I had an ultrasound just over 12 months ago as I kept getting a feeling like an ache under my ribs on right side and back. The scan showed no stones in my gallbladder. This discomfort occurred very intermittently and the gastro consultant referred me for another ultrasound. At this scan the consultant said he knew no stones were found at my last scan so he was checking if my gallbladder was working properly. He said he would scan then I would eat a yoghurt type food then he would scan again.
He prepared for the 1st scan and said I didn't need to drink the yoghurt he could see LOTS of small stones.
How can that be in just over 12 months. I have been on a PPI for years ....has that caused them?????........I now have to wait to hear from gastro as to what the next step is.....MY ANXIETY IS THROUGH THE ROOF.....Christmas is so close and I feel scared. Is this my last Christmas. My back has the dull ache in it now just below my ribs.....is this my anxiety or the stones.
I don't know what to think or expect my head is spinning 😭
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Curlywurly80
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I'm not sure about your situation but I had lots of tiny stones about 20 years ago. They removed my gallbladder and I was back to work in 2 weeks. No further issues with that.
Thank you for your response. I am overweight and in my 60s and just so scared it won't be that easy for me. My anxiety is through the roof. I don't know what to think or do. I am thinking about every food and drink I have now wondering if its making more gallstones or them bigger. I'm so so pleased to hear you were sorted and had a speedy recovery
I am sure you will be absolutely fine - you are somewhat typical of the demographic that gallstones affect the most - i.e. older, overweight, female. So you won't be any more difficult to treat than any other patient your medical team will have treated. There is information about gall stones on the British Liver Trust website at :- britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...
I have had the same pain as you describe for at least 20 years, I had a CT scan in January and my gallbladder was OK. They put it down to ‘lifestyle’, if everything else is OK I would not worry too much
I went through a time when I had intermittent but awful pain under my ribs, usually during the night. Was told indigestion but after seeing another doctor was sent for scan and had large and small gallstones. Was referred to consultant with whom it was agreed to remove my gallbladder. Wait for op was about 5 months. Op was relatively minor, keyhole, day surgery, a week or two recovery , not terribly painful. Gallstones are very common, some people have no symptoms, sometimes symptoms can be alleviated with dietary changes, but surgery is common as the best long term option. It will be up to you and your consultant. Please try not to worry too much gallstones are very treatable. In the meantime maybe try reducing your fat intake this may stave off flare ups. As for the cause that is a bit harder to pin down. They are quite common in older women, the overweight and also in people who have lost a lot of weight quickly but otherwise they are just one of those things that some people get and some don't.
Thank you so much for this. Reading it calmed me a little. I am overweight and have always been on the heavier side. I'm in my 60's. I don't eat a high fat diet and I fact probably not enough fat in my diet. I think what I'm feeling everyday is that I could end up in pain that day or things could be getting worse inside.
Do you know if gallstones can form (lots of small ones) in 12 months. The US I had 12 months ago was clear and this one showed loads. If they formed that quickly maybe they will grow quickly.
From what I have gathered they are very slow to form. Many people have them without any symptoms or issues for decades. They often just swish around in there without causing a problem. It is only when they are a bit bigger and move and block the duct to your stomach that they cause a problem, even then they can move out of the way again and you can be issue free for ages. I had the pain for about 2 years but it was very intermittent about 5 times a year. It would start in my back under my shoulder blade and gradually move to under my sternum and become very very painful and remain bad for hours, I usually ended up vomiting and after that it would ease down. I told my doctor I was concerned had gallstones, the male doctor I saw said my blood tests didn't show any indication of gallstones and he prescribed a PPI for indigestion. It was a woman doctor who took me more seriously a year later when I said I was worried I had gallstones and she immediately referred me for a scan. It was scary not knowing what was happening but once you understand why you are in pain and what can be done to resolve it and how amazing the body is to cope without your gall bladder the anxiety should reduce. Having my gallbladder out was the best thing for me.
We are sorry to hear of your situation. Here are some tips on how to manage mental health and anxiety: britishlivertrust.org.uk/in....
If you are concerned that you may have a liver condition - we would encourage you to speak to your healthcare provider. Here is a link to some information on our website about preparing for appointments, including questions to ask your doctor, which you may find helpful: britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...
OP I’m sorry you’re going through this right now and do hope things get resolved for you soon and you can get to the bottom of things which is why I’m posting myself as this is a topic that now interests me as I have been getting somewhat mild but frequent RUQ pains lately myself which I automatically and fearfully thought was liver related - especially given my previous with alcohol related liver damage. Pains I’ve experienced similar to in the past with my liver.
