Gallstones

Hiya all.
I have been struggling with lower abdominal pains for the last few months, GP doesn't know what it is and has done loads of tests but all come back normal, next thing will be a scan then a camera but I will be waiting months before I get the hospital appointment.

I am trying to work out what it can be, and I think it's either Gall stones or IBS. But my symptoms don't really add up properly for it to be either of these but they are the closest.

My question is really to anyone who has had Gall stones and how did they affect you so I can compare what I am going through. When I google, it throws up things that I don't really want to be reading so I would prefer some first hand experiences.

My symptoms:-

No appetite
constant lower abdominal pain
Agony after eating anything
Constant tiredness
Weight loss of two stone since April.
Dizzy spells and feeling faint.
very tender tummy to touch.
The pain keeps me awake so I only manage a few hours sleep a night.

The pain has worsened over the last few weeks where it was a dull ache before now I am bent over gasping after eating. I am still going to work but have fallen asleep at my desk a few times or left early because I just have to go to bed. People who haven't seen me for awhile are starting to ask if I have been ill as I have lost so much weight. I have the Doctors again next Thursday.

Any ideas ???

I'm not sure if this should be in general discussion but didn't know if there was a Health thread ?

Lisa
--- merged: Sep 13, 2012 at 4:10 AM ---
The title should say Gall Stones lol

 

My mother had gall stones when I was a kid, I don't really remember much about it except that she spent about a month in so much pain that she couldn't get out of bed. Obviously I don't expect everyone to be like that, but it's sort of what you asked for.

As for ideas, my main one is to let the folks you know in meat space with medical degrees sort it out.

 

I had my gallbladder out 14 years ago. Minor surgery, don't miss it, not worth the grief it caused.

My symptoms were pretty different. All I can say is if you are over 40 and use the words "chest" and "pain" in the same sentence in front of a doctor, you will spend the night in ICU.

 

If you are feeling dizzy or faint, in addition to your fatigue, it is possible you have a GI bleed. Gallstones are not *always* constant pain, but definitely worse after eating, especially after eating fatty foods.

Go to a different doctor if possible, emphasize the weight loss, feeling faint, loss of sleep, constant pain, and constant fatigue. Those are HUGE red flags that something is going on, and you probably need to get scoped to figure out what it is.

 

The lower abd pain is a bit of a curve ball with those symptoms. Gall stone pain is typically just under the rib cage near the sternum. Typically. Pain can radiate and show up in odd areas sometimes.
The other symptoms made me think of pancreatitis.
As Rogue and PonyPotato said, seek a second opinion.

 

Totally do get a second opinion. Or even a third.

I had a gallstone that was misdiagnosed as a gastroenteritic spasm. I had abdominal pain and cramping, but it was diffuse, not readily localized, and acid reflux, and the runs, and if I ate too much rich food, I would get horrible cramps all over the middle, which would be worse lying down than sitting up. I might've had a few other more minor symptoms, but I can't recall-- it was ten years ago.

The symptoms and the discomfort were intermittent for probably three or four years before that, but having initially been misdiagnosed, I just took a lot of Maalox, tried to stay away from too much rich food at once, and shrugged it off. Which is probably why when the pain of a particular attack started to get bad enough that I wanted it to get looked at, it was too late. I went to the ER late one night because the pain just kept getting worse and worse. Of course, being an ER at a large hospital in LA, I had to wait around for about six hours before anyone saw me, by the end of which time I was in so much pain I was almost crying-- and I am not a cryer. It might have been the worst pain I've ever been in. When the doctor finally saw me, they diagnosed it as a "hot" gallbladder, and in fact it was so "hot" they didn't even have time to set up a laproscopic procedure, they had to go in the old fashioned way, which meant three weeks recovering and a permanent 5" scar across my abdomen. They said they got it out just in time: it was about to burst, there being a single gallstone inside it somewhere between the size of an egg and a billiard ball.

My mom, who also had her gall bladder out "hot," later told me that she thought the gallstone pain was worse than childbirth. So there you have it.

Get plenty of opinions, and don't scrimp on tests. You only have one body.

 

Have seen the GP three times now in the last two months, it's hard to get an appointment in my surgery. She keeps querying gynae problems, but this is a new pain, not ovulation or menstruation and I was diagnosed with POS years ago and that is no different.
If I eat any fat or rich foods I am rolling round like I have been shot.
Last night I managed a bowl of garden peas for tea. That didnt hurt much after eating so I am having another bowl tonight.
Salad seems ok and low fat ham slices, but not many at the same time or i'm doubled up.
I'm eliminating foods slowly each day. No butter, no cakes or biscuits or pastries, but chocolate seems ok ?? its a bit bizarre.
The other cause that they keep banging on about is stress and yeah I have had my fair share in the last few months. I just wish it would go away .
--- merged: Sep 13, 2012 at 4:58 PM ---
And thank you to whoever corrected my useless typing

 

You have a gallblabber infection/obstruction that is well advanced. I had All of your symptoms and finally after a second opinion, got my gall baldder removed and everything is totally better. Don't -- I repeat, Do NOT wait for another gallbladder attack. They are painful and can be deadly. Mine has nothing to do with stress.

After my operation...The surgeon said it was in worse shape than anyone could have diagnosed and she said it's a good thing that I didn't wait any longer.

Hope my experience helps you get yours corrected and soon. Get thee to the Dr. and get it removed.

