eat anything fatty until a month after your surgery: ricotta instead of butter, no pastry, no avocado, lean meat. I have IBS and my gut has gone insanely bad 2 months after the surgery.
Good luck!

The NHS website has some good information on gallstones, Cholecystitis and Cholecystectomy:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gallstones/
Worth a look if you haven’t already done so.

Your gallbladder might not need to be removed. I have gallstones and get pain, but it's not too bad and not very frequent. If you get unbearable pain call an ambulance. Pain past a certain point is a medical emergency.

I can empathise OP, Gallbladder pain is terrible. I had the surgery, no more pain. I know surgery is scary but honestly it’s worth it.