What does a Gallbladder attack feel like?

[Jelly4444]

Decided to treat ourselves to a Chinese last night. Big mistake! Woke up at 4am with excruciating pain under my right ribs! Vomited with the pain for a few hours. Took a difene but it did nothing. Never felt a pain like it before. I intended to get the kids to school at 8.30 and go to A&E but the pain went and I felt fine. Rang the doctors and I can't get an appointment until next week.

Does this sound like a gallbladder attack? I'm so worried!

I have all the 'fs' except im in my 50s and post hysterectomy so not fertile!

I had the phone call (late). It was a bit frustrating really. The hospital hadnt received the ultrasound result which said I had a porcelain gallbladder and was murphy's sign positive. I did find it painful, especially in the area of the gallbladder. The doctor was dismissive when I said that, he thought radiologists weren't qualified to say about the Murphys sign. I told him I had the ultrasound in front of me on an email and offered to forward it....he has to have it from the GP apparently

He also hasn't had my recent bloods which I've seen and are OK, usually your LFTs are raised in gallstones, but mine were OK.

When I said the pain was just above my belly button he said that normally it's on the right. When I've googled, it said the pain is usually on the right but can be central. Google also suggests that a porcelain gallbladder usually needs removing. He almost sounded like he thought I was making it all up and was going to send him a doctored ultrasound report.

I’ve had this pain linked to fasting. It seems when you fast the bile isn’t released and stones can form. Recognise all the symptoms you are posting, vomiting, extreme labour pains etc. The thing that has worked for me is seriously upping my liquid intake.
I saw a gp two weeks ago when I had my latest attack and he said he would refer me for an ultrasound but not heard anything. How long has it taken everyone to get seen at hospital?

@RedRedRobinBobbin
My ultrasound took ages. I spoke to GP in July but appointment wasn't until the end of October. There may have been a covid related backlog though.

Ive heard VLCD like Lighter Life can cause it, definitely.

Oh I did wonder if GP was reading someone else's notes, at the beginning he was going on about surgery I'd had to repair a tear in my anus . The only surgery I've had is a hysterectomy and keyhole surgery on a knee injury. My anus is fine ta!

@Spidey66 sorry the call didn’t seem to go well. How has it been left? What is to be done next?

Do they not have the ultrasound scan on the system to view? I don’t really see the point of giving you an appointment if they don’t have the scan.

My bloods are always normal except I did hear my a&e dr say that something that should be 40 was 50 but not sure what this but I think as bloods are normal then it’s not urgent but not sure with yourself as don’t know about the porcelain gallbladder.

I get pain on the right just near the bottom of my ribs and it can also be felt towards the centre and in my back. I also had a consultant tell me that this pain was not gallbladder related yet after a trip to a&e they advised it was. I can find it confusing how different drs tell you different things.

I think it’s awful that you have been left feeling like they don’t believe you.

My pain was in my back & a feeling like I needed to burp but couldn't, I drank gallons of peppermint cordial & soda water, couldn't drink tea or coffee, the peppermint helped with the sickness.

@RedRedRobinBobbin I was due appointment in March cancelled due to covid as scan revealed gallbladder issues. I eventually got an appointment the gall bladder needs removing so looking at next year !

@lostandfound55
He's waiting on the ultrasound report from the GP (which he could have had in seconds from me...i got it from the GP) and the bloods (which I've seen....i told him I'm a mental health nurse-i can interpret when bloods are normal).

If I'd seen him face to face I could have shown him the damn reports and bloods on my phone, and they could have done the Murphy's test again!

Before when I've had an episode I've resisted A&E because I don't like wasting people's time, even though there was the time in the summer my husband dialled 999 but they were busy, and it eased off when a paramedic called back an hour later so I cancelled. I do think that should be taken into account... I'm an NHS nurse, I don't misuse their resources, last time I went to A&E in an ambulance was in 1977 when I was run over by a car and knocked out! My husband is a retired HAD with a similar standpoint on NHS resources. Next time I'm just going to A&E (with my phone containing the ultrasound report!)

HAD? HCA more like

@Spidey66 I haven’t been to a&e before as I knew the pain would pass however last week I fainted twice during an attack at 4am and managed to cut open my head on the kitchen table which needed gluing back together. Whilst I was there the a&e dr told the surgical outpatients on the phone that I hadn’t been to a&e with the other attacks and it made it sound like it does make a difference if you go. I was of the same mindset as you not wanting to waste their time especially as I often thought the pain would go as soon as I got there.

Sorry have I misunderstood or are people getting ultrasounds done by the GP? That’s the hospital appointment I am waiting for, to have an ultrasound done.

