Suffering with gallstones need advice :(

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  • Ainadan
    Ainadan Posts: 158 Member
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    rdmitch wrote: »
    I get the painful wake me up in the middle of the night attacks about once a month. They last until I can get back to sleep which is sometimes 4-6 hours later and then all seems ok.
    During the pain I swear I'm going to the Dr. and get this taken care of....but then once it's gone I just let it go again.
    I don't think the problem is that serious, there are no stones that I feel and I hate the thought of surgery.
    If there was a was a way to stop the pain I could definitely go with that. I read here about drinking vinegar, would that be regular or apple cider ?
    Not much of a vinegar drinking guy, but I could force it if it would stop the pain. Hell, if it would stop the pain I would do self surgery while the
    attack was going on.
    Has anyone else avoided the surgery ?, i can add more fat to my diet since I'm rolling into maintenance mode currently.

    I did the same thing. So one night I tried vinegar. Generally I have it with apple juice so it won't be so acidic. I used white vinegar because ACV tastes even worse. As long as you don't go overboard, side effects are negligible, considering it is just vinegar, something we already consume. If it works for you, you should feel relief within 15-30 minutes at most.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited July 2017
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    rdmitch wrote: »
    I get the painful wake me up in the middle of the night attacks about once a month. They last until I can get back to sleep which is sometimes 4-6 hours later and then all seems ok.
    During the pain I swear I'm going to the Dr. and get this taken care of....but then once it's gone I just let it go again.
    I don't think the problem is that serious, there are no stones that I feel and I hate the thought of surgery.
    If there was a was a way to stop the pain I could definitely go with that. I read here about drinking vinegar, would that be regular or apple cider ?
    Not much of a vinegar drinking guy, but I could force it if it would stop the pain. Hell, if it would stop the pain I would do self surgery while the
    attack was going on.
    Has anyone else avoided the surgery ?, i can add more fat to my diet since I'm rolling into maintenance mode currently.

    You can't feel the stones, you just feel the pain.

    Vinegar won't do anything about the pain. Vinegar is a home remedy to dissolve the stones, but the effect is uncertain, to put it mildly.

    If you have gall stones and want them out, you have to let the doctors deal with it. This will most likely mean surgically removal of gallbladder.

    You can't eat more fat until the stones are out.
  • anonuser369
    anonuser369 Posts: 76 Member
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    I had to have my gall bladder removed about 11 years ago. All my symptoms appeared in a 6-7 month period after I lost some weight in a short period of time. I am fine now - feel a little queasy if I eat too much of high fat foods but tolerate smaller amounts just fine.
  • anonuser369
    anonuser369 Posts: 76 Member
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    And yes - the pain during an attack was the worst ever.
  • pennygm72
    pennygm72 Posts: 179 Member
    edited July 2017
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    @RamboKitty87 please send a friend request, my diary is closed but happy to answer any questions :) Whilst I would never suggest needless surgery you do need to be careful with gallstones, watch out for signs of infection such as pain to touch under your ribs on the right or raised temperature, also watch out for jaundice, yellowing of the skin and/or whites of your eyes as this could indicate a more serious issue with your gallbladder.
  • RamboKitty87
    RamboKitty87 Posts: 272 Member
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    @pennygm72 when my attacks happen I get the pain which intensifies on touching that area, can't lay on my back, can barely sit down or lay on my left side, can't stand without pain, raised temperature and I shiver also, I basically get most of the symptoms except the jaundice, my urine is also brown when the attacks happen, I was still suffering from a big attack on Saturday where I went and had a meal the fat being 125g, feeling weak and achy then another 2 attacks happened Wednesday and Thursday, its really frustrating, I need to learn some restraint as Wednesday my fat intake was 45g and yesterday it was 36g its so frustrating its just leaving me feeling drained
  • db121215
    db121215 Posts: 60 Member
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    Had mine out, had both stones and it was diseased. Best decision ever. The pain was unbearable. Yes, large meals (no matter what they consisted of, could have been salad only) or small amounts of fat triggered attacks. Only took a few of those for me to not eat the fat and have smaller meals....then planned for the surgery. The radiating pain, mostly at night, was unbearable. I still have pains every once in a blue moon, because stones still exist in the body, but are just passing through the location formally occupied by my gallbladder. Last 2 minutes at most. And very rare. Good luck.
  • pennygm72
    pennygm72 Posts: 179 Member
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    @RamboKitty87 like the poster above I was also triggered by large portions as well as fat, I had two chicken legs/thighs total fat 16g, I was in agony. I really think you will have to go lower fat, as I said I eat less than 17g a day, haven't had any pain for 5 months now.
  • RamboKitty87
    RamboKitty87 Posts: 272 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Ok after having 3 attacks today I rang the NHS helpline which was really no help, after answering soooo many invasive and infuriating questions which I know they have to ask I got a call back from an on-call nurse who demanded I get myself to the hospital that is 10 -15 miles away, I have no transport nor do I know anyone that has transport, she said there was no chance of an ambulance so after arguing with her a little she told me she will have a on-call doctor call me back, the on-call doctor rang me back nearly 2 hours later by this time the pain had subsided from an 8 to a 3 and she told me I had to cut out fat all together no cutting it down but cut it out, as you can tell I am now very very frustrated and upset, I am eating very very little as it is, I have filled out tomorrows food log and I have managed to cut it all the way down to a total of 9g of fat... its the best I can do and I personally feel the lack of food in that will really get to me, it's already starting to get to me, these past few days I have hardly ate anything compared to what I am used to eating, I am finding myself snapping at my partner and in a way wanting to kill him just for eating its not me at all, I am just frustrated, angry and just so emotional, How am I supposed to cut out fat altogether when you need fat in your life, everything has fat in it even trace amounts, it's not healthy to cut it out entirely, going to the doctors tomorrow for help yet again... I am so ready for my ultrasound on Wednesday now, I'm just so fed up of feeling poorly, in pain and weak all the time, I am like a walking zombie... sorry for the rambling again I am just at my wit's end now. thanks for reading and sharing your support it really does mean alot to me as some of you may know doctors can have that way of making you feel it's all in your head you know when clearly it is not. many thanks, take care :smile:
  • batters1964
    batters1964 Posts: 14 Member
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    I know how you feel. Have been having attacks since January. Have had gallstones diagnosed and have to wait until September to see consultant (NHS). I've had 7 attacks in 14 days.

