Gallstone 2.3cm

[Tishunt]

I am after advice on what to do... my mum has had a gallstone for over 18months. Length confirmed by scan 10/2024. Still awaiting consultant appointment. But she is in pain all the time (neck, right side, legs)., bloated, nausea etc. Her diet is fat free as the slightest amount causes vomitting. We have been to Dr's and Emergency but they just give her buscopan or painkillers which do nothing. It is affecting her mental health and general wellbeing. And having a great impact on mine too including time off work. What can we do?

#gallstones #pain #fat free diet

[NieceByMarriage]

Pain "all the time" does not sound like typical gallstone behaviour - unless it is stuck in a duct somewhere in which case I would have thought it is a surgical emergency. With gallstones the pain typically comes and goes. It can be vicious when it comes and can last a while. In my case fatty foods caused problems so that is no surprise in your mother's case. I also found painkillers did nothing and Buscopan did not do much. I just had to lie down with a hot water bottle or grit my teeth and put up with it. I also got random referred pain the right side of my body (hip, shoulder and upper arm as well as the liver area) but again that was not constant. I was lucky in that my pain, while vicious, was fairly short-lived and was not quite enough to have me rolling on the floor in agony, as happened to a friend of ours. I did once think I was dying because it brought on such awful palpitations but by the time I seriously thought about going to the hospital it had started subsiding.

If the pain really is constant I would suggest pointing this out firmly to the doctor and asking for the consultant appointment to be brought forward as urgent. It is possible that a problem is being blamed on the gallstone alone when something else could also be at play.

[Manderson27]

I would be pushing hard to get further investigation if pain is constant that is awful as gall stones can get lodged in bile duct and can be dangerous, tell GP you are terrified that this is what is happening or that there is more going on than gallstones and push for further investigation. If you know the name of the consultant mum will be seeing ask secretary for any cancellation appointments. Also ask/push that your mum is mentally not coping as well as it affecting yourself. I had intermittent gallstone issues. My experience was a very dismissive appointment with male GP who just prescribed indigestion and painkiller meds. A year later went back and saw a female locum GP who took me seriously and got things moving and within months I had had scans, consult and surgery. My condition was nowhere near as serious as your mum's sounds. She must keep pushing for that consult.

[Breakfastbabe]

A friend of mine has this and a stone was lodged in the bile duct and still nothing was done. She eats completely fat, alcohol and pretty much sugar free except honey, which has helped the pain and she leads an active life. The last scan showed the stone blocking the duct had gone back into the gall bladder but then she was in terrible pain again. It turned out she has shingles which she says is excruciating so it might be worth getting mum checked for that. I hope you get your poor mum sorted soon.