Gallbladder Removal 2019 - support thread

[UserThenLotsOfNumbers]

Who is or is likely to have their gallbladder removed this year?

There seem to be a lot of threads on the topic (I've read most of them lol) so thought it would be a good idea to start a support thread for people for people having the op soon?

My story:

I'm 35, married with one daughter. I'm about half a stone overweight but reasonably fit. I work full time, husband is SAHP.

Comfort ate and ate irregularly after having my daughter and I have had issues with overeating, which I've now mostly conquered. I also have ulcerative colitis which is being controlled successfully with medication.
I was diagnosed with gallstones in Feb 2018. At the time, I had 2 large ones, 1 and 1.1cm respectively. Could be more by now!

Had been having symptoms for about 6 months before that. It started some time after my daughter was born. She's now 2.2. 12 years ago I had v similar symptoms which ended in a terrible night of pain then nothing for years until 2017. On reflection I wonder if I passed a small gallstone?

So after a year of dithering and fear, plus waiting to get over a colitis flare up earlier this year, I'm now having the op on 18th Jan.

My symptoms started as a dull ache upper right side, feeling sick and occasional vomiting. Now I get back ache, wake up with sore back, twinges, soreness, some acid indigestion. I don't (frantically touch wood) have the terrible colic. But I have some symptoms most days and I feel overall it's getting worse. I want to be well again.

I sometimes feel my gallbladder is swollen, especially at night. I do panic about it.

I've read all the post op horror stories, and all about the post op conditions, although I know that's comparatively unusual. Of course the op is sold as being easy and problem free - I don't believe that's the case! Most common outcome seems to be people are mostly fine unless they have something very fatty or take codeine. Ok, can live with that (hopefully).

What's your story? What are your concerns?

My fears are having digestive issues and pain after the operation, also am apparently being discharged with paracetamol! That doesn't even cure a headache for me! I was on oromorph for 3 days after having my c section, although I know that's not really comparable.

I had mine removed in September, actually had a thread on here feeling very sorry for myself at the time

Have to say I don't regret it one bit now, aside from a bit of heartburn and occasional gripey pains if I've eaten a lot of fatty/greasy foods, I feel so much better.

I did have a lot of pain and nausea in the first couple of weeks after the surgery but it quickly subsided and I generally feel very well now.
I haven't adapted my diet at all and haven't noticed any difference in what I can tolerate (I already had IBS so that is still an issue but no worse than before)

That's reassuring. Thank you. Can I ask how long you were off work afterwards?

Fortunately I was still on maternity leave when mine was done but I was back to normal after 2 weeks.

I felt so awful at first that I really thought there was something wrong but it just suddenly stopped and I felt great.
If it wasn't for the scars I wouldn't even know I'd had it done know

Now not know

Just jumping on the thread late with my experience with advice for those waiting for the op.
I was told 'oh you will be up and about the next day'
I took that to mean the pain would be like a bruised stomach but copable and then after the op I felt I'd been lied to to get me to have the op!
I actually found it very hard for 3 weeks after pain wise. The gas pain in the shoulders which took 3 days to subside is awful and my stomach pain was bad that at night you can't lie on your sides for a good 3 weeks, I couldn't lie flat on my back either and I had to lie propped up which I hated as I'm used to lying on my sides or my front.
I was really miserable and tired for 3 weeks thinking it wasn't as easy as the Drs had made out.

This being said I now can eat like normal people , I can finally eat cheese or chocolate and I'm not on edge every day wondering if I would have a gallbladder attack which was making my life hell worrying.

I would have it done again knowing what I know now but wish I would have known that it is hard and painful but get through those couple of weeks and you can have a normal life.

I hope I'm not putting anyone off but I do think the pain is minimised as it's keyhole surgery and I wish I would have prepared better.
I am so glad I had it done

I think it's much better to know what you're expecting. I'm finding I'm a bit short of breath and woozy still when I walk about too much and totally agree re the sleep thing. I'm signed off for 3 weeks but have a job where I'm on my feet a lot (teacher in a tough secondary school) and I'm already worrying about coping with it!

Hi Skunka Im sorry to hear you've been experiencing nausea, I hope you feel better soon

Hi Regularshow - I totally agree with you regarding the minimising of pain. I suppose they don't want to scare people, but they should be honest. I was actually fine after my gallbladder removal, however I got a big shock painwise after my c section which was explained to me as easy peasy and no bother, so I understand where you're coming from. When they said gallbladder removal would be no big deal I did NOT believe it for one minute! Pain levels seem to vary so much from person to person re gallbladder removal. Glad you feel better now!

Hi outnumbered - thanks for sharing your story and glad you are doing well now!

