How did your Gallstone symptoms begin?

[NotMoreBadNews]

I have upper right abdominal pain, quite frequently (daily for short bursts) but not really severe, no temp but hot flushes, leukocytes in urine but apparently no infection. Pain has been on and off for about 3 months. Scan in 2 weeks to investigate. GP thinks potentially gallstones, the stories I always seem to hear seem to be a horrendous pain that takes you straight to A&E for diagnosis/removal of gallbladder....

I coped with everything you're experiencing and more for about 2 years (it was probably longer when i think about it, milder symptoms but the 2 years were at the worst point) I put off my own health because I was caring for someone else. It was my own fault.
Eventually I had acute pancreatitis and was extremely unwell.
When my gallbladder was finally looked at, I had several stones, one was the size of a lemon and I was booked immediately for surgery. I won't tell you it's been plain sailing since then, plenty people have no issues after removal but I haven't been so lucky.

I really hope you get sorted out soon, the pain and other symptoms can be crippling. Good luck with your scan and future treatment.

Horrendous pain and straight to A&E. Nothing gradual or on/off about it. Lasts 2-3 hours until the blockage passes.

I had my first gallstone in January then nothing until July when I had 3 in 24 hours. Had my gallbladder removed as an emergency and regret not having it done earlier as it was the most minor procedure - I did not even have stitches just steristrips on three tiny cuts.

And no side effects post surgery.

Sorry to hear you have had lasting effects @chelseahealyslips, look after yourself.

@HolidayHappy123 pleased it was a quick recovery for you! How you describe it is exactly how I thought it presented.

I've known I had gallstones for 15 yrs. This manifested as really bad pain every couple of months. But last year I started getting dull pain all the time, and spiking pain soon after eating, as well as the severe pain every few weeks. I've been offered having my gallbladder removed, but I'm thinking about it.

Could I please ask those of you who have had gallstones whether this sounds like it to you?

Since last May, I've had about 4 acute episodes, it usually starts in the early hours and wakes me up:

• Excruciating pain, under the sternum, radiates to my back and shoulders, feels like my stomach is trying to crawl out of my chest
• Not a steady pain but comes in relentless waves
• Nothing can shift it once it starts, not painkillers or Gaviscon etc so I'm convinced its not acid/reflux
• Been on Lansoprozole and Esomeprozole and neither have helped
• When the pain starts it has me on my knees and literally takes my breath away
• Usually takes a few days to ease off, and leaves my abdomen feeling tender to the touch
• I've tried keeping a food diary to see if anything in particular is triggering it but there appears to be no defined pattern
• I almost headed to A&E last year during the first bout but never went in the end due to a death in the family that same day but wish I had followed it up that week

I had an abdominal ultrasound last week as my GP finally took me seriously, I'm still waiting for the results but the more I read the more I have convinced myself its gallstones.

Thanks

Hi @BlueJay12 - yes, that sounds like gallbladder pain. Hopefully your ultrasound results will give you the actual answer.

I just had sudden onset of vomiting and spasms that came from nowhere. It really frightened me the first time it happened as the pain was relentless. The pain was like nothing I can describe. I would go on to have several of these episodes, severe pain and vomiting followed by the shakes and sweating. Was such a relieve to have it out.

Thanks @LindorDoubleChoc and @Ineedanotherholidaynow - yes, the pain I have is absolutely relentless, literally breathtaking, and if it's not gallstones I do worry what it might be in the alternative...

Mine started out of the blue with a massive full-on attack which left me curled up in a ball in total agony, unable to even sit up. I had to call dh at work to get him to go and pick up the dc from school. I thought I was dying! I rlquickly realised what it was, as my mother had the same at my age. I was sent for a scanvwhoch confirmed gallstones, but waited 8 months for surgery. Immediately went on a very strict, extremely low fat diet and managed not to have another full-on attack. Just slight grumbling pain occasionally.

That sounds so familiar, mine comes on without a hint of warning and has me crippled, I'm more and more convinced of what it is.
Have you been attack-free since it was removed?

Back pain for me, I thought it was because I didn’t exercise and spent hours every day sitting at a desk with bad posture. I’d have the odd night here and there when I couldn’t get to sleep because there was a pain at bra band level slightly towards the right side in my back. No position would be comfortable so I’d take some painkillers and pace around till it settled enough to go to sleep.

then one night it wouldn’t settle got worse and worse till I was crying and vomiting in agony. Went to A&E and I had a temperature, blood work showed some form of raging infection, ultrasound showed a massive gallstone fully blocking the bile duct. I was admitted on morphine and IV antibiotics, on the 3rd day they decided immediate surgery was the only option, so goodbye gallbladder, it had started to rot so they had to put in drains and keep me admitted and on IV antibiotics for another 2 days to see off the infection then I got sent home with a load of painkillers and a 10 day course of horse-pill sized antibiotics.

OMG you poor thing, thank goodness you went in when you did. Hope you are fully recovered now

@BlueJay12 it was a couple of years ago now and once it was out all was good, no problems at all.

Yes. I now have other unrelated food/digestion issues (undiagnosed gluten and dairy intolerance 🙄) and I do sometimes have a bit of an upset stomach if I eat a very, very fatty meal. But no gallbladder pain.

