Boring but does anyone else have gall bladder problems or gallstones?

[aGalChangedHerName]

I think i have gall stones.

Been refered for a scan and got blood test tomorrow after ending up at A & E last night.

I hds to go as i thought i was dying

Given Buscopan by GP today,does it help if you have an attack?

How can i avoid another attack? Food etc?

Many thanks for any advice xx

{{{hugs}}} Have had gallstones in the past, it sucks!

Avoid fatty foods completely for now. Jaffa cakes and rich tea are virtually fat free. If you cook mince, fry it then rinse it with water before using it. Use tiny amounts of veg oil. Cut out crisps and as much processed food as poss. I also found that exercise and twisting about set mine off as that moved them (I had loads), no idea if thats common or not though.

I had to have my gallbladder removed in the end. Keyhole day surgery, best thing I ever did.

As Pheebe says, mainly fatty things often bring on the pain. This can include milk and milk-based products.
Can be a horrible problem. Gallbladder removal cures it completely.

After the 2 episodes on Wednesday which lasted 3.5 and 2.5 hrs i will not be having any dairy or fatty food!!!

I am steering clear of booze too,don't know whether or not i should but won't do my liver any harm

Pheebe it's funny you should say that about the excersise because i had been to the gym 4 days in a row and did a fairly good workout/swim etc.

Thanks both of you. I am a CM and recovery time after an operation is the major worry. I would probably end up losing the mindees i care for now if i was off for a long period. My b-i-l went for keyhole but ended up having the big op and was off for 6 weeks

I honestly don't know how we would manage financially if that happened to me

I had the surgery keyhole on a Friday (I was 20 weeks pregnant at the time) and was back at work by the monday

I have gallstones. Realised this when my 'afterpains' from dd's birth got quite ridiculous - the pregnancy and birth had basically just moved them about and made them start acting up, and I'd had fish and chips which set them off. I don't have a particularly high fat diet, and haven't had any problem with them since, so surgery isn't always necessary. Hoping that birth doesn't set them off again in a few weeks!

I've had them ever since I was 20 weeks preg - now DD is 9months! A low fat diet sorted those suckers out, I'm still dithering about whether to have the op. Eating feels a bit like russian roulette!
I use spray oil for cooking, and lots of veg. Snacking - I have lots of fruit around, low fat biscuits etc, and remember sugar is fine so I'm in the happy world of haribo!

Russian Roulette is about right!!

Is there anything online which gives a list f no no's then?

Was going to have beans on toast for lunch then panicked and had tuna instead lol

The problem is that it's not the same for everyone - you have to experiment a little. I second all the low fat, low diary advice here. The one I would add is watch a) how much you eat and b) what combination of food you eat. Even now, having had surgery (best thing I ever did etc), I still can't eat high protein meals WITH carbs - eg no steak and chips, only one or the other. Quantity of food has similar affect - basically, I think you want to avoid making your liver work too hard because then it needs to activate the gallbladder.

Sadly, also found that the whole low GI diet was a complete failure while suffering with gallstones - I think the point is that it digests so slowly, your gallbladder needs to engage and can't. That's a personal theory.

aGal - I had the "OMG I am having a heart attack"type pain twice a few months ago.. I had a scan but nothing showed up although my gall bladder was enlarged and thickened which showed there might have been an infection or I'd passed a stone.

I came on here and was amazed to read how many other people had had gall stones, as well as several mums at school too.

I haven't had an attack since but I have terrible heart burn going on, especially if I eat/drink too much rich food.

Hope you're ok.

I'd second avoiding the high fat stuff (v. good way to loose weight). Also spicy food for me was a no no. Almost lost my mind in a Thai restaurent once... .

Op helped a lot and was v. simple though it can go wrong.

I did tell my DH i was having a heart attack

But FFs that is what it felt like lol

How can the op go wrong popmum?

Don't even want to eat again right now lol

oh no BlingLovin I thought the op cured it all - that's what the surgeon told me! He practically claimed the gallbladder was like an appendix! I should have known better.

Meebles, not being able to have Steak AND Chips, is a very minor issue to me in the bigger scheme of things. The thing with the gallbladder is that it stores excess bile, so as long as you are eating food post gallbladder removal that doesn't require masses and masses of bile, you're fine.

Most people are like me - don't regret it for a second, but do still have a couple of things they have to be careful of.

On plus side, can drink again!

Sorry, plus side is WAY more than just drinking - that's just the one I'm particularly grateful for. hahaha.

I also don't experience obscene pain at random intervals that is so bad my DP still goes slighlty pale when he thinks back on that time - all time low was going to see a doctor at a walk in clinic, who after waiting an hour, told me nicely that I needed to go immediately to A&E so that they could check me in and put me on a drip. For three days as it turned out.

Plus, I can eat most things now.

Plus, I no longer have weird discomfort after every meal - I didn't even notice it until the first meal after surgery when I realised it wasn't there any more.

Plus again, I have a hiatus hernia and it undeniably true that it is less of a problem post surgery. Doctors assure me this is not linked, but I think the coincidence is unlikely...

The pain is Horrible, I know! But I had my gallbladder removed (in the united states if that matters any) and for the most part it solved the pain but my doctor did say to maintain that low fat no grease diet. If I eat something really greasy about 15 minutes later my belly will cramp up and there I am running to the bathroom so, avoid all greasy food if possible I am super horrible with it as my in laws are hispanic sooo yes must food at there house is cooked in grease I can't resist it just tastes soooo good . Good luck and you will find what you can and can not eat very soon

Can you drink alcohol at all?

I have night outs coming up and it'll be the first time ever i have not drunk except when pg etc

I personally have a hard time drinking it but everyone has different things that triggers theirs... you could always try it at home just to be sure and if you don't have any problems you should be ok good luck!

Message withdrawn