 

It doesn't sound like what I went through. It did hurt like hell hitting me all of the sudden and it felt like chest pain. It felt better to walk around than to lie still. Sometimes I would vomit. After an EKG and an ultrasound, it was deduced that I had Gall Stones. My doctor wanted me to have surgery, but severe trauma like that could have caused an MS relapse. I would much rather deal with the pain of gall stones than go through a relapse that I may or may not bounce back from. All I did was change my diet and I haven't had any problems since. I noticed that most of my big attacks were after big meals. I spent Thanksgiving night at the ER once.

This sounds familiar to what my co-worker went through. She had a hysterectomy and feels fine now.

Just my personal experience. NOT a medical professional. You may want to see one see a second one of those kinds of peoples.

 

If you want people to play internet diagnosis (and I wouldn't advocate that, but here we are) then your age and other medical conditions would be a good place to start.

 

I am 38
apart from Poly cystic ovaries I haven't got anything else. I'm not really looking for an internet diagnosis . I was more interested in how gall stones had affected other people as IBS and Gall stones seem to be the only two things left as the tests I have had have ruled out pretty much anything else.
I don't have health insurance as we have the NHS, but nothing moves fast with the NHS and I now have to wait for a referral to a consultant, which usually takes around three months.
Watching what I eat is definitely key to lowering the amount of pain I have been going through. and limiting my food intake to very small snack like meals has helped, I just can't take in enough calories which is probably why I am so dizzy all the time.
Thanks for the replies, If things get worse over the weekend I'll nip to casualty in the hope of that they will scan me and not refer me back to my gp. x

 

Pancreatitis, which can be caused by gallstones?

Take care, lady. Seek help.

 

After you see another Dr. please let us know how you are!

 

Geez, feel better Cwtch38. Why does it take so long to get appointments? That's a bummer.

 

Cwtch38

Heck ... how did I miss this? I've got no input on the physical condition, but I sure as heck am sorry to hear what you're going through at the moment and hope it sorts out/gets sorted soon.

Freetofly

Hi ... some of the following may not be relevant to your interest, and some you might know already. It certainly won't be complete, so Cwtch and other Celts, please check, correct and adjust

In England, we go to see the GP - the general practitioner. This is typically in a 'surgery' ... here, there is minimal equipment - just a bunch of offices with basic diagnostic equipment, and rooms for basic treatments, such as blood tests which are done by nurses. The General Practitioner has powers to advise, prescribe and refer.
Referral is done when the GP decides that the local surgery hasn't got the diagnostic equipment or specialist knowledge needed to treat the patient.

Hospitals have the x-rays, MRI scanners, Limb-plaster rooms, operating theatres.
Hospitals also have people who are knee-specialists, lung specialists, brain specialists .... different hospitals may happen to have more of one kind of specialist than others, with correspondingly more or better equipment for that speciality. Me ...the hospital where they try to find out what's wrong with my brain (neurology), is different from where they prescribe and calibrate my breathing machine (respiratory).

Triage and queuing are a backbone of the NHS. "Who is likely to die first if not treated soonest" is the first determinant of who gets to the front of the queue fastest. Second is age ... a teenager with a buggered up knee is likely to get seen sooner than a 58 year old. Third is ... well ... place in the queue. There are a LOT of people at any one time, queuing up. They've been referred by their doctors to the specialist centres.

Queuing to see a specialist may be about three months. If a specialist recommends an operation ... that queue can be up to 18 months. In order to make the numbers look better for auditing and end-of-year reports, then there are sometimes Queues to get ON queues ..... You'll hear people saying "Oh, I've waited SIX months to be given an appointment" This is how statements like "people get seen within three months" are 'supported'. They don't get given the appontment UNTIL that criterion can be fulfilled.

Another slowdown can be the general practitioner h/imself, who, trying to minimise the local budget-expenditure, will hold back referring someone, trying, in the first place, to heal with 'let time do its work' and painkiller, which, after a couple of years without success, becomes suspiciously like STALLING. (own angst re own health agenda bursting out a little here!)

I hope that paints a useful picture of how things work over here, and I also hope someone'll come in to rebalance what is essentially a slightly biased and jaundiced view of our system (which - regardless of my jaundice, I 1, 000, 000 times rather have than the US system)

 

My friend has just been diagnosed, her symptoms included puking up what looked like dog drool every morning.
Instead of your own GP, you might get more luck with a locum. You can see a specialist privately to put your mind at rest - probably about a hundred squid - but you may buy peace of mind - or a fast track on NHS.
Next time you feel it - what about A&E? They are thorough and fast. You might be waiting a few hours - but you would only spend even more time worrying anyway.

 

HI everyone

Weekend has gone well so far for the pain, I have managed to eat a few bowls of special K cereal in small amounts or frozen garden peas that I cook. They don't seem to make me hurt so much. So far any form of fat makes me double up in agony. I am seeing the GP Thursday so will let you know what happens then.
I miss bread , actually I miss all food.
Through limiting my diet I didn't have any of the acute pain to warrant A+E over the weekend, so I am going to keep up with my weird but limited diet until Thursday.
I'll let you know x thanks for the concern

 

Best of luck yo you, cwtch38. While my gall bladder symptoms were drastically different, I will note that your description fits that of both my mother and sister rather closely, both of whom have been diagnosed with diverticulitis. This is a condition in which small bulges or voids appear in the intestines, and feces can become trapped in them, leading to inflammation and/or infection. Just something else as a possibility to bring up with your doctor.