Diet for Gallstones???

DD57

I had my gallbladder out 2 years ago. I began getting terrible pain in my abdomen 3 weeks before our holiday, during the day (tho' at night it got even worse) and feeling and being constantly sick - I gave up eating normal food and just ate bread and drank water but even then I still vomited bile.

I went to 3 different doctors in 3 weeks who all thought it was an irritation of my stomach lining and prescribed Gaviscon and similar things - which obviously didn't stay down!
The problem was that we had arranged a house swap to Australia and I told the 4th one this when he came to the house (I couldn't even get to the surgery by then I was in so much pain) but he said no, just go on holiday, you will get better.
So off we went, I was sick on the plane to Dubai, sick on the next plane and sick when we finally got to our destination. After a week in Oz still being sick and in pain a local GP there did tests and sent me to A&E - it was my 50th birthday that day and all the nurses and doctors thought it was funny but bad luck and were really nice about it!
After a week in hospital I got my gallbladder removed with keyhole surgery and off we went, keen to resume our houseswap - But I began being sick again so after 2 weeks of this I went back to A&E and they found a gallstone they had missed in my bile duct! I had to wait a further week to get ERCP done (we were at a small regional hospital and a consultant came once a week from Brisbane to do these operations) and by the time that happened we only had about 5 days of our holiday left!
I was really glad to get my operations done in Australia because I don't know how long I'd have had to wait in the UK. We had taken out health insurance before we went but we found out it only covered emergencies, however we found there was a reciprocal arrangement with the public health system in Oz and the NHS so that covered the cost of my (very good) treatment there. However if the GPs here had accurately diagnosed me I would have never travelled halfway across the world and gone through what I did!

isitenough

Just found this thread and it made for familiar reading.

I first experienced gallstones when I was pregnant with my 2nd child about 9 year ago. At the time the GP just diagnosed IBS. After another attack he still said it was IBS. My OH said if I had let him call an ambulance the first time I might have got it sorted out but I was too stubborn and didn't want to waste their resources!

After a further 2 attacks within a year or so and a bout of jaundice the GP finally said it was gallstones and sent me for a scan to confirm it (although the blood tests had kinda already done that!). After chickening out of having an X-Ray I haven't had a recurrence of the pain for about 6 years now. Strangley enough my sister (4 years older) had an attack (her one and only) at the same time as my jaundice, went to her GP and they sent her straight to hospital to have them out. Wish mine had done that instead of all the faffing!
I hate hospitals/GP's at the best of times so all the time wasting with scans etc... put me off and I backed out of getting it sorted once and for all.
I keep waiting for them to reaccur (sp?) but so far nothing. I don't eat as much cheese as I used to so maybe that's it!

mini_huny_money

Hya all

I’m now able to sit with the laptop for a decent amount of time. Booked in first on list for op and was taken down at 8.45am. I reckon I was taken into theatre at about 9.15. Was anxious as anyone would be going for an op but it all seemed quite relaxed, we actually walked downstairs to theatre wlth my new Matalan slippers squeaking all the way down :rotfl:
I found it really reassuring to have spoken to the consultant, registrar and the anaesthetist that morning.
One minute I was getting the relaxant and the next I was being woken up !!!! My first question was “ Whats the time”!!!! That was at 10 to 11, so the op mustve lasted bout an hour and a half.
Stayed in recovery for a wee while just drifting in and out and was taken back to the ward at 11.30.
Drifted in and out of sleep for a coupla hours but the thing is it was really weird. Id been reading the getting prepared for Christmas thread the night before and that’s all I could think of was that thread and choosing Chrissie pressies for peeps !!! I reckon I was trying to force myself to concentrate on something to stop drifting in and out

The nurses kept checking BP, temp and sats, They took the oxygen off but then replaced it as the sats were quite low
By 1.30 I was sitting up eating tea and toast!!!! By 2pm I was flat on my back with my BP really really low, for me anyway, at one point it was 89/45. the nurses just kept checking and an hour later was up to 100/60.
I got up to the toilet and apart from feeling a wee bit woozy as if Id drunk too much alcohol I was ok. 4.30pm and I was sitting dressed waiting for my son to collect me !!!!

