gallbladder agony

[unicornwonders]

i’ve been suffering with pain on and off for years, but tuesday i had the pain under my right rib cage, lower stomach and back, absolute agony for 10 hours, went to gp got sickness meds and had bloods and was told i would hear back by end of week. i’ve been tender and sore under my ribs and lower stomach since, once again i’ve woken up in agony it’s been 4 hours and again pain killers won’t touch it, i can’t take this anymore, i’m sick of the pain and sick and now it’s hurting my chest, i’m waiting on a call back from 111 i just don’t know what to do or what to expect

Can you explain what are the issues for not having a gall bladder? I'm interested.

@PammyShipman

It doesn't matter what you eat or don't eat your stones are moving and some maybe getting stuck. The pain is indescribable. I had my gallbladder out three years ago. Went into hospital at 7.30. Closed my eyes at 10.30 ( there was a clock in the theatre). Woke up at 1.35 in recovery. Brought back to ward at 2.30. Went home at 6.00. Rested and took it easy for a few days. DH stayed home for two days but after that I was fine. Had painkillers, difene I think. Stayed on bland diet for about two weeks to let body adjust. Went back to eating normal after that. Wore soft leggings and hoodies for comfort. Had a follow up check after six weeks. GP checked me after five days and cleared me to drive.

Hi OP.

i recall being wheeled down to surgery at about 3pm. Two very lovely nurses with me and then the anestheatist joined us and within 10 seconds I was out. I don’t recall anything in my throat although you will have something due to being under GA, this is put in and removed as you are asleep. I then recall coming around and feeling really woozy and in pain. Was hard to sit up etc. went back to the ward and was in post op pain the first night but this was manageable with pain relief ( the pain was not as bad as the gallbladder pain).
i was discharged at teatime the next day and took 6 weeks off work although felt better physically after about a week

Sorry meant to add. I came back around from surgery at approx 7pm

The only thing that helped me when I had a bad attack was pethidine 😳

During one attack I actually had an out of body experience the pain was so bad.

I had my gallbladder removed and the relief was incredible, I've not had any issues, I've always had a bit of ibs when stressed but that's no worse.

how long is the actual surgery? i was told about an hour but everyone seems to of been out for hours

I believe the actual surgery is about an hour with some leeway in case it's a bit more work than planned. Then they have to get you out of theatre and into the post op room and bring you round which adds on some time.

Varies. I’ve assisted gallbladders that have taken anywhere from 15 minutes (!) to 3 hours. Depends on how healthy they are etc in terms of recent attacks, stones etc

wishing you well. I passed a stone once and the pain was horrific. I don’t think some people can grasp how horrid it is.

are you put into a gown or do i need to take something? like for the actual surgery bit, no one’s given me much information from the hospital

You'll be given a gown that does up at the front is my experience. Oh and a lovely pair of hospital knickers made of tights like material. I also had surgical stockings but had been in hospital for a couple of days by then and they made everyone wear them to prevent clots caused by laying down all the time.

I had mine removed in 2021. I was happy with the results and have had no issues. My sympathy. The pain is horrendous.

When I had mine out, the surgeon started counting the stones but lost count at 200.😂

Ps nothing touched the pain. I just had to bare it out and wait for the stone to pass.

@Spidey66 did the surgery and recovery take a long time? and was you given a gown or did you take something from home?

I had mine out when my dd was 3 months old. When I arrived they gave me a gown and knickers to wear for the surgery, I sat and waited in a room with others awaiting surgery, thankfully I was first down for the day, you the get taken to a secondary waiting room and then into where they sedate you, this is my last memory, after surgery you go to the recovery ward to be woken up and then moved to a ward to be discharged. I don’t remember much from recovery bit.
I was sore for about a week and then it improved after that, had key hole so three small holes near your gallbladder and one bigger one near your bellybutton. I had to get the nurse at my gp surgery to change/check dressings. If I over eat or eat too much fatty foods I do get a twisting pain in that area, but it’s not anything on the pain before, if I get dehydrated I notice I’m more susceptible to the pain.

I'm not sure how long the surgery actually took as I was under.....couple of hours maybe. I had a gown provided by the hospital. I went home the same day.

I was a bit sick for a day or two, not sure if that was from the surgery or GA. I was sore in the abdominal area for a few days, maybe a week but recovered well. My stitches were dissolvable. I think there was 3 or 4 single ones but I didn't need to get them seen as they just dissolved and there was no infection.

It's a very very common operation and there is no reason to think it won't go to plan, honest.

Oh I forgot to add.

I've got a BMI of 40 and this often means you have a fatty liver, which can cause problems during the operation as the gallbladder and liver are close together. Beforehand, I had to go on a VLCD to shrink my liver. Basically I had to have 800 calories of yucky, disgusting SlimFast for 2 weeks. I wasn't supposed to eat anything else except 0 calorie drinks like water, diet coke etc. However it made me constipated and I had to beg them to let me have a few vegetables to ease it. You couldn't eat 800 cals, it was all a scientific think to shrink your liver as well as lose weight. But if you're not overweight this shouldn't be an issue.

