Anyone else have gallbladder issues? Need help

[AlwaysPraying]

I've been having sharp constant pains at the top of my belly for a couple weeks now. Went to get checked out and they suspect its my gallbladder. Ran some blood tests and my white cell count is slightly high and my iron is low as well.

I know nothing about gallbladder issues and wondering if anyone else did? I'm not sure that's what's happening with me. They did a trace on baby and feel baby is fine. They ran tests to make sure it wasn't pre-e type pains (oh I forgot I'm 31 weeks). The place I went doesn't have an ultrasound so they told me to take Zantac 2x daily and Tylenol when needed, plus an iron supplement. My next ob appt is 5 days away and will talk about an ultrasound then if needed.

Desperate to talk to anyone who's experienced gallbladder pain before. Baby is moving lots and kicking high which hurts the whole thing too. I'd like some relief but more so want to make sure baby is safe and healthy.

 

[lch28]

Hey hun. With my last pregnancy I had gallbladder issues. Turns out i had gallstones. I would have gall attacks almost every single day and it was excruciating. I would honestly be on my hands and knees and just cry. They can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours =\ I literally had to take out all fat, dairy, and most meat from my diet. it was really hard being pregnant but doctors prefer not to remove your gallbladder until after the baby comes. I got mine removed 2 weeks after my daughter was born. and it really was a hard recovery (my ex literally had to carry me to the bathroom, i could not get up) but it was for the best and im happy to be rid of that damn thing! you need to get an ultrasound to check for gallstones, then see a gastro interologist about diet, because certain foods will trigger these attacks. best of luck and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.. i didnt bother with pain meds because it really didnt help. however it is not a risk to baby what so ever. just really annoying =[

 

[AlwaysPraying]

It seems that because I'm already 31 weeks that they want me to manage the pain as long as I can. Like you said, no surgery until after baby is born. But they aren't 100% that I actually have a gallbladder issue, it's suspected. After looking up symptoms it really does point in that direction though. Today with the zantac and tylenol I think it's helping? Or maybe I just feel better knowing baby is ok.

I'm not sure about the "attacks" though. I had two horrendous days where I was bedridden for almost 24 hours each time. I thought I was having massive gas and bloating, I took gas x and tums to no avail. My stomach felt like it was going to pop it was so bloated. I managed to walk around because I thought that would help move things through, and maybe it did, but it really lasted 24 hours until I felt quite a bit better. It was awful! I don't think an attack lasts that long, can it? It was pain in my ribs, above and below my belly, like I said, extreme bloating, sharp horrid pains. It felt digestive, but I was still going to the bathroom normally. Does that sound similar to your experience? After the first one things seemed to be back to normal and I figured I ate something wrong, then a week later it happened again, since then it's really never gone away. Everyday I have a little pain, or moderate pain, but it never totally goes away. Again, does that sound similar?

So, what else did you eat?! Lol, doesn't sound like there's anything left! I don't eat dairy at all, so I'm fine with that. I do eat a lot of white breads though, could cut that out. I'm eating a lot of fruits and veg because that's what I'm craving, not much meat, which my dr thinks is causing my anemia to be so bad. I had a lunch meat sandwich for lunch today. I was going to have a hamburger and fries, then I was going to have chicken fingers and fries, but I understand anything fried is out of question.

 

[lch28]

https://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_symptoms_of_gallstones_gallbladder_disease_000010_2.htm here is a website that might be helpful

have they offered an ultrasound of your gallbladder? they really should just to be sure its nothing else, when i had the attacks i would just begin to get a sharp, shooting pain out of no where and it would wrap around my back, and i felt like i couldnt breathe. id have to get on my hands and knees and basically moan until it went away. i did have a dull, constant ache, but when the attacks happened i def knew it was happening. the first one i had was at 19 weeks, i had another one a week later and then almost every day. no matter how dull my meals were id get them. i lived on grilled chicken and pasta with olive oil and thats it. sometimes i could have certain vegetables but they bothered me too! oh my. it was pure misery.

 

[AlwaysPraying]

Thanks for the link ill check it out. This is gross but I just had a massive ache and then terrible diarrhea. If nothing else I feel a little better now??

I see what you mean about the attacks. I definitely have the rib and back pain with the lack of breath. Like you all I can do is go on all fours and let my belly drop and rock, and cry. The two days I mentioned the worst of it probably lasted half an hour maybe an hour? Then for the rest of the 24 hours I just felt dull ache and pains bloating and gas.

I'll talk on Thursday about an ultrasound that's what the dr from the other day thought would be best. She wanted my dr who knows me to look over my blood results and talk to me first before going ahead with anything more.