    It doesn't seem to matter what I eat or drink. The only thing that makes a definite difference is if I skip a meal I am likely to have an attack.

    I've lost over 50 lbs since January but am still morbidly obese so I know my consultant will make me lose more weight before the operation. I feel very low in general about it all.
  • 7sorok
    7sorok Posts: 112 Member
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    had to run to emergency room - pain was unbearable, and immediate surgery same day.
  • tgcakef
    tgcakef Posts: 111 Member
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    I've had my gallbladder removed. I didn't even realise it was causing issues but once I got it out, good god I felt better. Mine was removed because I had pancreatitis, and they found sludge, and figured that was what was causing my pancreatitis. Before the removal I was having horrible, debilitating 'gas'. I'd be in bed crying trying to make it better.

    Getting my gall bladder removed was not something I regret, even with the side effects. And they might be TMI so spoiler.
    Right after, fat wasn't my friend. Right now, about three years in, I'm okay with fat but if I get hungry at all, my bile dumps, and I have severe, instant diarrhea. It makes going out difficult but I take loperamide for it.
  • Ohjeezitskim
    Ohjeezitskim Posts: 129 Member
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    I had my gallbladder removed in January, after suffering for a couple years with stones. I let it progress to much to the point where my gallbladder attacks were getting worse to the point of tears and throwing up. A stone got lodged in my duct and upset my liver and pancreas and I had to go to the ER, 3 hours there and I was told I had to stay. That was Tuesday around 6am, didn't get out of the hospital until Thursday 6pm. I lost some weight because I completely cut out fats (no cheese, sour cream, beef, ect.) because it would lead to an attack.

    My mother also had this issue when she was around my age and she got to the point where she could only eat noodle soup with chicken broth and crackers. She lost a lot of weight because of that too.

    I had a trip to the ER years back (for bad chest pains) and my mom told them to check for gallstones, as she had this issue around my age. They set up the appointment for ultrasound but nothing came of it. Two to three years later I finally went and described all my symptoms and said my mom had it and I have a high chance because she did. It confirmed I had gallstones (she said FILLED with stones) and I should set up an appointment. Well she went on vacation and before she returned, I had my attack and went to the ER.

    My mom said it was best for it to happen this way, so it can get taken care of immediately. And well it did. If you have another attack, go to the ER.

    As for diet wise, no cheese, cream, sour cream, fatty meats like sausage, bacon, beef, ect. No mayo on sandwiches, no potato chips. Basically if it had lots of saturated fats (like more than 1g) I said no. I cut milk out completely, only almond milk. I switched to ice cream that is made with almond milk (also now halo top)

    I'm here now because of my gallbladder. I had SO MUCH pain that stopped me from eating that I gained 30lbs afterwards because I lost what it was like to eat normally. So here I am.. trying to lose that 30lbs lol.