It just seems to differ hugely from person to person. My friend had her gallbladder out a year before me and had no pain at all afterwards and was virtually back to normal the next day. So I expected it to be a walk in the park but nope not so much for me

Whereas I have had 5 c sections and only one of them I've had any problem with pain afterwards (it was my 4th, it was just horrendous, 5th however was a breeze)

Anyway, good luck to everyone having theirs out and I hope everyone recovering feels better soon! It will all be worth it in the end

Just an update. I got sent from doc's to a & e and am now in overnight as they are not happy about the temperature. They are doing loads of tests to eliminate the operation as the cause. Aside from my temperature everything does seem to be healing ok. Have had a chest x-ray (checking for infection because of cough), and abdominal ct scan, plus various blood tests and cultures. Having IV antibiotics, fluids and pain relief. Can drink but not eat yet till results in. They're doing full belt and braces. I'm going to feel very small if this is just a virus.

Get well soon Hucap

Oh bless you hub. Really hope you're feeling better soon 

Thanks both. CT scan showed I have a small abscess on the removal site. Just bad luck. I'm being kept in till the end of the week so I can have IV antibiotics and they'll try to drain it if its accessible. I'm just relieved to know. Onwards and upwards.

Get well soon hubcap.

....aaaand my pain is back with a vengeance.
I'm desperately hoping that we get snowed in here tomorrow so I can have a day in bed without guilt.

It occurred to me that the temporary relief in my symptoms happened about 3 days into a course of antibiotics for something unrelated and for a week or two afterwards.

I'm sure others here have said that antibiotics can offer temporary relief?

Hi how's everyone doing? Thinking of you Nancy and Hubcap x

I'm 2 weeks post op and basically back to normal. The only side effects I've found is a bit of acid reflux sometimes and sometimes a slight gripy stomach if I've eaten something a bit fatty. Otherwise totally fine.

Thanks @UserThenLotsOfNumbers. I'm really happy all has gone well for you. @NancyWho I'm sorry you are in pain. Hope it improves soon.

I had 5 days in hospital last week trying to shift the infection. Ended up with a surgery on Friday to drain and flush the abscess. Sent home yesterday with drain in. Pretty awful day today. Very sore and still coughing. The drain site is v painful. I think I have a temperature again this evening, but can't check as my thermometer has died. Back to hospital tomorrow am for follow up and drain removal. Then we'll see.

I had my gall bladder removed as it was dysfunctional at 22 so over a decade without it now

At the start I found eating high fat foods and dairy would make me very uncomfortable so I cut these from my diet for a while. After about a year I could eat whatever I wanted but had become so used to eating healthily that my tastes had changed anyway! I’ve not had any problems since and would recommend not putting it off to anyone suffering. Recovery was pretty speedy for me- worst thing was referred pain in shoulder but that only lasted a couple of days :)

How did it go today @Hubcapdiamondstarhalo? Wishing you a painfree night. And day. And all the other nights and days after that.

That's been a speedy recovery UserTheLotsOfNumbers, good that you're mostly better.

Thank you for sharing your op and post op experience gingernut, all sounds good though when it comes to my own need for an operation I'm still sticking my fingers in my ears and saying lalalalala.

My consultant appointment is looming and DH is coming with me. If anyone can talk me into it then it's DH. I was Googling recently in an attempt to convince myself that despite evidence to the contrary something else could be causing my pain when I stumbled across the info that once the pain starts that's it and the only way to really stop it is to have your gallbladder removed. Darn. The only other thing I could find that it might be is cholecystitis, which isn't much of a comfort. Again though, hopefully the consultant should be able to tell me for sure

Hi Gingernut, thanks for sharing your story!

Get well soon Hubcap, wishing you a speedy recovery.

Nancy - I'm with you on the whole lalala business lol I was just the same. It's rubbish, but yes, once you have gallbladder trouble it's likely to get worse. Good luck with your apt.

2 weeks on, the only small issues I have are mild acid reflux and a bit of a gripy stomach if I eat something a bit rich. I don't need to take anything for these and so long as I eat normally but moderately it's ok.

Returning to the thread after a busy time. I hope you are on the road to recovery now Hubcap.

I agree that once the gallbladder problems start, they don't really go away! I spent a long time ignoring the pains and rather hoping that it would all go away.

Hello, I’m jumping in too. I’m 45 and looking back have been having symptoms for a while, alternating diahorea and constipation for a few years which I out down to IBS. Fatty, rich foods would have me racing to the loo, always urgency and general discomfort in my bowels.

I’d been having back pain for a while, one the right hand side a heaviness under my ribs that I put down to my chair in work etc. Christmas time I had my first realisation that it may be more as I had awful stain her and back pain, initially over the left hand side. I couldn’t sleep, felt so sick and full of wind, burping constantly.

I went to out of hours and they said gastritis and gave me omeprazole. After a few days of careful eating it settled. Early January exactly the same thing happened again and I went to my own GP as the pain was now right sided said he thought gallbladder. Bloods taken which all came back normal. Scan booked and I’m having it on Friday,

This weekend I hate a very cheesy pizza and Monday, yesterday and again this morning I have been in pain, constantly feeling like I have a heavy ball under my ribs, feeling a bit sick and burping loads.

