Gallstones
 

Anyone had them? What's the symptoms? I've done the usual Googling, but would also like a bit of first-hand comments.

Ta muchly

Re: Gallstones
 

oooh where do I begin ... oh the pain ... oh the agony :D

But yes I did have them unfortunately - one of the worst pains you can experience ... likened to having a heart attack. Okay, so symptoms are SEVERE pain in the centre of the chest, like a very hot knife sticking through from your back to your front. Feeling like you can't catch your breath during an attack. During a severe attack you can have vomiting (lovely).

Low fat diet is the best way to avoid attacks.

cheers
shears :)
(gall-bladder-less and lovin' it :lol:)

Re: Gallstones
 

Just been diagnosed last week. Apparently I have lots of little ones. Symptoms, bad heartburn gnawing type pain in middle. Lots of nausea after every meal. I don't get gallbladder pain (upper right) but my Dr said he's had lots of patients with symptoms like mine and they had gallstones.

Was confirmed with ultrasound and now waiting to see a Gastro guy - think most likely will take out gallbladder - yuck......

I think gallbladder pain is very painful from what a friend said. Acute attack leaves you doubled up........

Hope this has helped?

Re: Gallstones
 

oh and one more thing - after a severe attack you're left feeling as if someone beat you up from the inside out - I walked around hunched over like yer man from Notre Dame for a couple of days ... this was just a week after I had my son :( Not fun I can tell ya! Sitting in a hospital bed hooked up to an ECG looking at my brand shiny new baby thinking "heart attack?!!"

Re: Gallstones
 

Oh, you are gallbladderless! Do you modify your diet at all? Will obviously find out at appt but just curious as to what you do...... 2 friends who have had the operation still eat what they want....

Re: Gallstones
 

No was told there was no need ... phew!! :lol:

Re: Gallstones
 

These are my symptoms, and after consulting Dr Google I was thinking gallstones or GERD:

Pain in between shoulder blades when eating
Occasional nausea
Surplus saliva (lovely!)
Belching (more lovely!)
Weird lump feeling in my throat

Re: Gallstones
 

I had them - all my attacks were when pregnant - was rushed to hospital after being in agony and projectile vomiting everywhere. I had mine out when my second baby was nine months old. Immediately after the operation (probably first two weeks) I couldn't eat without running to the loo shortly thereafter, but was fine after than and now no need to modify my diet at all.

Re: Gallstones
 

Hi Kim - happened to me on my 2nd pregnancy for definite (but the doctors kept dismissing it as heartburn!) and I'm sure I had it during my first - never heard of a link to pregnancy before that, if only I'd known I could have insisted on them doing something about it after my first was born :(

Re: Gallstones
 

My nausea was with me 24/7 and constant pain on my right side - It was found that I had 12 stones in my gallbladder and I had them removed in July by keyhole surgery - now have 4 small scars around my stomach the biggest being by my belly button one in the middle under my chest and two on the side

Re: Gallstones
 

You had just the stones removed or your whole gallbladder? Thought they just whipped out the gallbladder?

Re: Gallstones
 

Re: Gallstones
 

Yes, the joys of being a mother. I think I'd had mine for years but didn't get the really bad symptoms until pregnancy. My sister had hers removed at 20 after her first baby and she's never had a weight problem, my mum also had them. I had the mine removed laparoscopically and the incisions were so small that you can't even see them now - if you look really hard you can see a very faint one in my navel.

Re: Gallstones
 

Yup now happily gallbladderless. Intense pain - mine tended to be upper right quadrant. I got so that I dared not leave the house without my panadeine forte. Became a master at microwaving damp teatowels for hot compresses. No matter what position you try and contort youself into you cant shake the pain. One time I ended up quite hypothermic because the only way I could manage was to cool myself down on the tiles on the bathroom floor - ended up in A & E where they rushed to warm me up along with the pethidine for the pain.

I dont think you realize just how cr*p you feel until after the operation and then you feel normal. I had the keyhole surgery and it was a long while ago but they gave me 3 days in hospital (less than that now) and 2 weeks off work but I went back to work after a week because the rest of my family were sick and I needed to get away from them!

Havent modified the diet afterwards although I am more inclined to get heartburn these days - that may just be me getting older though!

Good luck - you will feel so much better after your lap choly!!!!