 

[lch28]

i hope you get it sorted out hun. the gallbladder issues really mess up your digestion and def will cause diarhea, which i still suffer from. it sounds to me like you def have gallstones but im no dr, haha, the thing is, you can have them and never get any symptoms, but pregnancy aggrivates it. if you plan on getting it out after baby, you must make sure you have someone to be home with you for at least a week and help out. especially if you have a toddler. I unfortunately lost my daughter at 23 weeks so did not have a baby at home, but couldn't imagine how hard that would have been, because i couldn't get up or anything by myself. they will give you pain meds which you will most certaintly need so if bfing you will need to pump a lot before the surgery, then pump and dump during the time you are taking meds.

 

[AlwaysPraying]

I am so sorry about you loosing your daughter. That's heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing your experience. The doctor did say there's a high chance that my gallbladder (if that's what it is) will go back to having no symptoms after birth quite possibly. Only time will tell. I'm having a c section this time wouldn't it be nice to get the gallbladder out st the same time?! Two for one!

I've since felt back to my yucky self. Just cramping and bloating around my belly. Not horrible just nagging. Hope tonight's sleep helps a little. Counting down the days to my appointment and that my dr will act quickly. My Tylenol really seemed to work today though. Maybe that's a short term fix?

All my best for this baby and your family. We lost our first in the second tri. Any loss is devistating no matter what. All my love and best wishes to you this pregnancy.

 

[lch28]

thanks hun, im currently on bed rest and again at risk for ptl, my cervix keeps shortening and shortening and its terrifying. to think of losing another , well i dont even let it go farther into my mind then that. im so sorry for your loss, it really is somthing no one should ever have to go through.

that is great the tylenol is helping. i never got any relief from that, but i also had huge gall stones, i had 18 of them and some were the sizes of golf balls. ew. anywho, most places do a laparoscopic surgery. you would def want this, because if not they make a cut from under your boob all the way to your pubic area. I have four small cuts, (scars are seriosuly stretching from the pregnancy!!) one under my boobs, two on my tummy and one IN my belly button! lol. they put a camera in through one of the incisions and watch on a tv as they take your gallbladder out. pretty crazy.

 

[Kyla]

Hi AlwaysPraying

I was just about to post about Gallbladder attacks as I just had 3 attacks in 48 hours. I had my first attack 6 years ago, just weeks after the birth of my son. I was so scared with the pain, and after several more attacks I went to the Drs who misdiagnosed it as stress induced excess stomach acid. He prescribed me Zantac, which I guess worked as a placebo for me. I found I could eat most things with no problems, but bell peppers or anything related like chili set me off.

I changed Drs 2 years ago and after another attack and my new Dr said he thought it was gallstones, I had an ultrasound and sure enough it is. We were TTC at that point, on fertility meds and the consultant expected us to stop TTC for a year while I had my gallbladder taken out and I didn't want to do that as my DS was getting older, and I'm 35 now. My Dr said that Zantac isn't really doing anything for gallstones as it isn't related to stomach acid.

Anyway, I had my first gallstone attack in pregnancy last week and it was vile. I was in agony, belching and throwing up. I saw my Dr and he said when it gets very severe I need to go to A&E where they will give me morphine (even being pg because the adrenaline of dealing with the intense pain is not good for me or baby). In the meantime, I have to manage it with diets - avoid animals fats but include fats such as olive oil for example. He also gave me Co-Codamol to take only when I'm having a bad attack.

I've had 3 attacks in the past 48 hours and now I am scared to eat anything as nothing I ate in the past few days should've triggered it at all. Sometimes, my consultant said, it's just the extra oestrogen and growing uterus pressing on a sensitive gallbladder.

They should let you have an ultrasound which will confirm gallstones. Zantac is ok to take in pregnancy where needed, but if an ultrasound confirms gallstones maybe ask your Dr whether Zantac is needed in your personal circumstances.

I hope you can avoid further attacks, wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy.

 

[lch28]

oh no kyla, its pure agony isn't it? im wondering why you were told not to ttc aftre the removal? i got mine removed in march and was told to ttc as soon as i felt comfortable having sex. i conceived in May

 

[AlwaysPraying]

Well I have quite the update. I ended up having attack after attack and went to emergency. They made me stop eating and have blood and an ultrasound done. I waited 6 hours for the tests and another 5 hours for results. They put me on an iv drip to stay hydrated the whole time. About 6 hours in the gave me morphine in a shot and I felt incredible. In fact I couldn't beleive how good I felt, not just from the drug but from actually having that pain gone. This had been going on for over three weeks that was my first point of relief. As soon as the morphine wore off the pain returned and I had another shot. By then they found the results to the tests and guess what? Nothing!! No sign of gallbladder issue or anything else to explain my pain. They kept me overnight to monitor me and in the morning they offered me to stay the day or go. They were satisfied that baby and I were healthy and safe and the pain was probably something digestive but they couldn't tell for sure.

