Gallstones help!

[Fadeintoyou]

Hi, looking for some advice and to see if anyone has a familiar story as I am
clueless.
I’m currently on a surgical waiting for an mri scan. I woke in the early hours of Sunday feeling dreadful and was sick, then had a fever and pain in my back between my shoulder blades and a fever.

I put it down to food poisoning as we had been out for a meal and I’d had a chicken dish that i didn’t finish as it wasn’t nice at all. So I was in bed on Sunday and went to work on Monday feeling ropey.
On Tuesday I went to work and in the afternoon had a wee that was really dark orange colour but put it down to me having had Pepto Bismol, anyway I went home that evening and DS1 said I looked a funny colour, when I looked in the mirror I was yellow!! It was so shocking, called 111 and they said go to a&e.
So I’ve been here since then, I had a CT scan and the consultant said it shows I have a 13mm gallstone blocking my bile duct which explains the jaundice, he wants to put operate via my throat to remove it but wants me to have a mri scan first, there is a wait for that though, he thinks Tuesday so I am stuck here in the meantime.

I’m so worried, he said that I would need my gallbladder removed further down the line but has anyone had an experience where they haven’t needed it removed after having gallstones?

My family history is surrounded, my dad and his brother have had a gallbladder removed and both my gran and grandad on my mums side had trouble!

Another one who had hers out. No big stone so to speak but lots of little ones. Attacks were excruciating. Much better now.

Good Luck x

Agree with AnotherBretonTop - before I had mine out, the pain was excruciating and I couldn’t eat things that were high in fat. Since having it done, I really haven’t looked back, and I can eat anything.

I had mine out over a decade ago and I've had no effects on what I can eat etc.

I only have one side effect but it's very very rare and only shows up when I take a very specific drug - and is easily mitigated by taking it with food.

Once you have one gallstone you pretty much always keep making more. Eventually you'll start getting repeated infections in the gallbladder and it will start to damage your liver. Mine got so bad my gallbladder and liver adhered to each other and I went into liver failure. I fully recovered after the surgery and it was a much easier recovery than any of the gallstone pain had been.

Good luck with the MRI! If you struggle with enclosed spaces ask now if you can have something to help you stay calm.

I was admitted to hospital as an emergency with gallstones pancreatitis and jaundice. I was very lucky, and I had surgery within a week. That was 15 years ago and I've never seen a doctor since, nor missed my gallbladder!
Your gallbladder is much better coming out, so do try to persuade your consultant towards early surgery - you definitely don't want to develop pancreatitis, which is nasty.
The procedure (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) is laughably simple, just a very tiny scar. You'll go home same day (next day, at a push) and feel a million times better.

I had similar problems OP, including turning orange! Anyway, my stone cleared itself which was great news. The doctor told me I needed my gallbladder out, as otherwise I would continue to have problems.

I had it done. I don’t feel any different other than completely free of symptoms.

Just to manage expectations, I did have to stay in hospital 2 days after my surgery but that’s because they had to do a wash out around where the gallbladder had been due to infection so I had to have a drain fitted and couldn’t be discharged till that was removed.

Not much more news, they moved my scan forward slightly so I’ve had that done, not at all pleasant but glad it’s been done. I won’t get any results until Monday, so I just need to sit it out. Still very teary but getting better

I had the same thing happen with jaundice earlier this year. They did the ERCP and then sent me home. I had my gallbladder out about a month later. Stick to a low fat diet until your gallbladder is out. That helps cut down on attacks. I was so surprised how good I felt about a week after the surgery. I'm about 3 months out now. Not only can I can eat anything I want, I have so much less stomach trouble when I do eat now.

Some advice for surgery. Have gas pills for after. The majority of any pain you'll feel is trapped gas from the surgery. I also preferred wearing dresses or nightgowns. My incisions were right where my pants hit.

I had mine removed over 30 years ago and it was a big op in those days! I have absolutely no issues from not having a gall bladder. I can eat and drink whatever I want.

Taking the gallstone out of the CBD at the same time as the removal of the gallbladder is major surgery, hence camera ERCP first, then gallbladder removal at a later date. Sometimes safer to wait for any gallbladder inflammation to calm down.

Hey op, i had my gallbladder removed 18 months ago. It’s been fine. Surgery itself was an absolute walk in the park compared to my 2 c sections, though yours will be a bit different from what you’ve said.

I did a lot of research at the time and your gallbladder doesn’t recover after you’ve had gallstones. So it will only get worse. It also risks pancreatitis.

