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.

I haven't experienced gall stones, but when I broke my ankle in 3 places and displaced it I was given paracetamol. And then gas and air when they set it. So I don't think they prescribe morphine often

Are you a hcp?

I went to a&e on Saturday night with pain that was spreading to my back and shoulder, being sick, had a fever. Had no idea what was happening to me.
They think gallstones or an infection in my gallbladder. Told to take paracetamol and wait for a scan.
Almost a week I have been in pain, unable to work or look after my kids. The pain is unbearable

That distinctive duct pain some people experience with opiates is instantly relieved with a good dose of magnesium. Like magic, it relaxes the spasming muscle. Thereafter, you take the two together.

I was diagnosed with gallstones 6 months after having my first baby. Not in this country but I was taken by ambulance to A&E - I thought I was dying. they gave me IV pain meds and then i was given Tramadol which worked really well for the two attacks I had in the 7 months i waited for surgery. I was breastfeeding. I ate a very low fat diet and it worked apart from the two occasions where I slipped up and had an attack (ice cream and pizza respectively). If you are old enough to remember Rosemary Conley's Hip and Thigh Diet - she came up with that because of having gallstones as far as I know. The operation to remove used to be pretty major before keyhole surgery. Thank goodness for modern medicine.

So where did you obtain morphine on previous occasions?

Did they say why they didnt want to prescribe anything stronger than paracetamol?

How do you know only morphine works?

In any other civilised country you would have surgery booked for next week. In the UK that is even hard to do privately. I waited 1 month privately and only had 2 attacks in total thank goodness. You have my sympathy. The NHS is useless.

Gas & Air plus Iv morphine in hospital...oramorph & buscapan for attacks at home while waiting for surgery (1yr wait).
Eating anything was a trigger so I got very thin that year 🙄

The Op has obviously had a proper diagnosis which should be on her hospital medical records so it should be pretty obviously she wasnt an addict but a patient diagnosed with a very painful medical condition

Thank goodness, I was beginning to think I was abnormal having had gallstones for many years and while horrible I certainly wasn't rolling around the floor. A stone stuck in the bile duct is very painful, but still manageable.

My gallbladder is out now and with it went numerous stomach issues I hadn't realized were connected.

The one thing that set off my gall bladder pain was coffee. Try to keep a diary to protect yourself from eating things that set it off until your surgery comes.

I had to do that, it was £6500 at the time, I was lucky I could afford it (just!). The first time my gall bladder blew up I also got pancreatitis and sepsis. I was told by my local hospital that I wouldn't even be put on the waiting list until it had happened "2 or 3 more times". I was terrified, knowing that the fatality rate for sepsis is 10-20%.

Addiction to pain killers usually starts when someone has a painful medical condition. OP isn't immune from addiction due to her diagnosis, she is more vulnerable to it.

I was prescribed high strength cocodamol and that worked for me.

I would move heaven and earth to go private if you can - remortgage, max credit card etc I’d do anything not to be in absolute agony (as you say for years!!). Very sorry for you if you have to wait for NHS operation.

That’s pretty normal especially if it’s paracetamol via IV it really works well

You have absolutely no idea what level of pain anyone has experienced.

I’ve had gallstones. It’s really fucking painful. I was only prescribed cocodamol which gave me horrendous cobstipation. I waited over a year for surgery. I can’t imagine being given morphine every time I had an attack. I wouldn’t have wanted it.

Blame the addicts who go into a&e to get morphine. I had a similar. They kept trying to send me home as i was on my period and the male triage nurses decided i was pretending and after morphine. I was in agony. They kept saying I'm only giving you paracetamol. They didnt even feel my stomach. I stayed because i was scared and the pain was horrendous. After 7 hours of rolling round which they said i was acting i finally got seen by a dr who felt my stomach and sent me for a scan.I had a twisted fallopian tube because my ovary was 28cm and growing. I was booked in for surgery the next day.If I'd of gone home the tube could of ruptured. It was dead as the twisting had cut off the blood supply. The ovary was solid not fluid filled. Women in pain aren't taken seriously.

This has blown my mind

I can sympathise OP gallstones are incredibly painful, I had my first attack before COVID and had to wait over 2 years for surgery in agonising pain at least once a week, if I could've got a loan to go private I would've!

No they don’t unkess you really need it and most women don’t. Even after c section - paracetamol only (wow was I angry when I found out I could have had something stronger!).

The pain is awful, the problem is during an acute attack codeine can increase the risk for pancreatitis.

My worst flare up they gave me cocodamol and buscopan and omelrqzole which really helped and later they gave me prochlorperazine because I vomited constantly with attacks. I first suffered attacks in my 20s. Noone diagnosed me until I was 42 and I just had it removed 2 months ago. I'm so glad it's done, I can't describe the difference it makes not waking up vomitting regularly

Same after my c section, after my gallbladder they were diligent with paint elief, cocodamol QND liquid morphine. If you're going to be in hospital you get better pain relief if it's for an organ men have too. Totally different lrotocols