Gallstones Update

[Eve]

I had an ultrasound scan this morning and I've got gallstones. Lots of little ones apparently.

Got to speak to my GP in about a week once she gets the results to see what is to be done.

Thank you all for all the advice I've had in previous posts. Hoping I can get something sorted now and get rid of them.

[DTCwordfan]

probably an op - but its not too bad and usually in and out in the day, Jenna....

[owdhamer]

Mrs owd had her gallstones removed in her 20's, leaving a nasty scar and weeks of after care, now i believe its keyhole. good luck.

[islasmum]

My friend had gallstones last year, and had them out with keyhole surgery and was kept in hospital for one night and was fine very soon afterwards. I've had gallstones for about 12 years, but they don't bother me now so haven't done anything about them

[anneasquith]

glad you have a diagnosis jenna.

[WELSHYORKIE]

Good luck Jenna, can be bloody painful

[Nini74]

i had my gallbladder removed by keyhole surgery - was home the same night. And able to drink coffee with MILK in it for the first time in months. I decided to try to beat the waiting list a bit and saw the Consultant privately, and then went on his NHS list for the operation - saved about 8 months waiting to see the Consultant. You can live with them, depends how severe your attacks are, and frequent. I was completely crammed with stones by all accounts, hence absolutly no fat at all could pass my lips. Be careful of fruit and salads too - worst attack ever was after eating grapes. Hope they'll sort it for you soon, the op is a doddle though and you'll be back on your feet in no time after it. Good luck x

[DTCwordfan]

Hope you are ok after reading these messages, Jenna, but seriously, get it done asap - the remedy ain't half as bad as the attack and the last one I had before getting onto the omprezale (sp),and I wasn't fully stuffed with the crystals, was bloody-awful......to the point that I nearly called the hospital.

The morphine was also goooooddd (in italics), but seriously get it done. What amazed me was that the surgeon said I could even have a glass of wine, or two, that evening "convalescing" at my sisters.

[Eve]

Hi, thank you all for your replies :) Sorry for the late response, been making birthday plans for tomorrow.

Will have to see what my GP says when they get my results so hopefully end of next week as she only works a couple of days a week. I hope they will do something as the pain is awful, I have to admit I was really scared the first time it came on as it was so severe, I was on the verge of calling the emergency doctor before I started throwing up and it began to settle a bit. With the niggling pain and shoulderblade pain I'm hoping they do do something. It's just so uncomfortable and can get irritating just by something touching it like the back of a chair or even bra strap or waistband.

What did people find help best for the pain in the meantime?

Do you get sent straight from your GP for anything like it being taken out or via a consultant. If it's gastro then I have an appointment with my consultant anyway in mid December for a follow up about other stuff. I'm wondering if it's some of my meds causing them as I'm on meds for bile acid malabsorption and have read they can cause them so could do with speaking with him about that as I don't want to make them worse or aggravate my malabsorption condition by stopping them if I don't have to...argh!

Hopefully can speak to my GP when she is in next Friday and my results should have been received for her to look at.

[DTCwordfan]

Once I had my last attack (at 3am and debilitating - about attack no 8 and, by far, the worse), I went to the GP next day - onto the Omeprazale (excuse my spelling) and I was ok from there through to the op some 3 months later....however my bag was only about 1/3rd full of crystals around <5mm.

A salutory message is that one of my co-in mates was pretty full and he was 1st down and they found he had burst, thereby needing a 4 hour op to clean up the mess and prevent the side-effects, thereby delaying the other two (inc me as number two in line) by five hours.

I knew him - he is my sis's butcher and he was pretty full down there - but to have the authorities even risked a burst, that I find hard to fathom, and so did he.......he ended up with the slash and burn on his torso..... Maybe that is a downside of being with Cornwall NHS - to be fair the nursing was good, though I had to spend a night in, being a little slow to come around and my O2 levels. Once over that I was not assisted by having some diarrhoea victim moved into our "four" at 3am.......

[Eve]

I might see if I can switch back onto omeprazole, had a course a few months ago when it was a suspected ulcer and it was great, was given lanzoprazole last night but it hasn't helped much. I've got co-dydramol for pain relief generally (for my arthritis). I had been taking some voltarol tablets which were great for the shoulderblade pain but my rhumatologist wasn't too impressed as not meant to take NSAIDS.

If it wasn't an ulcer on previous occasions but gallstones though I might be able to take stuff like that though :D Will ask my GP for her advice - it would certainly free up my pain relief options which would be great.

Not sure how many I have or what actual size. I asked the lady doing the scan (Care UK I think they were) and she said I had lots of little ones so will see what GP says.

At least I know what it is now though so I can look to getting rid of them. On a brighter note though I can't eat as much any more though which can't be a bad thing for my waitline :)

[DTCwordfan]

I lost about 7lb into and during the op - but you should also keep an eye on the diet afterwards, even though the pain source has been removed...

gallstones - the Five Fs - fair, freckled, over forty, female and fat (well o-weight). I qualified on 4 - and not too o-weight - massive stress and weight loss (my case a surprise divorce) also are highly contributory - I lost over 25lbs inside six weeks, partly because of a virus too.

[Eve]

I've got 4 out of 5 (was 33 on Thursday) though might be my bile acid malabsorption or meds for it which can cause them from what I've read.

My GP rang me on Thursday to say she had my scan results (seriously impressed, only had the scan Tuesday!) and is referring me to the surgeons - happy birthday you need an operation haha! Really hoping they can sort it laproscopically as I'm on short renewable contracts at work and don't want anything to affect being renewed and would really worry about the time off if the full open surgery.

My GP said my gallbladder is distended so will have to see what the surgeons say whether they can get it out the easy way, fingers crossed!