People who've had gall bladder attacks?

The doctor should be able to give you a good idea of what's going on but it does sound like gallbladder issues to me!

Mine definitely acts up if I eat anything too fatty or greasy, and it used to be so bad all I could do was lie down in pain until it subsided... Now if I start to get one, I take a shotglass full of organic apple cider vinegar and chase it with a big glass of water. Tastes awful but it's honestly the only thing that helps short of getting it surgically removed.

I actually just started a "gallbladder cleanse" today, I can't vouch for the product yet but the reviews were good! Look up Cleanse Drops, you take them according to the directions and also drink half of your body weight (in ounces, so I'm 191, I have to drink ~96 ounces of water daily while I'm doing the cleanse), other people claim it's made a huge difference in their gallbladder problems :flowerforyou:

i had mine taken out, my gallbladder was to thick so it wasnt even functioning. But it was CRAZY bad pains, that would cause me to double over in pain, itd also feel like a rock under my ribs right in the middle, vomiting, nausea, like you said no comfortable position to lay in, sit in anything, to me it sounds like gallbladder, the surgery isnt bad leaves you with 3 little scars

I have a friend who had her gallbladder out, but it didn't stop her sickness. She found out later that she is allergic to MSG. She says that MSG can overstimulate the gallbladder, so the symptoms looked like her gallbladder was the problem. (I may not have that all correct). Chinese food is notorious for having msg. It's worth asking the dr about.

Pizza also usually has MSG

My gallbladder attack was so bad I thought I was DYING! I was up in the middle of the night calling my doctors after hours number.
I realized what is was as I talked to her.Stronger than labour pains.

I was given the choice of going to emergency that night or to office in the morning. Youngest was still nursing frequently so I waited until morning. Was referred to surgeon and we made a date to remove it.

One attack was enough for me!

Surgery was motivating tho. I'd load youngest up in stroller and walk in the evenings or take all 3 out and I lost some of the post baby weight while waiting for surgery date.

I had one gallbladder attack, no warnings prior to that that I had gallstones.

My attack came one night, and I was in so much pain. I kept throwing up and could barely move. The pain was centered between stomach and chest, right in the middle of my ribcage, but radiating around my torso/back. I was out of town with my family for my cousin’s wedding the next day, and ended up going to the emergency room I was in so much pain.

So, at the emergency room, they finally determine I have “a ton” of gallstones, and likely one of them rolled over the bile duct, which set off the attack. After a few hours the pain subsides, they did another ultrasound to make sure no stones were lodged into the bile duct, and recommended I see a surgeon.

Back home the next week, I had a consultation with a surgeon, who explained my options:
1. Surgery to remove the gallbladder
a. Laparoscopic, minimally invasive, quick recovery time.
b. Never have to think about it again.
c. Risks: It’s surgery. Anesthesia, risk of complications, etc.
2. Medicine to dissolve the gallstones
a. Would have to take it every day, forever. Once you stop taking it in some 90% of people they reform.
b. Dr. only recommended it for elderly people, or those with other medical conditions that would make it risky to have surgery.
3. Do nothing and adhere to a very low fat diet forever.


I opted for surgery, and had my surgery a few weeks later (August 2013). I had surgery on a Thursday morning; I was back to work by Monday. I only needed the pain medicine for two days, after that I was just sore, and it hurt to sneeze or cough.

It was a single incision laparoscope, no complications, and clean removal. My scar is completely inside my belly button, you can’t tell it’s there unless I kind of pull at the skin, and even then it just looks a little bit more red than my other skin.

I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago. The first symptoms for me looked like heartburn, pain the in the middle of my chest late at night. I'd never had heartburn before so I bought some Tums and assumed this was just going to happen as I got older. The early attacks were infrequent and I never really put two and two together that it might be something worse.

The later attacks, for me, looked more like food poisoning. Vomiting and such through the night. After a weekend of that I finally went to the doctor and told them my gall bladder was trying to kill me. It was a small town and they admitted me directly to the hospital. I spent the next day on pain and nausea meds until I could get into surgery.

I had my surgery laparoscopically and was back on my feet in a couple of days.

Sounds like gallstones to me, very similar to my experience. I had mine out and it was pretty easy. I was sore for a while but it was better than the excruciating agony along my diaphragm that marked the attacks I had prior. Good luck at the doctor, and if it is gallstones don't be sad, be happy they know the problem and can solve it fairly easily!

Well, I got some blood work done and have an ultrasound booked for next Friday so we'll see what happens. Until then the doctor recommended to try to lower my fat intake.

Some of your stories sound very familiar though... I've noticed an increase in heartburn in this past year, I normally never used to get it and do occasionally now, and have had really bad heartburn at times but it could always be a coincidence...
I had the same experience too that the first time these stomach pains happened I thought it was food poisoning. I'm not at the point of actually throwing up yet but usually feel like I'm going to. Thanks everyone for sharing it definitely eases my mind a bit if it does turn out to be my gall bladder knowing that the surgery wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It's making me hope it's my gall bladder and not something else! I would probably opt for surgery over the other options unless the doctor strongly recommended otherwise.

I keep coming across things about rapid weight loss playing a part in this- I don't know if mine's been rapid I thought it's been nice and slow aside from when I started eating better I dropped an initial 10lbs but I assume it was water weight mostly and I lost slowly and steadily after that...

I'm so glad you got blood work and will have an ultrasound. With my acid reflux, I got really bad heartburn, got nauseated, ended up getting sick a few times in the middle of the night on days I ate fatty food, and just didn't feel good in general. I took prilosec for awhile, cut out a lot of acid foods and fatty foods as instructed, and today I don't take Prilosec any more, and I don't get sick either. I love oranges, was having one every day, but had to stop because they seem to trigger heartburn. I have had to cut back on tomato sauce too, which I love.

Lots of changes in my dietary habits helped.

Good luck in finding out your results.

Do you have pain in your upper belly on the right side? I'm an ultrasound tech and we scan gallbladders all the time. That's another classic sign of stones. Good luck!!