Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

gallbladder pain?

49 replies

Suehuang99 · 12/04/2022 18:45

have had upper stomach pain on/off for a few years that comes in flares - normally a few days flared, followed by a few days feeling normal. it is several inches above my belly button & feels tight/inflamed/swollen - constant pain not stabbing. endoscopy, colonoscopy etc all normal & doesn't seem to be affected by what i eat. no bowel symptoms

i am 30 & slim, otherwise healthy. the pain was particularly bad during a recent pregnancy

bloods came back today with elevated (but not crazy) liver levels & bile/gallbladder - doctor said could be this but everything i read suggests an older profile & that gallbladder pain only lasts a couple of hours.. not days

I have regular blood tests & this is the first time they have been elevated - could this indicate gallbladder despite the fact that the pain has been flaring for a couple of years?

OP posts:
sharpsobjects · 12/04/2022 18:46

Gallbladder pain can last days, why do you think it can't?

Sounds very much like biliary colic. Go with whatever your doctor recommends.

sharpsobjects · 12/04/2022 18:47

P.s. most of the gallbladder theatre list is

Marblessolveeverything · 12/04/2022 18:50

I was twenty five slim and pain lasted days, agonizing to be honest.

BakewellTart01 · 12/04/2022 18:52

I am 37 and awaiting my gallbladder being removed.
It definitely lasts days not hours

Original poster
Suehuang99 · 12/04/2022 22:51

So it can be like 3 days constant in a row then 3 days normal etc ? I read online it was only hours

I’ve had this on and off for 3 years - could it really go on that long time ? Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
Suehuang99 · 13/04/2022 06:05

Thank you !

OP posts:
DoubleChinWoes2 · 13/04/2022 06:24

Yes of course it could last years if you keep eating trigger foods and don't have it taken out. I had gallstones - I'm early 30s healthy BMI - the pain was incredible and I got it taken out last year.

Apparently pregnancy can cause them, and my symptoms started after the birth of my son

Original poster
Suehuang99 · 13/04/2022 06:39

I had a baby 3 months ago & was so bad during last trimester & now again - I wonder why no doctor would mention this as a possibility! My pain is central not right hand side though & no vomiting ?

OP posts:
Original poster
Suehuang99 · 13/04/2022 06:39

Did pain go after operation ?

OP posts:
coldandverytired · 13/04/2022 06:48

Gallbladder attacks manifest in different ways for different people, but you do seem to be describing biliary colic. An ultrasound will tell the doctors what the state of play is, then you can join the list for cholecystectomy, be aware; that list is long and slow. I have been waiting 2.5years so far! A bland low fat diet may help you cut down the attacks.

Thisisit2022 · 13/04/2022 07:01

I think I have this as well. It took me two days to actually get through to the doctor to be told to do an online self-referral. It took them three days to send me a text with a telephone appointment that was another two weeks. I have given in a sample (last week) and been told they'll send me for bloods but I'm still waiting for the results of the sample and an appointment for bloods.

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 13/04/2022 07:18

I ended up with an infected gallbladder last year which required emergency removal, I was 38. In retrospect on talking to the doctors I'd been having signs for over 10 years but didn't know it. For me the pain manifested as back ache which would come on suddenly and last a couple of days. I had put it down to being generally unfit and working an office job that had me sat down for over 8 hrs a day at a computer so when I had an attack I'd take painkillers, stretch, have a very hot bath.... and it would go away after a couple of days.

When they removed the gallbladder I had one absolutely massive stone that had been building for years until it shifted and fully blocked the bile duct causing an infection. It was agony, I've been through Labour and it was nothing compared to the pain of this bloody gallstone.

Original poster
Suehuang99 · 13/04/2022 10:20

Thank you for sharing this is so helpful

My pain is middle rather than right hand side

Dr is so unhelpful says bloods could be because of sertraline but I’m not sure

Also have raised calcium and cholesterol which I’m wondering if can be because of gallbladder too

OP posts:
Mehripoop · 13/04/2022 10:28

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo I am also going through this! Mine manifests as back ache on the left side with abit of nausea and burping as and feeling off. Was yours on the right? I have gallbladder sludge and polyps or stones which the drs can’t decide on!

Original poster
Suehuang99 · 13/04/2022 10:38

Are they going to remove it ?

OP posts:
coldandverytired · 13/04/2022 10:53

@Suehuang99 they will refer you for removal once an ultrasound scan identifies stones (and often sludge will prompt a referral too) but it is a long wait! My mother had pancreatitis as a result of her gallbladder and they treated it and sent her home to wait for cholecystectomy knowing full well she was likely to have a pancreatitis relapse before she reached the top of the waiting list- and this was pre pandemic 😩 she went private eventually because she couldn’t take any more of it.

Mehripoop · 13/04/2022 11:45

@Suehuang99 I’m on the list but scared to remove

Original poster
Suehuang99 · 13/04/2022 11:48

[quote Mehripoop]@Suehuang99 I’m on the list but scared to remove[/quote]
why are you scared to remove?

OP posts:
HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 13/04/2022 12:43

[quote Mehripoop]@HalfShrunkMoreToGo I am also going through this! Mine manifests as back ache on the left side with abit of nausea and burping as and feeling off. Was yours on the right? I have gallbladder sludge and polyps or stones which the drs can’t decide on![/quote]
Mine was on the right, about bra line and no position relieved it.

It got removed in emergency surgery because I presented at A&E in agony, vomiting and with a fever, they gave me Iv antibiotics for 3 days but did nothing so had to remove it.

Honestly if you get a chance to get it removed do it, surgery was straight forward, discomfort afterwards because of the wounds but settled after a few days and no pain since.

Mehripoop · 13/04/2022 13:01

@Suehuang99 @HalfShrunkMoreToGoim scared to remove because my pain is mainly on the left but right too. I’m always burping and stomach just feels off all the time. Surely the gallbladder pain would be right only?

Frlrlrubert · 13/04/2022 14:40

I'm 37 and had mine out in Jan. I'm not overweight.

My flares were lasting 12-18 hours, but I know of people where they were longer.

My bloods were absolutely fine (I'm also on sertraline) - but ultrasound showed lots of stones and some thickening - tracking back this had been going on since my pregnancy 5 years ago, but until I ended up in A&E I was just carrying on and putting it down to stress or anxiety or whatever.

I've been absolutely fine after recovering from the operation.

Mehripoop · 13/04/2022 14:49

@Frlrlrubert that’s so good to hear Youve recovered well. What were your symptoms if you don’t mind me asking?

Frlrlrubert · 13/04/2022 15:47

My flares were mostly at night. Upper abdomen, radiating round my sides and into my back. Vomiting with the pain. Sometimes started off as sort of heartburn.

I avoided fatty foods once I realised what it was but they didn't stop - I once had one after plain chicken breast and rice!

The GP prescribed tramadol in the end, which I'd take before my evening meal until going to bed. I didn't want to take it round the clock because it bunged me up, so I only ate in the evenings. I lost 2 stone in 4 months. It also gave me weird dreams that woke me up in the night.

Eventually I couldn't work so they put me down for surgery.

Thesefeetaremadeforwalking · 13/04/2022 15:49

Sounds like pancreatitis - please see your GP again.

Frlrlrubert · 13/04/2022 15:53

When I was in A&E before my scan they said the pain was in the wrong place for gallstones.

They thought it might be appendix but no infection markers.

I was gallstones. Maybe my inside are weird but I think abdominal pain isn't always felt where the issue is.