Gallstones. Feeling sorry for myself

[MeinKraft]

Just looking for sympathy really as there's nothing anyone can do. Having a gallstone flare up and it's like a band of pain around my ribs and back. I've had to take my bra off I feel so tender. Just lying here in an oodie feeling nauseous and sore. I'm on the list for gallbladder removal but who knows when that will be. The nausea, bloating and feeling full and like my stomach is stretched are worse than the pain!

Just sending you some support. I've suffered quite badly with kidney stones in the past and I think the pain is similar, so you have my sympathy !💐

Argh it’s so bad isn’t it. My dr told me to go to a&e if the pain gets really bad. I did and it moved me up the list a bit - it was 16 week wait just to see the consultant, but now I’ve seen them and are def on the list for removal. Who knows how long that will take though!!!! So sympathies. drinking helps.

Can I give you a top tip? Take either a tablespoon of cider vinegar in water every day or a big glass of apple juice (doesn’t have to be fancy, cheapo pasteurised is just as good)
it’s the malic acid, after a month of apple juice or apple vinegar the gallstones will soften and be malleable enough to pass through the tube

If you have a microwaveable heat pad or hot water bottle, put it on the right top of your chest. Also if you have anything like renne that can help. Then tomorrow make sure you have a plain low fat diet. Been there and it is hell but my flare ups never last long.

The best thing you can do is cut out ALL fats -

Oils, butter, spreads, pastry (pies etc), cakes, chocolate, sauces, etc.

The pain is terrible, I can remember. I had my gallbladder out many years ago.

Thanks everyone! I do eat too much fat I have to say. Spicy food is a terrible trigger for me too. So I do bring the pain on myself sometimes. I haven't heard of the cider vinegar thing - I think we have got some in the house so I must give it a try.

I feel your pain. Literally just had a night of no sleep due to gallstone flare up last night. I found eating Rennies helped a bit also hot water bottle on your right hand side or back. Sips of water and pain relief. Antispasmodic tablets can help. I felt like my stomach was going to burst from the pressure. Went to GP as my attack lasted over nine hours. Going to be referred back to hospital for removal at some point after a scan. Hope you feel better soon.

Sending sympathy I'm feeling the same today, it's awful isn't it. I've finally had an appointment last week after waiting 15 months and unfortunately it looks like I've got stones in my bile duct so MRI and then probably an endoscopy procedure before I can have the surgery 😖, it's really awful, can be sooo painful.

Volterol (diclofenac) suppositories are meant to be amazing for gallbladder pain

Had this for year and years.

Definitely get some Buscopan. It's a soft tissue relaxant and will soothe your pain and reduce the spasms internally - it should reduce the pain quite considerably. You can get it over the counter.

Good luck op!

Find your triggers. Ironically mine included Pret chicken noodle salad and coffee. I took 2 buscapan a day, 2 peppermint oil capsules and 2 slippery elm bark for the 6 months before my gallbladder was removed. It seemed to help a little in stopping some attacks. I ate when I was hungry - waiting seemed to bring on an attack. It was the worst pain ever, I really sympathise.

Towards the end it really didn't matter what I ate - I either had an attack or didn't.

Any time the pain is really bad, go to the hospital for pain management.
The more you're in, the sooner it'll be out.

I started with gallstones in the end of April 2020. I was having horrendous attacks most respites despite primarily living off fruit and veg and cutting all fat out of my diet. I had my gallbladder out on the 2nd of July.
By that point I'd lost over 3 stone and was addicted to morphine from having it IV in hospital 2-4 times per week.

Go for the apple cider vinegar as that is much better for you.

*most days

I take pain relief. And do a few yoga stretches. Find it helps to shift the pain.

I'm so sorry. You should be on codeine for that pain! It's terrible that you've just been left to cope with it until your surgery.

When I was discharged from hospital after my mammoth attack I was given 30 codeine tablets. They got me through to my surgery which was 6 months later.

Even if you can't face going to A&E do please make an urgent appointment with your GP and beg for better pain relief!

i feel your pain I have to have my tablets to hand just in case. I have buscopan, cocodamol, cyclizine and omeprazole and as others said a hot water bottle

I read that pumpkin seeds were good for gallbladders but please check first for yourself.

I second taking a visit to A & E. Okay, so it’s not actually an accident nor an emergency but you shouldn’t be expected to endure the pain. I went to A & E as I couldn’t access my GP service and it was only then I was admitted, diagnosed and given appropriate pain relief (IV morphine and fentanyl) and antibiotics as it was infected. I went again during a particularly bad attack (while when I was waiting for surgery) and they sent me home with oromorph and bumped me up the surgery list. I had surgery 5 days later.
My GP did prescribe me naproxen and that helped with an attack and took minutes to work.

Thank you so much for the sympathy and kind comments everyone. DH doesn't really get it and I don't like to go on too much because there's nothing he can do and it's pretty shit listening to someone moaning about how unwell they feel!

@Cakeandslippers and @tootsierubs I hope you both feel better soon too my stomach also feels like it's going to burst. I genuinely feel almost as stretched out as when I was pregnant.

Thank you for the comments about pain relief - the doctor hasn't given me anything and I've been muddling through but maybe it's getting to the stage I need something stronger for times like these.

I hope you feel a little better soon! That feeling of burning and bursting is just so horrible, I completely understand. When you've got your strength back do seriously make a nuisance of yourself with the GP for a reasonable stock of stronger painkillers. Tell them you will go to A&E next time!

Also be mindful of something call sphincter of oddi syndrome. It's what causes the spasms, rather than the stones themselves.

Had my GB out and continued to have attacks. Turns out it was SOD. My triggers turned out to be all opiates - so all of the times I was taking codeine for pain relief - it was making things 100x worse. Even after surgery when I was on oramorph, I was in agony and had to be rescanned in case they missed a stone. Was a nightmare, but turned out to be the painkillers!

You poor pet it's horrendous. I had mine out three years ago after suffering for six months. I had two hospital stays in that time. The only way to avoid a flare up is a fat free, oil free diet. Plain foods. Bland a bit boring but I lost four stone in six months

I feel your pain - I used to curl up in a ball to make my pain go away...I thought it was onions but turned out it was everything!

Eventually collapsed in someone's garden and had my gall bladder out a couple of days later (wasn't in the UK at the time)

I'd suffered nearly 8 months with it with no pain relief - I seriously thought I was having a heart attack each time. Had gall bladder out and not had anything since (thank god)

Please go to A&E every flare up as it'll bump you up the list and get you sorted.

It's so grim. I'd genuinely rather go through unmedicated childbirth again than gallstones. I got some relief during attacks using my TENS machine (although the morphine at the hospital was definitely better!)