I think I may have Gallstones

[Oncandystripedlegs]

Hi, I had awful chest/stomach pain yesterday. It started near my belly but went right across my chest and upper back. I could still breath quite easily . It lasted for about 3 hours and eased slightly after I made my self sick but returned with 20 mins .

I had eaten fatty food which I wouldn't normally eat over the weekend- chocolate/chips/ roast lamb which makes me think it may be gallbladder related. Or possibly trapped wind?

I cant get a doctors appointment for a fortnight so was hoping for some advice/ reassurance in the meantime.

Thanks for answering. It is the first time I have had pain like this . I do suffer from reflux and indigestion but ranitidine normally sorts it out . The pain got worse and worse over the 3 hours but came in spasms in different areas. I feel fine today but nervous about what i eat in case it comes back !

Bumping for any more advice !

I had it about a year ago ... absolutely excrutiating pain mainly upper abdomen area under the ribs, I ended up in A&E, they ruled out anything sinister but didn't diagnose it. Went to local surgery the next day, dr thought gallstones, he prescribed various things including tramadol - that was the only thing that could abate the pain. Scan confirmed gallstones, 1 big one, 17mm and one little one.

In a telephone consultation about a week after it happened, dr said he didn't think I needed my gallbladder out as the scan showed the lining of it wasn't inflammed or damaged at this point. He said if it ever reoccured I could reconsider.

Luckily, it's never reoccured ... I try to keep it in mind though, eat lots of apples, take cider vinegar now and again ... I've joined a couple of groups on fb about it to keep it on my radar as I don't want to take my eye off the ball and go through pain like that ever again, it was worse than labour.

If your pain is agonising I would push for an emergency appt rather than wait two weeks. You need tramadol or something like it!

Thanks Dairy .. good to hear yours didn't reoccur. Am hoping it will just be down to overindulging for Mother's Day . I will see if I can get an appointment sooner though
Do you avoid fatty foods still ?

Are you sure it's not indigestion? Try eating a few Rennes next time... I got awful chest pain with indigestion- I kid you not I thought I was getting a heart attack!

I don't think it was indigestion as I took gaviscon and ranitidine and it didn't get any better for a few hours. But i would be very happy if it was indigestion and not gall stones!

I would be pushing for a more urgent chat with a doctor. My gallstone attack was ignored initially and misdiagnosed as indigestion and it caused me huge problems, until I finally paid to have the 52 gallstones taken out!

I had my gallbladder removed last year. I had several attacks that sound exactly like the one you had. Unfortunately, if you have gallstones they tend to keep popping out and make you really ill. If one gets stuck you get jaundice, which can be really serious. I had a couple of attacks with jaundice and it left me feeling ill for weeks.

Since having my gallbladder out I'm a different person. I feel very well and have no ill effects from the surgery.

I have been fine since the initial attack but I have been avoiding any kind of fat as I am scared of it reoccurring. I will ring the docs again tomorrow, I tried today but they had nothing at all unless a complete emergency .

Trinity , that is awful . How long were you waiting ?

I used to get an attack every year or so. I just thought it was indigestion until one 8 hour attack when I got jaundiced. I don't have a gall bladder anymore.

Symptoms can vary quite a lot from individual to individual. For me I had severe pain in the dead centre of my chest just about bra strap level. It only eased if I contorted myself almost upside down. I believe a stone was trapped in the bile duct. I had a 20mm stone and some 'gravel' on the MRI scan.

My friend had terrible pain nearer the gallbladder, lower than mine and on the right hand side. She had no stones visible on her scan but some 'sludge.'

I diagnosed myself via doctor google and due to the jaundice symptoms, (yellow eyes, bright yellow urine and pale faeces) GP referred to consultant, they scanned within 3 months and operation 5 months later. I felt a bit of a fraud as I didn't have another attack in the waiting time.

I have managed to get a doctors appointment Tuesday so hopefully they will give me some advice then.

For those of you who had attacks infrequently, did you change you diet to prevent them? Did you cut out all fat? And more importantly, can I still drink white wine??

Mine was in the centre just below the chest, but sometimes like a tight band all around my torso but never lasting more than 30 (hellish) minutes. I actually put off having it out at first but as time went on my diet became more and more restricted as more and more things set it off, even porridge in the end. Dihydrocodeine was absolutely wonderful for the pain though made me feel rough when it wore off. And I had to have antibiotics at one point as it became infected (dull constant pain and sensitive to the touch).

My pain was like a tight band around my torso, that is a very good way to describe it. I have pretty much lived off porridge this week - hopefully that wont start triggering it!

Did anyone find any herbal remedies that eased the symptoms at all?

The only things I avoided were full fat cheese and cream. It always seemed to be Brie or cream tea that did me in. After my 8 hour attack I just ate boiled potatoes and fresh veg for about a week due to fear!

The doc thinks its gallstones so I am waiting for a scan and blood tests. I actually feel really good part from a dull ache in my side . Very eager to avoid another attack so have eaten no fat but have read you should eat some. Any tips welcome!

Do people think I can still take evening primrose capsules? I am a PMT monster without it but am scared a little oil could trigger an attack.

I honestly don't think it mattered much what I ate, prior to having mine out. There didn't seem to be any pattern. One day I could eat a slice of toast with butter, another day I got the pains. I think it's to do with when one of the little buggers (stones) decides it wants a trip out and there's nothing you can do to stop it.