GALLBLADDER REMOVAL SUCCESS STORY! Left hand side pain

Digestive health
1

Firstly a little background - 

I am a female, 32 years old and had my gallbladder removed in June this year and I can honestly say it has CHANGED MY LIFE. 

I wanted to write this post to give hope to those who have come here and seen hundreds of horror stories relating to Gallbladder removals.

My symptoms were far from standard, the main reason being that my pain was only ever on the LEFT hand side of my stomach - just below my ribs. I never felt it on my right hand side or in my back. For this reason it took 18 months for me to receive the correct diagnosis as all medical professionals presumed that as my pain was on the ‘wrong side’ it couldn’t possibly be my Gallbladder causing it - even though we were all fully aware that I had massive stones that showed up on an ultrasound I had very early on.

The pain started one evening. I woke up in the middle of the night with what I though was terrible indigestion. However as time went on I began to think it was a heart attack. I have never experienced pain like it. I called 111 and the told me they would send an ambulance. I had some lovely morphine and the pain subsided after around 4 hours. 

It happened again the next night in the same place - the left hand side of my stomach. I did not call an ambulance as I assumed it would go away by itself again (which it did after about 4 hours again)

It happened every night for the next week. I have had 2 children and I can honestly say it is by far the worst pain I have ever experienced. I was LITERALLY paralysed by it at one point - just lying on the floor trying to stop screaming and not pass out. 

I had MANY tests - A Colonoscopy, An Endoscopy, A 24-Hour Esophageal pH Test, Ultrasounds, Full body MRI’s, multiple blood tests and everything came back fine. I tried so many different medications but nothing worked. 

Of course IBS was diagnosed but I just couldn’t accept that this absolutely soul destroying pain would just go on for the rest of my life. I had lost 4 stone in weight as I found the only way to guarantee I didn’t get the pain that evening was to not eat a thing after around 12pm.

So I pushed for a gallbladder removal as I knew I had rather large gallstones and I just wanted to eliminate them to make sure they were not causing the pain.

My surgeon even told me on the morning of my operation that he was ‘not hopeful’ that the surgery would help my pain. But I had lost my life. I wasn’t living, I was just surviving- constantly dreading the evening as I knew it was likely the pain would appear.  I was so depressed, if I wasn’t for my children I don’t think I would have carried on.

I won’t bore you with op details. Yes it’s not nice, but what surgery is! The worst bit of it for me was actually the trapped wind in my body for a few weeks after the op (peppermint tea works a treat!)

The pain was INSTANTLY gone. Like instantly. Obviously I didn’t feel up to eating much for a few weeks after the op but 6 months on and I literally eat anything I want pain free. It has changed my life. It gave me my life back.

So there’s my little story. Please - if you have gallstones and are experiencing pain ANYWHERE in your body, it may well be referred pain so I urge you to definitely explore the possibilities of a gallbladder removal. Hopefully your experience will be as life changing as mine.

2

I'm really happy to hear this.  Thank you for sharing.  I am also glad to hear about the left side pain.  I do have right side pain and back pain, but also on the left.  Truly happy for you!!

3

Thanks for this and glad your sorted. i have had gallstones for 20 years but they wont take them out here in UK

4

Hiya John, I’m also in the UK, why are you unable to get the op? 

5

Because i have not had any pain for 18 years but my gallbladder is full and causing other problems like acid reflux, also going in my lungs while sleeping and i already suffer with Emphysema

6

Oh gosh, sorry to hear that John sad

7

Which hospital did you use if you don't mind me asking ?

8

Hi Gemma - - what other symptoms you had apart from the pain? i get severe bloating/burping and dizziness. I have multiple gallstones. Do you had these symptoms ?

9

I am in Hertfordshire and was originally referred to The Lister Hospital in Stevenage although all NHS patients who have Gallbladder removal get sent to a little private hospital called Pinehill in a town called Hitchin. Hope this helps.

10

Hiya, yes the bloating and burping became almost unbearable - although I didn’t suffer with any dizziness at all. Hope this helps x

11

Thank you my doctor said he will send me to have mine out if i want. But mine is ok at the moment so will wait and see if my acid reflux get's bad again, if it does i will go and get it removed.

12

hi, how are you now John? had u get your gallbladder removed?

13

i had mine out on the 17th of may and so far its the worst thing i have ever done.

i feel like crap 90% of the time. not sleeping more than three hours a night. cant sleep on my side. im moody and depressed ALL the time. my belly button cut is STILL leaking green stuff, it looks disgusting and its not healing (i did post about it but no one cared to reply). my entire personality has changed.

wish id never done it

14

Thank you for your post. i am scheduled for gb removal soon. All my tests and scans are normal, except HIDA which was 10%. So Dr advised me to have gb out. I have hesitated bc all my fullness, pain, discomfort is on the LEFT side. It goes through to my back also. i have trouble getting a deep breath. I have been woken up at night, but thats more a combo of pain (not severe), nausea and diarrhea. Im just mot convinced my gb is causing all this. But I have to try something.

15

Hi there, I was diagnosed with gallstones in June 2020 and have now got word of a hospital appointment for December 2021. I had the classic symptoms at the start but after the initial bout I've had niggling pain, mainly on my left side, with bouts of nausea and vomiting. In the last few months however the pain in my left side has gotten worse and I haven't been able to sleep the last few nights for the pain. I'm thinking it must be something besides the gallstones but it's heartening to read that not everyone gets pain in the right side.