By about 8pm tho the pain was really kicking in. I just kept taking the paractemol and tramadol Id been prescribed every 4 hours. I needed help to get up off the sofa and outta bed etc
Wednesday I was still really sore and didn’t move around very much. I had a shower and changed the dressings
Thursday I went to the practice nurse who checked the wounds, they’re ok and started to feel a wee bit tight round the area. Stomach still really swollen and full of wind!! I was a bit weepy but that’s probly cos I was sposed to be going on holiday today and had to cancel
Today, I was sore when I got up but think that’s mainly cos of sleeping in the one position and I’d spent most of Thursday actually lying in bed. But I still feel as if I’m walking hunched up like an old woman !!!
My stomach is an odd shape….well odder than usual, it’s still really swollen in my lower abdo and looks really distorted.
Im eating ok, tho just mainly soup and sandwiches. feels as if I cant eat very much, mebbe due to the bloating and swelling. I did have a few crisps last night and I felt as if I could feel them later. Not sure if it was my imagination tho:rotfl:

sillyvixen

hi mini - glad to hear all went well and you had an uneventful op!

you will be uncomfortable and in swollen for a while - while the wounds are small what has gone on underneath is a bit brutal!

3 rules.

a) take it easy - listen to your body and only do what you can manage it will warn you if you do to much and not thank you if you continue.

b) eat low fat and introduce fat slowly - eat little and often and let your body get used to living without a gallbladder to start with.

c) you have had an organ removed - others can do the heavy work for now, its not the end of the world if the carpet is not hoovered.

take care vix

sillyvixen

sorry should have said it is a shame about your holiday - but it is better to get things sorted rather than have your holiday ruined by gallbladder attacks - there will be other holidays - and if the weather is good you will still be able to catch some sun while you recover!!

mini_huny_money

hya vixen

Thanx for the 3 rules:D

were you in my house yesterday morning??? OH made me coffee and toast and I managed to knock the toast all over the living room carpet.....he kinda cleared it up and said I'll hoover that later

Im now looking at all the crumbs that are still there:eek::rotfl: and its really annoying me

But it can wait !!!!

sillyvixen

mini - i did talk housemates into hoovering after i had seen crumbs for a day!! but 3 months post op everyone was moving to a new house and my house purchase was delayed! i had to move twice in 2 months and ended up with an incisional hernia a t my op site - dont overdo things (i had to wait 12 months for further surgery) i was told following surgery "no hoovering for 3 months ..... no help and house was a mess for 3 months (cream carpets throught) a complete nightmare - but better than going back to stage 1!!! your own health is worth more than carpets - if you can blackmail OH into sorting it - if he does not sort it - more hassle in the future.

VanMavrix

Hiya,
the trouble is we do everything so well !!:p and nobody else does it quite right.
They may hoover , but it's not the same ! They may polish but it's not the same ! Wash up but it's not the same !!:p
I remember getting realy peeved as i watched my bathroom get dirty , and smelly. When i told my OH that i normally clean my bathroom and freshen it up every day, he decided this meant wipe around toilet seats with wet wipes and squirt bleach down loo !!:rolleyes: You have to learn to grin and bare it for the next few weeks, it's not easy
Glad to see you're back home and have had your op, don't worry eventually you will be able to stand up straight and walk without a hunch, clutching your tummy. My tummy was swolen too for a couple of weeks, and i didn't wear a bra for 4 weeks :rolleyes:
Speedy recovery to you:p

sillyvixen

VanMavrix wrote: »

i didn't wear a bra for 4 weeks

when i left hospital i had to get my mum to put my trousers on an pull them up to my knees as i could not bend to get them on - i had to have my mum put my shoes and socks on for the first 4 days as i could not bend to do it myself!!

mini_huny_money

sillyvixen wrote: »

when i left hospital i had to get my mum to put my trousers on an pull them up to my knees as i could not bend to get them on - i had to have my mum put my shoes and socks on for the first 4 days as i could not bend to do it myself!!

Ive been ok with getting dressed but then again until today Ive just worn my jammies

except when I went to see the nurse on Thursday, like Van I had to take my bra off .........and its still off 3 days later and staying off......... in the consulting room. It nipped like anyhting

Am hoping to get back to work in a coupla weeks tho and if I dont wear a bra, my colleagues will all feel so sorry for me that they are all gonnae have to chip in for more surgery for me[EMAIL="he@ll"]l[/EMAIL].
:rotfl::rotfl: