1. Community
  2. Liver and gallbladder
  3. Gallbladder Problems

THOUGHT IT WAS A HEART ATTACK AT FIRST

Posted , 4 users are following.

Guest
Guest

The first time was very worrying , i rang the hospital who advised me to drink warm water, the pain just crept up on me and finally went through to my back as if somebody was putting a knife through me .... impossible to lie down just had to sit in a chair for approx 4 - 5 hours before the pain in the chest & back subsided, having my back rubbed seemed to help, bringing up wind, but must have drank around 6 cups of warm water..... whilst the pain is there the stomache feels bruised just under the rib and to the centre as if somebody has kicked you, however once the pains gone it goes back to normal, just leaves you feeling drained. Finally after 5 years have had gallsones diagnosed,only because they carried out an Endescopic Ultrasound, the normal jelly on the belly one did not detect it.......... now waiting for the Gall Bladder to be removed.

Hope this helps you !

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi.

    I thought I was having an heart attack the first time as well and so did the doctor who attended me at the emergency clinic, until that is she checked my heart rate etc, and I felt stupid because the pain actually went when she was checking me!! I told her so too and she said straight away you have gallstones, she arranged a scan and then I found out i have loads of them. I too am waiting for surgery I have one stone stuck in my bile duct but I still have to wait for a date. I find that rubbing my back helps but at the end of the day Nothing gets rid of the pain you just have to go with it and hope it doesn't last long.

    Warning:

    My last attack was really bad it lasted 5 hours and then I was left with pain in my right rib for nearly two weeks I kept going back to the doctor who just kept changing my pain killers, and then he decided to try anti biotics which cleared the pain away with in 24 hours so evidently it was an infection so if you have continous pain for days on end you probably need anti biotics! I was a bit annoyed with my GP for not prescribing them sooner it would have saved a lot of pain.

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Yes, I thought it could be a heart attack... it was so painful... I thought I could be dying!!! The pain was stabbing, very central, far worse than any pain I experienced in childbirth. I also felt very hot... all I could do was lie on the floor hyperventilating and groaning! My mother called an ambulance but they were unsure as apparently the pain wasn't supposed to be central!! they thought it was severe food poisoning.. but I knew that couldn't be right as I had eaten the same as my mother. The symptoms eased considerably after I vomited violently which made the paramedics even more sure it had to be stomach related. Only after a week of uncomfortable bloated and achy feelings that were not remotely eased by gaviscon did the doctor suggest it may be gallstones, and the scan showed one massive stone ... the doctor seemed almost impressed.
  • LellyM
    LellyM

    Posted

    Until diagnosis the attacks are terrifying. I was almost afraid to go to the doctor as i was convinced I had something terminal.

    When it had gone on for 3 days I gave in and the lovely lady on NHSDirect put my mind at rest.

  • Dooky1330
    Dooky1330 Guest

    Posted

    I was diagnosed with gallstones. I thought i had food poisoning and i had chest pains. So i immediately went to the hospital. My stomach aches so much. The doctor says stick to a low fat diet. I wanted to know what type of seasoning one can use on the food. Can you use garlic powder, salt, onion powder etc. I want to make sure. Don't want to trigger no pain

  • j45947
    j45947 Guest

    Posted

    Experienced exactly the same as you described. Had gallbladder removed in Oct 2010 after episodes of excruciating pain. Gallstones detected in bile duct so needed a ERCP to remove prior to bladder removal Afterwards I was advised to change to a low fat diet, Did I listen..... No and 2 hours ago I was discharged from hospital after 3 days and 2 nights. Experienced the intense pain again in my chest but thought it was a heart attack. Was taken to hospital on blues and after many hours on the ECG and morphine for the pain it wasn't a heart attack. I explained to the dr that the pain was similar to pre gallbladder removal. Today after many blood tests and a stomach scan they found a gall stone about 1cm in length and stuck in the bile duct. Next step is a follow up blood test in 10-14 days plus an MRI to check there isn't more than 1 then I go back for another ERCP to remove stone(s). If I hadn't learnt from 2010 then I have now. I'm changing my diet to a low fat as I can't do this anymore, it's scary. I wouldn't hesitate in telling anyone to change the diet to stop this once and for all.

  • carmella36657
    carmella36657 Guest

    Posted

    Hi i thought the same thing when i had this major gallstone attack about 3 months ago and since then ive never felt the same i still feel very bad pain on my right side and when i sit up for to long it gets worse. Its so bad i cant even go in the car for long now. I also get other really strange symptoms with my gallstones aswell like flu type symptoms and generally feeling unwell. I just posted about all my symptoms today as i was getting scared if i was the only person feeling this bad or if theres something else going on and not just gallstones. Im also waiting for my gallbladder to be removed im on the hot list which is like a emergency list as its getting so bad ive also been to A&E like 7 times and got admitted into hospital twice and now my liver is not right now because of the gallstones. I hope you feel better when you have your surgery and keep me updated on how it goes from carmella.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.