I'm 35 have been found to have gallstones by chance having had an MRI early this year Feb. I had pains at times the central area in between breast but mainly left stomach sharp pain could be upper or lower. And generally not long after eating. I notice this would happen a Lil while after eating not very good foods.
(Oily foods etc I use to also eat a lot of eggs, cheese)
I now know I'm lactose intolerance, so completely cut out dairy and went vegan from Feb until now, hoping my gallstones would have gone. Did another Ultrasound a few weeks ago, but they're still there! I was also scanned again after eating food to check if my gallbladder is contracting normally after eating fattie food it was from the results taken.
But being Vegan has completely changed my symptoms! However, on a few occasions, if I had for example chips I'd get a little discomfort.
I've had a top and tail investigation a month ago now by my gastro doc and a biopsy taken all is fine! And due to a major improvement when referred to dietitian this week, for a FODMAP diet it wasn't recommended, to check for IBS. As my presenting symptoms are not as strong enough as before.
Now I've tried to get ready of gallstone naturally and still want to but have at least x20 small stones in size and 1x at 1.8cm. My doc/surgeon said this size wouldn't come out naturally. I've been told the gallstones are nowhere else in my liver for example, (but I've read if in the gallbladder it is likely to be in your liver too) my liver stas were normally.
I what to know if anyone has had them 1st in the gallbladder and it's moved over time to other areas or caused further complications due to not having the gallbladder removed?
I'm worried and concerned about getting it removed and even side effects of living without a gallbladder?
Also to note I sometimes have a low iron court it's just on the borderline now and I have roughly 3/4 small fibroids which have been checked in the last couple of months and due to my age in case I want to have more children I've been advised not to get any surgery done on my womb because of possible damage. Also due to the sizes, they don't if it's necessary.
I wonder if this could be the cause of my lower groin pain at times. However, that doesn't explain the sharp right side pain in my stomach. Any help and advice pls I don't want to make the wrong decision getting my gallbladder removed but I also have been told IBS can be misdiagnosed when it's gallstone pains the patient is experiencing, after many years of living with it.
I note, however, my pain isn't on the right where my gallballer is you see! Besides the feeling of feeling very full, bloating, and heaviness in the middle below and in between my breast area.
35 year in need of some help???? Best Wishes
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Tennispro
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Well I started to get hideous pain in upper central stomach about 4 -5 months ago. It’s was so bad I had to go to A&E, my liver ALT was raised but bloods otherwise ok and they diagnosed gastritis and I went onto lanzoprazole. Then I had to go to A&E again two months later as the pain became intolerable and I could barely eat.. again did bloods and ok. No offer of any further investigations!! The doctors just kept giving me lanzoprazole which didn’t work at all.
I was losing weight and in constant agony so in the end as the doctors or A&E wouldn’t do anything for me (wouldn’t leave an animal like I was left 😡) I was forced to pay to see a private gastro. He had me in for an ultrasound within a week!! That showed liver Hemangioma and gallstones. All that happend was I got a letter about an operation, no date just a suggestion of one and a leaflet.
Fast forward and A few weeks ago I had to call the consultants secretary crying my eyes out in pain and said I couldn’t take it any longer. Then the consultant called me and got me in for an urgent cat scan as my symptoms don’t present as gallbladder. It was knawing pain like I was rotting inside. At this point I can’t eat and have lost 6 stone!!
Well the day after the consultant called I had to also do a stool sample, I’ll leave put the technical details (🤮) but there were rock hard stones in it!! At least 6 of them. I put two of the stones into the stool sample bottle and took it to the doctors and asked that I need to know if they are gallstones. I can’t see what else they could have been. Haven’t heard yet... waiting for the results and hoping they confirm the stones as gallstones.
Well the day after passing those stones my pain disappears!! It’s still uncomfortable to press in the area but the pain generally has gone. So my personal conclusion is that these stones were stuck in my bile duct or liver for months and I passed them!
The consultant has put me on an urgent list for the operation but I haven’t even heard from anyone about it yet.
I would say two of the stones were around 1.3cm width at least. I really hoping the lab has looked at them and confirmed them for me, but they might not.
Unlike you my pain was permanent and anything I ate even salad hurt. Now awaiting the CT scan results...