To my astonishment, however, my pains were not liver related this time, but gallbladder related, in particular gallstones. Something my US from July revealed, of which I’m still angry about I was never made aware of and only become aware myself because these pains prompted me to chase up the results of my US. I’d love to know when they were going to inform me…
On my scan it says I have a few smallish gallstones and that I’d be contacted by my GP to discuss everything with me which they dully did last week, informing me unless I’m in daily pain that I can’t tolerate, they cannot do anything about them other than to monitor them for the time being.
They did discuss potentially needing to remove my gallbladder in the near future which is something I personally do not want to lose despite being told we can function perfectly without one. But, and I maybe wrong here, I’m of the opinion if you’re born with something, it’s very much needed and exists for a purpose surely and again isn’t something I’d want to be without if I can help it.
Alas, it seems there is no effective treatment to get rid of them and that they will keep returning even if I did somehow get rid of them without the removal of my gallbladder, making such a scenario inevitable?
I’m at a loss as to where they’ve come from as I don’t eat a high in fat diet or drink alcohol any longer. I do still smoke and I do probably eat more fibre than I need, and maybe it’s a sign my bilirubin levels are now higher than they should be which may explain why I seem to feel itchier lately. Which on its own maybe something to worry over?
Does anyone know what could cause them, can they be successfully treated without the removal of the gallbladder and if not, for those who have had theirs removed, has there been any downside? Are there any tests I may need to check if something could be off with my liver or something else that’s suddenly causing them or is this quite common in people with a history of liver disease?
I’d ask my GP these questions, but he couldn’t even tell me why no-one got back to me when they should have with the results of my US. I know if nothing is wrong or things are the same it’s standard not to hear anything back unless we chase things up ourselves, but it turns out I had to and just as well otherwise I’d be none the wiser.
The gallbladder exists to store bile so we can dump it all in when we eat a meal. Animals that eat constantly like horses don't have one. So after gallbladder removal you'd have to be sure to eat little and often.Of course that's very doable, but it's why I too hope to not have to have my gallbladder removed.
Thanks for replying, so like grazing, that’s how I had to eat when I come out of hospital with my liver problems which I understood and it was obviously needed and did help, but today I kind of want to be in control of what I eat and when I eat and the size portions too. I don’t want to have to go back to grazing. I like fasting for example as I believe while fuel for your body is important, I’ve learned the body doesn’t need a constant feed of food and liquids and certainly not processed or junk food. I don’t want to lose my gallbladder, plus the people I know who have, have lost a lot of weight and I’m trying to put weight on ha ha. Thanks again and take care.
I had excruciating gallbladder pain ( i thought id broken a rib), after a CT scan, which revealed copius amounts of small stones that were constantly restricting the bile duct and causing infection, one year I had 6 courses of antibiotics. Eventually it was removed ( I'm not keen on things being removed). What they found in pathology was a rotten gallbladder full of stones, on its last legs ( The surgeons description/report) over the past year my appetite has returned, but to be honest, it's been a slow recovery where I was convinced my liver disease was worsening by the day, but it was just slow recovery from the surgery and all the bad stuff leaving my system. It can be complicated as stated by others, mine was straight forward as it was so bad.
Thank you so much for your reply. I am such an anxious person. I've never had surgery of any kind and the thought scares me. I'm also thinking why after a clear US 12 months ago this US shows loads of small stones. Do they usually form that quickly and if so does it mean they will grow quickly.
HelHello, I'I'm Havi g a similar experience to you. In Novrmber 2022, I had pain mid way down my right side of stomach. Felt some nausea. Then, developed pack inin-between shoulder blade. Felt like a knot. Went to doctors. Was given Lazaprinol. It sorted it all out. Well, after Christmas my stomach ached again. I left it for a month thinking a routine after Christmas might fix it. Went back to doctors on 31 Jan 2023. Was sent for community ultrasound which I finally got in April same year. Was diagnosed with moderate fatty liver and tail end of pancreas. My stomach pains had gone by then anyway. I spent all this time taking the neds every other day until spring this year. I forgot to take the beds. Had no problems. Thought my GRED like symptoms were cured! I had a little episodes in the summer.
Now, just very recently the pain gas returned. Pain under my rib right side and back aching. Feeling mild nausea. No less of appetite and no real red flags as such. What a time for this to happen. I have three weeks and days worth of tablets. I'I'll Start taking the medication near to Christmas to see of it sorts things out. I'I'll make diary if my symptoms as well just incase things don'don't improve a d i'I'll Have to see dr. Early next year. Honestly! I thought I'd kicked all this by the summer.
Yes some people may be advised to watch their fatty food intake but generally its life as normal. Every person who has a liver transplant is left without a gall bladder as it is removed with old liver and not replaced.
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