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

Try a really hot bath, it might help settle the pain tonight. X

This was exactly like me. For years. I thought it was food intolerances, it was never on the right hand side, always in the middle just below my sternum. It was awful, I don’t know how I managed looking back, the pain was so bad. I had endoscopies, colonoscopies over a period of years, nothing ever found. I thought I had cancer, as it was just so unnatural to be in those levels of pain.

IT WAS GALLSTONES. Eventually admitted to hospital as I was so very ill, suspected sepsis, was on morphine and IV antibiotics for five days, then gallbladder out once it had settled down a couple of months later.

Don’t be fobbed off, insist on an ultrasound scan. Good luck.

Currently awaiting an ultrasound for suspected gallstones. I had been eating up the Christmas leftover cheese which seems to have triggered it. Now trying to eat a low fat diet, cut out bread and not drink any alcohol. It started Thursday night for me and I was in pain all night, it has lessened now but still not back to my usual self at all.

I'm sorry OP :(, it really is miserable. Mine has been quiet for a few months but is slowly ramping up again, no actual attacks yet though. Caffeinated coffee has become a no-no though decaf is OK & so is tea.

Pro/prebiotics won't do anything for the gallbladder itself but might help with the stomach & intestinal issues it causes - as previously mentioned I found Moju's pink gut health seemed to help & I could tolerate it when I could eat very little else so at least I was getting some nutrients.

You need foods that are easy to digest & low FODMAP whilst avoiding high fat (even good fats).

I find I can't tolerate things high in lactose but am fine with Greek yogurt (fage is the nicest) & apricot coulis (bon maman make a really really nice one) together - at my peak of issues last year I more or less survive on those two with some fresh mint & coriander thrown in. Otherwise I avoid young cheeses entirely - the more mature, the lower the lactose.

But it really is very individual & anti-intuitive in that white bread is often better than wholemeal & wholegrain. Cornflakes & rice crispies better than bran flakes etc.

Thanks all. I will try that probiotic recommendation. I am eating vegan alternatives to dairy. Dairy free yoghurts and oat milk which I don’t mind. I am cheese free. I love cheese so this is really hard! I could live without chocolate forever but not my beloved cheese and fuck eating vegan cheese I would rather eat a flip flop 😂

I had salmon is this a no if you are low fat? I love salmon it was only a tiny bloody fillet too. I can switch to white fish instead. I eat a lot of fish.

I am just avoiding all bread it’s not worth it.

I am losing the few Christmas pounds I gained so any weight loss is intentional at the moment but being less active is stressing me out.

I hear you OP. I miss cheese so much and haven't been able to have it since Oct 2023. I still miss it every day! I can however manage cheese puffs very occasionally (the maize snack kind I think) so that helps tide me over when I get a particularly strong cheese craving- just a 25g portion in a small bowl though.

In terms of getting a scan, Google 'ultrasound scan' and your location. There are a number of private clinics (sometimes the same ones who offer the private pregnancy scans) who offer one-off, self-referred ultrasound scans. My local one is £65, appointments same-day/next-day, and they send the results to your GP (and share with you). I've used it for ongoing concerns about ovarian cysts, and my husband used it for suspected gallbladder/pancreatitis (no gallstones seen but it showed he had fatty liver).

Might be worth checking on the ingredients of the vegan alternatives, often they use coconut oil/fat & that could be a big fat no.

Theres a school of thought that suggests there's a build-up effect too, so a few days of something could be absolutely & then the very next day it's really not. It can make it really difficult to work out what affects you.

I agree with pp about paying for an US, obvs we're still guessing at gallbladder here as being the most likely culprit but you do need answers ASAP. If it is gallstones the wait for surgery is ages, but at least you'll know.

OP, you should seriously consider going to see a private GP this week. You should slsl consider going private to have your gallbladder remover (around £5k) if that's the cause. You will be waiting > a year with the NHS.

I just don’t have this sort of money. I looked up scans and all I could find was baby scans and any other type of scan needed a GP referral - I still have to wait till Monday to see the GP, and no pricing on the scan but google tells me it’s about £250. I don’t have £5k for a private op and added to this if I can’t afford any of that, I don’t think paying for a private GP is going to help.

Honestly OP you are already doing the right things by monitoring your diet and keeping an eye on things. If it gets particularly painful (pain/throwing up/any yellowing to your skin) get straight to hospital. They can and do take gallbladders out as emergency surgery when necessary (partly why the waiting list is so long is emergencies take priority- as they should). I have been waiting now for 15 months and still no appt date for my op but in that time I know so many people who were diagnosed after me but have had their removed quicker due to being higher risk than me. Please do not over worry. Speak with your GP on Monday and await the scan from there. If in doubt take yourself to hospital if you feel it's more urgent. Good luck. Cutting out cheese, milk, biscuits, cake, crisps, caffeine, alcohol, pasta, pizza etc will remove a lot of the big triggers anyway and you're already not eating most of those as you've said.