So I went home. And I felt great. It was so strange. And the next day I felt great and the next day too (that's today). I went to my ob who looked over everything and he said that because I stopped eating for 12 hours, was flushed with fluids for 24 hours, had 8 hours of morphine that he's betting I DID have a gallstone and that process expelled the stone on its own! He said there is no proof but the fact that my description was bang on and the relief was instant after my not eating and pain relief he thinks that my gallbladder had a chance to relax and get rid of the stone on its own.

Sorry for the novel. I just can't beleive for no reason I felt awful and for no reason I feel great. It's been three days since I came home from hospital but I feel like a totally different person. Even on Tylenol the pain was there just not as bad. It feels like its completely gone now.

 

[Kyla]

oh no kyla, its pure agony isn't it? im wondering why you were told not to ttc aftre the removal? i got mine removed in march and was told to ttc as soon as i felt comfortable having sex. i conceived in May

I was told to stop ttc because I was seeing an FS for fertility issues with PCOS. I was having ovarian drilling and having to take fertility meds and they told me I'd have to stop - which after ltttc, we really didn't want to do as I'm not getting any younger. It is a horrible pain, I just hate having it.

Always_Praying - so glad you're feeling better, what an ordeal. It sounds exactly like a gallstone attack to me, evil evil things. I hope you stay pain free from now on.

Update on me - since my last post I had a further 2 attacks. The one last night was after eating plain boring, fatless food and I was sick with the pain. My face today is all blotchy where blood vessels burst with the force of being sick, I'm such a wreck. I am petrified to eat anything, but had to give in this morning and have some dry white toast as I was starting to feel faint and ill from not eating. I'm off to see my Dr later, as I feel it's getting ridiculous and I can't take pain killers at this frequency long term. I'm wondering if they'd even operate as I'm so close to the 3rd trimester by the time my name would be on the list. I read online that they can operate in 2nd trimester when attacks are very frequent, and benefits outweigh the risks, but like you to be over 25 weeks in case the op sends you into preterm labour. Also read that the strength of a very bad attack can also cause preterm labour so I really do not know what to do.

 

[lch28]

hi hun. they like to do it early 2nd trimester because once you are bigger it pushes everything up and makes it hard to do the surgery. I think its your best bet to wait hun.. i know the pain is awful, but its also an awful recovery and i cant imagine doing it while pregnant.

 

[lch28]

alwayspraying sooo very happy you are feeling better hun

 

[AlwaysPraying]

Thanks guys. I'm so nervous with every ache or pain that its going to come back.

I know what you mean about just wanting the pain gone. I've never had such relentless constant pain before. It controlled every moment of my day. Made me tired and crabby. I couldn't parent properly I couldn't be myself. That's when I went to the hospital. It was so awful I just needed a break something to make it stop.

I understand they don't want to do surgery unless its extreme (sounds like yours is). Hopefully they can offer you something. Pain medication is ok for the long haul as long as your monitored. I was told they would take out baby at 36 weeks if I had to just to avoid the pain. Your still so early, so sorry your suffering.

 

[Kyla]

How is everyone feeling? Thanks for your kind words.

Since my last post, I have been quite poorly with my gallbladder. I had a total of 6 attacks in 48 hours and had to see my GP who is recommending I get my gallbladder removed in the next few weeks. I have lost nearly 12 pounds in weight in just two weeks as I am scared to eat anything. I am on an absolute zero fat diet, no dairy, no meat which is very restrictive and boring. I'm scared to eat after 6pm at night, even though I'm hungry and I am struggling to sleep as every little abdomen twinge wakes me up in fear. Ugh, I hate gallstones!

So, that's me. It seems in my case the benefits of having the op done far outweigh the risks. The consultant at the hospital who is doing the op is experienced in 2nd trimester gallbladder ops, and they had a patient a few months ago who had hers removed just before 27 weeks and was very glad she did. It's hard to know the right thing to do, but the fact I'm having so many attacks even on food that shouldn't upset me, makes me fear I'm just gearing up for one almight attack

 

[kkxxx82]

I've been having sharp constant pains at the top of my belly for a couple weeks now. Went to get checked out and they suspect its my gallbladder. Ran some blood tests and my white cell count is slightly high and my iron is low as well.

I know nothing about gallbladder issues and wondering if anyone else did? I'm not sure that's what's happening with me. They did a trace on baby and feel baby is fine. They ran tests to make sure it wasn't pre-e type pains (oh I forgot I'm 31 weeks). The place I went doesn't have an ultrasound so they told me to take Zantac 2x daily and Tylenol when needed, plus an iron supplement. My next ob appt is 5 days away and will talk about an ultrasound then if needed.

Desperate to talk to anyone who's experienced gallbladder pain before. Baby is moving lots and kicking high which hurts the whole thing too. I'd like some relief but more so want to make sure baby is safe and healthy.

i discovered i had gallstones and had surgery after i delivered. pain can get unbearable also shoulder pain with it and a bit achy nausea vomitting and just overall no fun. get it checked out