Posted , 8 users are following.
Scheduled for surgery in a week and I'm probably in denial but looking for your comments on this. I have been constantly sick for 9 months. Started out nausea that had me in bed several weeks. Had an US and bloodwork. US showed gallstones and sludge. Saw the Dr a few weeks later and he did a endoscopy and colonoscopy. Mild gastritis and esophagitis. Then pain is below sternum in the middle like I had been punched in the stomach which lasted several weeks. Now pain is in middle of stomach. Again like I've been punched and the fist is still inside. No pain on right side under rib cage or pain that radiates up to my right shoulderblade. Had hida scan which showed ef 4%. My symptoms don't seem to me to be classic symptoms. Anyone else have these symptoms? Oh yeah and I burp a lot.
1 like, 24 replies
robax Timmie25
Posted
I had none of the classic symptoms when I looked it up online. But a year of severe pain finally came to an end when I ended up in A&E unable to eat or drink and without any relief from the pain. I had been told it was probably IBS. I had no right side pain until the very last couple of days, and that punched in the stomache feeling also didn't occur until the morning I was admitted. But boy did I suffer throught the year!
Get yourself into hospital and on the path to surgery if that's being offered. I only had a couple of tiny stones that didn't show up, but they sure caused a lot of trouble. A friend's partner had no stones, but scarring on the gallbladder and had the same trouble. I've been amazed how much better my digestion is since removal.. but note that everyone is different and the 3-4 bulletpointed symptoms you'll find on Google don't cover it. Regarding the surgery.. you won't even notice it. Easiest thing you've done in your life. Just look forward to it all being over.
Timmie25 robax
Posted
robax Timmie25
Posted
I had to wait in hospital 3 days for my surgeon to come back from holiday. I couldn't eat do they just kept me on a drip. They did indicate they would have operated immediately if I was going to die, but as I was otherwise healthy they wanted to wait for the expert... I was fine with that.
After the op I was ravenous as I hadn't eaten properly for more than a week. I ate a big breakfast in town the next morning and it was the best meal I've ever had. I've had zero issues eating anything and everything... all the things I'd avoided for so long, and that I thought I'd never be able to eat again. You'll be very happy when it's over.
Timmie25 robax
Posted
Sorry you had to wait on your surgeon. That's what I'm worried about. I really felt good about him at my consultation. I'm glad everything went so well for you that's encouraging. Have you had any trouble with weight gain? That's a concern for me as I have read that others have had this problem.
robax Timmie25
Posted
The only way one can gain unwanted weight after gallbladder removal is to eat too much. Being able to eat again afterwards is enjoyable and some people would definitely overeat, but that's a behavioural problem rather than anything physiological. Removing a glabbladder doesn't make one fat.
One thing I did wrong was not go to A&E, mainly because I thought I had IBS and that the attacks were when I had got my diet wrong, but also because I couldn't face sitting there for hours in pain when I thought they couldn't really do anything. Of course, now I do know that they could have done something because it wasn't IBS at all. I wish I'd known months earlier that it could have been gallstones and avoided the suffering. If you can get into A&E and if it doesn't cost you thousands like some people have to pay, then I would do it and make sure they know how much it hurts. I could have been relaxing on a morphine drip overnight instead of writhing in agonizing pain at home.
Don't worry about the surgery, prepare to diet if you have eating problems, and yes, get into A&E if you are able. The fact that you can tell them what you have and that you need serious pain relief makes it all a lot easier for them to deal with... i.e. they don't have to diagnose it first. Make sure you come back and tell everyone how you're getting along afterwards.
Timmie25 robax
Posted
I am pretty much always on a low fat low calorie diet and it's still hard for me to lose weight. I use to walk for an hour a day before all this started and that of course helped. I just worried that having my gallbladder out might make my metabolism slower or in some way make it harder to lose weight. I don't have that much weight to lose but I'm hoping that won't be a problem.
I'm not at the point that I need to go to the emergency room. As long as it doesn't get worse I can tough it out until next Monday. I will let everyone know how things go. Thanks for your comment😁
katherine42413 Timmie25
Posted
Hi temi, don't worry about loosing weight, I lost a few pounds after surgery because you don't feel like eating or eating very little and I'm finding it hard to put weight back on. Surgery shouldn't make any difference to your metabolism all they say is because you can eat more than you did before just be careful but if you're eating healthily anyway and normal size portions it shouldn't be a problem.
