Please come and talk to me about Gallstones

[DoggyDaycare]

I'm really struggling to keep going and could do with any tips or advice about how to improve things...

I am waiting for surgery to remove offending Gallbladder, but it has already been 3 months, have another 2 at least to go till I get to the top of the list.

I was hospitalised with it before Xmas as as stone had blocked the duct and given me Pancreatitis, and then got an infection so was in for 11 days. (With a 4 month old DS at home)

The advice after this was that an enzyme reacts to fat in the diet and so eat as little fat as possible to avoid further attacks.

I ate nothing with any fat in, and 7 weeks later ended up back in, at another hospital. Again I got an infection and had to have another 5 days of IV antibiotics.

At hospital I told them I had been ruthless in eating no fat...and they told me the low fat thing doesn't really work, they do lots of barriatric surgery where people are on a low fat diet and they invariably have to take their gall bladders out about a year after it is done as there is something about losing weight that also seems to kick it off and that once a gallbladder has gone bonkers to the extent mine has, getting it out is the only way to stop it recurring.

But I have a now 7month old DS at home and I have to be well to take care of him.This morning, 2 weeks after being out of hospital, I can feel it kicking in again.

Does anyone have any advice please? Have you found anything that helps? Is there a reason why it keeps getting infected or is this just because it is inflamed? I am desperate to stay out of hospital!

Its not just fat that sets it off, fried onions (dry fried), cucumber can do it as well. Apparently theres an enzyme in the skin that aggrevates gallstones.

I had gallstone trouble, and a stone got stuck too, my pee was the colour of irn bru and i was a lovely shade of yellow. I also got pancreatitis. I had to avoid cucumber, peppers and onions, was such a relief to get it out. My surgeon said that if I wanted to eat peppers etc to take the skin off as that was the problematic part.

Hope you get to the top of the list soon.

Ps you could keep a food diary and keep a note of when the pain is worse, see if you can pick up anything that's setting it off.

Oh god I knew the NHS was in poor shape but had no idea you had to wait 5 months plus for a gall bladder op. The pain of biliary colic (when a stone gets stuck ) is horrific. All I can suggest is to take Tramadol for the pain (only available on prescription) but probably not advisable with a young baby as it can made you drowsy.

I would ask your doctor to refer you to another hospital to see a different consultant. I saw one and he said he wanted me to lose 4 stone before he would operate (im by no means huge) I absolutely sobbed as was so sick of the pain. Hubby suggested seeing a different consultant at a different hospital and within 8 weeks I was operated on. He said it was a good job as my gallbladder was going septic.

Soft eggs were associated with each of my attacks - fortunately I only had two before being hospitalised and getting my gallbladder out then and there. I have also had some mild symptoms with eggs following surgery and also find sugar, especially chocolate has a similar effect. A food diary should help - I found symptoms came on about 5 - 10 minutes after eating. Good luck. I do not envy you a 5 month wait. Loosing weight was also a trigger for me but then the pain was a pretty effective weight loss route too!