Gallstones

antodeco

Hi all,
Diagnosed with gallstones today. Had been having severe pain in my side once every 2 weeks and then once a week. Went to the doc. Did full check, bloods, all fine, all clear. Did some research myself and self diagnosed gallstones. Went to the doc, said it wouldn't be as I don't fit the profile. I asked for a scan anyway. Wait time was 5 months

As of a month ago, I've been having severe attacks every 2 or 3 days, and pretty much in solid pain. Contacted the hospital on yesterday to pay for private, got an appointment today!

Low and behold, gallstones. Will have time wait for the doc to come back to me.

Any ideas how long the wait time is for gallbladder removal, as a public patient? Or, rough cost of getting it removed privately?

Anybody here go through this before? I suffer panic attacks and the thought of surgery is affecting me a little.

I'm also so tired from the constant pain. I'm literally fed up the last 2 weeks.

SATSUMA

Id be interested to know too! I've just been diagnosed also...

embee

I had my gallbladder removed in 2009. I first developed gallstones in pregnancy in 2005. As I was pregnant there weren't any strong painkillers I could have..... Well, I can tell you now from my own personal experience that gallstones were worse than labour in terms of pain, they were horrendously painful. Got stent placed in the bile duct to keep it patent, I was taking a tablet called ursofalk too. I eventually got the laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 2009 after the operation was cancelled three times due to lack of beds. If you can afford it at all, I'd look into private trestment as the waiting lists are crazy. I haven't had to make any major dietary or lifestyle changes, getting the gallbladder whipped out was the best thing I've ever done in terms of medical procedures. I've no appendix or tonsils either!

fussyonion

antodeco wrote: »

Hi all,
Diagnosed with gallstones today. Had been having severe pain in my side once every 2 weeks and then once a week. Went to the doc. Did full check, bloods, all fine, all clear. Did some research myself and self diagnosed gallstones. Went to the doc, said it wouldn't be as I don't fit the profile. I asked for a scan anyway. Wait time was 5 months

As of a month ago, I've been having severe attacks every 2 or 3 days, and pretty much in solid pain. Contacted the hospital on yesterday to pay for private, got an appointment today!

Low and behold, gallstones. Will have time wait for the doc to come back to me.

Any ideas how long the wait time is for gallbladder removal, as a public patient? Or, rough cost of getting it removed privately?

Anybody here go through this before? I suffer panic attacks and the thought of surgery is affecting me a little.

I'm also so tired from the constant pain. I'm literally fed up the last 2 weeks.

I don't know how much it costs privately.
I think the waiting time for having it removed publicly all depends on the severity of your pain.

I was diagnosed with gallstones in February 2010, had extremely painful attacks every few weeks which resulted in several A&E admissions and I had it removed in June following another A&E attendance.

They will remove it pretty swiftly if you have enough A&E admissions/attacks, but if your attacks are not frequent enough or if you don't end up in hospital that often, you'll be made wait.

I was in A&E six times from the time I was diagnosed to the time it was removed.

I had to be given morphine for the pain it was that bad.

Avoid fatty foods in the meantime, OP, strictly. They will bring on an attack.
I found apple juice to be soothing when I was enduring an attack.

I hope you're seen to quickly.

antodeco

Thanks for the replies. I'll make an appointment with the doc this week, as I got diagnosed 2 weeks ago and still haven't heard from him.

Currently in Brussels and had a slice of pizza (usually triggers it) and guess what. Gallbladder attack! Warm room, none of my usual comforts and in pain. The joys! Thankfully I brought my ibuprofen, Solpadene and Buscopan, just in case! (They don't really make much of a difference anyway).

Will try and see what the private costs are for removal. Could be waiting over a year for public. I don't do A&E and don't fancy having to get a loyalty card from them just to get an earlier operation!

Plasid

Went to the Swiftcare clinic with what I thought was reflux, they diagnosed gall bladder issues, had a temperature of only 38 but they referred to. A&E. Admitted immediately to acute surgery for gall stones resection but turned out to be nothing apart from the infection. Second part was all public so no waiting time or delay apart from usual A&E triage.

