Gallbladder support thread 2020

[MustTidyUpMustTidyUp]

Have been having problems recently and will need to have gallbladder removed. Waiting for app from surgeon.
I have found the old gallstone / biliary colic support threads helpful so thought would set up a new one. Would be good to hear how others are managing symptoms and ideas of waiting times following the last six months.

Oh fingers crossed then 🤞

I've been following this thread for a while now.

Diagnosed with gallstones years ago but thought I could manage it with diet...how wrong I was! Does anyone else find its not always related to foods? Sometimes I can binge on all the wrong foods and get away with it, other times I eat low fat healthy foods and have an attack. I'm starting to think mine is a bit more linked to my hormonal cycle, I read oestrogen is supposed to affect gallstones.

I'm sick of waiting for my local trust to restart everything, the waiting list is paused due to Covid so I'm looking at private options. But I'm really worried about follow up care, can anyone share their experiences? A family member had a dreadful experience of a private heart bypass operation. The private hospital discharged him despite an infection in the wound and the NHS wouldn't take him on, both the NHS and the private hospital kept trying to pass him back to the other. Months later the NHS eventually took him on but only because he was so desperately ill and it was an emergency. Turns out he was allergic to the tracer wires they leave around the heart and his body had been trying to eject them for months. So because of that experience in really unsure about private care....what if they leave stones behind in the ducts for example...or I get an infection.. is it clear cut about whose responsibility you are?

Oh and my new food discovery this week is Nestle Kvarg, super low fat, tastes like cheesecake!

Wishing everyone in this thread well x

Just got my appointment through for an ultrasound mid October. Hopefully that won't get cancelled! I've found the more I exert myself the worse it is. I'm in the middle of decorating my house and all the stretching to paint and using the roller is just knackering my right side up even more.

@MrsMigginsMate I just had surgery last week and they said if there was anything particular wrong then go to my GP, if I needed an extended sick note or additional pain relief than what they gave me. But I have a follow up booked for 3 weeks time back with the surgeon at the private clinic. So he has to sign me off, it's a little bit of both.

I think your family member was unfortunate, though I haven't needed to test the process yet!

@WinifredSanderson glad you got an appointment through, they'll be able to tell you there and then what they see. I didn't have symptoms long enough to know whether exercise could impact I'm afraid.

@YoBeaches

I was admitted via a&e 2 weeks ago with acute pancreatitis due to gall stones. Never diagnosed before. Waiting list for removal was 12 months though consultant said I would go to the top of the list so would be a few weeks ie up to 12. I phoned private healthcare, and all sorted, I'm having surgery tomorrow, their main concern was having pancreatitis again as it can be troublesome if not treated quickly.

I had covid test on Friday and isolating since be aware some nhs say isolate for 2 weeks pre op. However I have a light head cold! Hoping they will still go ahead.

Diet and small portions definitely, I also found slightly spiced food would set off.

These are my food hacks:

Skyr yoghurt is high Protein and no fat
Oatley products also low fat, nice custard you can have with fruit.
Tesco low fat olive marg is the lowest of the low fat margarines.
Turkey mince to make burgers, spag Bol,
meatballs etc
Jaffa cakes!! Yes! And rich tea biscuits.
Tuna steaks - expensive but delicious with salad and new potatoes.
Apples and apple juice help your digestion generally.

You've got me wondering if I'm getting pancreas irritation now. My attacks always used to be on the right side, but now they've moved over to just under my left rib. They're also way more intense. I actually had an ambulance out recently as I felt I couldn't breathe... Oxygen levels fine though. It had mostly cleared up by the time the ambulance arrived.

So can pancreatitis start off with quite short attacks that get longer and worse over time?

Yes I think it can. Inflammation of the pancreas caused by gall stones isn't uncommon and is mild, moderate or severe. I found it hard to take deep breaths so my oxygen levels were monitored in hospital. Especially if the pain starts to spread around to the back too.

@YoBeaches

Yes I think it can. Inflammation of the pancreas caused by gall stones isn't uncommon and is mild, moderate or severe. I found it hard to take deep breaths so my oxygen levels were monitored in hospital. Especially if the pain starts to spread around to the back too.

Thank you so much for this info, I had no idea! I should be getting a consultation soon so I will be sure to explain my new symptoms to the surgeon, if he thinks the pancreas is getting irritated then hopefully he can move me up the list a bit. If not then I will go the private route.

Mrs Miggins, gall stones can irritate as they pass out of the gallbladder. GUTs UK has a useful guide on the type of symptoms to watch out for in regard to pancreatitis. It is worth being informed about this ‘just in case’. IF I had known what the symptoms were I would have gone to A&E a heck of a lot sooner instead of trying to carry on at home for five days before I collapsed. Hindsight is wonderful!

Gallstones can set off ‘binary colic’ as a stone grumbles its way from the gall bladder down into the intestines. That tends to centre around your belly button but it can radiate out into your shoulder. Head to A&E if that happens so they can check you out. The pain eases once the bit of grit as shifted. Occasionally they can get stuck - you will know as it hurts and you develop jaundice. If that happens head straight to A&E.

