Gallstones

sherlock holmes · 09-01-2015, 09:27 PM

I had an ultrasound this evening and the doctor told me I have gallstones. He didn't go into any detail as he told me to see the doctor who referred me because he had other patients waiting for their ultrasounds.

So I feel kind of lost. I don't know if they are big or small, or causing any obstruction. I had a barium meal x-ray done 2 weeks ago and wasn't told the result of that, so it's possible they found something like a stomach ulcer or maybe the gallstones showed up on there.

I expect I wont get to see the doctor in the gastroenterology clinic for a few weeks and until then I'm going to be worrying so much.

Has anyone else had gallstones? What was your treatment? Did you have your gallbladder removed?

I've been in so much pain for years, I really will cry if I am told to 'see how things go'. I don't want an operation at all but it's preferable to the pain.

Amaryllis · 10-01-2015, 01:40 AM

I had my gallbladder out a few years back and I haven't had any complications. I eat mostly the same but I have to be careful about fast food.

I was also very ill for a few months beforehand and couldn't eat without pretty severe pain. (I also waited to go to the hospital until it was kind of an emergency)

From what I remember, I had a lot of gallstones and they were obstructing things and there was a real bad infection. I think it was close to bursting or it was going septic. What I do remember is that I was hooked up some iv antibiotics and I was supposed to have surgery in a few (4? Maybe. I was pretty out on pain medication.) days but all of a sudden the second day I was rushed off.

sherlock holmes · 10-01-2015, 11:50 AM

That does sound severe Ama. Thankfully I'm not at that point as I don't have any signs of infection! Though I have been in a fair amount of pain. Just worried about surgery but it might be that the hospital will refuse to operate right now.

Animad · 10-01-2015, 12:03 PM

Depending what's going on, if they are thinking about operating then they'll probably want to do it sooner rather than later to reduce their risk o obsruction/ infection which in turn will make things easier for you and them as well as a quicker recovery. To be honest though, event bough it's hard you're best waiting until your next appointment for all the info.

Amaryllis · 10-01-2015, 12:19 PM

Also I don't know if it will help but when I was ill I did better with simple liquids than with anything solid. Things like water, juice, soda, tea, cider. I also drank a lot of milk and I don't think that hurt too bad. Popcicles were also a lifesaver and I ate soup but I don't remember how well I did with that. I was in a lot of pain every time I ate anything solid so those might be good things to remember if you're having trouble eating much.

I really just thought I kept coming down with the stomach flu real bad. I didn't realize it was an actual problem so kudos to you for being more in touch and getting help sooner.

Also, the surgery they did was the robot one with a bunch of holes rather than one big one and I was better in like a week or two.

Emmabob. · 10-01-2015, 05:59 PM

my mum had her gallbladder out due to stones, was unwell for about 2wks afterwards & has been alright since although she says she gets phantom pain sometimes.

~AngelofLove~ · 10-01-2015, 06:08 PM

I had a sluggish gallbladder before it was removed and I remember the pain was horrible and ended up in the ER because it was so bad.

My aunt had a really big gallstone and they removed her gallbladder.

I'm sorry you are going through this! *hugs*

sherlock holmes · 10-01-2015, 06:22 PM

My dad had his gallbladder out a few months ago though he didn't have gallstones, he had something else wrong. And his pain is still there despite the gallbladder being gone! So I'm a bit worried about that.

But yes, just got to wait until I can talk about it with the doctor.

lord of luck · 11-01-2015, 06:38 PM

my dad had his taken out cuz of pain. when my sister died and they did the autopsy they said that she had some pretty big stones too. its fairly hereditary, from my understanding.

MissAnonymous · 11-01-2015, 07:21 PM

I've got a friend who is waiting for an operation to have their gall bladder removed. They have had flare ups multiple times over the last 5 years with pain so severe that it fooled paras into thinking they were having a heart attack so I can only imagine the level of pain your in. At this point they are having to eat low fat to reduce the risk of a flare up.

Most people find fat makes gall bladder problems worse so try to moderate intake across the day and avoid high fat meals. I don't know what the treatment would be but as you are pain and there are stones, I would think they'd do something. People who have stones are more likely to have further stones I believe.

Patent Pending · 11-01-2015, 07:51 PM

I have a sluggish Gall Bladder and it can be REALLY painful. I was told if they had to take it out it would be a key hole surgery.

Now, I just have to be careful what I eat and when I eat it; e.g. I don't eat chips from the chippy any more (the doctor also told me that that was the most common cause of it playing up with people - I'd eaten it the night before I went in).

I hope you're able to find out what's going on.

Tig · 12-01-2015, 05:16 PM

I had my gall bladder out, although for some reason I had open surgery not keyhole so pain wise after that wasn't much fun.

Honestly though, long term it was worth the operation. I lost a lot of weight whilst waiting for the operation because I was in so much pain and was often in hospital or seeing an emergency Doctor.

I have needed one medication to help stomach acid since the operation but it hasn't been an issue at all.

x

tiptoes · 12-01-2015, 05:35 PM

My sister had gallstones, she had some complications as it took them a long time for them to be diagnosed. These needed to be treated before they dealt with the gallstones. (it was quite a rare complication which is why I haven't mentioned what it actually was!). She had her gall bladder removed about 4-6 months after she was diagnosed with gallstones using key hole surgery and was back at work after 2 weeks recovery. She does have to be a little careful with what she eats but for the most part it doesn't restrict her too much. I think the only thing for her which is a complete no-no is roast lamb but it took a bit of trial and error in the early days of work out what she could tolerate/not tolerate.