I was diagnosed by ultrasound with multiple gallstones 6mths ago. Decided on referal 3 1/2mths gone and not heard a thing till after a really bad attack last night, I rung hospital today. Apparently they somehow put thier letter to me inside my file instead of sending it to me !. Thats our wonderful NHS for you. anyway I've got appt to see consultant in two weeks and I'm shaking with nerves at the propect of surgery.
Meanwhile I see from some posts that Codeine is not a good analgesic for gallbladder pain. As i have taken Co-codamol with varying effect, can anyone advse what drug is best.
Thank you.
If you want almost total pain relief then what you need is Dicycloverine, Paracetamol and Tramadol, you'll need to see your GP to get these 
Tramadol worked for me - quite strong i only needed one and depending on the pain i would take with one paracetomol. Also didnt make me vomit or ill like codeine had done in past.
good luck fr op & hope you not suffering for too long before op date.
If you can't see a Doctor then Kolanticon Gel can help, yes you can buy it, it tastes vile :D
Hi. I've finally had my pre op assesment and they find my B/P is up which I've had before. So i'm keeping a track of it over the next week. I've got to let the pre op nurse know if it stays up. If it does I suppose I'll have to see my GP to try and sort it coz they say the op will be in 6-8 wks but it wont be done if my B/P is high. I'm just dreading something happening to delay the op. My life is being controlled round possible pain at the momment.
Oh the quicker this is over the better.
How high was / is your BP?
It was 178/94 at the pre op. At home the same day it went down to 140/89 which I let them know. Over the time since, it seems to be averaging around 156/90. I've stopped all added salt, caffeine etc. I walk for an hour a day anyway, so I can't think what else I can do. I know I've got myself in a real tiz about having this op, I've even started to wheeze again which I haven't done for a very very long time.
Your BP can get moderately high, if it didn't improve a cautious GP might consider putting you on medication. This lower average reading is more borderline so I personally think you'll be OK. You'll have to wait and see what the letter says It'll be a quick in, hit by a bus, then out,, then a happy life forever after :D
Well i'm still waiting for my op, nearly 8 months since referal. I've now learnt that the 18wk period from referal to treatment has been scrapped by this present goverment, leaving people like myself coping with recurrent servere pain attacks. I can't get any approximate time from the hospital when it'll be done. Meanwhile I can't make plans coz I never know when a colic attack is going to happen. Thats our crumbling n h s for you.
When needs must one must elbow oneself up the list. If you aren't being an A&E frequent flyer then it can't be that bad, understand what I'm saying? 
Otherwise your condition is viewed as stable and you could be left hanging on for months or even years longer :?
Thanks for the reply. Yes I've suffered these attacks on my own, without calling ambulance coz I knew what the cause was and thought pain may have stopped by the time it got to me. But I take your point re A&E. I've just retired after 40yrs working for the n h s and am ashamed of what it has become under this goverment. If im lucky enough to get called in June it'll be 4 1/2 mths since the pre op. Where's the sense in that.
Using an ambulance might be overkill but staggering into A&E suffering from unmanageable pain is a sure fire way to push you up the list, infact depending on how the Doctors are feeling (and depending on the interpretation of a new x-ray and or ultrasound etc) it's not beyond the realms of possibility that you can get sorted out within days, it all boils down to whether your condition is acute or subacute. You've paid for the NHS why should your contribution only be used to help dangerous car drivers and waste of space chav spawn with beads stuck up their noses,, not to mention the endless tide of self inflicted drunk injuries etc? :roll:
I agree using an ambulance is a bit o t t but I live on my own so wouldn't be able to drive during an attack. Could get taxi I suppose tho i'd have to be sure I wasn't going to upchuck on the way. Also the nearest A&E proper is nearly an hour away, great eh ! I'm just so fed up eating like a sparrow, I want my life back. If I knew I would be called at some time I wouldn't feel so bad, but I've heard about the list pct's are saving money by stopping certain op's gallstones being one of them.
What dietary advice have you been given? You need stick to a low fat diet you know? Something I've found to be a life saver is a drink called Nutrament, yes it's really nice and 2 or 3 cans spread out through the day (along with a few sources of fiber, say a few bananas and a bowl of bran cereal) can really keep you going
If everything you eat is causing you pain then that's not right and you should explain this to your GP (who can then write to the hospital asking WTF they are playing at). Maybe some strong antibiotics would help (frankly you could have puss and gloop in there,, I think Co-amoxiclav might help). How much weight have you lost anyway? 10s of kg? Rapid weight loss isn't good for you at all :?
What's your pain relief situation? Considered taking more? These prescriptions can be quite conservative. In my time I've taken tons and tons and it hasn't harmed me yet, well to be precise I've had a fair few 'sweaty whiteners' on the opiates but no permanent harm has been caused :D
Hi.
Yipee. I've finally got an op date, 13th June. Although I'm scared stiff, I know it has to be done. It's not the actual op that terrifys me but something going wrong. Still what will be will be. I just have to have swabs repeated coz my pre op is now out of date.
Wish me luck
Yay that's great news! :D Don't worry about anything going wrong, it's just like they're picking a big plum, just make sure you can arrange a lift home for afterwards because you'll feel like you've been hit by a bus :lol: Good luck with it :ok:
Hi you don't know me not posted on this board before but just to say they have diagnosed me with sphincter of the oddi dysfunction reckons there's nothing they can do, thought pisces 1 being as you worked for the NHS for 40 years don't know what as exactly you or anyone may be able to offer advice on pain relief as narcotics are meant to be bad for it. Thanks in advance for any and all advice.
I've heard that Glyceryl Trinitrate (Nitrolingual) spray is useful for SOD, maybe that'll help you
Piscies - wish you all the good luck for June!!
I also waited over 4 months for the op - like you was petrified - have written a few notes on here in the past about how much i was wanting the op but also not wanting the op as so scared in the run up!!
Now you have got the date keep focused and stay positive how much this op will benefit your way of life. For so long my life was on hold with gallbladder attacks, no family meals, nights out and periods of staying in bed in awful pain or worse dosed up on painkillers feeling awful. if this is like you keep rembembering the end result your life will be back on track!! stay positive!!
I can honestly say it has been the best thing i have ever done and as nerve wracking as it is going into that hospital on the day (I cried in the carpark! and wanted to run out the hosp once i was all ready to go down to surgery!) keep remembering how awful that pain is when gallbladder starts - nothing can be worse than that.I had a great team of about 6 looking after me going down to surgery all of who do these ops all week every week - gallbladder ops are one of the most common ops people are brought in for. the anethisist came to see me before surgery as did the surgeon and they know what there doing as i say they do it every day. they have all the neccessary equipment in front of them and after couple hours you will be gallbladder free. i had a weeks rest in bed made the most of it!! with mild painkillers. but no pain as worse as the actual attacks.
Good luck piscies will all be worth the worry once done - and please feel free to ask any questions theres plenty of us on here that have been in your shoes
Hi
Thanks very much for your comments. It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one to feel so scared about my op. I went for the repeat swabs yesterday and the minute I went in the hospital I nearly had a full blown panic attack. I don't know why I feel like it, I'm well used to hospitals. It's the loss of being in control I think. Ah well the next 2 weeks will pass in a flash and when its over I'll update you on how it went.