What do gallstones feel like

[Kalei87]

for a few weeks I have had indigestion starting In the usual normal place for heartburn, centrally in the sternum, I feel like I need to burp, but can’t, then keep getting painful hiccups.

I’ve been taking nexium and gaviscon. This does help with the heartburn but then sometimes it travels down and turns into this pain relentlessly nagging and burning kind of gnawing pain for hours and hours that is more on the right hand side where my rib cage ends. No pain in my back. It feels like I have lots of trapped gas, but I don’t, as nothing is happening other than just having this pain. I have to lie down for ages and eventually it might go away of its own accord but nothing I do helps the pain to go apart from time. I’m not sick otherwise in any other way just this pain is ruining my life! It does hurt if I press on the area a bit

Earlier I felt ok a little bit of indigestion. I ate a normal healthy breakfast but then I was at a kids party and the only food was a slice of pizza, I was hungry, couldn’t leave and no other options so I ate one slice and since then I have been lying down for 5 hours with this pain. Regret regret.

I have nothing to compare this to so just wondered if this sounds like an ulcer or something. I will go see a doctor but just wondered if the 2 things might be related in anyone else’s experience

Gosh I can’t believe how many of you had to wait so long for surgery. I was rushed to A &E and found that I had jammed packed gall bladder …. Surgery 3 weeks later. What they dont you is that you can’t ingest any fats after

@Trivium4all sorry to hear you suffered all this time that’s terrible.

I am looking back as I post and realising this is not a new thing it’s just there have been long gaps between flare ups and then it’s gone away and I have forgotten about it. It’s never lasted this long before though in episodes as it’s more than one in a few weeks usually they are one off random events. The last similar one I had was 2 years ago when I had got very hungry and that triggered off acid reflux, I then ate a white pitta bread quickly and within 30 mins was in agony, couldn’t stand up straight, was all in 4’s rocking back and forth and ended up with my DP putting me to bed where I laid for hours in pain then eventually fell asleep and woke up and it had mysteriously disappeared. I was so nervous to eat for days so I was very careful then it didn’t come back until a few weeks ago.

Abdominal pain, right upper quadrant, worse after eating, especially fatty foods. Gastritis can mimic this though. Ask your GP for a direct access ultrasound. While you wait, cut out all fat in your diet and if this improves symptoms could well be gallstones. Gallstones more common in the 4 Fs Fat, Female, Forties or with Foetus (pregnant).

Just in terms of triggers - I found out that as well as WHAT I ate, WHEN I ate was also a factor - if I had any food in the 3 hour run up to bedtime, I was more likely to have a gallbladder attack during the night.

I second the recommendation for Buscopan, and the other thing I found particularly effective for pain relief was a very hot bath.

How come u got addicted ? I'm so sorry.

For me it was dead in the middle, fit not fat, yes female, twenties, definitely no foetus, when it first showed up. The problem with "usually" is that "...but sometimes" gets missed on occasion. The attack that finally led to diagnosis was the very first one that actually moved to the right of the centre. All that time, doctors told me to avoid acidic foods, whereas I kept insisting that tomatoes, wine, etc. didn't do anything, but oily food set it off.

Yea, it's the fat that triggers the pain as the gallbladder contracts to push out bile to emulsify the fat to smaller droplets to help gut absorption. If you have gallstones then GB contracts on these stones causing pain. Avoiding acidic foods can help in gastritis.

@LittleRedY0shi getting hungry triggers acid reflux so I try to eat little and often. I think eating meals too big can also make it worse. I could barely eat my dinner last night as I felt full up quite quickly after a day of heartburn as I’ve not been getting much breaks between this trapped wind feeling it’s kind of always lurking.

I am 40’s and I used to be overweight a few years ago but I am a healthy weight now and fit and eat ok

Mine always starts in the centre of my sternum but it travels, it leaves that part of the heartburn area and is 100% focused on the right side of my rib cage but it doesn’t feel like my stomach, I know where that is. It also can feel like it’s making my bowels spasm like something TMI is about to happen… but nothing happens!

I visualised the pain as someone slowly and steadily forcing a red hot poker through me, from where the centre of my bra sits, right through to my back.

Sometimes it was a bit sore and lasted for an hour or so, sometimes it left me literally writhing in pain for hours and involuntarily mooing like a cow. I think it is comparable to childbirth - and DD was back to back! - but the difference is contractions come and go and this is a steadily increasing pain that at the time feels like it will never ever end.

Had my gall bladder out now, and knowing I'll never feel that again is amazing.

I am 40’s and I used to be overweight a few years ago but I am a healthy weight now and fit and eat ok

Weight loss, especially if it's rapid, can cause gallstones to form - that's what I was told likely caused mine.

Exactly. It seems to me like the doctors were concentrating on the location of the pain (in the middle), as opposed to all the other things around the presentation. It probably didn't help that it was hard to see the same doctor more than once, and it also seemed like previous suspicions of previous doctors (the supposed "ulcer") were taken as gospel, even though they were never confirmed.

Mine was slow but I did know about that and if I had more attacks at the time I would have gone to the GP. I just read up about them so it can take 20 years for the stones to form and this is why it’s so common in 40’s. I’m worrying about all the organs now anyway so I am going to go to the GP

Yes sounds like gallstones to me too. Mine was similar. The pain was horrendous. I would be pacing the floors for hours in agony. A really hot bath helped sometimes. I was never so glad to get my gallbladder removed. The pain from a gallbladder attack is worse than labour.

