For the past couple of years I've experienced an intermittent stretching burning type pain where my gallbladder is. Came and went. Worse after eating fatty foods, cheese etc. Had mri mrcp ct ultrasound and bloods all normal. Over the past few weeks the pain is now constant and worse but at varying degrees. I sometimes get a sharp stabbing pain which subsides after about 10 mins. Also get nausea and bouts of diarrhoea. I've changed my diet to no fat and it's a bit easier but still constant. Feel as though im laying on something if i lay on my right side. I'm waiting another MRI which I'm arranging myself due to NHS wait. My anxiety isn't helping. From others experience does this sound like gallstones please?Thanks
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Carrotsticks
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In my experience gallstone pain is intermittent, though really horrid when it hits. I also had a general dull ache in the liver area which I had thought might be related to gallstones but was in fact related to Hep C diagnosed later. I got nausea (also might have been the Hep C) but no diarrhoea. Fatty foods triggered attacks. No painkillers would touch the pain - I just had to wait for it to subside. I would have thought the scans you have had would have shown any stones or sludge in the gallbladder. I am glad you are pursuing this but it sounds to me as if something other than gallstones is at play here. Best wishes.
If it's private say how you feel it might be gallstones, I had a couple of scans and ultrasound in A&E nothing came up, then they gave me something intravenous to show abnormalities up, and did all the scans again, I lit up like a Christmas's tree, badly infected gallbladder, with loads of stones, very fine stones but plenty of them, my gallbladder was eventually removed.Obviously as said above, it could be something else, but hopefully they can rule this in or out pretty swiftly with a closer look.
Thanks for replying. Because it's a private scan they won't give me contrast. I'll ask though. I'm convinced this is gallbladder. As soon as I eat anything with fat (not that I do now) the pain intensifies and within an hour I have to rush to the loo. It's horrible. Your reply has helped alleviate my anxiety around this somewhat. Thank you.
My friend has been diagnosed with gallstones and has very similar issues to you. One of the stones was blocking the bile duct which was not good but that has now moved back on its own. She is awaiting an operation. I think the CT scan was the one that picked up her stones. She cut out fat, sugar (except honey) and alcohol and was doing okay. Then recently she had terrible pain in that area and it turned out to be shingles so if you've had chicken pox it might be worth checking for that too, especially if you start a rash. I hope you get sorted soon.
In my experience gallstone pain is the worst pain imaginable, I was rolling round in the floor didn't know what to do, called out of hours doctor (this was before 111) who after speaking to me on phone sent me straight to hospital, I then spent 2 weeks being pumped full of every painkiller there is. I had a 6 week old baby and pain was far worse than childbirth. I only had 1 stone but it was stuck in my bile duct.My mum and dad had both had gallstones as well and both agreed it was the worst pain ever.
I'm really hoping this scan comes up with stones. I've got to find the cause. I cant go on feeling so awful. Did you have you gallbladder removed and if so has it stopped the pain? Sorry to hear you had it so bad.
If you are experiencing pain and think you need medical help right now we'd encourage you to speak with your doctor, a health care professional or use NHS 111 who can direct you to the best place to get help if you cannot contact your GP during the day, or when your GP is closed (out of hours).
If you would find it useful to talk things over, our nurse-led helpline is open Monday 9am to 3pm and Tuesday to Friday 9am to 4pm on 0800 652 7330 excluding bank holidays.
With regards to the anxiety you also mention, this is a link to the page on our website about mental health and liver disease:
Some years ago, one of my relatives struggled with gallstones. As you prepare for your GP appointment tomorrow (or onward specialist appointments); you might find helpful this NHS PDF "Making A Decision About Gallstones". It might help the communication of what you have been experiencing.
"This leaflet is for people with gallstones. It can help you decide whether you want treatment and
which treatment to choose. You should go through it and then talk to your healthcare professional.
There are some parts you can fill in to prepare for your next appointment."
The document was a co-production by Patients and Healthcare Professionals (usually a good indication of a helpful document).
If nothing else, I hoped it might help you to see some of the potential terminology, give something to tick-off / mark up with highlighter pen, or if you don't have a printer you might be able to have the PDF on your smartphone to help remind you of questions you might have for your GP.
It is not always easy to convey the nature of pain experienced when you are ill, anxious, or up against the timer of a short appointment - therefore, I am a fan of notes / diagrams you can point at with a healthcare professional and confirm: "just like this"!
Thank you so much for that information. I will certainly use the information sent. You are so right when you say that it isn’t easy to convey the nature of the pain. I have been trying to think about how to explain it when I see my GP tomorrow so the information you have sent will be a great help.
Update...private mri didn't happen. The company felt mri wasn't the most appropriate for detecting gallstones. Had ultrasound yesterday. All normal. No stones seen and gallbladder normal appearance. Today I am in a lot of pain after eating a tiny bit of cheese. Not even the size of a desert spoon. Pain is intense right where gallbladder is. Seeing gastroenterology in 2 weeks so hoping for other tests that will show what this is. I'm reluctant to have any more CT scans. I've had about 10 abdo pelvis to date due to previous health issues but something has got to show what's causing the horrible pain.
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