Anyone suffer from Bad Gallbladder Attacks?

Awww Patti, I feel so bad for you. I had my gall bladder out in 2004. Between being diagnosed by way of an ultrasound my doctor explained I could make an effort to alter my diet and "see how I felt" for a period of time. I cut out anything and everything yummy - anything spicy, fatty, anything citrus (fruits and fruit juices etc.). I did feel better, but after about a month or so it didn't seem to make a difference anymore. The attacks seemed to be more frequent and more severe. I went back to my doctor and he strongly suggested I have a scheduled surgery to remove it, because if I needed an emergency surgery done it wouldn't be a laparoscopic surgery, but one much more invasive. I had to wait about 8 weeks, so during that time I just avoided foods that were fried, or greasy, and spicy stuff. It was also suggested that if I had a particularly bad instance I could do a liquid diet for 24-48 hours. Warm baths helped. I don't know if there's anything I can suggest that you probably don't already know. Just be super careful about what you eat and if the pain starts up, try and rest if possible. See about taking Nexium or something similar until you find out how it's going to be treated. I hope you find some relief soon, it's not a nice thing to deal with

 

Did your doctor give you a prescription for anything to help you in the mean time? My doctor prescribed Buscopan to help with the pain (it relaxes the gall bladder) it didn't work for me, but I know some people have gotten relief with it.

I have had gall bladder issues for 2 years, but I am not sure about surgery because my attacks have been mild lately and I have gone 6 months without an attack. But, I do have other digestive problems after eating (gas and bloating...not fun!)

 

Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry! I know how you're suffering. In September of 2010 I started having what I thought were (too) frequent stomach viruses. I would have tremendous pain in my stomach and back for a day or two, followed by 2 or 3 days of vomiting and flu like aches and pains. That was followed by a few more days of just feeling completely drained and lousy. The pain finally became more consistent and in August of this year, after a weekend of not being able to get off of my couch, I went to see my doctor. He suspected my gallbladder and referred me to a surgeon. After an ultra sound showed nothing, he ordered a HIDA scan. That revealed that my gallbladder was only functioning at about 10%, which was the source of my "viruses" and pain. Basically, I just couldn't process what I was eating. I had it removed in September and I feel like a new woman!

I was surprised, because we eat very healthy in our house. We rarely eat fried foods, and hardly ever eat sweets or highly-processed foods. Lots and lots of fruits and veggies, but we do like our spicy foods here in Louisiana! For me, like you, even the healthy "proper" foods caused a lot of pain. I did seem to better with liquids/broths that were easy to digest. I also found that meds like Tylenol, Advil, or Motrin only made the pain worse, so try to stay away from those. Like Jenny, a warm bath, followed by resting on a heating pad helped a bit.

I really hope that you find some relief soon! This "attack" should only last a few more days, so hang in there! And remember, if the ultra-sound doesn't show anything, that doesn't mean that your gallbladder's fine. Request further tests.

Prayers coming your way!

 

Oh no! I had to have emergency surgery to remove my gall bladder and it was not fun. I was in the hospital for a week with complications. So I do think anyone is better off having it removed before it gets too bad! My mom and SIL had theirs out after I did and had same-day surgery with no problems. Hope you feel better, Patti!

 

I'm so sorry! I had a gall bladder attack one night and had to have it out. It was the worse pain I've ever been in (worse than child birth!) I hope you feel better, soon!

 

Youch Patti! I had a couple of years of pains before mine were diagnosed as gall-bladder issues. I had a stone the size of a walnut that kept moving around and would eventually block the gall bladder entrance/exit causing me excruciating pain, then it would move and float around in the gall bladder again. I only ever got pain if I ate something late at night as it wouldn't digest properly and the pain would come as soon as I went to bed. It was like someone was sticking a knife right through me. I had to tolerate it until the scan showed this stone then had surgery to remove it. I never modified my diet after the surgery and I've never had a pain again or any of the side effects they mentioned may happen. But it was always greasy/fried foods that caused my pains and I wouldn't wish going through that again so hoping you can get your pain sorted out quickly.

 

My DD had problems when she was pregnant. She had a bad gallbladder attack and had to do the BRAT diet for several days. She felt better and then had another attack. She ended up vomiting and had to be admitted to the hospital because she was dehydrated (at 7 mos preg.). After she was discharged, she could only eat one or two grams of fat at any time or it would flare up. She ate a lot of rice, french bread and small pieces of plain boneless skinless chicken breast. She was a trooper and held on for three more months until she delivered Kennedy and could safely have the surgery after his birth. She did okay for awhile and then once she had him, she had trouble with almost anything she ate (except french bread). She ended up not being able to nurse him because she couldn't even eat enough to keep herself going. Once she had the surgery and it removed, she was great.

I hope you feel better soon. I know it is a miserable thing to deal with.

 

Patti I feel soooo bad for you right now! Back in 2004 I woke up one day with pain. The pain was so intense all I could do was reach for my husband and shake him awake. He took me into the doctor where they diagnosed me with IBS. I took the medicine the gave me and they told me I would start feeling better soon. The next day it was worse I started throwing up and couldn't breathe through the pain. I went in to the drs again and this time they decided it was my gallbladder. They gave me a shot that would tide me over until I could get my ultrasound and further testing done. The shot worked for two hours. I called the drs asking if should have lasted longer and they were horrified that I was already balled up in pain again. Apparently the shot should have lasted two weeks. Needless to say they rushed along all my tests. And within two weeks I had my gallbladder out. Looking back I realized I had been having severe gallbladder attacks for YEARS but no one could figure out what the pains were from. My attacks were not food related. My dr also told me that I had some "sludge" in my gallbladder that was mysterious and most likely not from anything I had done including eating poorly. Getting it out has been wonderful! I have only had major attack since getting it out and a few minor ones. Those I blame on me though because they all have occurred after eating something greasy.

I hope you can get this resolved quickly because I know how painful it is. One warning...don't take any kind of antacid for it. I did that once before getting it out....BIG MISTAKE!