A question for all you gall stone veterans - at what point does gall bladder pain get get serious?

[TigerFeet]

I have suspected gallstones - I have a scan on 2nd July to confirm. I've been nauseous with right sided abdomen pain, managed fairly well up until now with a change in diet.

The pain in my side is much worse today than it has been for ages. I have antispasmodics but they make me woozy so I don't want to take them - I am at work atm and need to drive 15 miles home, dd is at nursery, dh is flying out to Italy on business as I type, no family nearby so I need to be on the ball.

I know I have to watch out for jaundice & acute pain - but I am my usual pasty self and the pain isn't crippling iyswim. It is a horrible nagging pain like a severe stitch, sucking air through teeth pain on occasion but on the whole it's manageable if I gurn a bit and moan to my poor colleague.

Am I OK to keep ignoring it? Please say yes... I am hoping it's because I had rather a lot of wine at the weekend and not because it's getting worse [panics]

I am being silly aren't I? [hypochondriac]

Hi TigerFeet,
I hope you're oK by now.
I had gall stones for years and eventually had a stent put in so stones would block the bile duct. I had a laproscopic operation when I was 25 - I was down to 6 and a half stone with the pain and the puking and the docs all thought I was anorexic as they couldn't believe I could have gall stones so young. They didn't give me a scan for a year as they were all convinced I was anorexic!! Grrrr. Lucky you having your scan so soon.

There are a lot of things you can do for yourself at the moment. You need to come off all fats and fatty foods like beef pork and lamb, and only eat small meals with chicken and fish. Eat Omega oils and oily fish - but only a little at a time.

No gloppy creamy sauces and try and limit ice creams and dairy - no cheese, cream, milk yoghurt unless fat free.

you will need to eat a little bit often - no large meals as this causes the gallbladder to contract and shoot bile into the stomach - with attendant risk of stones being stuck in the bile duct.

If you have a few days when your Dh is back you might want to try and clear out the stones - take an antispasmodic and drink half a glass of olive oil and them half a glass of lemon juice.
Then drink a large glass of warm water. This should whoosh out some little gravelly stones before they get all stuck together and get big enough to block your bile duct. this isn't a pleasant treatment but it can work wonders as it clears out all the tiny stones before they all clump together and cause a real blockage.

Gall pain is no laughing matter, but hopefully be avoiding all fatty foods and fried foods, and eating little meals about 5 times a day you should be able to avoid the pain before your appointment.

BTW, when I had my scan there was a stone in the bile duct and the pain I had after the scan was unreal - the sonographer really pressed down on my tummy and it was excruciating for a few days afterwards - had to get a GP to call out and give me a shot of pain relief with an injection!! I would recommend having an anti spasmodic before the scan and getting someone to drive you home - or a taxi. Don't drive yourself.

Sorry to sound so bossy!

Hope you have some relief.