Tabnabs

antodeco wrote: »

I don't do A&E and don't fancy having to get a loyalty card from them just to get an earlier operation!

You're pain must be very manageable if you would rather that than a trip to A&E. I would have hopped up on a butchers slab and let him at it if it would have cured the pain. I had two morphine shots in A&E and still got no comfort from the pain. Liquid paracetamol on an IV drip was the only thing that brought me back to the land of the living.

Your diet is how you will manage it and A&E will give you access to consultants who specialise in this area. Public or private, you will get treated.

gerryfed

Anyone any ideas on cost, or if they had VHI cover it? Diagnosed 3-4 years ago, getting progressively worse. Had an abdominal scan privately last week and they recommended it be removed. Surgical consultation on this coming Wednesday, apparently that person will give me a code and then VHI will confirm my coverage.

Tipperary animal lover

I went to my doctor on a Tuesday(few weeks ago) with terrible pain, after she checked me out I was sent straight To the mercy in cork(I live in cork during the week), arrived into the hospital at 7:30 pm check in was given paracetamol by drip and bloods done 20mins later and sent back out to the waiting room, by 11.30pm I was called in given a trolley and morphine(3times before surgery) . The next morning had an X-ray and an ultrasound by 1pm I was prepped for surgery. Was waiting awhile in the queue for surgery 40mins on the table By 4.30pm all done and in a ward. Was left go Thursday morning at 11am, less than two days in hospital, gallbladder was badly inflamed and full of gall stones, I'm a public patient, got seen very fast no waiting time. It's all down to your doctor I think

SATSUMA

gerryfed wrote: »

Anyone any ideas on cost, or if they had VHI cover it? Diagnosed 3-4 years ago, getting progressively worse. Had an abdominal scan privately last week and they recommended it be removed. Surgical consultation on this coming Wednesday, apparently that person will give me a code and then VHI will confirm my coverage.

VHI do cover it. It's considered a day procedure. I went in for 10am and was out by 7pm. I only have the most basic insurance whatever the cheapest one is!

gerryfed

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

I went to my doctor on a Tuesday(few weeks ago) with terrible pain, after she checked me out I was sent straight To the mercy in cork(I live in cork during the week), arrived into the hospital at 7:30 pm check in was given paracetamol by drip and bloods done 20mins later and sent back out to the waiting room, by 11.30pm I was called in given a trolley and morphine(3times before surgery) . The next morning had an X-ray and an ultrasound by 1pm I was prepped for surgery. Was waiting awhile in the queue for surgery 40mins on the table By 4.30pm all done and in a ward. Was left go Thursday morning at 11am, less than two days in hospital, gallbladder was badly inflamed and full of gall stones, I'm a public patient, got seen very fast no waiting time. It's all down to your doctor I think

Probably because it was inflamed alright. How have you been since if you don't mind me asking? Great that you got it sorted so quick though, a lot of people are waiting a year or so when going public!

SATSUMA wrote: »

VHI do cover it. It's considered a day procedure. I went in for 10am and was out by 7pm. I only have the most basic insurance whatever the cheapest one is!

Oh sweet, that's good to hear! My policy is through work but is like e130 a month, so was expecting it to be somewhat covered... but the VHI kept saying I needed to see the surgeon, and then come back with a code before they'd say! Again, how did you feel in the weeks after etc? Any pains when eating certain foods? Heard a lot of dodgy stories (but people very rarely report the good stories).

