gall bladder issues very scared

[cat p]

Hi Im new here and im so glad that I have found this place as im feeling pretty scared right now and really cant stop feeling like this

Over the past 2 years I have had reacuuring trips to the hospital with the most awful pains under my right rib cage ,just under the sternum and into my back and the side of my right ribcage going up to my right shoulder blade ,the pain was worse than giving birth i couldnt stand up straight or even sit down it felt like i was having a heart attack at one point the pain came in waves it was awful.
i was also quite sick with vomiting ..the hospital said it was probably gallstones as I had all the classic symptoms gave me a jab and sent me home told me to go to the drs.......here lies the problem I suffer with health anxiety and have panic attacks so because the pains always went away i never bothered to go to the dr......Hence i changed my diet and the attacks got less frequent had the odd niggle here and there.......last week i had another attack my diet had become rather full of things i knew i shouldnt have been eating kfc and cheese and also fries and i talked myself into going to the drs......he said it was gallstones after describing my symptoms and feeling my abdomen i had intense pain where the gall bladder is situated ...he has now referred me to have an ultra sound scan...........and now i am in the throws of almost a week of anxiety attacks fearing the worst you know how dr google is ....ill say no more but i am scared really scared i cant sleep at night my stomach is churning with fear all the time...... I wake up so very early lie there for hours at a time feeling sick to my stomach that awful sinking feeling with the horrible waves of fear and panic Ijust wanted to ask of those of you that have had gall bladder issues inbeetween attacks did u have like a burning achy pain under your right shoulder and did u feel sick sometimes too please help

[Hazel B]

Hi, I had both of these - pain down my right hand side and my right neck and shoulder (how does that link!?). I also felt sick constantly but was not actually sick, just a constant nausea. I also had a burning pain in my tummy and under my sternum (breast plate) - like bad indigestion but much worse. I've had a bone infection and wisdom tooth extraction in my life but I can tell you that gallstone pain was worst. I haven't given birth but the lady in the bed next to me told me her pain was worst than childbirth.

The ultrasound scan should confirm your diagnosis, sometimes small gallstones can be hard to see but your first scan should show the stones. I know it can be a worry, but once you get the diagnosis for sure you will know your options. Some people do not opt for surgery, you can modify your diet to low fat - it's the fat that you can't digest and this causes the pain. My pain was bad regardless of all my diet chnages so I really wanted the op.

Try to separate the anxiety from the gallstones. I know that's hard but the gallstone op is VERY routine and you feel normal again after 3 months, it is usually keyhole. My diagnosis took 6 months, I was anxious beyond belief by then as it took way too long. Try to stay off Google as well it makes the angst so much worse.

Hope it gets sorted for you soon, take care.

[countrygirl]

Hi I have had gallstones for over 20 years but because I don't ever eat the foods that will annoy it I don't suffer and they are happy for me to not have mine out.

If you can control the attacks with diet then great but if either you cannot be bothered to exclude whatever foods give you an attack or no matter how hard you try with your diet you are still getting attacks then its best to get it taken out.

The only risk with gallstones is that one will get stuck in your bile duct in fact this is what is happening usually during the attacks but the body eventually manages to get the stone out hence the pain in waves as this is the contractions of the tube if you see what I mean. a totally stuck stone can make you turn yellow as it blocks the bile duct ( hopeully your Dr should have explained all of this to you). another symptom of having had or still have a gallstone stuck is that your poo turns very pale

I have had three attacks all those years ago and I had exactly what you describe plus the pale poo and the pain was always at night. I cannot eat pasty, melted cheese or cream, everyone has different trigger foods usually high fat.

Don't be pushed into an operation if you are controlling it with diet but on the other hand if you are geting frequent attacks then its best to have it out to stop any complications.

[cat p]

Thank you both for your replies Im still waiting for the appt to come through for my ultrasound ....dread the postman comming up the hill.......I know i need to get the ultrasound done im just being totally irrational about it and have tried giving myself a good talking too Since the attack last week i havent had hardly any food and what i have had and reintroducing to my diet is very bland and almsot fat free sat fats below 5%..... i thought i had done quite well in reducing attacks with my diet and had a relapse and ate cheese and also a kfc last week thats proabaly why i had an attack that lasted almost 27 hrs......my own fault its just the niggly pains in my back and also shoulder and sick feeling and feeling like hungar pangs thats is bothering and worrying me beacause im getting these when im not in the trows of a full blown gb attack maybe its because im so tensed up with worry that ive strained some muscles....thank you for your help
hugs cat

[cazzaboo]

hello cat
what your saying is exactly what i went throu a year ago im so bad with health anx that it got so bad the gallbladder pain i had no choice but to take myself to a&e at 5.30 i the mornin (huge step for me), i went to my gp as refered by a&e staff and i tried my best to talk him out of sending me for surgery i wanted any thing but not that i even researched that you can have the shocked with shock waves the stones but like my gp explained they will just keep coming back over and over and the safest way was to have it removed and believe it or not it was the best thing i had ever done i was in over night and went home the next day and been pain free every since plus eating all the cheese and kfc that i can think of lol,
it is scary believe me i know but it was the best thing ever
good luck & hugs caz xx

[Tish]

I've had your symptoms too and went for an ultrasound which showed lots of small gallstones. I had keyhole surgery on my dr's advice to have the gallbladder removed. I think for someone suffering with HA, this is your best option so that you're not always worrying about the next attack. It's lovely to eat whatever I like now and know that the gallbladder is gone and can never bother me again! Good luck, T x

[Hazel B]

Let us know how you get on.