A&E refusing to give more than paracetamol when I’m in horrific pain

[Wonderingmummy]

I found out I’ve got gallstones, I need it out but I’ve been put on a waiting list. I’ve also just had a baby which can apparently trigger the attacks.

I had an attack 4 days ago, called 999. The worst pain I’ve ever been in, rolling around the floor at hospital. They refused to give me any more than paracetamol and I was just left to it. 6 hours later, it passed and I was told to go home.

I’m still thinking about it, and it’s annoyed me that more wasn’t done. Do you think I’m unreasonable to expect more? When the inevitable happens and I have another one, I already know my A&E will refuse to help and I want to advocate for myself better.

Why not contact your GP before the next attack to get some sort of stronger medication?

I have, they’ve given me codrydomol but the only thing that helps is morphine. But I’ve also been told be careful as codrydomol can make it worse.

I am just a bit traumatised by what happened, I think.

There are massive waiting lists due to WLI Gallbladder removal is up 27%.

I've had mine out and I waited a year.
Naproxen is stronger in painkiller.

They only give you paracetamol after a c-section so it doesn’t really surprise me.

They're not going to give you morphine for months on end for gallstones and nor should they.

Do you know why they refused to give anything stronger? Are you breastfeeding maybe or was the baby with you without another adult?

My local A&E is the opposite - prescribed a syringe full of Oramorph when I’d had a heart attack. I wasn’t in any pain 🤷‍♀️.

Buscopan are your friend here - over the counter - its what I was given in hospital whilst passing a stone after gallbladder removal. Combine with paracetamol and ibupofren - take medical advice first.

I was given morphine for gallstones. Its certainly a thing. Definitely the worst pain I've ever had and I gave birth on nothing but paracetamol. I've also broken my ankle. Not even close.

A&E aren’t just going to give out morphine because the patient shows up asking for it.

They give you morphine too! Well they did for me

It's really harsh. I'm so sorry for you.

Could it be opiates are damaging to your gallbladder? If not could someone go and buy you codeine from a pharmacy? You can get 12mg (or whatever measurements they use) OTC.

I really hope you get some help soon x

To take home, on prescription? Or in A+E?

You go to A&E during prolonged gallbladder attacks due to infection risk and severe pain, not just because I fancy some morphine. If they don’t want to give stronger pain killers they need to do more than leave me to rot x

Get a electric heated pad, it helped me tremendously

In a&e

Do you have any idea how many people turn up in A&E on a daily basis and claim that morphine is the only thing that will help them….?

Yes exactly. They arent going to give you morphine on prescription for gallstones

OP is complaining she wasn't given it in A&E

Usually they step up pain killers, try paracetamol if it helps them great if not they can try something else. I had paracetamol for my kidney stones and it did help a bit but moved on to something stronger once it was wearing off. I wouldn’t go in asking for the morphine before I’d tried something else, but that’s just me

That sounds awful, I’m so sorry.

It is awful, but it seems to happen a lot. AE wouldn't help when a friend with a botched dental op was in agony. We refuse euthanasia in this country, yet people with terminal disease are left in pain. As you are capable of complaining, please do, to maybe improve things for yourself, and for those who can no longer complain.

They shouldn’t be giving you any sort of opiate for gallbladder pain as it can cause the biliary sphincter to spasm, which is worse in my experience than having biliary colic.

Are you doing everything you can to avoid attacks of pain? I only achieved it in the months I had to wait for my op by eating barely any fat - nothing over 2% fat. It was boring and hard and I lost 2 stone in weight but it kept things manageable until I had surgery.

She wants her co-drydamol prescription to be morphine which she seems to know helps her for this despite not being given it in A+E

Sorry to tell you op. There is a big problem with morphine seekers presenting at A&E. Anyone who comes in saying "only morphine" helps my pain, is a red flag to them.
Sorry you are suffering though, it is an awful pain.
You can get your gall bladder removed privately if you have a spare 9k though

No?