Diet for Gallstones???

linz32

Hi thanks everyone for the good lucks, had my op was in theatre for 5 hours which was longer than they expected they said they had difficulty removing the gallbladder as it was flat and stuck and the gallstone was just under the size of a golf ball, i have 5 cuts one in the belly button one on the top one underneath and two to the right side, had oramorph through the night and morning, ive come home today with three lots of painkillers as im in alot of pain as it hurts just to move slightly, but at least it's done now and hopefully the pain will pass soon.

VanMavrix

Hiya,
it's exactly 3 weeks now since my operation and i had my last dressing removed yestersy !Wahoo !!:j The last hole to heal is right in the center of my chest, i had an infection and it has left it looking more prominant and redder than all the others, with quite a bump underneath. Hopefully this will fade and flatten.

Hello MammaCas,
I have suffered from being bloated, tummy upsets, severe tummy cramps, constipation and diaorrhea, indigestion , nausea, for years. Occasionally i would be quite ill and decide to go to Doc's because it was getting me down. Have been put on different diets, given different tablets, had loads of tests, including endoscopy with biopsies taken and all the ever came back with was irritable bowel and food intolerance.
Thought it was something i would have to live with.
For the last couple of years i had been suffering with aches and pains particularly in my right shoulder, a sort of burning sensation followed by a constant ache. Put it down to the fact i have six dogs, and they tend to pull alot when being walked. Thought it was muscle strain. Didn't bother my Doc.
Then about a year ago i suffered from severe chest pains one evening, i was extremely hot and very uncomfy, while i could breath , i truely believed i might stop at any minute !! Too much pain to talk , i spent an hour pacing and then rolling around on the bed trying to ease the pain, spent the rest of the night feeling terribly sick with smaller attacks of pain. Thought i'd had a panick attack {was alot going on at the time} .
A couple months later it happened again,in the evening again, like my chest was being crushed in a vice, it would start slowly with jabbing pains under my ribs and across my shoulders, and then come to a peak, taking my breath away. I would feel incredibly hot, and strip down to bare essentials. Decided this time it was either panick attack or severe indigestion as i'd had lots of acidic food that day ! I was breathing into a paper bag, and glugging on gaviscon
Didn't go Doc's.
Happened a month or two later, and again 6 months after that. Would leave me with a very sick feeling all the next day, bringing up bile, and feeling dizzy.
Then went to the Doc's, expecting not alot realy. Was sent for a scan, was told immediately that my gallbladder was full of stones too many to count.
Next thing i knew i was off to see a surgeon, and my gallbladder was going to be removed asap.
All done now, and apparently all the things i have been suffering with for years "could" be linked to the stones in my gallbladder:j heres hoping:j wouldn't that be fab.
Anyway MamaCas, while your symptoms do sound very similar, i can't understand why a scan would not show up gallstones ! i was literally told within 2 minutes of the scan being put on my chest that they were there. Seems odd.
Good Luck, and i hope you get sorted very soon.
p.s there's some sort of saying like Forty, Fat, Fair, Freckles and Fertile, that is supposed to match most people with gallstones ! Ha Ha i'm all of these except Fat :j Cheers

VanMavrix

Hello Linz32,
Thanks for the update, Ooohh remember it well and it does get better. Must admit though those first 3 or 4 days seem awfully long, keep up with the painkillers and have lots of rest.
all the best.

sillyvixen

hi linz, at least it's all over now - 5 hours wow, i bet you messed up the surgical list. i was in theatre 6 hours but had an open conversion due to the fact my gallbladder was breaking down and adheared to both my liver and bowel. as a result my consaultant had to cancel private patients at the nuffield!

yes you will have quite a lot of discomfort for the next few days - while you may have a few small cuts on your abdomen a lot more has gone on underneath and you have still had an organ removed.. it does get better - everyone recovers at their own rate (and while some accounts people state they were back at work in 1-2 weeks you need to give yourself time to recover at your bodies own pace) it seems that you had quite traumatic surgery the best thing for you now is lots of rest - no lifting, no housework, no more than you can manage, and the unwritten rule of surgery is that you get control of the remote.. you will get tired to begin with this is normal.. take it easy and build up activity slowly. all the best with your recovery.