Severe pain can affect your ability to breathe. Pancreatis can affect your bodies ability to take up O2. In my case my O2sats were rubbish [>90%]. Surgeons used arterial blood tests to keep a very close eye on me on top of the nurses doing Ob’s every hour. Some of the complications it causes can cause cascades of internal problems that have the potential to make you very ill indeed.

IF you ever have a severe pain centred between your stomach and bellybutton, feel very sick or begin to throw up for England head straight to A&E. They can run an urgent blood test to check if grumbling gallstones have hit your pancreas hard. If it has A&E can offer far better pain management meds and anti-sickness drugs as well as other support as needed to give your body a chance to begin to sort itself out again.

Thank you for the advice @triballeader, I will definitely try and remember all this. I will show the thread to my husband as he tends to make the emergency decisions regarding 999 when I'm in the midst of an attack, I'm often unable to speak with the pain so this could be helpful for him too. I hope you're doing better now

Updating as had my surgery this week. How’s everyone?

Hope your surgery went well! Wishing you a speedy recovery, how are you feeling?

I’m still waiting - 14.5 months now. No idea when it’s going to happen. Symptoms are gradually getting worse and more frequent. Sometimes I can barely touch my lower ribs they’re so painful. But can’t see the point in going to the GP as all they can offer are painkillers. So just have to put up with it!

I’m new to this thread. My op is booked for 25 March. I have been taking buscopan 2 tablets 4 times a day since November when I ended up at a&e and these have helped keep away any major attacks but at the same time I have now found I can only eat a very limited diet.

Hope you recover quickly from the op

I'd like to join you too.
Problems on and off since late summer, diagnosed in January. Deciding what to do. GP is of "think about it if it gets unbearable" mindset at the moment.

How are you post surgery @MustTidyUpMustTidyUp?

I'm glad I found this thread.

I started getting problems about 2 years or so ago. Although then the pain was bad, it was intermittent so tbh I didn't think that much about it...j mean we all get gutache don't we? But they started increasing in intensity and frequency. One night kast summer i woje up in such severe pain my husband dialled 999 as he thought it was appendicitis (though i didnt, it wasn't on the left and in my he was mid 50s is not the usual age for appendicitis). Anyway the ambulance service was busy and an hour ior so later a paramedic rang back to triage me. By that tinne it had eased off and not wanting to waste anyone's time I cancelled it but the paramedics said to contact the GP.

Between then and speaking to the GP I did a but of googling which I know isn't always recommended but I'm sensible with it and have correctly diagnosed myself before. I told my GP I wondered if these pains were gallstones. I was referred for an ultrasound which though requested in July didn't come through till end of October.

I was on my way home from the scan and my GP rang and said I had a "porcelain gallbladder " which means it's calcified due to repeated gallbladder attacks and made an urgent hospital referral. This was a phone appt due to covid and it didn't go well. The doctor hadn't received my scan or bloods. I said I had the scan on an e-mail that I could send but no, had to come from the GP . Didn't seem to believe I had gallstones, kept arguing my symptoms didn't suggest it even though t hey were exact same as those on NHS, BUPA etc web sites. I tg en had to presurise both the GP and the hospital for info on what was happening, eventuality mid Dec they agreed I would hear from them about surgery.

Since then, nothing from the hospital. Obviously they've been tied up with covid but I was getting worse. The attacks have been every 2-3 weeks of l ate, and I've been in agony and then rough for a couple of days after. Couple of weeks back I ended up going to a&-e in the throes of an attack, as I was getting them so often and feeling so rough I was worried my condition was deteriorating, and I've had another since I've also had a gp phone appt and emailed PALS saying I was worried about the lack of info from them. I can't go on like this. I do have some money tuck ed away if I wanted to go private, but I hate the idea of using my savings on a simple op that should be on the NHS!

I keep telling people I'm a covid casualty and they ask how it was, did I recover? At that point I say I've not had covid, I'm just a casualty, because my name is now added to the long list of "routine" ops delayed by it. I've even ddant advised o f having a block age or pancreatic so it will hurry it along.

I'm making a serious effort now to cut back on my fat intake to see i f that helps....im overweight so should kill 2 birds with one stone.

Sorry about typi s, you get the gist except at the end, where I was trying to say I have fantasies that I get a blockage or pancreatic in the hope it will speed the process.

Oh thank goodness I found my thread😊
👋 Hello everyone I hope it's ok to join in!
I come in peace 🙏with a bad-tempered gallbladder🙈

@Spidey66, I totally hear you on not wanting to spend your savings when this should be available on the NHS, even so do you think it might be worth it?
I should add that I haven't yet read the whole thread (although I certainly will and in rather short order) so I apologise if this issue has already been addressed!

@Spidey66

I'm glad I found this thread.

I started getting problems about 2 years or so ago. Although then the pain was bad, it was intermittent so tbh I didn't think that much about it...j mean we all get gutache don't we? But they started increasing in intensity and frequency. One night kast summer i woje up in such severe pain my husband dialled 999 as he thought it was appendicitis (though i didnt, it wasn't on the left and in my he was mid 50s is not the usual age for appendicitis). Anyway the ambulance service was busy and an hour ior so later a paramedic rang back to triage me. By that tinne it had eased off and not wanting to waste anyone's time I cancelled it but the paramedics said to contact the GP.

