Gallstone attack

[Becksssbee]

Hi everyone,
So I’ve been experiencing gallbladder attacks.. :( I was diagnosed in January pp pregnancy so think the hormones caused it for me as I’m thin, healthy and eat a balanced diet. It’s the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life by far! Worse than Labour!! Anyway I was just wondering how long it takes to receive the letter for gallbladder removal surgery, my doctors have said I’m on the waiting list but I have to wait for the letter to then speak with surgeon then they will decide what priority I am? I’ve been waiting a month so far, how long will I wait to get this letter and how long will it be till the surgery, I am absolutely desperate! Thanks

Hi, I don't have an answer but just wondered what symptoms you experience with this?
I daily have a tight Upper Stomach that makes me retch. A few months ago I kept getting attacks of very very sore stomach cramps in the centre of my stomach that would have me doubled over for Atleast an hour that werent relieved after going to the toilet several times. Then all of a sudden it would pass and I'd be fine until the next attack a week later or so. I had blood tests done and everything came back fine, but still have this discomfort in my upper stomach that feels obstructed by something.

Hi I had mine out a few years ago so it was before covid. I had to go for emergency removal of a gill stone as it was blocking my liver I had gone yellow. Then I received my letter and had surgery about 2 months after that. It’s such a painful thing isn’t it. The only thing that helped was breathing and it could go on for hours sometimes. I’m sorry you are in pain. If it gets to much do talk your gp also if your whites of your eyes and skin turn yellow I would call 111 they will probably want to scan you as you may have a stone blocking something.

Hello,
I experience gallstone attacks when I eat fattier foods or after a normal dinner but the attack comes around 5/6 hours later and also wakes me up in the night :( For me it starts off in my back between my shoulder blades and within a matter on seconds it then radiates through to my front just under the breastbone and after that I’m just crying myself through it.. mine have lasted 2-3 hours then will slowly feel the pain easing. I place a hot water bottle on my front and my partner rubs my back when I can tolerate it but there’s no position that eases it, I just rock back and forth as walking around makes me even more exhausted when I’m going through it. I had a CT scan for my chest and blood tests but everything came back normal and they were going to leave it there as ‘I’m only 23 so I’m too young to have gallstones” Me and my partner thought I had stones from the research on my symptoms and so he pushed for an ultra sound and guess who was right.. I had gallstones..! After being told it can’t possibly be for my age.. And one of the triggers for this is hormones from pregnancy so I don’t know how they would’ve just brushed it off!! So please push for an ultrasound and get it checked out because it can only get worse if you have it and no one should be experiencing this pain, contact your gp!

@Zubes sorry forgot to tag you in my response!

@Buzlightyear1
Hello, Yes I’m worried because of covid that all operations are being pushed back which is horrible! Thank you for that. I’ve been very careful and I eat a fat free or low fat diet as much as I can and I drink so much water but sometimes I don’t know what triggers it. I just want the bugger out! How was your experience with it being removed? Was your recovery okay and are you able to eat normal foods again again having it out? Thank you

I had mine out via emergency last year. When I was recovering at home I got the letter to schedule my surgery as I was waiting for this to book it before the emergency happened. Out of curiosity I logged on and checked the the wait times and there was 18/24 month wait before Covid. I hate to think what they are now. I'm glad I got mine out when I did.

Hi I’m a lot better now I have it out, I can eat everything normally again. Recovery was not to bad it was painful at first but within about a week I was able to do things like normal. The age thing is exactly what they said to me at first as I started getting the pain very young so they wouldn’t even look at it. It was years later when some one said they were going to call an ambulance as I was yellow I finally agreed I would go to the walk-in center. So glad I did now as I’m like a different person it was so painful .

I hope you manage to get it sorted quickly.

I waited 8 months pre-COVID. It is absolutely awful, you have my utmost sympathy - the surgery & recovery are a walk in the park compared to gallbladder pain, I stopped taking pain relief 2 days post surgery as the pain was nothing compared to what I was used to!

I had I wait a year for mine to be removed. Fatty food set off my attacks and I still don't digest fat well.

