People vs. gallbladder dyskinesia - a complete how-to on battling the pain and getting a good night'

Hey there everybody,

Reading your stories makes me really compassionate about your situation. I'm the lucky one with a properly functioning gallbladder, but my fiancée is not as lucky. Seeing her suffering from this disorder, which sometimes seems to strike without any apparent reason, I've become inclined to find a solution to it or at least some reliable remedies. After a lengthy browsing of internet for clues, I've compiled a list of all the suggestions and then proceeded to try them all out.

For all the people that will be looking for answers in the future, I'd like to share some methods that are proven to work and could be your best friend in the hardest moments. They can greatly reduce the pain, bring comfort, relief and even put to sleep.

1. The magic potion of relief and happiness. Mix one cup of apple juice, one freshly squeezed lemon, a teaspoon of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) and a tablespoon of apple vinegar. It's good to dissolve the magnesium sulfate in hot water before mixing with the rest, as it's more soluble in higher temperatures. Stir well and serve mildly hot - more or less at body temperature. You'll be surprised how effective it is. It can really suppress the attack within 15-20 minutes, and regular drinking can shrink the magnitude of future attacks. I advise you to prepare some in advance to always have it at hand. For those unsure of the taste - it's actually quite good, and easily beats the taste of any medicine you know.

2. Bring on the heat. Warming up the surroundings of the gallbladder can reduce the pain temporarily. It's not a permanent solution, but works well in augmenting other methods. Hot bath or jacuzzi seems to be perfect for that, but as not everybody has access to them, a hot shower on the back and in the front at the bottom of the ribcage can also be beneficial. Don't forget to take a hot water bottle with you wherever you go. This could be your best friend when the pain strikes you outside of your home or access to other remedies. I strongly recommend buying a dry variant of it - it's usually shaped as a kid's plush toy and contains dried cherry pellets. You can heat it within two minutes in any microwave and it comes with an insulation, so it's harder to burn yourself than in case of using a hot water bottle. Plus it makes a cute present.

3. Mind the position. Apparently the gallbladder works the best if you lay down and position yourself on your left side. Putting a pillow under your body strengthens the effect, although every morning I find my fiancée holding the pillow under her head. I guess you cannot win with some of the most basic reflexes Nevertheless it's one of the most basic techniques and you can apply it instantly, even while you're reading it just now.

4. Know where to press. Another breakthrough in battling the gallbladder dyskinesia happened when I've learnt some massaging techniques from YouTube. You can easily find them there, but for those interested in a quick fix, here are two techniques:

a) Upper massage. The gallbladder is located roughly at the place where your ribcage ends. Most sources place it on the right side of the body, but in case of my fiancée is more in the middle and even a bit to the left. Put some oil or massage lotion and by applying medium pressure, massage the area around while trying to locate something that feels round and exceptionally hard under the skin. When you have located it, put your thumbs parallel and start pressing from the top. You want to do it quite strong - your arms should feel tired after all the procedure. Remember to not move your fingers while pressing, as it can bring more pain then relief. Once pressed, keep your fingers there at least for thirty seconds. After a while, you should hear some juices starting to flow inside. This is when you know that you're going the right way. Release the tension, move your thumbs a bit lower and repeat. It can be a discomfort for the person in pain, but soon a significant relief should come. Massage till you feel that the gallbladder is less hard. Repeat daily before going to sleep. For a relief without the help of other people you should pick up this basic massaging tool at your local sport shop - it has a pyramidal shape with balls of different size at the ends. It can be a substitute, although remember to be laying on your back while doing it, so the tension of your abdominal muscles is not working against you.

b) Foot massage. Yup. However this might seem to be ridiculous in terms of contemporary approach to medicine, it really works and it's a fine supplement of the massage described above. Google up "gallbladder foot massage" and open a pic of the feet with different areas assigned to specific organs. The space responsible for the relief of the gallbladder is located roughly in the middle of the right foot, a bit to the right from centre. Massage it with even, circular motion by using a thumb or index and middle fingers joined together. In a moment you should feel/hear juice moving through the gallbladder. Massaging the whole width of the foot in this place (responsible for the liver) seems to be helpful too.

5. Ask your doctor for medication. It was a real revelation when my fiancée has tried Buscopan for the first time. Within 30 minutes it can significantly reduce the pain and when combined with other methods, can bring it down to manageable levels. I strongly advise to use the suppository variant as it's the most effective way of application and could be the only one for people with lactose intolerance.

6. Ask your friend for unofficial medication. Or drop by your local green pharmacy, if you happen to live in a place where it's legal. Cannabis steadily comes back into public awareness as a medicine - more and more people start to embrace it's health benefits, rather than focus on stigmatization of recreational use. By far it's the fastest way of dealing with gallbladder pain I know of. Not to mention the sedative effects which can put you to sleep with little effort. CBD rich strains seem to work better than THC-heavy - you should be rather looking for indicas than sativas. Since we're talking about medication, I also advise you to use a vaporizer, rather than smoking a joint or ripping a bong. They do come with a price, but when the pain hits, I guess you could pay any price to be free of it. Stock some herb, charge your battery and don't let the next attack surprise you. As for some people this method may seem controversial, I don't advise doing it if you feel unsecure about the legality of your actions or if it's against your moral code. Other methods do most of the work, so this one is not necessary, although I wouldn't mention it if it wasn't a significant contribution.

7. Watch what you eat. This is not directly a method that can reduce the magnitude of the attack, but it can definitely limit the number of future attacks and their impact. Sweets, fatty foods and meat in general tend to be your worst choices. Focus on eating veggies, fruits (acidic ones work the best) and whole-grain foods. Doesn't sound like your favourite meal, but the trade-off is that you can prevent or limit future attacks. I'm not saying that you should become a vegetarian and give up on candies - there is a sweet spot for everybody and it's possible to enjoy your favourite burger if consumed once in a time, but it will be up to you to find it. Please mind that sometimes diet is not linked directly to the problem, as it can stem from hormonal dysfunctions too.

And that would be it, folks. By combining these methods on a daily basis you can really suppress the pain and bring it to  manageable levels. What is best, my fiancée started to sleep through all the night without being waken up by pain. And this can be a major game-changer as far as your quality of life is concerned.

I hope that these methods will prove helpful to you. I have tested more than that, and I can swear by those above that they really work. If you're not sure whether to trust them, mix yourself a cup of apple juice with a freshly squeezed lemon. You'll feel the difference and will be inclined to explore this how-to further.

Feel free to share those with other people, as gallbladder dysfunctions are not widely known nor studied. Even doctors seem to be unaware of the extent and frequency of this disorder, by often misdiagnosing them with pancreatic issues. Especially taking under consideration the alternative approach of most of the described methods.

Remember! If you're in a pain you cannot handle, don't be a hero and go straight to the ER. They'll take care of you, and you'll have another day to try out the methods above.

Happy 2018 to you gall!

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