Gallbladder experience?

[cjcouple]

Anyone have experience with a gallbladder acting up? 

I seem to be having some sort of digestion issue and I wonder if it is that.  Can you explain what symptoms you had?   I am going to the Dr at 1:30 because I want to make sure it is not somethign serious but just curious what others experienced? .

[pugz]

mine presented as panic attacks and I passed out once. But then I ended up with a stone in my duct and my urine turned brown and I threw up and had abdominal pain. I had a scope to clear out the stone blocking my duct and then a few weeks later had my gall bladder out. I was in excrutiating pain by the time I had it removed.

[bullygirl979]

I had my gallbladder removed in 2006 as they found a ton of gallstones. I went to the doctor as I was really nauseous and was having severe stomach pains.

[Deleted]

Mine started out as what I thought was a stomach ache. I was very nauseated and it was painful. I realized after a bit that my pain was actually off to the right of my stomach and was very painful when I pressed down on it. I also started running a high fever, which doesn't usually happen when I have a stomach bug. I self-diagnosed myself with a gallbladder attack and since it was a Saturday night, had my H take me to the ER. I was in a lot of pain by the time I got to the hospital. It turned out for me that in addition to having Gallstones which were causing the attack, I also had a pretty bad infection in my Liver and Pancreas. I ended up being hospitalized for two days getting heavy antibiotics and pain killers and had my gallbladder removed that Monday night.

To my knowledge I had never had a gallbladder attack before that, but I've always had stomach issues, so who knows. My GI system is seriously jacked up so I might not be the best person to answer this question.

Good luck! I hope it's not your gallbladder. I've been one of the unlucky ones and have had nothing but problems since I got mine out.

[stephm0188]

I felt sick to my stomach constantly, and eventually couldn't eat or drink much of anything without throwing up. I didn't have gallstones though- it ended up being a complication after having mono. I felt immediately better after having my gallbladder removed.

[cjcouple]

Thank you for the information. It's hard to explain what it happening. I get slight pains all of my stomach. I "think" it is gas but not sure. I also feel worse after having any kind of sugar. The most frequent areas of pain are under BOTH ribs...more frequently the right. Sometimes it feels like a stitch in my side way over though. Sometimes I have heartburn but not always. I dont feel the best after I eat on occasion. Not nauseaus but almost full too fast. It is not super painful more worrisome because it just feels wrong.

My BM and pee is normal. ugh.

[mommac]

Mine presented as a dull ache center/high back. Pain overnight at about 2am (apparently the GB does an overnight flush). My SIL is a NP and after visits to my OB (I had just had a baby) & primary docs who said it was breastfeeding posture related back pain - my SIL told me to go to a big urgent care that has imaging and complain of the classic upper right ribcage pain. An ultrasound showed sludge & stones. I scheduled surgery later that week. I had my first big gallbladder attacks overnight the 2 nights before surgery. The attacks were worse than pitocin contractions.

[minionkevin]

Not personally but my dad had chest/back pain and he went to the ER for a possible heart attack on Thanksgiving night a few years ago. He was admitted while they ran tests and I told my mom to have the dr request a hida scan once they ruled out a heart attack bc my dad has other stomach issues (gastritis, ulcer, h pylori, etc). They scoffed, but did it anyway. They found his gb was working at 2% the level it should, full of sludge and stones. However he was on blood thinners and had to wean off of them for a month before they would schedule the surgery - so right over Christmas with all sorts of good food. He was miserable, but once it was out, he was fine.

[Aloe Vera]

Trouble digesting certain foods (onions and dairy mostly) and wave of nausea around 5:00PM everyday. Belching despite empty stomach (no food or water for 8+ hours) and clay colored poop also. Some mild pains a couple days/year in that area.
Doctor sent me for a U/S right away and they found a big stone. I met with a surgeon who told me it would be better to leave it there since it was so big and there was no risk of it moving to the bile ducts.