Between then and speaking to the GP I did a but of googling which I know isn't always recommended but I'm sensible with it and have correctly diagnosed myself before. I told my GP I wondered if these pains were gallstones. I was referred for an ultrasound which though requested in July didn't come through till end of October.

I was on my way home from the scan and my GP rang and said I had a "porcelain gallbladder " which means it's calcified due to repeated gallbladder attacks and made an urgent hospital referral. This was a phone appt due to covid and it didn't go well. The doctor hadn't received my scan or bloods. I said I had the scan on an e-mail that I could send but no, had to come from the GP . Didn't seem to believe I had gallstones, kept arguing my symptoms didn't suggest it even though t hey were exact same as those on NHS, BUPA etc web sites. I tg en had to presurise both the GP and the hospital for info on what was happening, eventuality mid Dec they agreed I would hear from them about surgery.

Since then, nothing from the hospital. Obviously they've been tied up with covid but I was getting worse. The attacks have been every 2-3 weeks of l ate, and I've been in agony and then rough for a couple of days after. Couple of weeks back I ended up going to a&-e in the throes of an attack, as I was getting them so often and feeling so rough I was worried my condition was deteriorating, and I've had another since I've also had a gp phone appt and emailed PALS saying I was worried about the lack of info from them. I can't go on like this. I do have some money tuck ed away if I wanted to go private, but I hate the idea of using my savings on a simple op that should be on the NHS!

I keep telling people I'm a covid casualty and they ask how it was, did I recover? At that point I say I've not had covid, I'm just a casualty, because my name is now added to the long list of "routine" ops delayed by it. I've even ddant advised o f having a block age or pancreatic so it will hurry it along.

I'm making a serious effort now to cut back on my fat intake to see i f that helps....im overweight so should kill 2 birds with one stone.

That's awful! I paid for a gynae appt privately initially as I was convinced because of some of the pain location it was ovaries. But the more I read up on Gallbladder issues, the more I learn that almost everywhere in the digestive tract can be affected!

I think you should definitely push for some action.

@oil0W0lio
I know you're right, it's my tight side coming out!
My savings is money left to me after my parents had died. My husband says "your mum and dad left that money so you could be comfortable so use it to be comfortable.' And a couple of years before my mum died, she had a trapped nerve in her back causing her severe pain which she needed surgery for but the NHS lists were long. We had to nag her to use her savings to go private cos she wanted to leave it yo us but all 4 of her kids could see she was suffering and needed it more than us!
The hospital haven't given me any info really. I'll wait and see what they can offer. If they can do the surgery next month, I'll have it on the NHS. If they cant do it till next year, I'll go private.
I've always been a strong supporter of the NHS and there's a part of me that would feel guilty for going private, but if I did it I would free up a place on the waiting list.

The reason I feel guilty for going private is I'm quite left wing in my views and feel everyone should have equal access to medical treatment regardless of money. I work for the NHS myself as a mental health nurse. However if I was to go private, I would free up a space on the waiting list for someone who doesn't have savings, so my political side can justify it!

Fecking Tories. The NHS has been underfunded for years. It's taken a pandemic to show how badly.

I agree with all the points you raised Spidey, there is also the issue of what happens if you have complications after a private operation.

Hi everyone
I'm currently in hospital after kidney infection but also suspected gall bladder problems. I have been having persistent UTI's for a couple of years with them no nearer to finding the cause. Could the gallbladder be to blame? Sick of being passed around different departments and getting nowhere

@Cahu58
Ok I'm not a doctor, but I can't see how it would be? Your gallbladder is part of your digestive system and is separate from your urinary tract.

Having said that I had longstanding issues with my gut/bowels and during the investigations for that I was diagnosed with a fibroid the size of a 7 month pregnancy. Neither GI doctors nor gynaes felt it was the cause of my symptoms, but a hysterectomy sorted it. To this day I think the fibroid was pressing on a nerve or a muscle or something causing my symptoms, so anything's possible.

I had mine out privately in early October after managing it through the summer with low fat eating. A huge relief. I was also pleased to get it out in the window of low covid infections before the second wave. My top tips are low fat cottage cheese which was basically my main protein source together with fish: oat cakes were useful: I could tolerate smoked salmon even though it is very oily and otherwise just ate a lot of salads veg and fruit.
The things which really triggered an attack were gravy and mashed potatoes weirdly. I still hold mashed potatoes in high suspicion as they put me in agony for 12 hours (when I didn’t yet know I had gallbladder issues and thought it was indigestion, so ate “bland” food)

@Cahu58

Hi everyone I'm currently in hospital after kidney infection but also suspected gall bladder problems. I have been having persistent UTI's for a couple of years with them no nearer to finding the cause. Could the gallbladder be to blame? Sick of being passed around different departments and getting nowhere

Bizarrely, and since I've been kind of paying more attention to my inner workings, I notice that the days when my gallbladder "grumbles" (a dull ache under the ribs, in the liver area) I often wee loads more and also get stronger smelling wee like you get with an infection.