I have gallstones and am awaiting removal in Feb/March. I have been having a lot of pain in left side under rib. In the past I have had a couple of bouts of diverticulitis the last being about 3 years ago. Could this pain be another bout of it triggered by gallstones??? Does anyone else have gallstones but has also suffered with diverticulitis?
Hi, Soozii,
So sorry to hear about the pain you’re in. Not sure I can be any help to you other than offering sympathy. I am pretty new to this site myself, having been diagnosed with gallstones in October (when one got stuck in the bile duct). A few years ago, I learned after a routine colonoscopy that I too had diverticular disease. I don’t think it is connected to my gallbladder issues, but who knows?
I have a stent in now, due to be removed in March, and have asked my new GP to request a HIDA test before that to get a clearer picture of my situation before they just yank out my gallbladder, which is, of course, what the surgeon recommends. When you write you have gallstones and are awaiting removal … do you mean the gallstones or, as I am guessing, your gallbladder?
The internet is replete with completely contradictory advice about what I should be eating so I am muddling along one day at a time, no set plan.
So my completely uninformed opinion is that other than taking painkillers while you wait it out, I think it would be advisable to go back to your doctor and see about the pain you are in.
Hang in there. Mary
Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes I’m due to have gallbladder removed as a have “a bunch” of gallstones which were discovered by scan in July. I too wasn’t really advised on diet only to be careful with fat consumption. So I have basically been having, porridge, clear soups, scrambled eggs, Naked noodles, chicken, ham, salads. On a good note, I have lost 35 lb which i definitely needed to lose. Well I hope all goes well for you and you soon get things sorted and feel better.
Diverticulitis is a horrid syndrome and can again be just as painful of many other issues.
It is hard to single this out as definite but a colonoscopy will tell you for sure. Dr’s will tell you that anyone over 50 will suffer with this. It is just part of the ageing process, you know when like your young your skin on the hand is tight as a kid but as we age it gets crinkly. Diverticulitis is pockets of this crinkly wall lining. If I remember rightly certain foods will cause an attack, usually nuts as the hard bits get lodged in the pockets which then causes issues & pain in the right side again , I do not see why it cannot be left side as well. Also if you do not regularly have regular Bowel movements, as the waste is just sitting there and thus gets pushed into the pockets. I am not sure that it is associated directly to Gall Bladder problems but they are all part of the digestive tract, so why not?