Gallstones

Jellybaby1

I may be reprimanded for asking this but anyone who had gallstones, did you go to A&E every time you had a bout of pain? I am managing through a few bouts recently to stay at home and the pain subsides and then I'm fine. The only time I headed to A&E was when it was too severe and I threw up. They said the gallbladder has to come out. I've checked all over the health sites and it doesn't say a thing about going to the hospital at every attack. Don't want to see A&E again, ever. Hours and hours of pain on a trolley isn't nice.

Puddleduck

Hi jellybaby, no, I don't think you have to go to a and e every time you get an attack, but you are going to have to get your gall bladder out if you keep getting attacks as its usually a sign that the gall bladder isn't working, and the best way to get it out quickly is continuing to go to a and e and the hospital slotting you in for surgery.

I got my gall bladder out in November and I remember the pain, so my sympathies.

Jellybaby1

Thanks puddleduck. That's what I needed to know. Appreciated.

uck51js9zml2yt

my wife had her gallbladder out lst year after about 4 attacks in 12 months.
we went to the out of hours doctor and he gave out to me from bringing her to him and not a+e. There is a risk of it bursting.
the letter from him got her on a trolley in 10 minutes and they kept her in. and did the op after 3 days due to scans and mri having to be done.

she hasnt looked back.

Jellybaby1

Thanks tatranska. They never told me it would burst, that's scary! I'm doing ok now but waiting for the next attack at any minute.

uck51js9zml2yt

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Thanks tatranska. They never told me it would burst, that's scary! I'm doing ok now but waiting for the next attack at any minute.

if they said it needed removal get it done. Its keyhole surgery with 4 small holes and your home next day.
My wife was on a drip and getting bloods taken by the time I dropped our son home and got back to the hospital,so about 30 minutes.

tfitzgerald

I have bad problems with the gallbladder. I am waiting for over 12 months. I don't bother going to a and e anymore unless its very bad. I find solpidine can help but they are hard to get now. By the way if I eat any bit of cabbage at all I am dying for a few days

Jellybaby1

Strange the foods that can trigger it. I thought it was only fatty food. Maybe the cabbage was cooked with fatty ham/bacon? Have to admit, the cabbage tastes great when its cooked with salty meat! Tastes completely different on its own. I have stopped doing it the naughty way, which is shredding the cabbage and quick frying in butter and salt, mmmm!

tfitzgerald

Ya I thought the same about fatty foods. But I was talking to girl about it the other day and she said the cabbage kills her as well. Btw I am no waiting 13 months for the op. was cancelled on me at the last minute in August and am still waiting to hear from them

Jellybaby1

HSE how are ya!! Hope it happens soon for you.

tfitzgerald

Cheers. I hope you get sorted too

looperman1000

my partner is having the same problem with gall stones. She has had 4 attacks over the past few weeks probably due to over indulgence of rich foods at xmas, or put another way pigging out on whatever she wanted
I really hope she is not waiting 13 months for an op.

She was in A&E the other day and they sent her home after bloods and an x ray done. So its a waiting game now for an appointment for a clinic to go back to the hospital.
She is on anti biotics for a week, and has some strong painkillers if the pain comes.
We are going to start trying to eat clean to limit the chances of attacks. I said i would help her too. Here's hoping

Jellybaby1

Was told recently the waiting lists for public patients is around 1-2 years depending on where you live. If you have VHI you might not have to wait that long and it could be done in a private hospital. I also heard the hospitals are focusing on getting through the public lists and are sending the private px to private hospitals so maybe the public list might get moving in that case.

branners69

The wife has recently started suffering from her gall bladder and was told she needs it removed. She was in A&E most of yesterday with them. She was sent home after a whole lot of nothing there.

She rang a private hospital to see if she could pay for it herself and she was quoted €5k-€6k so it looks like a long wait on the public list!

tfitzgerald

branners69 wrote: »

The wife has recently started suffering from her gall bladder and was told she needs it removed. She was in A&E most of yesterday with them. She was sent home after a whole lot of nothing there.

She rang a private hospital to see if she could pay for it herself and she was quoted €5k-€6k so it looks like a long wait on the public list!

I hope she is not in any hurry. I was told I'd wait 6 weeks to get nine removed and here I am 14 months later and still waiting. I find if I get the pain bad solpidine is the only thing that helps. I went into Boots in Ennis yesterday looking for 12 and a youngfellow in there gave me a big speech and then refused to give them to me I really wanted to hurt him. But that would only have got me in trouble. Also the one thing that is guaranteed to bring on an attack is if I eat cabbage I'm dying after it. I hope the wife is feeling better soon but if your counting on limerick regional then she'll have to wait

branners69

tfitzgerald wrote: »

I hope she is not in any hurry. I was told I'd wait 6 weeks to get nine removed and here I am 14 months later and still waiting. I find if I get the pain bad solpidine is the only thing that helps. I went into Boots in Ennis yesterday looking for 12 and a youngfellow in there gave me a big speech and then refused to give them to me I really wanted to hurt him. But that would only have got me in trouble. Also the one thing that is guaranteed to bring on an attack is if I eat cabbage I'm dying after it. I hope the wife is feeling better soon but if your counting on limerick regional then she'll have to wait

Thanks for the solpadeine tip, is it the tablet or dissolvable ones?