Tipperary animal lover

first few days a bit sore, had to eat bland food for at least a few weeks, I had a creamy curry 5days later it just rain through me( I love spicy foods), just listen to what they say to ya, I'm flying it now all the black/blue is gone after two weeks, tiny few scares, no more pain thank feck

gerryfed

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

first few days a bit sore, had to eat bland food for at least a few weeks, I had a creamy curry 5days later it just rain through me( I love spicy foods), just listen to what they say to ya, I'm flying it now all the black/blue is gone after two weeks, tiny few scares, no more pain thank feck

Haha I'm a demon for the curries and mexican! Have you had any greasy/fried food since? But yeah you're right, I'm sure it'll be grand if I just listen to what they say

Tipperary animal lover

gerryfed wrote: »

Haha I'm a demon for the curries and mexican! Have you had any greasy/fried food since? But yeah you're right, I'm sure it'll be grand if I just listen to what they say

ya back to normal eating now, not that I'd be munching on the fried food regularly

SATSUMA

I didn't have much pain at all just a swollen belly. I also didn't restrict my diet and had no issue with diarrhoea at any stage. I was back to work in a week but probably needed 10 days. You'd be weak after it.

The code the vhi are referring to is the cholecsystecomy procedure code. Don't worry about it they know well what the code is. They can check if your consultant is on the list then.

gerryfed

SATSUMA wrote: »

I didn't have much pain at all just a swollen belly. I also didn't restrict my diet and had no issue with diarrhoea at any stage. I was back to work in a week but probably needed 10 days. You'd be weak after it.

The code the vhi are referring to is the cholecsystecomy procedure code. Don't worry about it they know well what the code is. They can check if your consultant is on the list then.

Cool cool, good to know. I could do with the reality check in terms of diet anyways (also found out I was coeliac - great week haha).

Last question sorry, did they cover your full procedure? They covered E25 of my initial E65 GP fee, followed by about E90 of the E170 abdominal scan/doc fee. They should be covered E60 of my E150 surgical consult fee tomorrow too. I have no idea even what a gallbladder surgery sets a person back these days haha

cocobean

I'm in France at the moment and had an awful attack during the week. Bloods were re done today and enzyme levels have risen a bit since wednesday. Because the ezyme levels have only risen by 10% the surgeon was happy to let me travel back home tomorrow with a warning to have the gall bladder taken out within the next 10 days. Where do I start. All ultra sounds, echography and bloods show the need for this immediately. I'll go to my GP first thing Tuesday morning but need to get proceedure done asap. amy recommendations on where I can go. i have a resonably good VHI plan.

gerryfed

cocobean wrote: »

I'm in France at the moment and had an awful attack during the week. Bloods were re done today and enzyme levels have risen a bit since wednesday. Because the ezyme levels have only risen by 10% the surgeon was happy to let me travel back home tomorrow with a warning to have the gall bladder taken out within the next 10 days. Where do I start. All ultra sounds, echography and bloods show the need for this immediately. I'll go to my GP first thing Tuesday morning but need to get proceedure done asap. amy recommendations on where I can go. i have a resonably good VHI plan.

Yeah I finally went to my GP, told them I'd had 3 attacks in the last 3 weeks and then she was happy to refer me both for an ultrasound and to a surgical consult. My VHI covered like e90 of e160 for the ultrasound and e60 of e150 for the surgical consult. Surgical consult agreed I needed the surgery and they gave me a procedure code. Called VHI and they advised I was fully covered (bar e75 excess) for the Mater Private. Got a call on the Monday and they offered me an appointment for that Friday haha. Couldn't go but booked it for the following week. In and out on the same day. Little sore but not as bad as I thought, more awkward then anything. Definitely get it done ASAP.

cocobean

Thanks Gerry. This is what I'm hoping for time wise. Glad to hear it went well for you.

Was this recently?

gerryfed

cocobean wrote: »

Thanks Gerry. This is what I'm hoping for time wise. Glad to hear it went well for you.

Was this recently?

Yup, very recent! Was March 16th. I had 4 'keyhole' incisions. 3 were like 1-1.5 inches (one below my bellybutton and two to the right of it), and a 4th one that was 2.5-3 inches wide maybe (right smack back in the middle of my chest/stomach.