I had episodes of diarrhoea after eating and right sided rib pain for ages which I put down to pregnancy. Then one day had horrendous vomiting, upper back pain and my urine looked like black tea. Was told I likely just had a UTI and given an antibiotic without actually having my urine checked or anything. Fast forward 4/5 months, where all I really had was ongoing rib pain, and I wa suddenly doubled up with back pain one night. It was absolutely excruciating and I felt a tightness as if I had a band round my chest. It went on all night alongside feeling sick- didn’t go to a&e as had a tiny baby who I was breastfeeding at the time so just saw GP the next day. They told me it wasn’t likely to be gallstones as I wouldn’t have stayed home if it was, as the pain would have been too severe. They did bloods and phoned a few hours later to tell me to go straight to the surgical ward as my bloods were massively deranged. It was gallstones but I declined surgery, again, due to having such a small baby. That was in May 2023. I’ve managed ok since there but have had flare ups. I need to be very careful with what I eat.

Mine started out as mild twinges on holiday (after consuming a fried breakfast every morning - not usual for me) This was followed by 2 full blown attacks with relentless pain. I was fast tracked for surgery after suffering pancreatitis and jaundice (unfortunately, not out of the woods yet as I have small stones lodged in my bile duct)

Had moderate squeezing pain in my upper abdomen in line with my bra strap, that came and went. Thought it was muscle strain from gardening for a while. Then realised it was much worse about 2 hours after I’d eaten. Had a few episodes of the squeezy feeling being a bit more severe, and making me a bit sweaty, but it passed quickly.

had an ultrasound and found gallstones.

Have opted for dietary management to see how I get on- so have totally cut out gluten (have had non-coeliac gluten intolerance for years but had been rubbish at sticking to GF diet), reduced but not eliminated fats like butter, cheese etc., and upped quotient of fruit and veg. Also make sure I eat small meals regularly (had been terrible for fasting and bingeing).

I’ve lost about a stone in three months and rarely experience any abdominal discomfort now. When I do it’s very slight, and seems to be if I’ve gone mad on food with chili in (which never bothered me before but 🤷‍♀️)

This is how mine feels. I've read so many people having crippling abdominal pain, but my pain is a dull throbbing pain in my back, exactly where you have described. I sometimes get a dull pain under my ribs on the right hand side too. Food doesn't really affect it, it just comes on randomly, unless I've had fast food which isn't often. I've been waiting for an ultrasound for around 3 or 4 months now.

The pain depends on whether you have one or more passing or one stuck inside the gallbladder. The latter seems to avoid the worse than childbirth excruciating stuff but gives you the chronic nagging constant pain with nausea, griping and bad episodes becoming more frequent as the organ squeezes it. I had this version for over 10 years, undiagnosed.

This was how mine started and I’m currently waiting for surgery for gallbladder removal. Mine was infected so I had a couple days in hospital for all the tests and IV antibiotics, was discharged home with more antibiotics and to let it calm down, hopefully will get it out soon as I’m so sick of the very low fat diet

I've had gallstones for around 20 years, and have never had pain so bad I had to go to A & E. It did send me to a weekend GP a couple of years ago, but pain relief was enough and things settled down by the next day. I've had biliary colic three times in the past three years, previously no real issues after being diagnosed, and as long as I eat sensibly I'm fine. When I have pain it's in my mid abdomen. My last episode was the weekend before last and I'm fine now and eating normally. The last two attacks seem to have been triggered by too many eggs.

I got diagnosed with stones in Januay after years of indigestion heart burn acid reflux etc.

I started to realise I couldn't tolerate high oil meals like fish and chips without getting really extreme gastric distress after.

It's been on and off for years with a few attacks but contant discomfort in u r abdo.
I've seen a consultant waiting for op now hopefully it won't be stupidly long wait.

I'm 42 so fit the female 40 profile for gallbladder issues.

Have had 5 kids and I'd so do pregnancy and birth over again, rather than these gallstones and associated pain etc ....it's very life limiting.

I eat very low fat since Jan when it was confirmed losing weight and don't look that well.

Liver ain't happy according to bloods and iron is low probably drastic dietary restrictions.
It's something we don't talk about enough.

I'm generally active, fit always ate well don't really drink or have massive indulgence but this has been a bit of a wake up call for health.

Those who don't get the op why? Out of interest?

Well my results have appeared on my app today (not spoken to GP yet) and it's not gallstones so back to square one with it. Nothing of note turned up on the ultrasound so I have no idea what is causing it. Whilst on one hand I'm relieved, on the other I'm frustrated, as I have no idea what's causing this so have no means of controlling it 😕

Your symptoms fit the profile for gallstones, and not all 'stones' show up on an ultrasound scan. Mine didn't, because they weren't 'stones'. I had silt/sand size bits in my gallbladder and this silt blocked my bile duct, I developed acute pancreatitis, acute cholecystitis and other complications. I was in hospital for 3 weeks, on intravenous AB's, and it took several weeks to recover once I was discharged.

A CT scan was more effective than an ultrasound for me.