O/T Gallstones?

[natasha82]

Has anyone here had gallstones?

I have just found out i have a gallstone and am waiting to see my dr about what the next step is.

Today i had a massive gallbladder pain attack. It was truely awful and i can honestly say the pain was worse than my contractions were.

I ended up going to A&E and was there for 4 and a half hours getting examined and blood tests done. Concluded that i have some kind of infection in my liver/gallbladder, but no blockage.

I can't cope with this pain recurring every few weeks, this is my 2nd attack now but even when it dies down the pain is still there niggling away everyday.

So to anyone here who has had gallstones or gallbladder problems, if you got the gallstones or gallbladder removed - how long did this take from diagnosis to removal?

 

[Scottishmum2B]

I am waiting to get my gallbladder removed (hopefully)! I have an appointment with the consultant on the 21st to see what will happen. I went to the dr a few months ago (can't remember when exactly). She wasn't convinced it was gallstones but it's in my family so she agreed to send me for a scan and it turns out I have a lot! I went to the dr again to discuss results and she has referred me to the hospital. I hadn't heard anything for over a month and I got a very nasty attack so I went back to see if they could refer me quicker. I got a letter about 2 weeks later about going to see the consultant.
I read up on the Internet about it. Whether it was coincidence or not, I'm not sure, but when I had an attack - take a strong painkiller straight away, drink apple juice (not from concentrate kind) and take a very hot bath (or shower and aim the water between ur shoulder blades or on to where your gallbladder is). This really helped me the last time so I will try that again.
The thing that worries me is the attack can occur anytime and if I'm alone with my lo, what can I do?! I told the dr this when I went back and don't know if this hurried my appointment up a bit?!

And you're right, the pain is horrendous! I found it worse than my labour pains too!

x

 

[natasha82]

I am waiting to get my gallbladder removed (hopefully)! I have an appointment with the consultant on the 21st to see what will happen. I went to the dr a few months ago (can't remember when exactly). She wasn't convinced it was gallstones but it's in my family so she agreed to send me for a scan and it turns out I have a lot! I went to the dr again to discuss results and she has referred me to the hospital. I hadn't heard anything for over a month and I got a very nasty attack so I went back to see if they could refer me quicker. I got a letter about 2 weeks later about going to see the consultant.
I read up on the Internet about it. Whether it was coincidence or not, I'm not sure, but when I had an attack - take a strong painkiller straight away, drink apple juice (not from concentrate kind) and take a very hot bath (or shower and aim the water between ur shoulder blades or on to where your gallbladder is). This really helped me the last time so I will try that again.
The thing that worries me is the attack can occur anytime and if I'm alone with my lo, what can I do?! I told the dr this when I went back and don't know if this hurried my appointment up a bit?!

And you're right, the pain is horrendous! I found it worse than my labour pains too!

x

Thanks for replying hun. I hope you get yours sorted sooner rather than later. Thanks for the tip i will have to try that if i am able to. I had to drive home yesterday during my attack and i have no idea how i didn't crash the car! I can't do anything when the pain comes except get down on all fours and try to breathe thru the pain, which just takes your breath away, it is horrendous. I don't want to keep having these attacks so i'm making an appointment today - but i know at my dr's they can't fit you in for a routine appointment for about 4 weeks? Its so rubbish, i just hope i don't have an attack beforehand again.

 

[Scottishmum2B]

When I had my last one, I was curled up in the floor as well. I had to call my OH back from work as I had Bella, luckily when I felt it come on she was due a nap do I put her down quickly.
There is no rhyme or reason for my attacks. They say it is brought on by food but I can't find a particular trigger.
I hope you get seen soon by our dr. Just keep pestering them, I'm sure I wouldn't have got my appointmet for the consultant through if I hadn't went back to ask them to hurry it up!
Good luck and I hope you don't suffer another attack. But if you do, remember the apple juice and hopefully that might help.

x

 

[natasha82]

Thanks.

They say that food causes it but all i'd had was my breakfast - cereal as usual and i had taken my medication as always too - Lanzaprazole? This attack happened a couple of hrs later. So its odd isn't it how it just comes on suddenly. I still have stomach pains today, just hope it doesn't develop into another attack.

They asked at the hospital if i had a fever? I said that i was on a fours and had sweat dripping down my face and onto the floor and sweat rolling down my chest in drips. He said that probably was a fever then and my bodies way of fighting the pain.

 

[Faythe]

Took me 2 years of constantly being admitted into hospital before I got a diagnosis. As soon as I had the diagnosis, the date for surgery was pretty quick.

 

[natasha82]

Took me 2 years of constantly being admitted into hospital before I got a diagnosis. As soon as I had the diagnosis, the date for surgery was pretty quick.

It's so wrong that you and others have to go thru this agonising pain for so long? I have been diagnosed with a gallstone so hopefully it won't be too long till something can be done.

 

[Faythe]

I was frequently in for a few days at a time

You'll find that your surgery should come through quite quickly

 

[miss h]

I had gall stone attacks after my LO was born. It's silly but at first I thought the pain was due to everything settling down in my body. I actually thought that it was so painful that it had to be something silly like trapped wind... lol.

It happened one day when Jessica was about 8 weeks and I was on my own with her. It terrified me because I couldn't do anything with her. I then went to see my doc. I went for an ultrasound and had gallstones confirmed. I had my appointment for surgical assessment in August and then had my gallbladder removed in October. I also found no connection between foods and attacks. My mum had her gallbladder out a few months ago but she did find that fat would trigger her attacks so she cut it out as much as possible.

The surgery itself is pretty straightforward and I was surprised by how well I felt afterwards. I was unfortunate as I had a retained stone which still caused problems and I was readmitted into hospital a few days after surgery where I picked up an infection in one of my wounds. Had I not had a retained stone it would have gone smoothly. My last attack was in December 2011 just after I had an MRI scan. The scan showed a couple of small stones near the pancreas so I had to have an EUS (Endoscopic Ultra Sound)... this was the worst of all the procedures. I had it without a sedative (which I did ask for) and it was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had... I would go through the surgery and recovery all over again rather than have another EUS without sedation. the good thing was that the stones had passed themselves and I now have no problems at all.

Just keep an eye out for signs such as yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, Pale white poo and very dark (coca-cola like) urine, and a lot of vomiting. Stones can travel and cause blockages in the bile duct or pancreas and this makes it an emergency. However, many people live with gallstones and never have a problem.

Hope you get your surgery date soon. I know you'll worry but it really is a very easy op as long as you do as your told and rest afterwards.

 

[BlondeShorty]

Had mine out when I was 13..
They had discovered I had stones (and lots of them) when I was 11!!. Didn't do the surgery until 2 years later (we were never even told I had them until then!!) because they were trying to determine if my stomach aches were from lactose intolerance, the gallstones or something else.
Once they ruled everything out they had to have a "meeting" to make sure that it wasn't an unnecessary surgery. I think from us being told I had them to them deciding that the surgery was a must was maybe the span of a few months. I can't remem
ber that well.. just know that I do not miss the painful attacks at all!!

I should point out that when I had my attacks I was usually at school and they would go away once I was home.. so this is part of why it took so long. They thought I was having anxiety attacks or something. It wasn't until summer hit and they continued one year that my family realized something wasn't quite right and had me into the doctor to figure out what was going on..