gallbladder pain?

[Suehuang99]

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?

My husband had his gallbladder out about 3 /4 years ago and he has had nothing but trouble ever since getting it. Was in hospital for over a week just a about a month and a half ago. His liver levels where high and other levels was up fojmd out he has a blocked bile duct and is waiting on a mrcp to try and remove the stone. My advice would be before you get your gallbladder take out try and do some research about what supplements you could take and how to change your diet i would say gallbladder removal would be very last resort..

@Thesefeetaremadeforwalking my bloods have come up fine. So not pancreatitis apparently.

can someone explain difference between pancreatitis and gallbladder issues?

@Suehuang99

can someone explain difference between pancreatitis and gallbladder issues?

I'm interested to know as well.

I had mine removed recently. I think my
Issue has been going on for at least a decade, but been put down to ibs. My pain radiated up my shoulder, and all the way down to my hip on my right hand side. It’s only in the past year did it start under my bra line. I had to go private in the end, but it’s such a relief having it out. Surgery was sore but the pain of recovery nowhere near as painful as actually having it in.

Mine lasted fays and then when it was really bad, weeks. I couldn't eat dry toast without a flare up. Mine started in pregnancy and used to flare up badly during my period or ovulation.

Does anyone have it where the pain is not effected by food ?

Me. I can eat fat in moderation. I had 2 fried wings last night and I’m fine for now. But there’s days where il be eating grilled chicken and veg and it’ll flare up.

@Suehuang99

Does anyone have it where the pain is not effected by food ?

Yes. Whatever mine is tends to manifest more after food or after a smoke (before I gave up) but can start mildly at any time.

I'm another with gallbladder issues (sludge in my case which possibly is hiding stones) you can have a low functioning gallbladder with no stones but you'll still get some symptoms.
It's only since having the scan and reading up about it that I realise so many of my vague symptoms are probably gallbladder related.

Thank you!! What kind of symptoms ? Does the scan show low function ? What treatment are you using ?

@Suehuang99

Thank you!! What kind of symptoms ? Does the scan show low function ? What treatment are you using ?

I think you need what's known as a Hida scan for low functioning but no stones/sludge.

My more unusual symptoms include pain over right hip, tingling in lower legs (inflamed gallbladder can apparently press on a nerve which runs down by the abdomen into the groin and leg) Brain fog- if your gallbladder isn't working properly, you're not absorbing enough nutrients from your food essentially.

Since I started taking a digestive enzyme before every meal though I can eat almost anything in moderation whereas before anything fatty would have me suffering the runs afterwards. Also take apple cider vinegar capsules and peppermint oil. Peppermint tea is another miracle.

I joined a FB group called something like Gallbladder support group which has been invaluable.

this thread has been so helpful especially as doctor wont take my seriously

a couple of questions - i had excrutiating flares the last two months of my pregnancy - can this be gallbladder related can pregnancy make worse?

after baby was born i was given IV antibiotics for something else & was pain free for 4 weeks after - have never had such a long pain free stint in5 years - again could this mean something?

thanks so much

Mine ended up infected,low level pain over a long time. Not affected by food. Nit the excruciating pain sometimes described.

The GP was dismissive and said anxiety and to leave it. Scan had shown sludge.

Got it out privately, I’d had a systemic infection and it was all a mess. The op and recovery were fine, and I felt better immediately.

The surgeon told ne it was unsurprising I’d been feeling so bad, and wrote to my GP to that effect.

From recollection I think pregnancy can make it worse..?

Thanks everyone - can antibiotics make gallbladder better?

If there is an infection, yes. But ultimately I've learned that if your Gallbladder is dodgy either with stones, sludge or just low functioning, it's not ever going to go back to normal. It's really really common.

but can the pain ever be fixed

Yes, by removing the gallbladder

Once you have stones/sludge it can't be cleared away and you're always at risk of an attack.

You can go on a very low fat diet to reduce the risk of an attack but even that's not a guarantee. With me the stone shifted and blocked the bile duct, that wasn't the result of a meal it just happened one day.

The only way to end the situation is to take out your gallbladder.

Honestly, once you're gallbladder starts playing up it will not get better.

If you can't afford private get on the NHS waiting list ASAP because you could be on it for years and during those years the gallbladder will be getting worse and worse.

Having had gallbladder attacks, a blocked stone, 2 ERCP's, pancreatitis and jaundice (in the space of 1.5 years) get it taken out.

For what it's worth, the surgery was a breeze, mine had an extra complication because my gallbladder was full of shizz and needed emptying before they pulled it out - which meant I needed a drain - but ultimately, I was pretty much back to normal after a week. 4 months down the line I've got minimal adverse effects. I get a niggle in my side if I overdo it and i'm a bit more farty than I used to be. That's literally it.

doctor won't scan me because i'm 31, and the pain is middle located (halfway between belly button & breastbone). it lasts days not hours - so he says its unlikely to be gallbladder as had on & off for 5 years (over half the month normally in pain)

should i be pushing this? liver & gallbladder markers are raised on my recent bloods but never have before

was worse during pregnancy

I’d try to scrape up the money to go private for a consultation. At least then you’d have an idea what it is and what to do

Are you getting an USS or MRI? Get it ruled out at least. Don't leave it for years thinking it would stop, like I did. My attacks lasted 10-12 hours of the excruciating attack, followed by most of the next 8 hours feeling sick with more generalised abdo pain. The fat I ate was floating in the toilet like oil. Are your bowels normal? I had surgery 5 weeks ago and my life is transformed. I didn't realise how I had normalised feeling so rubbish between attacks too. People have different experiences of GB pain, I find.

Absolutely push for an ultrasound.

I'm 37 so not that much older. If markers are raised they need to find out why. Surely an ultrasound to rule it out would be a sensible step even if symptoms don't match exactly (mine didn't either).

Have you seen the same GP every time? Can you ask to see someone else?