I had my ultrasound done at the hospital which is why I thought the consultant would have the ultrasound on the system.

The GP sent me for an ultrasound. Where I am the NHS has contracted them out so it was like a private coins. Once I had the ultrasound I was referred onto the surgeons....only without the damn report, which the surgeon needed, and could have got in seconds from me but he decided he had to have it from the fecking GP

Coins=clinic

Yeah so that's why it wasn't on his system, it wasn't done at the hospital.

@Spidey66 let’s hope it doesn’t take him long to get a copy.

I've sent an email to the GP, explaining why I felt dismissed by the hospital and angry that supposedly they hadn't the full information. I felt the hospital thought I was making it all up.

For the record I'm a 54 year old female. I've been in nursing since 1986, first as a HCA before doing my RMN in 1990. So im not wet behind my ears, and have a good knowledge of health care. Yes i use the internet for informat3, both with symptoms and once inhave received a diagnosis and to keep myself informed as to proposed treatment. Im not stupid, but neither am i a hypochondriac. If I was looking online for health I do o use reliable sites like NHS, BUPA, Patient.co.uk and use it sensibly.

I've had Todd health so far but over the past 5-10 years, more things have been going wrong. I've had a hysterectomy for fibroids, keyhole surgery on a menisical tear on my knee. I'm overw0which I'm well aware of, trying to get weight down but not easy.,

I tend to ignore things, or just manage with selfcare or OTC meds. I have arthritis in my knees (diagnosed when I had MIR on my knee, but suspected long time before by me) also I suspect have arthritis in my ankles. Trying to get weight down as a result.

Over the last 2,or 3 years, I have suspected, long before official diagnosis that I have had anal fissures, vaginal atrophy and acid reflux. It took me ages to speak to GP about them because I was embarrassed, or I thought they were not serious, or I couldn't get sn appt due to covid. Every time I did go and say 'I think it's an anal fissures or acid reflux or vaginal atrophy' I've been right.

Ahh yes, covid. Ive never worried unnecessarily about covid. I'm not a denier, but I'm realistic. I've taken on board the advice but I'm not disinfecting my apples or refusing to get on a bus. The team I work in is referrals and assessment team. In Lockdown#1 My manager asked if I'd help out doing the depots as our referrals went down. I was happy too, so worked every day doing so. I'm now back in my normal setting, but unlike many of my colleagues am happy to see patients face to face, and as long as we're socially distanced, using face masked and promoting hand hygiene am not worried ab0ut risks.

So how come having done so much for others health, why the hell doesn't mine matter? All the time I've worked through the pandemic, I've not been sick, my last episode of suspected gallstones was on my days off. I was off 3 days in Feb with stomach pain which i now think was gallstones. Ive covered for shielding colleagues. I had about 2 days self isolating with a mild cold. I told my colleagues i didnt have covid and didnt need testing, they insisted so i had testing to prove them wrong.

I'm pissed off that after all I've done for the NHS and I now feel that they're dismissing me and making me feel a hypochondriac when I'm anything but.

I've always bew

Ps sorry about fat fingers and typos and random few words on the end but you get my drift. Also-still waiting for GP to get back to me.

Apologies for above misspelling-rid rant. I had wine last night.

No need to apologise @Spidey66 we all need to have a rant at times. It isn’t good enough that they made you feel that way.

I'm in my mid 50s and have had mild attacks since I was in my mid 30s ....a fairly intense needling feeling under my right bottom rib which lasts for or maybe 10 seconds or so, it has never progressed to anything like us painful as most of the descriptions on here.
I suppose my best option is to stick to a low fat diet to keep it under control 🤔

@Jelly4444 how are you doing? Can I ask did you take the buscopan? I have been taking 2 tablets 4 times a day as advised by a&e dr but I think it’s giving me a gurgling stomach and wind as didn’t have this before taking. Unsure whether to take just 1 tablet instead but while I’ve been taking them I have had no gallbladder pain so I am scared that might come back.

Hi @Lostandfound55,

Hope you are keeping well. I'm doing great! I'm watching my diet a lot so my gallbladder has been behaving itself. I've only taken buscopan when I have felt any discomfort under my ribs. I haven't noticed any wind from it but I'm not taking it frequently.

Thanks @Jelly4444 glad your doing well. I will probably reduce taking it then and see if I find a difference.

@lostandfound55 I'm back at the doctor next week to talk about the scan results. I don't want to push for removal at the moment. I'm not getting frequent attacks so, considering covid, I think I will hang on for a while.

I should have been back to the doc already but the clinic forgot to send my results out