A&E or wait it out?

[burntoranged]

Woke up around 90 mins ago with excruciating upper abdominal pain - area is tender to touch. Taken codeine, omeprazole, buscopan and it only seems to be worsening. Made worse by lying down, I can’t find a position where I’m not in pain. Home alone with a 4 year old fast asleep and panicking. Do I try and wait it out til the morning?

Sounds like it could be gallstones. They are incredibly painful. I waited out my attacks but should have gone in as later found out a gallstone had damaged my pancreas. You could call 111 for advice?

Can anyone come round to be with your child?

A pain so severe it isn’t easing even slightly after codeine really does need urgent attention.

I had EXACTLY the same last year. Waited it out, it just got worse and worse over the next 24 hours. I finally called an ambulance, I had a bowel obstruction.

In your case, are you vomiting, can you eat or drink, have your bowels moved? No need to answere here, but the questions might help you diagnose your condition.

Hello, difficult to say. I think I’d ring 111 but it’s almost guaranteed they’d send you to A&E- at least around here they do that for everything! So maybe if you can get someone round for your 4 yr old and just cut out the middle man?

Trying to get through to 111 now. I had a similar pain exactly a week ago but it subsided after about 45 mins so I’ve been waiting it out tonight for something similar to happen but it’s just worse. Wondering about something like gallstones! No one nearby for DD which is why I’m reluctant to have to go to A&E. My mum is an hour away but don’t want to drag her out of bed if the pain disappears again like it did last week!

How are you doing?

Think you might have to brave it

Does the bath help?

Couldn’t get through to 111 but the pain eventually subsided by about 5am. I’ll try and make a GP appointment since it’s happened twice in the last week!

Definitely sounds like gallstones. See the gp and request an untrasound, don’t be fobbed off. In the meantime, limit (by that I mean totally avoid) any high fat foods, since they are most likely to trigger an attack.

What do you mean you couldn’t get through to 111? You just stay in the queue?

I would be surprised if this isn’t gallstones it sounds exactly like my attacks. Watch out for fever, vomiting, yellow tinge to skin, pale poo and dark wee. They are signs that the liver or pancreas are infected and require A&E. You need to book in at the GP even though the pain has now subsided and ask for a blood panel to check liver function and for an ultrasound to check for the gallstones.

@londongirl12 yes, I waited in the queue for about half an hour then gave up and decided to wait it out til the morning as by that point I didn’t feel like it warranted A&E.

@InfoSecInTheCity that's really helpful, thank you! I woke up extremely clammy and hot but feel okay now. Typical it’s my first day at a new job today after last night’s awful sleep!

Please see your gp urgently as gallstones can get worse quite quickly and if you’re solely responsible for your child you need planned care not emergency admission. I went from saying to my dh ‘I'm not feeling too well i think I’ll go to bed early’ to being in so much pain I couldn't make a sensible decision in an hour. Paramedics came out and morphine wasn't touching the sides. I ended up being blue lit into hospital.

In meantime as well as avoiding fat as a PP advised don’t have any fizzy drinks.

Lots of things it could be gallstones are up there as others have said.

Def get into see your GP for assessment etc.

There's some good information on this page about gallstones/diet sheet:
https://patient.info/digestive-health/gallstones-and-bile

If a severe pain episode isn't settling, tummy very tender to touch, or/and you feel feverish unwell with it that would normally be a case for A&E. If it's severe just go don't wait for 111 to tell you.

I work for ambulance service, 111 have an odd habit (well i suppose I'm only aware of it when it goes wrong) of saying theyll send an ambulance to 'check you out'. For any paramedic abdominal pain/tender tummy= check out in a&e. So 111 have people waiting 6+ hours through callbacks and then for our arrival when we will just be runnibg you up there anyway to show you where the waiting room is (if you're walking and talking!).

Thank you! I managed to get to the GP first thing. They’re testing for h pylori, doing bloods on Friday and referred me for an ultrasound. She said it sounded like either gastritis or gallstones. Nervous to go to bed tonight in case it happens again but hopefully not!

Awwww hope you’re OK. How was your job?

@GingerPaste working from home so a day of IT issues and v little actual work which was a relief! Thank you for asking!