Gallstones

Digestive health
1

I'm 21 and I have been suffering from severe abdominal pain since last November and I have been rushed into hospital and been back and forth to the GP in excruciating pain which leaves me on the floor unable to move they've given me morpheme & all different types of medication as they couldn't diagnose what was causing the pain so they were prescribing me all sorts of painkillers just to see what worked I eventually had a ultrasound which showed up clear so I was then told it was liver damage and my own GP made accusations that I'm an alcoholic which is far from the truth as I'm not a lover of drinking. She then stated "that was the only explanation" but due to the pain worsening she prescribed me dehydrocodeine (advised I could take two at one time if the pain was unbearable) and I was sent on my way, I then went back a few days after my right side was swollen and the pain was excruciating so I tried the dehydrocodeine which I took 2 of as I couldn't stand I was crouched on the floor unable to move and when the painkillers began to kick in my body reacted badly and I was completely away with it and I was being violently

sick and felt ten times worse (I checked the dosage and it was recommended at 1 every 4-6 hours) after complaining she then sent me for an MRI scan so after 8 weeks of my doctor saying they hasn't received the results I called the hospital who informed me that my results were sent back and available to my doctor within 3 days after the scan and I was advised to make an emergency appointment, which I did. My GP then said the scan was completely clear (about 4 weeks ago) and I had nothing to worry about and that was that, I then came home today to a letter from my GP saying the MRI wasn't clear and I have a dangerously high amount of stones in my Gallbladder and andilatation of common bile ductd. They said I will receive a letter to get my gallbladder removed urgently. Is there any high risks of having a lot of gallstones? As I'm in the process of changing GP as they've gave me the incorrect blood test results on two occasions and now this so I'm unable to go to my GP for advise. Is there any advise on how to deal with gallstones eg. Diet advise etc - any information would help thanks

2

hi, I have been suffering with chronic symptoms since June ( never had the sharp hospitalising pain, more chronic constant symptoms of IBS, reflux, gas, stomach pain, bloating, under right rib brusied achy feeling, nausea, exhaustion) known I had mulitple gallstones from october. I have worked with 2 naturopaths, removed all dairy and gluten ( initially helped, was low dairy and gluten anyway) already ate paleo 90% so half the herbs and foods they say eat to help with gallstones and to prevent and get rid of them, I already consumed, so obviously didnt work, took all herbs and suppliments from naturopaths amd even tried the stone breaker tea chanca piedra, still have multiple mobiile gallstones several months later. I keep my symptoms mild avoiding most foods ( lost 14 kg and almost underweight now) but they still flare from time to time and I usually feel sick and bloated. Reflux and bowels vary and no longer seem controlled by food, just decide to hit me when they feel like it, so in my opinion, no foods wont help. I am now awaiting surgery.

Weirdly I can eat pork sausages, dark chocolate, corn chips etc.. with minimal symptoms but lamb, red meat, eggs, dairy, gluten and lots of coconut/nuts, raw veg and certain fruits, cause me huge issues...

High risks are adhesions, rupture, infections,blockages, malignancy, liver and pancreas damage and emergency surgery, so yes they can be high risk.

By the way CHANGE your DR urgently!!

3

oh also they say to minimise fat to help in the meantime, This I havent really done, I have just removed foods I react too as I believe fat is essential to health, so I eat minimal nuts, coconut yogurt and a small amount of healthy oil, however ox bile and digestive enzymes have been a saviour for me.

4

 I had mine out 10 days ago and wasn't really given much dietary advice. So I am trying various foods to see what happens. I know not to eat too much fatty food like chips etc, and do avoid rich food mostly. But there is a lot of conflicting advice on Dr Google. (I've been told to keep off the internet.) My main worry is hoping the wound heals without an infection and the swelling dies down quite soon. It was open surgery. Best wishes.

5

I too had multiple large gallstones in the gallbladder and bile duct so I know what you are going through. Three times I tried to get urgent appointments from my GP and I was turned away and forced to go to an urgent care centre where the wait is a minimum of two hours - not easy when you're in bad pain.

Maybe the liver problems you have are down to a having fatty liver and not alcohol?

Glad you've taken steps to change GP. You should make a formal complaint.