We have four kids 6 and under, including twin boys who are 21 months. Changing their nappies can be a killer when the pain is bad! We are in Dublin Northside so I am assuming Beaumont Hospital will be the local one!

I'll tell her to stay away from cabbage, thanks!

tfitzgerald

The solouble ones. I really hope she gets better soon. The pain is very bad. I have had broken legs. And bones , ear ache tooth ache. Cuts and bruises. But nothing is as bad as the pain from the gallbladder

Jellybaby1

Nice to have so much sympathy for us sufferers. I also had a lot of pain over the Christmas period even though I tried to be careful. Also had a mini bout of pain this week but didn't hang around long thankfully. Taking it day by day and fingers still crossed for a date for the op.

cinloom

hi all, I am also waiting for a surgery date and feel quite frustrated as went to the A&E last week end following phone call to the surgeon. Surgeon and doctor tells me that each time i have an attack i have to go there but to be honest after my first visit last week, i think i will try to avoid as much as possible. Wait 8 hours to have a blood test to have pain killer.... My surgery could have been done into another hospital but due to medical condition i can only go to st james where it seems it is impossible to have a bed. Feeling hopeless ...

Jellybaby1

Sorry that you are going through this pain. I had mine removed last year. I wasn't at all nervous about it because the promise of removing that awful pain was worth it. All went well. Just a day in with keyhole surgery, three small holes in my stomach, and it was whipped out and home in time for tea!! Brilliant! I was told to avoid fatty food and I do avoid it as much as possible, but I confess to having cream on fruit salad over Christmas and had no reaction. I really hope you get sorted soon. That pain I experienced was worse than the childbirth pains I went through 30 years ago!

cinloom

how long did you have to wait to have a surgery Jellybaby1?

Jellybaby1

I think it was around 4 months. I heard of others waiting much longer.

branners69

My wife still hasnt been contacted by Beaumont, so she is waiting over a year now!

In the end we paid for the op in a private hospital and she was sorted within 3 weeks!

sawdoubters

you need to get them out get your doctor to send you to a consultant


http://www.irishhealth.com/discussion/message.html?dis=4&topic=2477

branners69

sawdoubters wrote: »

you need to get them out get your doctor to send you to a consultant

And unfortunately after seeing a consultant you will sit on a waiting list for over a year!

The doc who saw my wife said he could easily be doing 4 ops a week in public hospital but they dont have the beds. So he barely does one a week!

cinloom

I just received a provisional date and i have to call that day to see if my bed still available. Get sick last week end so hope the date will be kept but with not a big hope as surgeon told me there is 98% chance it would be cancel

Jellybaby1

Fingers crossed for you cinloom.

mrsweebri

This thread has me terrified - I just spent 2 weeks in hospital with a gallbladder attack, I'm home a week and in pain every time I eat a meal. I was told I'd get an appointment in 6 weeks. I'm in Galway and have no insurance. I already have a huge bill from the hospital - if I am waiting over a year will I get another bill for the operation? Is it worth calling and hassling them for an appointment? Or asking my GP to do soon my behalf? I'm very worried now that this wont be sorted out and I will be in pain for months on end.

silverharp

out of curiosity and no knowledge whatsoever , are people advised to see if they can treat their gallbladders with diet , exercises, cleanses and the like first?

cinloom

Hi mrsweebri, I got my gallstone removed last tuesday, after waiting one month. I have harass every doctor possible so i dont know it helped but you should continue. GP can give you a letter stating that you are waiting for a gallstone surgery so you dont need to pay the 100€ of the A&E if you need to go there.

Jellybaby1

silverharp wrote: »

out of curiosity and no knowledge whatsoever , are people advised to see if they can treat their gallbladders with diet , exercises, cleanses and the like first?

As my gallbladder was damaged it had to come out. I think if there is the severe pain which we have all been going through here then its best to get it out imho. Besides that my pain was so bad that I would have gladly strangled my doctor is he'd suggested a cleanser, exercise or diet as otherwise I was in pretty good nick with a very good diet before this happened.

mrsweebri

Thanks cinloom I will start calling tomorrow.

connundrum

Just found this thread now, apologies for digging it up.

Have been having attacks for years now, maybe 3 a year. Was diagnosed as having an ulcer right up until latest A&E visit, when the doc suggested a GallBladder problem.

He sent me home with a promise of a follow up consultation (still waiting) and the instruction to steer clear of fatty foods, chocolate and tomatoes. I cannot find anything anywhere else about steering clear of tomatoes?!

Anyway, most attacks can last 5-8 hours. Last weekend I'd an attack lasting 26 hours. Nothing would relieve it. Eventually it went away. I was woken up by pain last night again, and a hot water bottle to my stomach kind of relieved the pain - especially the tightness in my back.