sillyvixen

mamma cas , not all gallstones are visible on ultrasound - so don't get stressed that your ultrasound is clear and it may be somthing else causing the problem untill a problem has been found.. further tests will get to the route of the problem.

your symptoms certianly sound like other peoples experience of gallbladder problems. symptoms vary and mine were not textbook - but much to the consaultants supprise my dr's origional diagnosis of gallstones was correct.

further tests will confirm a diagnosis .. good luck with your tests and let us know how you get on .. i hope you find some answers soon.

linz32

Thanks sillyvixen, i will take one day at a time and thanks for the unwritten rule of surgery, the remote is firmly by my side lol.

MammaCas

Thanks SV and VM

vm - your symptoms sound v. v. like mine only mine have come on literally in a few months and the attacks are v. close together. Fingers crossed with a fat free diet will keep them at bay. SV - I know, panicking isn't going to help. The consultant I saw did ask 'who did your scan' and said v. small stones could be hard to detect.

Well I'm female, forty (1), bit fat and fair(ish) so seem to fit the bill lol

Will let you know what happens..

MC x

sillyvixen

linz32 wrote: »

Thanks sillyvixen, i will take one day at a time and thanks for the unwritten rule of surgery, the remote is firmly by my side lol.

your welcome

VanMavrix

Hello Linz32,
as i remember i Sooo needed to cough and clear my throat but couldn't. couldn't laugh either, had trouble weeing too had to sit and wait for it to happen.
When i came home and was resting in bed my hubby gave me a whistle !! incase i needed him but i coulldn't shout !! thing was i couldn't blow the whistle either !! Ha Ha.
As sillyvixen said, you get awfully tired and sleep alot. So take plenty of rest , and let others look after you,
Take Care

mini_huny_money

Hya all
Would just like to let folks know of my GB experience

Since my last post in June, after reading Van Maxrix’s post .I’ve now been hospitalized twice. First time I was in so much agony I couldn’t bear it, I reckon Ive got a fairly high pain threshold but this pain was immense

A&E staff were great but I had to see the on call surgical registrar before I could be admitted and TBH I felt he didn’t believe how much pain I was in. He asked several questions and then agreed I was in pain!!!!

My sis who’s a nurse later told me that some people say they have GB pain just to be admitted to hospital and access the pain relieving drugs!!!

After 3 days on 13th July I was discharged as the pain had settled down, in hindsight way too early as the next day I was again in pain. I held off until the following weekend, constant pain in my side but I was just like….ok I can wait till 4th August for my op

Saturday 18th July, I’d felt a wee bit better and had for the first time in a week felt hungry. I made a roll on tuna, no mayo just the tuna and ate 2 bites. AAArgh unbelievable pain but in a different area, right in the middle of my upper abdo. I reckon this was the stone passing thru into my bile duct..I was alone in the house and I did panic a bit. Rang NHS 24 who arranged for me to visit my local hospital 3 hours later !!!! I couldn’t wait so went to A &E again

Cut a long story short after a blessed injection of morphine I was admitted again
Hospital stay of 8 days including ultrasound and MRCP which showed that a 9mm gallstone had squeezed thru a 8mm duct…..no wonder I was in agony:D

ERCP 6 days later, of which I’d really been terrified and the 9mm stone removed from the bile duct leaving one other 9mm stone in the GB.

BTW anyone who dreads having an ERCP (as I did, as I have a wee bit of knowledge working in the NHS as I do) don’t worry about it. As my consultant said, “here goes the magic juice” , even though you’re semi conscious as you need to follow instructions re moving on the table. You really do forget about it afterwards. I can remember being intubated with the camera and it being withdrawn and a wee bit of discomfort in between. The procedure lasted 25 mins but I can remember nothing in between

I was discharged last week and this Tuesday 4th Aug I go in to have my GB removed

Can;t believe how much this illness has taken over my life as I’ve previously been in perfect health for the last 49 years, (touch wood) makes you really think about people who live with chronic pain

Sorry for the long post but I hope others who want info may benefit