Gallstones....you know the story....

hi

i know how you feel. i have had gallstones for months now. i am regually admitted to the hospital where i spend 24-48 hours each time!

i have got my opperation on the 29th if i last that long. i have only been out of hospital for 4 days and it is looking like i might have to go back in again tonight.

i am not lookin forward to it though as my veins are all crap due to the canulars being put in my hands and arms. i am covered in scars from the canulars. it took 4 attempts last time.

they have told me next time they think they will have to go in my foot! ouch. so if i can stay at home i will do.

i hope you get your op date soon.

and as for any tips on copin with the pain im sorry i dont have any. the attacks are usualy brought on by fatty foods. but not the case for me. mine are linked to my hormones. i always have bad attacks around my period.

keep us posted and welcome to the board

louise - good luck for the 29th - i hope you have not been addmitted tonight and have some relife - i know what you mean about diificult viens - when i was first admitted late at night with jaundice it took them over an hour to canulate me - the woman in the next bed was laying awake hearing them the other side of the curtain and amazed i did not make a fuss! each time the failed they taped another cotton wool ball to me and eventually called an on call peditrician to get in to a vein - thank goodness i was begining to look like a sheep .. on a further admission i had to soak my hands in hot water for 15 mins to allow my viens to surface to be canulated - when i had my op the aneatisistist looked at my feet and decided against it - and told me if he did not get into a vein in my hands he was goiny into my neck!! this caused me to panic and my blood pressure went up allowing access into my wrist - there are ways and means, it would seem!!

as to the food - yes fat is bad - i had it easier than most being a veggie for most of my life i cut out cheese and alcohol and found ways of making my favorite dishes without fat - home made soup and smoothies were a life saver - herbs and spices became fiends to add flaver to the vegigies not gained through frying - i also tried to make everything i ate count towards good nutrician swithching to brown rice, pasta and noodles i ate more fruit, salad and veg than ever before - i sill had times when i felt sick and could not face food but it helped knowing i was buildinng up my stores of good food - i have always eaten beans and lentils but just ate them more and discovered chick peas to make up for the protien i was missing from cheese. unfortunatly i have no tips with meat based diets except to up veggies and use pulses to reduce the amount of animal protiens in the diet and stick to lean cuts of meat, but i hope this helps. good luck.

vix

oh louise you poor hun, periods and gallstones....now that is a recipe for Hell.

Everytime i go cue doc these days i get a shot of tramadol and get sent home, theyve even gave me it in capsules to take at home.

How do yo uknow when an attack is goin to come on? a couple of nights ago i had a really achey side and thought here we go but i managed to get to sleep and i never had one (unlessi was having a baby one and could cope with the pain?!)

anyways good look for the 29th, let me kno how it goes.

Ohh ive also discovered that tomatos makes me sore and bring on my attacks...wheres the fat in tomatos, somebody told me its the seeds in the is that true?

Amy xx

hi

just like to say how nice it is to see people using the board (not that it is nice to see you are all talkin about pain) i find it helpful and useful to read and reply to others posts.

well, i managed to stay out of hospital last night. only just but managed it. i had to take my tramadol and paracetamol and ibuprofen. im on that many tablets lately i feel i should rattle when i walk!

i just keep thinkin to myself, not much longer to wait. im on the countdown now. i cant believe it is next week and im excited! i suppose that sounds really odd but the pain gets that bad. i just need to get rid of it.

this months attack has outlasted my period. usualy goes when period finishes but this one is hanging on in there. im alright in a morning and up till about dinner then the aching starts and then wham im in agony!

well i hope your all feelin better than i am

louise

age 29 with 2 kids age 7 and 10

I know the rattle feeling, but remember better in fixing the pain then i a jar!!!

i dont know how you manage you admoirable, i lucky i have nobody to look after but me so when the pain hits i hit the tramadol and go to bed (as it makes me very sleepy!).

the docs gave me some new tablets diclofcen (voltern or summat) but when i had that injected it didnt relieve the pain, so he injected the tramadol for me. no sure whether to get the prescription or not? have you tried it?

Ax

hi

i have not had a tranadol injection. i have a cupboard full

of the pills though. im just glad i dont pay for perscriptions (being a single mum)

they dont always work though, so that is when i have to go in hospital an go on the morphine.

i know what u mean about the tramadol makin you tired. im just glad my children are not babies. dont know how i would cope then.

I've been reading this board since I had a scan in november and the doctor told me I had gall stones,I have had rib and stomach pain for over 12 months off and on ,I put it down to arthiritis which I have in alot of in my joints,after the scan ,I had the camera down my throat to check my stomach(hated having that ) ,but now I have the date for my gall bladder to be removed,its the 4th of february ,I'm at the should or shouldn't I stage :?

