Tummy troubles and gallstones

[Evilpixie41]

So I've just been diagnosed with gallstones. I also have gastritis.

I have had 8 episodes of acute severe upper tummy pain this year, 4 of which have landed me in hospital. I was first diagnosed with gastritis back in 2017 and was fine for years until I got covid and since then it's been almost constant. I did nt have gallstones back then, they've developed since.

I have to go back to hospital in a cpl of months for a chat with the GI team but the surgeon I spoke to today said I will probably need my gallbladder out. However if it's the gastritis causing the terrible pain then the surgery won't help with that only stop complications from having gallstones.

My mum and sister have both had theirs removes and both suffer terribly with IBS now, my mum especially. It rules her life. I don't want to swap one problem for another!

Can anyone offer any advice or success stories for either gallstones and/or gastritis? It's the pain that distresses me its easily as bad as labour and only morphone gets rid of it.

Thank you!

I would suggest having the gallbladder removed regardless as that will end badly for you at some point and end up emergency surgery. And this is not good. Planned surgery always better. I’d also start on a digestive enzymes if you have a Google about those.
the sever pain episodes are no doubt gallbladder attack episodes. Only way to tell is wait for another and quickly have a liver function blood test. If there was a gallstone stuck then your liver function will shoot up.

I had my gallbladder removed 2 weeks ago, After being diagnosed a few months after giving birth and I can relate the pain was a lot worse than labour for me! I was in two minds wether to go ahead with the surgery as I have read some people suffer with stomach problems after but since having the surgery I havnt had any problems although still early days I am back to eating normally without the fear of excruciating pain. Can’t comment on gastritus as I’ve never had it but the pain you describe deffinately sounds like a gallbladder attack in which case I would recommend the surgery.

Well I'm sat here in my hospital bed writing this. I had two very severe pain attacks over weekend both of which were bad enough for me to go to a&e, the second time they admitted me.

There's a problem with my liver function test (it was normal last week) and I have to have an MRI to see if there's a blockage then at some point it's coming out.

Getting my gallbladder out was just the best thing ever. The pain of an attack is no joke, I was fine with labour but the last gallbladder attack required oramorph and still didn't actually take all the pain away.

The surgery was quick and easy, I had to stay in a couple of days afterwards as had a drain fitted to remove all the infected goop that had formed. Once I was home I felt much better and was up and about straight away with just a bit of pain when bending. No attacks since having it out!

I've been on IV morphine all weekend. It really is a terrible pain.

I'm still here waiting to find out what's happening but Hi have a feeling I ll be coming back another time as an out patient with a pain management plan in the meantime.

I'm so glad you're ok. You have given me hope!

I am sat here in hospital after having a gallstone attack that has caused pancreatitis now.
I had an mri last week and am waiting for surgery to remove my gallbladder, but they won't do it when it's 'hot' as its a more complicated surgery with more risks.
So they'll get me better then I'll wait for an operation date, which will probably get postponed because I'll have another attack.
I've been hospitalised twice in 2 months and been in a&e a few extra times and also had several attacks I managed at home....all in the past 3 months.
It's awful, painful and disruptive. I've lost so much weight from a low/no fat diet that clearly isn't stopping these attacks.
I can't wait to have mine out!

They absolutely can do it when you're 'hot' as thats what happened with me. So it's worth pushing a bit and trying to get the op done on this admission.

I went in early hours of a Sunday morning, was actually stupid enough to drive myself to A&E because there were no taxis at 3am on Sunday morning, DH doesn't drive and I think I'd have to be unconscious before I'd think myself eligible for an ambulance.

Persistent vomiting, agony and fever.

They gave me oramorph and an antiemetic PDQ then I waited around for ages for a CT as they thought I had kidney stones. The CT accidentally caught an image of my gallbladder which was inflamed and showed stones so I was moved to another hospital by ambulance for IV antibiotics.

Stayed on antibiotics and pain relief until they finally admitted on Wednesday morning that the infection wasn't going anywhere no matter how many antibiotics they gave me.

Wednesday afternoon they took the gallbladder out laparoscopically. It was a mess in there, had 'adhered to surrounding structures' as the tissue was basically rotting. So they sluiced the whole area out to clean the infection out, stuck a drain in and decided to keep me in and on the antibiotics for another few doses.

Had the drain removed on the Friday and was able to go home with oral antibiotics and cocodamol.

Turns out I had one great big stone that had fully lodged itself in the bile duct, nothing was going to make it move because it was just too big to shift. I even got to keep it as a souvenir and the first words I head as I was coming round from the anaesthetic were "have you seen the size of this stone I pulled out today, look, look!"

Wow!!

I'm having mine out tomorrow. By the blood tests results they think I've passed a gallstone through my liver as my liver enzyme and inflammation markers are very high (9 instead of under 5). They are concerned it will happen again as MRI showed a lot of stones so it's got to come out.

I've been the same.10 attacks since February with 3 in the last 2 weeks. 5 have seen me in a&e with pain. If it was nt for the liver issues I would have been sent home for a future date and back in a&e way before then.