Sorry to jump on this threat but I too suspect I have gallbladder issues too however when I had a scan last October it was clear. Fortunately the pain has subsided for now although I sometimes feel a slight flare up.

Worried I might have this gallbladder sludge which doesn't show up on the US. Has anyone had just this, how was it diagnosed and what was done about it?

I went to the GP about my issue, then private and both told me they couldn't find anything so I was ok which has left me hanging.

@Summervibes24 the sludge still shows up on ultrasound, mine definitely did. It's the first thing they mentioned to me "there's a lot of sludge around your gallbladder". So yes go back for a second opinion if you're still in pain but please be assured sludge would show up on ultrasound too.

cant edit on the app but just to add again it was dietary changes and losing weight that reduced the sludge for me.

That's for posting, currently in hospital via A And E with a bad attack, they are going to remove mine while I am here but I feel so unprepared and weighing up the pros and cons. You have reassured me.

Did you have to change your diet after?

There are no cons @Sunshineandrainbow. You’ve probably read that my op wasn’t straightforward but it was entirely positive. I was careful initially but I now eat whatever I want - and I love cheese.

I'm waiting to have mine out but once your gallbladder dicks-out there's no going back, it hates you & eviction is inevitable so it's now or you're on the list & could be years.

Trying not to be envious lol, but you're very fortunate to skip the list & would be quite mad to pass that up.

Complications are rare, the majority of ppl go on to eat normally & the liver eventually regulates itself to account for the lack of gallbladder.

Do some calming breathing, you've got this!

Thankyou @BIossomtoes and @Caerulea

I have been on the list for about 8 months but your right it could have been much longer for me.

I have had attacks every other week which have been mainly manageable at home but the last two have been awful. And this time the vomiting worried me and the shivering. Bloods were deranged so they were concerned hence the planned ish surgery.
I am glad I came to hospital as I often just get on with things and try to ignore them.

@Sunshineandrainbow then you definitely deserve this! Mine is painful but as yet no issues with bloods etc, you're already passed that so the little bugger NEEDS to be out!

Good luck & thinking of you 🤗

You’ve got this @Sunshineandrainbow best of luck for the op.

I had mine out last year and the experience and life afterwards has been wholly positive. I can even eat bread, after years of not being able to because of pain. My quality of life is so much better!

@spackleplumb Thanks for confirming this. No pain at the moment but if it does get worse yes I will push for a second opinion.

Thank you for this thread! I ended up in A&E on Saturday in excruciating pain, got discharged with "query biliary colic" and instructions to book a scan via the GP. Thankfully my employer gives us private healthcare so I was able to get the scan today and I've got multiple gallstones, one of which is 1.7cm. I'm now waiting for the GP to advise on treatment - based on what I've read here it looks like gallbladder removal surgery is the only option? I've got young kids so bit worried about recovery etc....

Oh no so many people going through it, hope you are all ok. I unfortunately don’t have any wisdom to share as I haven’t even seen my GP yet. @Fullofthejoysofspring I can only advise to follow a low fat diet and be careful what you eat, this is what I am having to do

as far as I know it’s keyhole surgery and it’s not a serious recovery time in that you do have to take it easy and not over do it but it’s not a bedridden long hospital stay thing. I’ve had open abdominal surgery in the past and that was hardcore. The trapped wind plus a big wound and all the muscles being cut through like a C-section

So pleased for you that it’s been diagnosed.

My recovery was fine, I had the operation in a private hospital in the morning, walked out to the car that very afternoon, was driven home, came inside and made myself some dinner! Was discharged with heavy duty painkillers but only needed paracetamol, and only for a couple of days.

I did take time off work and took it easy, but having the children didn't make anything impossible, my mum stayed for a few nights but in the end went home as I was doing everything myself.

Really good luck, get the referral letter from the GP and then get an appointment via a BUPA specialist (or whoever you’re with) to take it out so you can have it done at a time of your choosing and don’t have to wait.

I hope you get well soon. Mine was a planned op so they sent me home from A&E and told me to wait for my surgery. Thankfully I didn't have another attack from then until my op. Mine was keyhole surgery and recovery was about 6-7 weeks, I was off work for 9 in total, but most of that was the school holidays and I work in education, I was fit to drive after 5 weeks, but I did get an infection in one of my wounds so that set me back at little bit.

I still eat most of the same foods, I'm just very aware that some things can work go through quicker - anything fatty, pastries, rich foods - especially sauces and gravies, usually goes straight through me and upset my tummy for a while, but as time has gone on, it's got better and I don't react as quickly to some foods. I do still make sure there are toilets when choosing to go somewhere, especially if we're eating when out and about, or if it's somewhere new and I carry a radar key, just in case - as our local public loos are closed after 5pm but the locked baby change/disabled loo is available all hours as long as you have a key. I don't suffer with urgency as much now.

Having it removed was the best choice I made, some people say it was the worst, but for me, it was the best. I don't have bile reflux/aspiration any more although I do still have GERD, just not as regular. I don't take lansaprozole any more, but manage the reflux with bisodol when I need them.

I wish you a speedy recovery.