I have read loads of the posts on here to try to sort it out in my mind and I'm still confused or maybe I'm just scared

Hope it goes ok for you Louise.

Well guys i just had a call from the hospital and im going for my op tomorrow. ive never felt as relieved in my life.

ill let you know how it all goes.

much love Amy xx

wow thats quick Amy, good luck for tomorrow - you will be in my thoughts. when you are feeling up to it let us know how you are doing.

vix

Maybe I have just been very lucky with my pain levels - only had one bought where I begged for a kitchen knife to DIY surgery myself as it was so bad, but then the drugs kicked in. lol. Anyway I tend to look at life very logically. Sometimes it makes things very difficult, but others it seems people get impressed... don't know - but here goes....

Gallstones - current medical science suggests removal of the gallbladder is the only 'solve all' solution, so when you go to the hospital, unless you have emergency surgery, then they only can treat the symptoms as the Gallbladder is already considered diseased and damaged beyond repair. So I set out to learn exactly what a Gallstone attack is and does to the body on a medical level. Then I set out to treat each of the individual symptoms on their own...hope that makes sense.

I treat myself as listed below - but please always consult your doctor and pharmacist - particularly if you are on other medication!!!

When I have given this list of my over the counter, self treatments, to medical people they have all been impressed, although on the attack bits, that is a lot to be taking in one go, but it helps me, and the surgeon actually advises some of his patients of this list now.

Daily - 3 times a day, I take with food (just before the first mouthful:

Buscopan (anti-spasmodic also slows the spasms of the gallbladder)

Colpermin (peppermint oil capsule to soothe the gut)

Gavilast (Anti-acid tablet to calm the stomach)

If I feel sick, at any time, I take Ginger Root Capsules (Holland and Barret) and I also take every couple days 3 xLiquorice Root Capsules (old remedy for digestive disorders also from Holland and Barret). Although be careful as both have on occassion made my Gallstones grumble a little...nothing that I couldn't ride out though with just a little screwed up face every now and again.

When I start feeling the oncoming first symptoms of an attack, as soon as the slightest warning sign appears, I immediately take:

2 x Iburofen tablets (brings down temperature and imflammation)

2 x Windeze Tablets - not gel caps (to help with the build up of gas)

1 x Pepcidtwo tablet (instant anti-acid)

1 x Gavilast tablet (long acting anti-acid)

When the attack has truely set in (usually 3 or 4 hours have passed by) I ride it out until about 30mins before I estimate the main peak pain hits - or until I wimp out, lol - and then take:

1 x Buscopan (anti-spasmodic also slows the spasms of the gallbladder)

1 x Colpermin (peppermint oil capsule to soothe the gut)

1 x Gavilast (Long acting Anti-acid tablet to calm the stomach)

2 x Windeze tablets - not gel caps (to help with the dispersal of built up gas)

1 x Pepcidtwo tablet (instant anti-acid)

3 x Iburofen tablets (brings down temperature and imflammation)

1 x Diclofenac tablet (Prescription Painkiller)

2 x Co-Dyramol (Prescription Painkiller)

5ml of Gavilast Liquid

Then crawl into bed and ride it out by usually biting pillows, tossing and turning, fighting with the hot water bottle, crying, trying to relax and breathe calmly, and praying that the painkillers kick in and help faster this time too. I found it so important to try and recognise all the early signs and act on them. If I am sick and bring them up within the first 20 minutes, and the tablets are still relatively in their forms, I retake them all. If they are partially dissolved, I simply take everything but the Diclofenac, and only take 2 Nurofen and 1 Co-Dyramol. And drink a few mouthfuls of water.

Ok - thats how I deal with it. Buscopan is available on the NHS, or over the counter, and I take it daily - it is apparently very good for calming gallstone attacks.... well it would be, as it will slow down the contractions of the gallbladder around the stones.

I hope it helps someone else, but please please please, check with your doctor before buying all this, and taking it!!!! I can't be held responsible for anything that happens

hello guys,

im home and good..its like an instant relief no pain in my side no more, even though i have tender tummy and is a bit difficult to move ect the surgeon says i should be good in 7-10 days.

got four incisions on the tummy not going to be much scaing at all.got a bit of a sore chest where the tubes must have been, but all worth it in the end.

having paracetamols (and yes i battered the morphine when i cam round as it felt like i was having an attack until the drugs kicked in!!!).

i was sick a few times but i think that was the reaction to the drugs.

overall glad im home and glad i had it done.

amy x

ps. nobody told me about the pain that the gas's they pump into you gives you. i had the sharpest pain in my shoulder, but wonce i had a good burp n was sick it went away

xx

glad all went well and your doing well.

vix