[trissie18]

I was 8 months pregnant at the time but had extreme pain (level 10) in my upper abdomen area - I was curled up in a ball on the couch sobbing. I finally went to the ER concerned it was labor pains but after multiple tests, it was diagnosed as my gallbladder. I had to wait until I delivered before I could have it removed so suffered through similar attacks for another four months (I ended up with a c-section so my general surgeon wanted me to heal from that first). Even with a low-fat/no fat diet, I would still have attacks. 

[yaga]

Jan 30, 2019 12:13:28 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Thank you for the information. It's hard to explain what it happening. I get slight pains all of my stomach. I "think" it is gas but not sure. I also feel worse after having any kind of sugar. The most frequent areas of pain are under BOTH ribs...more frequently the right. Sometimes it feels like a stitch in my side way over though. Sometimes I have heartburn but not always. I dont feel the best after I eat on occasion. Not nauseaus but almost full too fast. It is not super painful more worrisome because it just feels wrong.

My BM and pee is normal. ugh.

I have gastroparesis and this is my life most of the time. I have heartburn from it. When it's uncontrolled, I feel generally pretty crummy - blood sugar swings, stomachaches, nausea, vomiting. 

[yaga]

Jan 30, 2019 13:43:54 GMT -5 Catlawdy said:

Jan 30, 2019 13:34:55 GMT -5 yaga said:

I have gastroparesis 

I also have it, and started on Creon (pancreatic enzyme).  It's amazing.  From what the doc said, it either helps a lot or not at all, I was one that it helped a lot.

Interesting! I take erythromycin as needed. Between that and running, I've been able to control it pretty well. I've been able to eat salads! The exercise component is actually huge for me and can completely remove the need for erythromycin. I'm still shocked by this revelation.

[cleo29]

I had my gallbladder looked at and they said it was fine, but something is off. i started getting terrible gas pains, upper right side of my body radiating up through my shoulders. So bad i cannot stand up straight. this has not gone away. i get these gas bubbles if i sit too soon after eating. and for other random reasons. it can be really painful. Still no clue as to what is causing it.

[mich1]

Until the very end, where I wound up in the ER having the mother of all attacks, mine always occurred early morning and woke me from a dead sleep. It was uncomfortable enough that I’d get up. I wasn’t nauseous, it was a binding pain that wrapped around my right rib cage and made my shoulders ache. Attacks usually lasted less than 30 min.

The attack that sent me to the ER started 2 hours before I cried uncle. It occurred in the mid morning, I hadn’t eaten anything. I was doubled over in pain, rocking. Again, I was not nauseous during this attack, and the pain would come in waves. Just about the time it started to wane, it would start building again.

I had emergency surgery that night. I had a 5 week old hip replacement and could not afford for it to become infected, jeopardizing my new joint.

[skidunks]

I had mine out almost a year ago. My first attack was right after Thanksgiving and it was more painful than anything I’ve ever felt before. I ended up having lots of tests because the U/S showed now stones. The hida scab came back showing my gallbladder was functioning at 0%. I felt so much better a few weeks after having it out.

[cjcouple]

At the lab now doing a H breathe test and bloodwork. Dr also ordered an ultra sound which will prob be next week. she said it "might" be the gallbladder but it was not the typical symptoms. She said if I get fever, vomiting, diarrhea, severe pain to go to ER but she is not anticipating that.

She also said it could be gluten. She said sometimes these symptoms are related to Crohns and Gluten Intolerance. She said if I wanted to try gluten free and see how I feel, it may be a good move. She finds whether they eat 1 small amount of gluten or a huge portion the symptoms are the same.

Either way, I am glad I came in.

[statgirl]