The 3 little ones were nothing and healed pretty quick. The bigger one was a lil more hassle. Seemed to get a little infected so has take a good while to heal. None of them were directly sore or that, just more awkward when you're trying to sit/getting up/shower etc.

Got into the Mater at 8am, operation was around 10ish, and got to leave at around 5ish. Managed to go back to work on the 22nd, probably could have done with an extra day or two to be honest but was manageable.

Any other questions, shoot!

cocobean

Thanks a million Gerry. You have put my mind at ease for now. I am hoping to have a similar time frame at my disposal. Leaving France tonight and arriving home tomorrow.
Will be in touch with an update.

gerryfed

No problem. It's the best decision you'll make. I had a breakfast earlier that would nearly always bring on an attack (I was kind of testing faith to be honest) or would atleast make me feel dodgy for the day... and not a single issue best of luck!

Knine

I'm 15 years on from having mine removed. I was very young at the time & definitely not a typical gallbladder patient. I will never forget that pain though. I can eat whatever food I like without any problems. The best of luck with your surgery.

antodeco

Hey all, sorry for resurrecting my original thread. Well my operation is tomorrow to get my gallbladder removed. Very nervous about it. Was on the public waiting list and have been allocated a slot in BlackRock Clinic due to the waiting list being so long. Hopefully all goes well. I'm generally back worrier (have anxiety and panic attacks) and they're not helping me for tomorrow!

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

antodeco wrote: »

Hey all, sorry for resurrecting my original thread. Well my operation is tomorrow to get my gallbladder removed. Very nervous about it. Was on the public waiting list and have been allocated a slot in BlackRock Clinic due to the waiting list being so long. Hopefully all goes well. I'm generally back worrier (have anxiety and panic attacks) and they're not helping me for tomorrow!

Had my gallbladder removed beginning of the year so I can give you a few tips

There is really nothing to worry about. The operation has been done so many times and BlackRock clinic is one of the best there is (I went to Mater Private for what its worth).

The first is to understand that you are getting an organ removed and so there will be discomfort (note: not pain) from that operation for the first 4 days.

I suggest you prep your bed now as you will not be able to sleep on your back at first. You'll need to prepare it so that you can relax your head but still be sitting in a slightly reclined position.

After the operation you're going to feel "bloated", this is because of the gas they pump into you to inflate your chest cavity + abdomen so that they can operate easier.

This may be different for you but do keep it in mind

The gas that is pumped into your body pushes your chest cavity upwards which then presses against your shoulder. This ends up pinching a phrenic nerve ending which is painful as all hell. That was by far the worst pain, everything else was just discomfort.

But fear not! There is an easy solution to this.

Simply cross your arms above your head when you feel the pain coming. Boom! No more phrenic nerve pinching!

You probably already know this but stick to super light foods with no spices etc.. etc.. for the first couple of days. To be honest you wont be feeling super hungry, I subsisted on toasted white bread only

If you're bothered by the scars then I recommend bio-oil, apply it liberally and often.

After the 4th day you'll be fairly mobile albeit walking like an old man :pac:

antodeco

Thank you for that. Really appreciate that advice! I got my appendix out about 18 years ago and remember that shoulder pain. It was unreal. I was in hospital for 3 days at the time so they sedated me for that pain! This time around, I'm in at 11 and should be out by about 4. My wife will be with me anyway, so hopefully she can keep me calm!

My concern is that I haven't been having gallbladder attacks, but rather a constant "stitch-like" pain for he last 12 months (as in constant 24 hours a day), plus my chest has been swollen on the right side for months. I really hope it's not enlarged and they need to change to open surgery. All I can do is wait I suppose!

gerryfed

Zyron hit the nail on the head!

Worst pain is easily the trapped gas in the shoulder. Absolute disaster trying to sleep. Wish I had of known that trick haha.

All in all, it'll be worth it in the long run. Don't miss those gallbladder attacks! Good luck tomorrow

cocobean

Zyron has hit the nail on the head. The hot water bottle is perfect for the postoperative gas pain. I had it pretty bad in my shoulder after my surgery in Blackrock in April and the nurse on duty that night got me a heat pack. Don't be afraid to ask for it.