Just take it easy after surgery, I only eat small amounts but you'll still be sore and you don't really fancy alot anyway.
Look after yourself and keep posting on here xx
rachel05155 robax
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Did they see your stones on a scan? I am to the point I can't eat anything without severe pain and I have no stones on any scans.
robax rachel05155
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You definitely don't need to see stones in the scan to have severe pain, nor do you even have to have stones to have gallbladder pain. I did have two small ones. The guy scanning said he was pretty sure I had some but couldn't really see them. They operated based on that and my other symptoms.
An friend's partner has just had hers out a week ago and yesterday ate a whole bag of chips that would have sent her into hospital before the op. Her scans showed no stones and they didn't find any, but apparently her bladder was quite scarred. She's feeling much better now. She'd had a year of severe pain attacks prior, as had I.
My gut came to a complete standstill at the end. I couldn't eat or drink and I felt bloated and massively constipated, which really I wasn't.
If you aren't on the path to a full diagnosis and surgery, then do whatever you can to get on it asap.
elly_78418 Timmie25
Posted
Hey, I saw your post and just wanted to comment. Had my gallbladder out on march 2nd, and haven't felt this good since October 2016!! I just now started to eat those foods that triggered attacks, in moderation of course and the best thing I can tell you is to keep to the bland foods after surgery until such time that you feel up to eating a bit of a broader range keeping that of course in moderation. I lost a total of 40lbs in 5 months due to the limitations in my diet, but with willpower and determination you should be able to get back to your normal diet before you know it. Don't rush things take it slow and easy and you should be right as rain in no time. I didn't think I would actually go thru with the surgery but am so glad I did, and I am sure you will be too, just remember to not rush things and all the best to you!!!
Timmie25 elly_78418
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Thanks for the encouragement elly! Coffee has been the worst trigger for me and because i was feeling better today i chanced the coffee. Big mistake and why i am now in pain in bed with the heating pad.😣
smigger15 Timmie25
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Hi temi, just wanted to say hello and comment on your pain. I too am scheduled for surgery on 24th, and it won't come soon enough! The pain you're having really sounds like bad constipation to me, simple as it might sound, I'm getting similar types of pain. I've never had constipation so bad since this gallbladder trouble and it's very very uncomfortable. It also doesn't relieve when you finally go to bathroom... I hope you're pain free very soon and you make a speedy recovery from your op.
Timmie25 smigger15
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Hi smigger! It's not constipation with me. Actually I've been more regular since all this started. Thanks for the well wishes. My wish is the same for you!
katherine42413 Timmie25
Posted
Hi Temi, I'm 11 days post op and still very sore and have pain but I expect this is all due to the healing process.
I note that you have gallstones and sludge but also that your ef is only 4% so you gallbladder isn't working and will get worse if you don't have it removed. My ef was 14% but now gallstones causing my pain. Its likely that its the gallbladder causing alot of pain and not all be the gallstones.
There are a variety of symptoms and we don't all have classic symptoms, mine changed from being sick, weight loss and not being able to eat at all to increased pain and having a limited diet so don't worry about what you're experiencing.
Your gallbladder isn't working so must come out regardless of the stones.
I hope everything goes well for your surgery, my nurses were excellent as I'd never had an operation before so I was extremely nervous. I'm not going to say its a walk in the park as I'm still on the road to recovery and even with that some people recover much quicker than others just don't rush it, let your body tell you when your ready..
Let us know how you get on, good luck x
Timmie25 katherine42413
Posted
Hi Katherine! Did you need someone to be there at home to help you after? My mom was going to be here but my brother just found out he's going to have his leg amputated so CLEARLY that's the bigger issue but I don't know what to expect as far as doing things myself.
katherine42413 Timmie25
Posted
Hi Temi, you only need to have someone with you for the first 24 hours because of the anaesthetic. I had my surgery later morning and went home early evening so I only needed to have someone with me until lunchtime the following day. To be honest the next day you will sleep most of it and it'll be the 2nd day that you'll be able to make yourself a cuppa but you will get very tired and possible dizzy and light headed from the surgery. As they use gas in your stomach you'll find that you do have pain in your shoulders but this is normal so they advised me to keep taking some anti inflammatories and pain relief.
If you keep talking to us on here then different people will be able to advise you.
I've been lucky in that Carmella on here and I only had our surgery a day apart so you'll find that appart from the first couple of days after surgery we've been in contact regularly since to help each other through it. So just keep messaging and we'll reply.
Good luck xx
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