Oh dear, I see. Yes it seems that way. I believe it could be to do with diet more then anything for me though... But I really want to know how it was after having a gallbladder removed? Hope you feel better soon.
I had my gb out 8 weeks ago and it's not been an easy time, I had polyps rather than stones so didn't have any symptoms beforehand but the gb had to be removed. About 4 days after the op I started having terrible diarrhoea despite sticking to zero fat mainly liquid diet, although now improved I'm still very limited in what I can eat, virtually no fats or vegetables, only fish or chicken and definitely no fibre ! Bile acid malabsorption is a very common problem but binders like Questran can be prescribed which do help.
Having said all that I had no choice in getting my gb removed as it could have been cancer so ill just have to live with the consequences.
I gosh, sorry to hear that! I see so no fibre, or vegetables and fruit? That's what I mainly eat...how is the diarrhoea now? If you don't mind we asking and your age? The polyps how was this found, what procedure did they do? Thanks for your input.
Very limited veg, small amount of broccoli, green beans are ok, apples, white bread, pasta and rice ok, cereals and fibre definitely not ok, really miss cakes and chocolate ☹️ It's trial and error finding what upsets the system or not ! I do have ulcerative colitis but have been in remission for many years so that's not the problem, it's purely because once you have your gallbladder removed the bile constantly drips into the intestines which can cause problems but as I said the binders can solve that.
I was 64 and the polyps were found on a routine ultrasound, rechecked 6 months later which showed increase in size and changes to gb wall so I was fast tracked for urgent surgery, no cancer found as caught early before things could possibly have changed.
Stones can cause a lot of problems especially if they block the bile duct so personally I wouldn't hesitate in getting it removed, better done as a routine procedure than an emergency op with the added risks.
I see, that's very true. It's just I worry about what if I can't eat what I like, after getting it removed. I don't like white bread etc.. Too heavy for me. thanks for sharing this. I hope you feel much better soon.
No point in worrying about what might or might not happen afterwards, if your gallbladder has to go then you have no choice other than to deal with any challenges that might crop up. I'm disappointed that I can't binge on cakes and chocolate or eat chips anymore but it's not the end of the world and you soon get used it, I have never liked fish or yogurt but since my diet has had to change I now enjoy eating both 🙂 Shopping takes a bit longer checking the fats in everything, it's certainly a learning curve !
Sure thing! But that's my issue you see, yes I have gallstones. Which tbh was discovered by chance, I have mild pains not often, but mostly if I've eaten the wrong food ie chips Otherwise, no other symptoms. And funny enough they're normally on the left-hand side sometimes lower right so not by gallbladder area you see. Basically it might not be related to my gallstones.
I didn’t know this would happen. I’m set to have mine out but it says on the patient information leaflet that life resumes to normal after having it out. Obviously not in some cases...
This website is useful as it lists good and bad foods after cholescystectomy but obviously we are all different so not the same for everyone. Most advise a clear liquid diet for at least a few day after just to give your system a chance to recover. Hope all goes well for you.
After turning yellow and losing lots of weight my painful gallstones were removed and the slits where the stones were supposed to escape into the colon were widened.
I then felt good for a week and then fell I'll with gallbladder infection.
I was immediately wheeled in and the culprit was removed.
Hardly any pain and 2 days later I was fully back to normal and eating anything.
Oh gosh well I'm glad you're much better now, so can I check did you just have them removed? Without having gallbladder removed completely? And then you got an infection?
Ah, I see. I didn't know that was even an option to have them removed. Rather than a complete removal.
But I have multiple stones about 20 you see, and I'm only 35! Was their more of a risk of infection due to just having them removed? Rather than going for a full removal? Also if you don't mind me asking how many did they remove first? Thanks
Just basically what I described before, but what I have noticed this last week after adding some meat to my diet and chicken my stomach has been displaying an uncomfortable feeling and a few sharp pains way after eating. So it's leading me to believe it could be diet. I'm going back off meat and only adding some fish to my diet as I think I've lost to much weight now. And hope I don't get stomach pains. But I wanted to know side effects in regards to having the gallbladder removed. Is there anyone in here that still have pain after the removal? If you don't get it removed has it caused more complications... Has it caused gallbladder cancer etc anything? Just would like to know before deciding to have my gallbladder removed... You see.
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