The pain is because you have Cholecystitis. It is because the gallbladder gets inflamed and the pain lasts longer than a normal gallbladder pain. I was waiting for a year to get my gallbladder out. It was the most painful thing ive ever gone through. i went to A and E and they gave me intravenous pain killers. None of the tablet painkillers touched it.

one more question, i read somewhere you can’t be discharged for 4 hours after surgery is this true?

Ok, and I had one done in 1990s, just as keyhole surgery started. Home next day, back in work at day 4.
so, like every operation it depends on individuals - no one can predict that. I’m also a big believer that people don’t have high or low tolerance to pain, just some types of pain. Some people can’t bear one type of pain but can bear pain that others will find unbearable. No knowing till you experience it.

So pointless saying that operation is long recovery. It was for you, but for others it can be very quick. Fgs, they turf you out of hospital now after 1 or 2 nights for a c-section if they can now. And that’s way, way more invasive and major than keyhole gallbladder removal.

Having mine removed was the best thing I could have done. It resolved all
Issues immediately and was back to work a week after the op.

Who wants to live a life without fat? It's miserable. And also with me it wasn't just fat that triggered it. It was an absolute minefield. I do sympathise with you. If the pain is unbearable and you feel flu-y get to a&e.

Sorry to hear you’re struggling.

I literally passed out and vomited on a flight from Spain ( I was on a work visit) due to gallbladder pain. It had been building all day and I’d taken painkillers and buscapan ( prescribed in those days) but it wasn’t touching the pain, especially due to plane vibration. We’d only just ascended and I passed out. Came too with man beside me trying to push me up, calling for stewardess, and seatbelt lights still being on so they couldn’t help. I just managed to grab bag before vomiting, thank god.
oh the shame 😳
id been suffering by then for 6 months and already on surgery lisT.
I literally got home and went straight to GP ( same evening appointments freely available in those days 🤣🤣🤦‍♀️), and burst into tears saying I couldn’t cope with work and the pain/ issues. He was horrified I’d vomited on plane and said he’d call surgeon.
had it done within 2 weeks 🤷🏼‍♀️

it was instant relief. I never had issues with eating higher fat meals for the next 16 years, as some do, until I reached peri menopause. Then it hit with brute force. I now can’t skip meals, as I realised when I tried intermittent fasting diet - i hit the loo within 2 hours of eating my main meal of a fasting day with diarrhoea and vomiting - and agonising pain just like old gallbladder pain. These days it can be set off by even skipping lunch or breakfast. I can’t cope with fatty, eggy, cheese type lunches now, and I have to eat something regularly ( though I don’t snack) and control fat levels closely. So, it’s not without its issues as surgery- I’ve had a few horrible accidents with the whole sudden diarrhoea thing and take spare clothing with me if I’m in a situation where it could be a risk😢

but, the frequency and pain I was in with the original gallbladder , the amount of infections etc, meant it was the best option for me to have surgery and I don’t regret it. I didn’t have an option.

if it’s only solution left to you then you’ll need to go that route and accept it may cause issues further down the line

Can’t see why not, op
i had mine in 1993, keyhole was new then. I was discharged next morning and back at work day 4
so these days yep, easily a day case I’d think.
if you are unlucky in needing longer, as a minority will, just dig heals in and stay …but usually the staff will know you’re not ready to leave. You need to be steady on your feet, had a wee, and had something to drink and eat. Once all that is ok, no reason to stay really

it is very minimally invasive compared to , say, a c- section
ive had 10 operations in my life for various things, and this was low down list of pain, discomfort and time off work post surgery , for me.

they do have to “ blow you up” like a ballon with CO2 and you’ll have a few tiny scars where they insert instruments with main scar ( 2cm) across sternum. There’s minimal prodding needed so you don’t get much bruising or swelling normally,
the worst, for me, is the gas where they inflate you a bit 🤣. Peppermint helps, so stock up on your preferred formulation ( sweets, tea) . And take painkillers regularly - have plenty to hand to use as much as you can safely. Don’t wait for pain to hit, take as soon as possible

I had my gallbladder out by keyhole surgery last June and expected to be out the same day but ended up staying overnight and went home the next day. I had a stone stuck in the duct and they couldn’t get it out so thought I’d need to have ERCP to get it out but it moved on it’s own so I didn’t in the end. I didn’t feel well enough to go home so I didn’t mind staying but couldn’t wait to go home the next day when I felt better.

home from surgery, shoulder pain isn’t great, my stomach is also very painful hopefully a speedy recovery thanks for everyone’s help