So, now I'm waiting on a visit with a consultant, terrified of most foods, thinking every twitch in my back/stomach is a new attack.

Jaysus I'm wrecked.

Alf Veedersane

connundrum wrote: »

Just found this thread now, apologies for digging it up.

Have been having attacks for years now, maybe 3 a year. Was diagnosed as having an ulcer right up until latest A&E visit, when the doc suggested a GallBladder problem.

He sent me home with a promise of a follow up consultation (still waiting) and the instruction to steer clear of fatty foods, chocolate and tomatoes. I cannot find anything anywhere else about steering clear of tomatoes?!

Anyway, most attacks can last 5-8 hours. Last weekend I'd an attack lasting 26 hours. Nothing would relieve it. Eventually it went away. I was woken up by pain last night again, and a hot water bottle to my stomach kind of relieved the pain - especially the tightness in my back.

So, now I'm waiting on a visit with a consultant, terrified of most foods, thinking every twitch in my back/stomach is a new attack.

Jaysus I'm wrecked.

Tomatoes would be acidic so along with some citrus fruits it's better to avoid for now.

My Dad was told it was probably an ulcer and was sent to a consultant. 7 weeks later, after a lot of discomfort, he'd met the consultant and had an ultrasound and got an appointment for an endoscopy the next week, all within an hour of meeting the consultant. A month later out came the gall bladder and he's a new man.

It doesn't always go so fast but once you see the consultant it should move along nicely.

fussyonion

I had my gallbladder removed and you've nothing to worry about.
It'll be the best thing you ever did.

Avoid the foods that are triggering the attacks; it's different for everyone.
For me it was fatty foods and coffee (coffee?!) and I avoided them until I had my op.

Keyhole surgery, few staples and then you'll have three scars which will fade over time.

Alf Veedersane

fussyonion wrote: »

I had my gallbladder removed and you've nothing to worry about.
It'll be the best thing you ever did.

Avoid the foods that are triggering the attacks; it's different for everyone.
For me it was fatty foods and coffee (coffee?!) and I avoided them until I had my op.

Keyhole surgery, few staples and then you'll have three scars which will fade over time.

Yeah, my Dad said his scars are barely even visible now only 10 weeks later.

But he never really ate fatty food. His only fried food was chips once a week.

But he feels like a new man since having the GB out.

fussyonion

Without being vulgar, a common side effect after the op can be diarrhea.

Four years on after my op, I can get bouts of it if I eat fatty stuff but it's not all the time and to be honest, I think I might have a touch of IBS too, so I'm not saying it will happen to everyone, but diarrhea is an unpleasant side effect of post-op gallbladder surgery but usually it's only for a few weeks after.

Alf Veedersane

fussyonion wrote: »

Without being vulgar, a common side effect after the op can be diarrhea.

Four years on after my op, I can get bouts of it if I eat fatty stuff but it's not all the time and to be honest, I think I might have a touch of IBS too, so I'm not saying it will happen to everyone, but diarrhea is an unpleasant side effect of post-op gallbladder surgery but usually it's only for a few weeks after.

Actually, Da only had that feeling once in the 10 weeks since but he's been very slow to have anything he feels like might have an impact but that's only his once a week chips from the deep fat fryer but other than that he has been on. Probably has to do with other things you might have going on.

And while I think of it, for a man facing into his first big surgery at 73 he was looking forward to it because of the anticipated improvement, which turned out to be just as he expected

spur

I had mine removed after 2 bad attacks in a short period of time. Looking back I'd had a few minor attacks over the years, first few lasted about an hour or less and once I could sleep I'd wake up fine. Got a few close together then, but again over in a hour or two - but the pain was more severe.
Then I woke up one morning with backache and spent the next 48-72 hours in agony - it was a bank holiday weekend. Went to my GP early on the Tuesday, he suspected gallstones, sent me to A&E, where I spent the day. An untrasound confirmed "a few" gallstones. My GP referred me to a consultant and I had an appointment for about 3 weeks later and the weekend before the appointment I got another attack and went to A&E again - on the advise of said consultant. I was admitted but they weren't as sure it was gallstones as one of the doctors thought it might be an infected gallbladder. I was admitted, spent days on antibiotics, fasting and waiting for surgery - in those 4-5 days the pain never really went away - drugs took the sting off for a few hours.
I had keyhole surgery - it was badly infected. I was up and out of the bed a few hours later and walking quite confidently and normally 24 hours later.
I never looked back! The only thing I couldn't eat for a while was sausages - had painful reaction to first one I ate and abstained for months. Tried them again and fine. I have 4 little scars - 2 on my side are barely visible, the other 2 are a little bigger and they are noticeable if my midriff was exposed, but they're not ugly or anything - and anything is worth removing that awful pain.
I was lucky, my GP picked it up immediately, he referred me on quickly (with me ringing him every day wondering why I hadn't heard from the consultant!) and although I was in agony with the last episode, it was treated as quickly as possible.
If you do have the surgery be prepared to be quite tired afterwards - I found I could sleep soundly 12-14 hours when I first got home and tired very easily for up to 6 weeks post surgery.