The risks from gallstones are many. The gallbladder can rupture and put you at risk of peritonitis which is life threatening. Gallstones can affect other organs like the liver and pancreas. You are also at risk of jaundice. Watch out for dark coloured urine, pale stools, itching all over, and yellowing of skin and white of eyes. It also makes you feel very very unwell. Other, less serious, symptoms include loss of appetite, tiredness, nausea, sickness, inability to digest fatty foods and diarrhoea where undigested food passes through the gut very quickly. It's not a nice illness I'm afraid.

People will offer lots of advice regarding flushes and supplements but I was too afraid to try anything that wasn't medically proven in case they exacerbated my symptoms. If you've stones in the bile duct, flushes can make them move and cause blockages elsewhere.

I was advised by my surgeon to eat a low fat diet. This definitely helped me. You can still eat most foods - just choose low fat versions. Choose skimmed milk, 0% fat yogurt and use Flora light instead of butter. Avoid fried foods and baked goods apart from bread. Chicken, fish and lean meats with salad or vegetables are included and fruit also. Rice and mashed or baked potatoes too. Basically it's very healthy foods, but low fat. I still had attacks but they weren't as painful and didn't last as long.

I waited seven months for surgery so if an early date is offered to you, please accept it. Some wait even longer. Delay will only put you at more risk of what I mentioned earlier.

My experience Is, once you've got stones, they won't disappear and surgery is needed, however, even open surgery isn't as bad as you might think. You feel rough for a few days afterwards but after a month you feel so much better. I feel better now than I have in years, having minimised all the risks.

Hope everything goes well.

6

There is no way to deal with Gall Stones, you have to remove the Gall Bladder, My Grandma's gall bladder exploded inside her body causing severe kidneys damage, you can die of a Sepsis. Avoid fats until the DR have it removed.

7

Can you eat normally after removal? I don't mean pig out on chips, chocolate, ice cream etc, just overall eating. 

8

Not immediately after ( though I heard of a nurse ordering a take away Indian following her same day discharge from laparoscopic cholecystectomy!! Think she's still alive.)

For a start you are a bit off food or I was. It takes a couple of days to get your appetite back. Then it's wise to eat low fat and nothing spicy for a week or two. After that you can slowly introduce things. I had a craving for prawn cocktail when I was discharged after a week (open procedure) and husband found a couple of low fat sauces. But it's really just common sense not to overload the digestive system with fatty or spicy foods to give yourself time to heal.

I also, after a few days, recommend introducing whole food as the fibre soaks up excess bile and may prevent diarrhoea. I was prescribed Omeprazole which helps.

9

hi,it seems strange your not getting the help you seek, if you have a severe stabbing like pain rib cage to stomach area,it is what i was experiencing,my eating was fine etc, then 3 days of agonising pain had a job to walk couldnt sleep,was rushed into hospital a gall stone had become trapped in the duct,had all removed,im now on mend but still have tender stomach area, but the stabbing pain has gone, all best

10

Does anybody have swollen stomach at the bottom of it and its firm no pain and it's making my Virginia have a buldge sorry to be rude.

What everybody's symptoms strange ones to

11

The right side of my stomach under my breast has like a fatty lump like the size of a palm of a hand but it's not painful to touch but I've been warned that it rupture so I think it's gradually getting bigger the longer it's left the more gallstones that are forming! This could have been prevented if they didn't mess up my results and give me the all clear as it's only gotten worse since day one never any better

12

Yeah I know! One of the doctors had said I should be seeing a "pain doctor" as the hospital couldn't do anything more apart from give me painkillers which barely took the edge off, very strange considering the pain I was in. I'm glad you're on the mend and you're feeling better!

13

Oh no!!! Is she okay now? Mine just seems to be getting increasingly worse but I'm on a waiting list so there's not much more I can do until I get an appointment for my OP.

14

Yeah I just feel like I'm going round in circles and as it's getting worse I have the worry that it's going to rupture. It's not the first time my GP has made an error with my results it's awful as my doctor is the head of the practise so I trusted in what she was telling me until I got a letter saying a whole lot different very bizarre and frustrating.

I argued my case that it would be a fatty liver but she said due to the condition my liver was in the main cause of it was being an alcoholic and I suffer from anxiety so I took my mum to the doctor with me and she refused to let my mum into the room for "privacy" reasons although I wanted my mum there regardless.

I definitely need to move surgeries as I don't seem to be getting the correct answers that I need and there's been too many mess ups.

Thanks for your advice!