Back pain with gallstones

[Killerqueenie]

In September, I suffered with extreme upper abdominal bloating after eating a McDonald's meal. I have a McDonald's maybe 2 or 3 times a year, so not a regular thing. I just put it down as indigestion. But the next day I was still in discomfort so I went to the GP who did some blood tests and it came back as high for amylase, suggesting that maybe my pancreas/gallbladder was playing up. I got my levels re-tested a couple of times before they went back to normal. I had no issues again after that.

Until last night. I woke up at around 1:30am in pain in my upper right abdomen and in the middle of my back. The back pain was worse than the discomfort in my abdomen. Paracetemol never shifted it. So I called GP again today who has done more bloods, and he thinks it's likely to be gallstones going by my symptoms. I haven't had the results back yet. I'm just confused as everything I read about gallstones is unbearable pain in the abdomen, but my main discomfort is a constant painful dull ache in my back, with the occasional painful twinge in my abdomen.

Has anyone experienced this before with gallstones?

I have gallstones and I do get a horrific pain in my back when I have a flare up. Mostly in the ride side but I've had it before where it's upper middle. I always describe it as in the v shape of my abdomen in the space where your boobs would meet and it radiates like a tight band around the back. I can eat really fatty greasy foods and be okay and not have a flare for months and then I'll eat really well and get a bad flare. I think it's pot luck. You need an ultrasound to confirm if there are stones in your gallbladder though.

This sounds absolutely like gallstones. Classic. I'm on list to have mine removed - the consultant said "you're in your 40s; they're not going anywhere are they? Best to whip your gallbladder out". If you've had a couple of flare ups unfortunately you're likely to get more, and his advice was you don't want to wait until it's an A&E admission...

How long do your flare ups last? My pain only eased off typically when I was at the GP and came back when I got home. It hasn't eased off since then. Do you have any tips for managing the pain? I've tried paracetamol and Ibuprofen but they haven't helped. Currently in bed with a hot water bottle which is helping but as soon as it's cool, the pain is back. I have been referred for an ultrasound, but he said the wait could be really long.

Yes it's looking likely that I'm going to suffer from flare ups. How long do they last for you? I've had this pain all day. Since 1:30 am, it only eased off for around an hour when I was at the GP, then has been constant ever since

Yes, I've now had my gall bladder removed, but always experienced the pain as a dull ache in my upper back with occasional stabbing pain in my abdomen. It was never the classic centralised, unbearable pain that people describe. I was able to live with it fairly easily really, but eventually developed an infected gall bladder which was horrible. I had my gallbladder removed a few months after that episode and have been absolutely fine since.
I was prescribed various medications for the pain, but if I remember correctly, naproxen taken with omeprazole worked best for me.

Go and buy some buscopan for when you get a flare up. It really works to ease the pain. I've had them for over two years now and at first the attacks were really bad and frequent. But now I've only had maybe two attacks in the last year. I get alot of tenderness in my right side though but nothing crippling. I did have an infection in my gallbladder too but cleared up with antibiotics. I know I should have it removed but I'm petrified of surgery and because my attacks are infrequent my gp said it's not urgent to have it removed. When I do have it bad it can last for 2-3 hours at a time but once I had it for a week straight and the pain was horrendous. My only advice would be buscopan, and super hot baths do help. Low fat diet also helps but I've got complacent with that as I go through periods of eating like absolute trash and get no symptoms.