Let’s see what the scan on Friday reveals!

Hi! Complete hijack here
I started with issues on new years day, typical gallstone symptoms, agonising pain to the point where I was convinced I was having a heart attack. Also began throwing up blood on a regular almost daily basis. This lasted for around a week, ending in a gp referral for an ultrasound and bloods.
.... Had another attack over a week later and was rushed into A&E pumped full of morphene and was told that my bloods came back.... Normal. This attack lasted almost a week and ended just 2 days before my ultrasound (typical) and the sonographer could find no stones and everything looked normal... Apart from liquidy stuff in my gallbladder which she couldn't be 100% whether it was sludge or just bile.

I'm now waiting a follow up app with my gp (which has also took weeks!) and now I'm just worried that they will think it's in my head, and that I'll be sent home just to wait for another attack to happen... Which obviously is terrifying.

I have found my people! Hi all!
Just back from the ultrasound, turns out I have 3 stones.
Had my first attack a month ago, second attack last week - the trigger was probably a boiled egg. (I love eggs.)
Ambulance people came during 1st attack (DH called, I passed out) and straight away diagnosed me, had personal experince himself.
Was fine after that, went to GP who refered me to ultrasound, in the meantime I had another attack. Horrendous but not as scary as the first time since I was pretty sure what it was.
My question is what happens now? I'm really keen to have my gallbladder out, I feel like a ticking time bomb. DH works away a lot and DC are 7 & 9. Were you offered the op and how long did you have to wait? I'm 45 and generally healthy-ish, lost 2 - 3 stone in 2018, I hear that can be a trigger .
Many thanks in advance.

Can I ask, does anyone have increase in pain when you swallow a mouthful of food? About 3 seconds after I swallow I get the pain flare in the middle of my back / under the ribs on the RHS. It the same when I burp, it feels like something is inflamed in there’s and it gets touched by food or movement of the oesophagus.

Hi Always Aware
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been unwell, sounds miserable. I hope you get some closure on what’s causing your symptoms soon. Right hand heaviness, IBS after fatty foods, nausea and burping could all be gallbladder symptoms. I certainly experienced those. My blood tests (and a chest x-ray) were also normal; for me it was the ultrasound that spotted the stones. I hope your scan goes well and you get some answers! If they see gallstones they will probably tell you at the time of the scan. I can’t say I’ve experienced what you describe when eating food. For me the symptoms would come on half an hour to a day after the offending food had been eaten! Does omeprazole/rennies etc. help with your symptoms?

Hi Loopy
I’m very sorry to hear you’ve been so unwell, what a nightmare. I hope you are better soon and find out what’s causing the problem. Mmm, it could be sludge. I understand that ultrasounds don’t pick up 100% of gallstones, particularly if they’re small. There’s no way that what you experienced was all in your head, I’d be appalled if anyone thought that. Have they ruled out a stomach ulcer? Normal blood tests don’t mean you don’t have gallstones. Let us know how you get on. In the meantime,

Hi Vanellope
Hi and welcome! 3 stones – ouch. I’m glad that you know what’s causing the problem though. Funnily enough I was a bit suspicious of eggs, I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that they are a potential trigger (along with cheese, chocolate etc.). Weight loss is definitely a trigger. A friend of mine got gallstones after weight loss surgery. I would say congratulations on your weight loss, although I'm sure you don't feel much like celebrating much with your symptoms! My gallstones were diagnosed via ultrasound too.

In my case, what happened next was I made a GP appointment. My GP referred me to a Consultant to discuss treatment. I had a consultation with the Consultant, who recommended surgery based on my symptoms and ultrasound findings. Then, the hospital had to apply to the CCG for funding. This might vary depending on where you live. In my area (Essex), if you’ve experienced at least one gallstone attack and the Consultant recommends surgery, this is sufficient for them to approve gallbladder removal surgery. This is on the basis it’s better to have it out routinely than in an emergency.

As for timings…I visited my GP early October 2018, and received a “choose and book” letter a week later. I was able to book a consultation for the end of October. It was at an NHS clinic at a private hospital. Absolutely nothing available at all NHS hospitals in Essex except this one! The funding took 2/3 weeks to be approved. I got a letter to confirm that the funding had been approved. The Consultant’s PA then called me to book surgery. Now, I COULD have had the surgery at the end of November, however I was frightened about being left with horrible symptoms and a restrictive diet afterwards and wanted “one last good Christmas” (dramatic much, I know). I booked my surgery for 18th January. In summary from GP referral to surgery it could have been as little as 2 months.

I’m back to work on Monday, and definitely feel ready to go back now!

I'm trying to work out when to return to work. I'm at the two week mark now since the op. Doc has signed me off until the end of next week but work are keen for me to get back sooner. I'm still struggling with nausea and pain to be honest so really not sure what to do.