  • Ohjeezitskim
    Ohjeezitskim Posts: 129 Member
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    batters1964 wrote: »
    I know how you feel. Have been having attacks since January. Have had gallstones diagnosed and have to wait until September to see consultant (NHS). I've had 7 attacks in 14 days.

    It doesn't seem to matter what I eat or drink. The only thing that makes a definite difference is if I skip a meal I am likely to have an attack.

    I've lost over 50 lbs since January but am still morbidly obese so I know my consultant will make me lose more weight before the operation. I feel very low in general about it all.


    I had this issue where I couldn't get around to scheduling a hospital appointment because my normal doctor kept missing my calls and was on vacation. My mom said just go to the ER when you have an attack. 7 in 14 days is a lot. ER could be your best bet at relief. If a stone gets lodged it can damage your liver and pancreas. That's what happened to me, and they kept me in the hospital because of it.
  • RamboKitty87
    RamboKitty87 Posts: 272 Member
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    Hey all, thank you all for your input, I had a ultrasound Wednesday 26th and had a phone call Friday morning confirming it is indeed gallstones, it was a receptionist so they was unable to give me any more information than that, I am going to make an appointment with my doctors this Wednesday coming as I have anxiety and need my partner to go to the doctors with me, the biggest attack I have had was just over a week long, I felt weak and my muscles ached like I had the flu the whole time and attacks kept happening that whole week no matter what I ate, I have looked into non dairy milk but the fat content for the ones in my price range was higher than the long life skimmed milk I have, I only use a tiny amount of skimmed milk per day anyway just a little dash in my morning cup of tea and every other day in the week I have 250ml for my supplement shake, I already had cut out unnecessary stuff like butter/spreads and condiments anyway, I use quark and cottage cheese to compliment some of my meals and 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of healthy living salad dressing that has no fat and is low in everything, my only meats these days are tune in spring water, baked or boiled chicken, fish in sauce (thats low in fat also) ryvita (dry) is becoming like my close friend haha! I am trying my hardest to limit my fat content sometimes its just so hard and I end up getting a little carried away at the weekends... as you can see from my diary which is open to the public :) I have decided to give tofu a try as I used to really enjoy having a meaty beef burger with my soup and toast for dinner even though the burger was low in everything the fat content was 17g on its own which is too high for me at the moment, I have actually given my mum my anything thats too high in fat for me that my partner will not touch lol... even my carrot fries, I don't mind having soup and toast in the week but at the weekends I want something different which I think I have found my ideal thing, a slimmers world microwave meal that was a decent size (550g) and pretty much low in everything and the quality was very good, it had huge chunks of chicken and vegetables, with a good helping of egg noodles in it also and it satisfied that take away craving I was having :) I am always looking for low fat / non fat foods that are easy on my wallet as money is tight and its frustrating as I keep searching low fat meal ideas and all I keep finding is that really popular diet, keto or something... that low carb high fat.. but I think I have managed to get enough ideas I hope, I have googled soooo much about it all this past month anyway I have rambled on and on... I am wondering if I should renew my prescription of Orlistat - Xenical I was given it back in March and I was taking it but I ran out and never bothered to get anymore as I was scared of the side effects of too much fat... I will have a word with my doctor about it on Wednesday :) safe paths and thank you again :)
  • jklwq123
    jklwq123 Posts: 5 Member
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    I was suffering from gallstones until I had my surgery back in may. But yeah I totally understand that awful pain after everything! Honestly try eating a little bit healthier and substituting the beef for chicken or turkey would help, but honestly it's like anything you can do to have a little less fat in your diet WILL help. Not suggesting this because you love meat, but what helped subside my pain and contributed to a steady weight loss was transitioning to veganism.
  • RamboKitty87
    RamboKitty87 Posts: 272 Member
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    @jklwq123 Hey thanks for the tips, I have cut back so much, the only meats I do have now are chicken and tuna in spring water, I also added tofu too which I fry up a little with that 1 cal no fat spray, my diary is open with what little food I do eat these days, I will admit I got a little confident and added snack a jacks and 1 teeeny tiny chocolate due to T.O.M cravings for snackings, my total daily fat intake yesterday was 14g but I had a minor attack 3am this morning so I am having to remove those snacks now... I did look into non-meat substitutes like quorn but its still too much fat then I am comfortable with, I would rather spread what little fat I do out throughout the day than just 1 meal *sigh* at the moment chicken, tuna in spring water and tofu seem like the best options for protein for me without my calories going too low.

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