Possible Gall Bladder Issues, any advice please?

[Piscesmumma1978]

I have had a very dull ache between the tops of my ribs for a couple of months now. It would be there then vanish for weeks. Since Sunday its been there more then not. I have a GP appointment for tomorrow but am getting worried.

We go to Rome in 5 weeks and I'm wondering if we need to cancel now and try to re arrange.

If it is gallbladder/stones etc will they do anything soon? Baring in mine that I'm not in actual pain as such. I've seen some people going to A & E with the pain but I can forget about mine if I'm busy.

I have been on MJ for over a year and lost about 5 stone so I'm very aware I'm in the at risk category for this. Thank you.

I have a feeling I'll be told to stop taking it. I think I've sent myself into a dr google panic and reading others peoples stories. Thank you x

They won’t do anything soon. My dh actually had a blocked bile duct from his with a severe infection and he’s waited over a year for removal. He doesn’t really experience any pain though so is lucky. I would go ahead with your trip but bear in mind you’ll need to let your travel insurers know and they may exclude this from cover.

Carry a GHIC card which will cover you for any emergency treatment abroad.

Yes, your GP is likely to tell you to stop taking Mounjaro. Rapid weight loss can lead to gallstones.

Wow, that's an awful wait. Thank you, I have a glic card so will definitely carry that xx

They won't do anything quickly! You will need a scan to confirm you actually have gallstones.
I had gallstones several years ago and between diagnosis and removal took about a year. I realised that removing fat from my diet while waiting for surgery helped reduce painful attacks.

I have what they call livable gallstones. Where I have them I’m careful what I eat but don’t as yet get the massive amount of pain.

from having my first scan to finally seeing the specialist was nearly two years. They have put me on the waiting list which is nearly another two years.

you need to think about what ur eating. Low fat as much as possible. But also certain things only trigger certain people. As an example I can eat low fat. But low fat dry food ie crackers or Crisp breads set my gallbladder off but I can have apple crumble and custard fine.

maybe dial back a bit so youre not losing so much weight so quickly so the gallbladder doesnt have to process so much fat?

healthy food choices are best.

Just be aware that you need to disclose this to your travel insurance and if you haven’t had a confirmation of gall stones when you travel, then you will not be covered if anything happens while you are away. They won’t cover pending issues, only diagnosed conditions. My travel policy was £790 for a two week cruise add my gall stones hadn’t been treated and I couldn’t travel without it. Was with it though. Best thing I ever did was get my gallbladder whipped out, out was in a shockingly bad state and heavily infected and totally blocked.

I’m the mean time, a decent magnesium supplement helps your gall bladder to function and avoid fatty foods. I lived off fat free yogurt and fruit, weetabix, lean meat and veg.

I have gallstones - diagnosed about a year ago- and although I’ve considered surgery, I’ve decided against for the moment.

I’ve never had an infection/ blockage or “attack” and my gallbladder only really hurts if I haven’t eaten for a while, and then eat something fatty. Eating three meals and a small snack a day resolves this. I can tolerate small amounts of fat - butter in mashed potatoes or an olive oil dressing- but very rarely eat deep fried foods etc (never have done). I don’t really get any pain - haven’t since I had the initial pain which led to diagnosis- and have since travelled with specialist travel insurance, I think it was £400 for annual cover.

That said, I have been told by the surgeon that if I do want a removal at any point they will happily add me to the list.

I'm much the same. I was diagnosed around 20 years ago but have only started having issues in the past four years. Recently I decided to make my diet better, and have found that since eating very little chocolate (I used to eat a lot!) not only has my gallbladder discomfort eased but the almost permanently sore stomach I had for years is now fine. My GP told me to contact the surgery if I was having biliary colic every two months, otherwise leave things as they are (unless of course I have a really bad attack). I am still eating a lot of things you would expect might set me off.

Whilst waiting for my gall bladder to be removed I altered my diet. Reduced fat to nearly zero, nothing spicy and ate tiny meals with nothing after around 4pm. I was also prescribed omeprazole which I took twice daily.

You're obviously aware it's a side effect of WLI as is pancreatitis so your decision what you do about that.

I had gallstones and gallbladder removal and you have my upmost sympathy. I’ve got 4 children and I’d take labour any day over a gallbladder attack.
for me when it started, the pain radiated through to my back but a constant pain that could last 30mins upto 6 hours - no position would ease it.
if you throw up, you need to get to hospital.

I was pregnant at the time so they didn’t want to operate. Once I made some adjustments to my diet, I managed to get through the rest of my pregnancy without issue.
my rule was no more than 3% fat in any one meal and at least 3/4 hours between meals.
it didn’t matter if it was good fat or bad fat - just no more than 3%. I cut out eggs, cheese, pretty much all meat apart from chicken breast. No oil. Low fat super noodles will save your life lol!

Thanks everyone. I’ve been maintaining on MJ for about 6 months on a low dose now so not losing anymore.

Interesting about the long wait times for help with it. Thankfully I’ve not had bad pain yet, just the dull ongoing ache. I’ll definitely look into our travel insurance.