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biliary colic help??

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Crystal17
Crystal17

Hi, my name is Chrissie im 19 and have recently been in hospital due to severe abdominal pain. Blood tests showed my liver function was abnormal. They said they "thought" i may have a gallstone in my liver and gave me codiene and paracetamol and busapan. And made an appointment for a couple days later in out patients for an ultrasound.

The ultrasound showed i only had one small gallstone in my gallbladder. And they didnt underdtand why that small stone xould be causing me so much pain.

I have had numerous occasions in the last 5months of extreme upper stomach pains. (It started when i was 7/8months pregnant) sometimes i can manage at home by curling up in a ball and just crying out in pain. And other times ive had to go to A&E.

After the ultrasound i was given antibiotics for a possible infection (there were no whiye blood cells or signs i had an infection)

And given ibrupfen and more paracetamol. (Which do not even slightly touch the pain)

They made me another appointment for my liver function blood tests to be checked. And once again for the third time my liver function is "abnormal" the doctor says it is biliary colic and i should be ok. The hospital have booked me in for an MRI scan on the 26th September.

But today I can feel the pain is coming on again. The pain isnt as severe as it usually is. And fingers crossed it doesnt get that bad. But im not sure what to do. Do i go back to A&E if it gets worse or do i stick it out at home and just wait for it to pass.

I have a 12week old baby that i cant even bend down to pick up or cuddle for long because any pressure on my stomach hurts more. Im so fed up of the pain. And dont know what more i can do.

They mentioned that eating less fatty foods can help. But does anyone have any tips? Or anything that can relieve the pain a little?

Sorry for the long post. Xx

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • michelle_34992
    michelle_34992 Crystal17

    Posted

    Pregnancy is a known trigger for gallstones. Have they not recommended surgery to remove your gallbladder? You're obviously suffering a lot. I'm having mine removed on the 14th Sept. Was diagnosed in April, my lover function hasn't altered but surgeon reccommded removal as I've had 2 severe attacks.
    • Crystal17
      Crystal17 michelle_34992

      Posted

      Hi Michelle.

      They said they could discuss removal in the future. Would it be an option for me to ask them if and when they can remove my gallbladder? Or would i have to wait to see what they say?

      Im really glad they arenremoving yours. I hope it all goes well xx

    • michelle_34992
      michelle_34992 Crystal17

      Posted

      Hi Katie, Tom has some good advice. However my attacks appear to occur quite randomly as I hadn't eaten much fat at all when I had the first one. I too was advised a low fat diet. Definitely ask about your options and let them know how it is affecting you. I've only had 2 severe attacks but both sent me to hospital as they lasted hours and I needed IV morphine. I do get niggles of pain mostly everyday but these are bearable however the surgeon said once they start giving you serious pain it is better to remove them due to risk of infection, pancreatitis.

      Good luck with the mrcp I hope you are pain free soon.

  • Tom_Peters
    Tom_Peters Crystal17

    Posted

    Hi Chrissie, Sorry you're going through this and in such difficult circumstances as well.  sad  Of course you can ask them about whether they can remove your gallbladder. I would think your MRI booked for the 26th is a special kind of MRI called an MRCP scan which looks at the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. That'll tell them exactly what is going on and the options will be clearer.  

    Meanwhile, if it is your gallbladder causing the pain, fat is the key.  When you eat fat once it gets to the start of the intestine, on leaving the stomach, the body senses how much fat is in the food coming down. It makes a hormone that sends a message to the gallbladder to give a squirt of bile according to how much fat it senses. Bile, of course, digests the fat.  If you aim for zero fat (which is impossible as almost all food has some fat in it) you will reduce the risk of a pain. You need some fat of course.  Probably around 30g per day maybe more if you're breastfeeding (then you should ask at your surgery what the dietician recommends) maybe try spreading the fat out across the day?  

    Lots of people find painkillers don't work well though Buscopan seems to work well for many.

    • Crystal17
      Crystal17 Tom_Peters

      Posted

      Thank you Tom for replying.

      I will start a low fat diet straight away. Anything that can help will be great!

      And yes thats right its an MRCP yes. I did wonder what that meant so thank you!

      Hopefully they will be able to give me some more information after the scan. And hopefully i will be able to get the gallbladder removed. The pain today seems to have stayed the same and it hasnt got worse like it usually does. So thats a bonus! But no pain at all would be even better!

    • Tom_Peters
      Tom_Peters Crystal17

      Posted

      By the way, the thing you really need to watch for is infection.  If your temperature rises and stays up for a while, shivers, nausea and vomiting, and sweats are all a sign of infection.  In that case you need to see a Dr right away because an infected gallbladder is dangerous.  There are quite a few here with gallbladder problems sharing information -- you'll probably find you have automatically subscribed to gallbladder posts and threads.  You can learn a lot by staying in touch with those here, many of whom have had the op or are waiting for it.  
  • hannah051085
    hannah051085 Crystal17

    Posted

    I too am sorry you're going through the mill at the moment. This site and the people on it are fantastic and offer great advice and have helped me know end. I've been 12 weeks in constand pain after several hospital stays & infections etc and finally have my op in October and I cannot wait. I find hot water bottles and sipping water help along with very strong pain killers but buscapan is the saviour. The only painkillers that have worked for me are diclofenac supositries however.I cannot function as they knock me out. I was told by my Dr that codine can agrivate already existing gallbladder problems in some people so might be worth looking at alternative relief. Good luck and keep at the drs xxxx
  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 Crystal17

    Posted

    Yes eating less fatty foods will definitely help.

    Try if you can to be on a NO fat diet.

    This is very difficult.

    What you have to look out for here is if you become jaundiced (yellow eyes and skin)

    If this happens they will proably need to tke your gallbladder out sooner rather than later.

    I had my gallbladder out at end of April having been diagnosed with gallstones.

    Like you the stones weren't that big and not that many.

    However the pain was really bad.

    I found having a hot water bottle on my stomach did help.

    Also I was on tramadol and ended up on a botttle of liquid morphine.

    I would ask if you can be put on waiting list to have your gallbladder removed. Bear in mind that is only the start of it, the waiting list can be 6 - 9 months so you atleast need to be at the bottom of that list as soon as possible.

    Take care and keep in touch

    Sarah

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