Has anyone had gall bladder pain/problems?

[Millie1]

I had really excruciatingly bad pain a few weeks back, went on all night, couldn't stand up straight, couldn't lie down etc. Went to GP a few days later and he thinks it may be gall bladder related so has referred me for ultrasound. Apt isn't for another two weeks.

Have had niggling aches in the same area all week and tonight my whole stomach feels tight and sore, especially under my ribs on rhs where it really aches. Am not a happy bunny with the thought it might be kicking off again - is there anything I can do or take to try and prevent it? Panadol? Doesn't feel like indigestion so no point in trying indigestion remedies. Any ideas?

Thanks

Bumping cos I'm in agony now. Have taken panadol. P,ease can anyone advise whether there's anything else I can do? Have just checked gall bladder symptoms on Net Doctor and I can tick all the boxes

Hi Millie, Poor you. I had gall bladder removed a few years ago. All I could do when had episodes like yours was pain killers and hot bath and and wait it out. Avoid eating fat to try head off episodes. If an episode really doesn't go, get checked out - I had a stuck stone which was nasty. good luck

I didn't want your post to go unanswered although my experience was not the same as what you are describing.

I had my gall bladder removed 2 years ago but my symptoms were sporadic so not the same as yours. They only came on if I had eaten a big meal or a particularly fatty one - then I would wake up in the middle of the night in absolute agony. The pain was generally on the right hand side just under my bra strap and was like a contraction in that it would build up, peak and then ease off with the peak gradually getting worse and worse. It lasted about an hour (ish) and then would just fade away. On a day-to-day basis, I had no problems at all - in fact, it took me a while to work out the link between what I was eating and the pain!

Go to A&E if the pain is getting too much rather than suffer. If you do have to have your gall bladder removed, it really isn't that bad an operation. I was up and about within a few hours and could have gone home (I only stayed in hospital overnight as I ended up in a private hospital and had my own room and it was quite nice )

I had this and there's not much you can do to relieve the symptoms. You may be able to identify foods that trigger an episode - I would have it after heavy, hard to digest food such as steak & ale pie with chips embarrassed

Perhaps you could contact NHS Direct, they might be able to suggest something. You have my sympathy - get gall bladder removed and you need never worry about this again. HTH

The only thing that helped the pain, for me, was a trip to A&E for morphine. Honestly, nothing else touched it. In the end I was prescribed Morphine syrup, but that still didn't do the job.

Ah, yes, morphine. My experience was they wouldn't just give it to you in A & E if turn up with gallb aldder symptoms but hospitals may differ

Orlistat is wonderful and removes all of the pain. My GP prescribed it whilst I was waiting for my op. Because it makes fat pass through your system your gallbladder does not need to work.

Drink plenty of water not just when you have an attack but everyday as it will make the bile thinner which will help.

When you eat chew your food for as long as you can so that your digestive system does as little work as possibble.

I hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for all the replies. I've been distracting myself by ringing my mother for sympathy. A&E is out of the question as I couldn't drive at the moment. Tis agony and into my shoulder blade at the back too. Think I'll ring my GP tomorrow and see if he will prescribe anything and whether he can speed up the scan which isn't until 14 Oct.

Thanks Henry for advice - haven't been drinking much water but will do once this passes.

I had no problems at A&E, I think by the time I went though (after numerous attacks) I probably had already been diagnosed. The nurses even started to recognise me It was a little mortifying, but nothing else touched the pain.

Ouch for you, billiary colic is nasty If you're struggling with the pain go to A&E and at least get some heavy duty painkillers. I had mine out almost 3 years ago, and my symptoms came on very rapidly and each attack would last for almost 12 hours. It worsened very quickly After three days and three visits to doc they sent me to a&e and i was kept in for a few days whilst theh did the scans. I had my op only a couple of weeks latet thankfully as dh had private health care; i doubt i could have coped for any longer. Mine turned out to be sludge and lots of little stones that just wouldn't budge.

Things that helped were lying on my left side with a wheatbag draped over my ribs on the right side or standing leaning over a table or back of a chair. Also the hospital gave me some buscopan (ibs med you can buy otc) as it's an anti spasmodic. Avoid all fats but other foods can trigger it too; red meats, fibre rich foods and fruit set me off as well. I lived on chicken, white fisrh and rice for two weeks!

Bloody horrible pain; worse than any contraction I ever had!

Millie, could you get a taxi or even call an ambulance. My DH called 999 during my first attack as he thought I was having a heart attack. Paramedics wanted to admit me but I refused as I had a young BF
baby.

Sorry you are going through this-I have been there too and had gallbladder removed 2 years ago. The pain was awful,around my ribs and into my shoulders.I second the advice to lay off any fatty foods, but do go back to Gp as I ended up with panceatitas which was awful.Hope you feel better very soon.

Yup. I had it for about a year (sporadic episodes) before getting my gallbladder removed.

If it's epically painful, please please please go to A&E, because there's a risk it could turn into something that requires urgent surgery.

If it's not so bad, you could try taking painkillers like paracetamol and/or codeine and getting hold of some Buscopan. It does say it's for irritable bowel syndrome but it's an anti spasmodic drug (I first had it as a teenager to help with nasty period pain) and you don't even need to ask the pharmacist for it these days.

It was one of the few things that helped me get through some of my milder episodes without going out of my mind.

Hope you get some relief soon.

Thanks for all your advice. The pain eventually subsided after 4-5 hrs which was better than last time when I had it for around 10 hrs. All I can say is OUCH and sympathies to all of you who have had this. I shall be very particular about my diet until I have the scan and get a proper diagnosis but the symptoms, sadly, seem to fit. Am sore today where the pain was - that happened last time too. Thanks again!

I had three really nasty episodes of gall bladder pain about a year ago. I got my scan done at the local hospital about 3 days after the last episode ( surely they can get you in more quickly, OP?) The stones in my gall bladder were not the "pea in a pod" type in appearance, but more like gravel. I have odified my diet and stopped eating lots of cheese etc. and had no more problems in the last 12 months. It really is absoloute agony though, quite the worst pain I've ever had ( including giving birth twice with no pain relief).
Hope you are better soon.