The pain is like nothing else on earth. I'd rather give birth thann have to go through that again.

In my case the first I knew about having gallstones was after eating a cheese pizza when one of the bastards got completely stuck and I ended up critically ill with sepsis and pancreatitis. The scariest thing was that I was too unwell to recognise how unwell I was although that might have had a lot to do with the morphine. Bagged myself emergency surgery and now have what I call my 'shark attack' scar under my right boob.

The ultrasound is relatively quick and as long as you're not in the middle of an attack it's also relatively painless. Surgery is the only thing that'll really get rid of it forever. It's usually done by keyhole as well.

So bad that patients are given Opiates if in hospital.

I had gall stones years ago and had my gall bladder removed.

The pain was like nothing I had EVER felt in my life. The best way I can describe it is a trapped wind pain, but 100 times worse. The pain made me sick and I ended up in hospital with it. I did develop pancreatitis too so unsure if that contributed to the pain. I would rather give birth again that deal with that level of pain!

Sounds like you're eating fairly sensibly already from what I've seen of your replies since I posted. Which probably explains why you are only having occasional attacks. I will say rice also sets mine off, not as much as bread/dough but still causes a discomfort and sort of indigestion feeling. I've cut out all alcohol as well just to make sure I'm looking after the liver. I hope you don't have to wait too long for answers from your GP. I initially spoke to my doc in December 2022 and had my scan in September 2023 then GP confirmed gallstones/fatty liver in the October. Just giving my timeframe as an idea of what to maybe expect. Still no surgery date yet but as I say I'm on the waiting list and not in excruciating pain at least. It's good to read your pain has eased over the evening tonight too hope you get some sleep.

Poor you, OP. Sounds v similar to gall bladder pain.

My episodes got closer and more sustained over time, pain so murderous that paramedics thought it might be a heart attack. Air lifted to hospital, projectile vomiting over the (very fit) doctor mid-flight - oh, the shame. But gallstones it was, and a keyhole op to remove the g/b sorted me out.

Obvs we’re not doctors on MN, so get yourself checked out asap to find out what’s going on. Wishing you well, OP ✨

Just thought I'd mention, my surgeon told me that I couldn't have any more than 3 grams of fat in any meal/snack as it would trigger an attack (he was right).

I lived off chicken, veg and tiny portions of rice and pasta.
For a sweet treat, I had fat free yoghurt that I'd freeze and then grate a single chocolate button on top.
I also snacked on frozen grapes.

Gallstones are horrible - it's an awful stomach pain, similar to gas pain from surgery

I've had them a couple of times in the past couple of months and I'm waiting for an ultrasound

I'm basically living in fear of the pain 😢

It usually lasts about 6 hours for me. One of the attacks came on in a lidl while I was in the longest queue in the world

Sorry op x

Yes sounds like gallstones. Unless there are complications it won't show on bloods, they diagnose with an ultrasound - you need one!

My experience was years of niggly pain, then 5 months of terrible stomach, diarrhoea & annoying ache then BAM the actual attacks started & I'd no idea what was going on. 'worse than childbirth' is a common comparison for good reason, the full blown attacks are extraordinary.

Gaviscon won't do anything for gallbladder problems, buscopan & peppermint tea will help if it's looking to be an attack.

Low fat food that's easy to digest & in small amounts over the day.

I'm waiting for mine to be taken out & have had a couple of quiet months until the past week where I've noticed my morning coffee is hurting & now tonight I'm actually up in pain (not agony) that feels like a giant hand is squeezing my right side around my ribs & I dearly wish it would fuck the fuck off.

Pain can be all in your front, or back, maybe round the sides, maybe not. Possibly all across your front under your ribs like your diaphragm is trying to leave your body. In your spine, behind your shoulder blade, right in your shoulder. It can be all of these at once dialled to 11 👍

GP tomorrow, get them to book you in for an US. I'm a high high pain threshold person & a full on gallstone attack is no joke at all, do not wait for that stage before you start the process of diagnosis!

You have ALL my sympathy xx

(also shout out to MN diagnostic crew - I posted here with my first actual attack in a panic like 'Wtf is going on? I need to burp so bad, help me!' & was immediately told what it was)

I had my gallbladder removed in 1989 after suffering the most severe pain I think I have ever encountered. Took a while to diagnose because I was only mid twenties and slim. They used to say then fat fair and forty were the criteria. I had to have full operation and the stones were like grit. I had ovarian cancer and last January had radical hysterectomy via keyhole surgery, luckily all cancer seems to have been removed. But operation and recovery wise would take the keyhole hysterectomy anyway over the gallbladder removal. Good luck with getting it sorted

I have a GP appt, I booked one it’s not until early February so I will keep a diary of what’s going on. I am still too scared to eat. I’ve had water and it didn’t start it again but I will try have something soon and hope it doesn’t kick it back off again. It’s still not 100% gone away, it’s like I can feel discomfort in the background but it’s not pain anymore. I am late for work because I was hanging back to see if it restarted

That isn’t good enough. If you get another attack go straight to A&E, that’s how mine was diagnosed.

I feel like it’s not bad enough for A&E. I don’t have a fever or anything it’s just that standing up makes it hurt more. I’m not sick I don’t vomit or sweat just this crappy relentless gnawing pain.