Mine started acting up in pregnancy. I had severe nausea that I wrote off as morning sickness, but it never ended. On day, I had severe pains in my stomach about 32 weeks that were like contractions but weren't. I was teaching (college) and I looked at my students and said "I'm not going to have this baby right now, but I feel sick. Go get an administrator and class is cancelled." I had a PTL work-up but the pain passed after about an hour. From that point on until my gallbladder finally failed, I just felt "off." I would get an urge to poop and had to go RIGHT THEN. It was generally runny. I felt nauseous a lot--I had Zofran left over from pregnancy and took that. I started to joke that if I ever bought pills on the street, it would be Zofran because it was how I was functioning. By 4 months postpartum (about 6 months after the mysterious attack), I felt gassy a lot and nauseous most days. My first major attack (Sunday) presented as gas, my second (Monday) as a panic attack/heart attack (I left my son's room and went to my room, because if I was going to die, I didn't want the kids to see), and my third (Wednesday) as major gas pains. My husband made me go to the ER because that was not normal. I didn't have stones just a thickened gallbladder, but they agreed with my google diagnosis and told me to contact a surgeon. I did and he took it out and I didn't have nausea anymore. I still have the urgent poop issues after sugary meals or salad. Fat doesn't bother me much. My attacks were triggered by peanut butter cookies, fried chicken, pancakes, and orange soda.

[kooshball]

I had upper stomach pain that lasted about 12 hours the first time and then pain every day after. I caught it fast because I knew I had stones. It was out 4-5 days later.

[game blouses]

I was two week post partum and had pains in my upper abdomen/back that rivaled labor. It felt like my bra was six sizes too tight and was squeezing my insides. I had five attacks in two weeks, each of which lasted a few hours.

I described my symptoms to my OB over the phone and he immediately got me a gallbladder scan. Yup, pregnancy-induced gallstones! Had it out a week later and never looked back. For about a year I couldn’t physically handle fatty foods; now I have such an aversion to them that it’s sort of a self-made diet, lol.

[So_Fetch]

I've had mine removed due to having gallstone/attacks. I never had a fever or any emergency situations, but it's really painful. Sometimes it would feel like gas - like if you could just just pass gas you'd feel better. Except you don't feel better. It tended to hit late in the evening and be so painful that I'd be up all night. Pain relievers didn't touch the pain which radiated from the middle of my rib cage into my back and up into my shoulder.

[fivechickens]

I was pregnant when I had my first attack. It felt like really bad gas pains that traveled up behind my shoulder blade. The ‘pressure’/pain got so bad I thought I was dying. Then I started (as my husband describes it) getting violently sick. It was the worst pain I have ever felt and, hopefully, ever feel.

[psychmom]

I have sludge in my gallbladder that has been giving me increasingly more trouble the last couple months. I'm scheduled to have my gallbladder removed next month.

My symptoms usually start with a dull ache in the center of my chest, under my breasts. In the beginning I thought I was having really bad heartburn. The ache eventually intensifies and my upper abdomen hurts. I also get pain in the center of my back. This usually occurs at night and has lasted anywhere from 1 hr to 5 hrs.

I'd go to the dr and get an ultrasound of your gallbladder just to be sure. I hope you feel better soon!

[gastro]

For years I had a dull ache after eating certain foods on my mid-back. I just thought it was indigestion. At age 26 I had a gallbladder attack where I really thought I was going to die it was so painful. I was abroad too and it was awful. I had to go to the emergency room in Switzerland and finally convinced the drs (after phoning my dad who’s a surgeon) to give me an ultrasound. Gallbladder full of gallstones. Given my age they hadn’t considered it. It was removed laparoscopically and I haven’t had any issues and all the dull pain I had for years disappeared. Once it’s removed you do have to watch your diet - I absolutely steer clear of fatty and fried foods.

[peachy]

In case it is gluten related just so you know it’s better to have the blood work/endoscopy done for diagnosis before you cut gluten out. If you cut it out beforehand the test won’t be accurate because your antibody level drops.

(This is for Celiac, not for just gluten intolerance)

[kooshball]

Jan 30, 2019 14:08:48 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

At the lab now doing a H breathe test and bloodwork. Dr also ordered an ultra sound which will prob be next week. she said it "might" be the gallbladder but it was not the typical symptoms. She said if I get fever, vomiting, diarrhea, severe pain to go to ER but she is not anticipating that.

She also said it could be gluten. She said sometimes these symptoms are related to Crohns and Gluten Intolerance. She said if I wanted to try gluten free and see how I feel, it may be a good move. She finds whether they eat 1 small amount of gluten or a huge portion the symptoms are the same.

Either way, I am glad I came in.