Hi - I remember the pain, and the relief of having mine out. I think I waited about 12 months (pre-covid) and was having a bad attack about twice a month, bad enough to burst the blood vessels in and around my eyes from how violently I vomited. I really appreciate your desperation. I found codeine, buscopan and anti sickness drugs from the doc that you put under your tongue to take the edge off. Best of luck to you. x

It took 8 months from diagnosis to op for me (about 5 years ago). I ate a strict, very low fat diet for the whole 8 months and managed to avoid any further full-bliwn attacks. On the odd occasion I accidentally ate something with little too much fat in, I'd get a bit of grumbly pain, but nothing like the excruciating agony of the initial attack. Op went fine, and no problems since.

I'm glad you have a diagnosis, it took me a couple of years. I'd have a horrible attack almost exactly as you described, always at night, leaving me laid out on the bathroom floor, totally miserable. Sometimes a really hot Bath would slightly help, but usually it was just a matter of getting through the attack, normally 5-6 hours. I'd then sleep and wake feeling ok so kid myself it was a one off and carry on. I had a young baby at the time so felt I could spare the time.

Attacks got stronger and more frequent so saw doctor and luckily through private insurance had operation (keyhole) within 3 weeks - OMG the relief- with hindsight I don't know how I managed.

So wanted to say don't put up with pain; make sure every attack is reported to doctor so that at least as soon as operations are restarted you'll have appropriate position on waiting list, and good luck.

I had to wait 5 months from 1st admission to a & e to surgery. I had my op in January last year so just before Covid. I was given 30 codeine tablets after my first attack and managed with those over the 5 months plus buscopan and a very low fat no alcohol diet.

Poor you OP - I remember the agonising wait for mine in the run up to lockdown back in March.

I don't think there's a single answer. Even for elective surgery I think cases get classed as more or less urgent. I was really surprised to find mine had been classed as a priority, but I think that's because I was sticking to a really low fat diet, and was still having flare-ups.

Hi @Becksssbee.

I had mine out over twenty years ago now. I'd been in agony with it in the same ways that you've described. It took more than a year for me to be diagnosed because I didn't fit the profile (too young, too skinny).

In the end I went to see a surgeon privately, because I was a self-employed lawyer and was at risk of it completely messing up my working life as I could never predict attacks. I wasn't insured, but managed to get the money together (it wasn't actually hugely expensive). I therefore didn't have to wait too long once actually diagnosed, and spent just one night in hospital. I think I was back at work within 2 weeks, possibly less.

I'd look into the possibility of having it done privately if there's any possibility that you can. Either way, I hope this can be sorted out for you as soon as possible

I ended up in a&e following a gallstone attack that caused me to faint and cut my head open. That was the start of November and yesterday I received an appointment letter to speak to the general surgery department at the start of February.

My health board was "aiming" for 13 weeks before lockdown.
God knows how long it will take now.
I'm not hopeful of mine being sorted out within a year tbh. :(
What painkillers are you on? I find anti inflammatories are best. I'm on Naproxin. I'm also on a very low fat diet.
Black tea, dry toast, the works.
My sympathies. Its shitty isn't it?

@unlimiteddilutingjuice
Unfortunately I exclusively breastfeed so there’s literally nothing I can take except paracetamol.. and as you all will know.. it doesn’t do a single thing! That’s why I’m hoping for this to be out at least within a year because I have to literally suffer through it will no medication :/ I called my hospital about the waiting times and they told me 18+ months because theres a backlog from covid but they haven’t placed me anywhere yet. I’m on a fat free low fat diet too, it’s horrible!

@SpudsandGravy
Yes I think I’m lucky that I was diagnosed as soon a I was because they were just going to brush me off.. which is awful because it’s not normal for anyone to just go through such horrific pain caused by stones! Especially for lunch a long time, the pain is so bad you’d think it would be more of an urgent op. But my partner made sure of that for me! And it’s not helpful when I’ve just had a baby and exclusively breastfeed, I need to be healthy for him. Depending on what priority they place me in I may have to look into going private but I really don’t have the funds for that right now.