As I said, I was in Blackrock. Donal Maguire was my consultant and a nicer man you won't meet. I went in at midday on a Tuesday and walked out the following morning at 10am.

Any other questions, fire away!

All the best for tomorrow. You wont know yourself!

antodeco

Thanks all. In at 11am and out by 4pm. Will make sure I get the good drugs for at home! Will let you all know how I got on!

antodeco

Quick update: Still in the hospital. Leaving shortly. Surgery was a success, no issues at all thankfully. Devoured the toast and scone they gave me and no problems after that. 1 thing I will say is, I've never felt so tired.

Also, the oxynorm is beginning to kick in so hopefully this post made sense

cocobean

Mind yourself.

JasperKat

antodeco wrote: »

Quick update: Still in the hospital. Leaving shortly. Surgery was a success, no issues at all thankfully. Devoured the toast and scone they gave me and no problems after that. 1 thing I will say is, I've never felt so tired.

Also, the oxynorm is beginning to kick in so hopefully this post made sense

Antodeco, I'm delighted to hear you got sorted, how are you feeling now?

I've been suffering from gallbladder pain every day for 9mths, it's so sever I've been in & out of St. Vincent's & St. Michael's A&E depts several times.

I was seen by Donal McGuire on 24th Sept. when he told me I would be in for an op in 2/3 weeks & I'm still waiting.... :-(

The pain is dreadful, day & night, it doesn't matter what I eat (or don't eat I still get the pain)

I'm taking solpadol with codeine 2 x 4 times a day; Nurafene Plus 1 x 4 times a day & when it's really, really bad I take Oxynorm (usually 1 a day)

I don't have health insurance & am at my wits end, I feel nauseous most of the time & can't work 'cos I can't concentrate... I just don't know what else to do...

I've received a letter from st Michael's saying I'm on their waiting list but when I rang to ask how long it would be I was told 4-6mths, there's simply no way I can wait that long....

Anyone got any ideas on how I can go private & how much it would cost?

cocobean

JasperKat wrote: »

Antodeco, I'm delighted to hear you got sorted, how are you feeling now?

I've been suffering from gallbladder pain every day for 9mths, it's so sever I've been in & out of St. Vincent's & St. Michael's A&E depts several times.

I was seen by Donal McGuire on 24th Sept. when he told me I would be in for an op in 2/3 weeks & I'm still waiting.... :-(

The pain is dreadful, day & night, it doesn't matter what I eat (or don't eat I still get the pain)

I'm taking solpadol with codeine 2 x 4 times a day; Nurafene Plus 1 x 4 times a day & when it's really, really bad I take Oxynorm (usually 1 a day)

I don't have health insurance & am at my wits end, I feel nauseous most of the time & can't work 'cos I can't concentrate... I just don't know what else to do...

I've received a letter from st Michael's saying I'm on their waiting list but when I rang to ask how long it would be I was told 4-6mths, there's simply no way I can wait that long....

Anyone got any ideas on how I can go private & how much it would cost?

So sorry to hear that you are in so much pain with no end in sight. I havnt a notion how much it would cost for you to pay privately for it although I must take a look at my VHI invoice to see how much Donal Maguire and everything else cost in Blackrock. I remember thinking it wasnt as expensive as I thought it might be but thats well said when an insurance company is paying for it.

ok, just looked it up. VHI was charged 4500euro for it. This included a wopping 3100 for the bed in Blackrock and 850 to Donal Maguire and other charges. The actual procedure only cost about 1300.

jtkpenguin

Thanks a million, cocobean, for your really helpful reply, how are you feeling now?

I'm very interesting about the charges as I thought it would be a whole lot more than that, I could get a credit union loan to cover those costs. I will look into it. Thanks again.

jtkpenguin

antodeco, how are you getting on now? hope you're over the worst of it all...