I’ve been totally fine after my removal. The only thing is that i get the shits more when i have been under very high stress situations, or start of my period. So hormonal link. It doesn’t happen all the time though.

Take it as a good opportunity as i had to wait 7 months for my surgery and my date was moved 4 times.

Thanks for all your replies they are very reassuring, I’m still on the surgical ward, been on a drip and antibiotics. I booked for the ERCP for Wednesday so hopefully that will be successful and I can go home to recover and then on the waitlist for gallbladder removal x

I’ve had a couple of friends who have had theirs removed after years of attacks and agony. If you get the change to have surgery sooner rather than later I’d jump at the chance. Otherwise these attacks can continue and get worse and worse and be rather debilitating.

I had the ERCP yesterday, not a pleas experience but it’s done. Woke up in the night with awful pain and then was violently sick this morning so they won’t discharge me.
I’ve slept all morning and just had some soup so I’m hoping they will let me go tomorrow, otherwise I will be trapped here over the bank holiday weekend!

How frustrating and what a long time to be in hospital for. What about your family and your job? Is everything okay there?

This is my 10th day, I feel so stuck. My family are amazing at looking after themselves but my husband works long shifts and is out of the house from 5.30-8 4 days on then 4 off, DS1 is in the middle of A levels and my DS2 is being brilliant doing the cooking but I just want to be home to support them.
Work have been great and are not pushing for a return date but I only get SSP so I’m loosing money every day

My dh had cholecystitis. He was jaundiced, had a raging fever, white poo and black urine. It was quite scary. They had to get the infection cleared up first which took a few days in hospital. They scanned him and the bile duct seemed to unblock so he was put on a priority waiting list to have the gallbladder removed which still took 10 months. Luckily he’d never had any gallstone pain before or after and is absolutely fine several months on. It all happened completely out of the blue. He’s eating and drinking as normal now.

Sorry to hear you’ve been in 10 days and with your ds in the middle of important exams too. They need to ensure that any infection/inflammation is cleared up otherwise you’re at risk of sepsis unfortunately.

My mum couldn’t digest fat after so she had to run to the toilet after anything rich, but was still glad to get rid of the pain. If you stick to a healthy diet you will avoid this

I’m free! Just got out and had the best shower ever. Thank you so much for all your support over these days, it’s reassuring to hear most peoples experiences of gallbladder removal are positive, just need to rest a bit more and eat much more sensibly from now on.

I had mine removed last August and to be honest it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Things have changed a little bit. When I wake up in the morning I have to eat right away (yogurt and fruit) and am often a bit Windy first thing. I need to go to toilet exactly after I finish my second cup of coffee. Like clockwork. But other than that I am exactly the same as I was before. I can eat cheese, chips, fried chicken, whatever I like BUT I keep it sensible and don’t over indulge. Because the bile drip drip drips constantly I find it’s easier to eat 4-6 small meals/snacks throughout the day. Not eating for long periods can cause me mild diarrhoea, I think possibly because the bile stream has nothing to work on and all it irritates your guts? Who knows.

@Fadeintoyou What a relief. I hope that your gallbladder gets removed soon so you don’t have that sort of ridiculous situation again. Get some Buscopan tablets to have on hand in case you get another stone stuck. It helps to calm down abdominal cramping. If you have another attack try to stay upright so gravity can help shift the stone. You might feel like curling up in the foetal position, naked, on the bathroom floor and crying from the pain and unable to walk but try to avoid that. Upright and warmth, like a shower or hot pack on the bile duct area.

Do you mind if I pick everyone's brains?

I had a gynae MRI in December and they found an incidentally gallstone, no comment on size

Several GPs looked at the results as there were some issues with my ovaries & commented on the gallstone and did/suggested nothing

Turned up at the GPs with orange poo and "a bit more pain than normal" so ive now sent off stool samples and a 3 YEAR waiting list to see surgical

Does that sound normal?

I have a huge amount of abdominal pain and have had for 30+ yrs

Sorry @Fadeintoyou glad you are home and good luck with A levels xxx

@KatyMac Have you had an abdominal ultrasound done? That will show the gallbladder and if it has stones in it. You can get adhesions forming between an irritated gallbladder and other parts of the abdomen. I had quite a few but didn’t know that until mine was removed. I no longer had all sorts of pulling sensations and pain that I had thought was normal. Turns out that was the adhesions. Three years sounds like a ridiculously long wait. Try to keep to a low fat diet and see if it helps.

No just the mri which hasn't been seen/discussed much

I have a pretty restrictive diet anyway (allergies, intolerances, ibs, endometriosis) so low fat would complicated it significantly