Don’t stop gluten until you push for celiac testing. If you have celiac, it will come out negative without some gluten in your system. If you do have celiac, it is important to get a diagnose.

plus there is a vaccine in clinical trials for celiac. So you want to get diagnosed if that is what it is.

[achi]

I had mine taken out in 2012. Initially presented more like an ulcer so I was shocked when I got the diagnosis since ulcers are quite common in the women on my dads side. Initially it basically felt like a horrible stomach ache that basically kept me curled in the fetal position all day. Throwing up didn’t help, having a BM didn’t help, the pain would just eventually resolve.

After about 5 of those attacks my doctor did a full abdominal ultrasound, x-ray and stool testing. Once I got the results I tried to adjust my diet but all the different books and websites have conflicting advice. After a couple months the attacks changed to a more typical gallstone attack - sharp back pain in my shoulder blades, sweating, feeling like I was being squeezed really hard. I spent the majority of Christmas in the ER hooked up to a morphine drip at which point I agreed to have it removed. They gave me a combo of Percocet and naproxen to get through the attacks until my surgery at the end of March. I barely made it through the waiting period they were getting so bad. Food that would set me off was initially grapefruit, cheese, anything really greasy. But by the end it was all of that plus all dairy, refined sugar or carbs, and probably some other stuff I’m forgetting.

I hope you can get some relief soon! It’s definitely a crappy experience.

[cjcouple]

Thank you everyone. I just want some answers. Hopefully they call to schedule the U/S soon.

Its just very strange because I am not in extreme pain. It is more tender to the touch at times and achy (like sore muscles) other times. Also a lot of the symptoms of all these issues (GB, Celiac, Gluten Sens, IBS) say they cause diarrhea or constipation. My BM and pee is completely normal. Right down to the timing each day. Lab results should be in by tomorrow.

[Que?]

Jan 31, 2019 11:32:22 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Thank you everyone. I just want some answers. Hopefully they call to schedule the U/S soon.

Its just very strange because I am not in extreme pain. It is more tender to the touch at times and achy (like sore muscles) other times. Also a lot of the symptoms of all these issues (GB, Celiac, Gluten Sens, IBS) say they cause diarrhea or constipation. My BM and pee is completely normal. Right down to the timing each day. Lab results should be in by tomorrow.

You're basically describing what it feels like for me wen my gall bladder flares up. I've never had a stone or had to have any treatment for it. It's related to diet and when I generally let myself go to shit.
One symptom I don't think you've mentioned is pain in your right shoulder? Your symptoms sound like a gall bladder affecting the diaphragm and for me that manifests in shoulder pain.

[cleo29]

Jan 31, 2019 12:04:19 GMT -5 Que? said:

Jan 31, 2019 11:32:22 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Thank you everyone. I just want some answers. Hopefully they call to schedule the U/S soon.

Its just very strange because I am not in extreme pain. It is more tender to the touch at times and achy (like sore muscles) other times. Also a lot of the symptoms of all these issues (GB, Celiac, Gluten Sens, IBS) say they cause diarrhea or constipation. My BM and pee is completely normal. Right down to the timing each day. Lab results should be in by tomorrow.

You're basically describing what it feels like for me wen my gall bladder flares up. I've never had a stone or had to have any treatment for it. It's related to diet and when I generally let myself go to shit.
One symptom I don't think you've mentioned is pain in your right shoulder? Your symptoms sound like a gall bladder affecting the diaphragm and for me that manifests in shoulder pain.

this is what i get and my gallbladder looked normal. i want to get a second opinion. All of this started with my second pregnancy and has not stopped.

OP, i hope you get some answers!

[cherryvalance]

cjcouple, I hope you get some answers soon! This is timely for me, as I just got home from the hospital for a gallbladder attack. I'm 36 weeks pregnant and woke up to the most intense pain of my life that just got worse until it was unrelenting.

If I can hijack this thread for a minute, for those who tried to control their flares with diet before surgery, do you have any recommendations? Ideally, I'd deliver and recover before doing the gallbladder surgery, but I'm deathly afraid that pain will come back.