GallBladder bites back!

[yogabonnie]

Now I have a new tiny problem for you to solve... about 2 years ago (on prednisone with Pmr) I had a gallbladder attack. TERRIBLE! like a spear through my body.. had ultrasound and there were no gallstone..doc said inflammation ..eat right, Bonnie. so then the other day I did NOT eat right generally for about 2 weeks and topped it off with lots of Ice-cream and fried food one night and lo and behold another attack. Worse than the first, but went away after about 5 endless hours in the night.. did not go to doc. But have been EATING RIGHT. tiny dairy, no fat, no junk. but am worried about it. Read it can also a prednisone related disease... any suggestions?? Ideas? short of removal.????? thanks all.

[_charcoal_]

Similar thing happened to me, but before PMR-pred. After the ultrasound, given my description of the biliary colic, the radiologist thought I'd passed a small cholesterone stone. She said small stones often cause the most pain as they are actually expelled, with massive contractions of the gallbladder! Larger ones just go back in, re-positioned slightly, and then show up on US.

Now you may not have high cholesterol as I did/do, but you could have another type of small stone, or sludge (!), caused by calcium supplements, for example. A fatty meal triggers the attack, in my case just over an hour afterwards, because the gall bladder gives an extra big squeeze in order to push more bile into the small intestine, which shifts the stone/sludge to the exit...

The ultrasound showed I had NAFLD and, like you, I was given dietary advice re the whole situation. I partly followed it -- didn't go low fat but avoided mystery fats, eg supermarket meals; big reduction in sugar intake, but still drink beer. No more attacks nearly 3 years later.

Like yogabonnie, I'm interested if anyone knows whether prednisolone can exacerbate any of these issues.

[yogabonnie in reply to _charcoal_]

thank you!

[SuZuS]

I am no pro, and I have not been diagnosed with PMR or GCA but I do have LVV/Aortitus. Very similar medical protocols, ie Prednisone and Actemra plus several BP meds and high dose Statin.

Bonnie, did you by chance check your blood pressure while these painful attacks are occurring ?I would check back in with your doc, we are all inflammatory, that’s why we are on these meds in the first place.

As my Vascular medicine specialist says, the inflammation causes the pain.

The first time I had an attack like that I thought it was due to how poorly I was eating and under very stressful circumstances at the time taking care of my very ill mother at the time.

Yes, happened around 8 PM and prayed to God that I would wake up the next day. Also I was Not on any medication and had to be diagnosed several months later

One thing discovered quickly was severe right renal stenosis, and the hunch that it was Vasculitis…by way of CT scan of chest abdomen and pelvis.

But then I had a second attack a year and a half later worse than the first and I ended up in the ER during Covid. Yes, and this time on all meds mentioned above.

Please follow up with your docs for more labs and imaging if possible.

Get back to eating right (we have all stumbled through this truly chaotic year) and watch your BP, too !🤗

[yogabonnie in reply to SuZuS]

I think bp was up. I thought because of pain...but generally I have VERY low bp. thanks so much..Back to eating right!!!!

[Rache]

I had my gallbladder removed aged only 25! Before my op, I found, as you seem to have done, that any fat at all resulted in pain, even a scraping of butter on my bread. I avoided all fat and lost a lot of weight - I was very slim to begin with but ended up with no bum at all lol! During the op they found only one fairly large gall stone and they surmised that smaller ones had worked their way out, painfully, during an attack. Since they have found no stones, maybe yours have worked their way out too? Hope things improve as you follow a low fat diet for a while.

In my case I think my problem was genetic as my mother, aunt and sister when she was very young had the same problem.

[MrsNails in reply to Rache]

Rache I was 22years old l suffered with my Gall Bladder all through Senior School 😖

[Rache in reply to MrsNails]

Oh dear! I remember having discomfort under my ribs at senior school but it wasn’t too bad and so I just sort of got used to it then 😬 Later I certainly couldn’t have ignored it

[MrsNails in reply to Rache]

My GP said it was the way l carried my school bag causing the pain......

[Rache in reply to MrsNails]

I suspected different things, the way we worked in the art room with board propped on the edge of the desk for instance

[yogabonnie in reply to Rache]

thank you!

[MrsNails]

Hi Bonnie

I had my gall bladder removed in 1978 - several months after l ate a rather fatty meal with crinkle chips (fries) & oh boy did l know about it, headed off to the Dr & they said it was Biliary Colic - solution - still no fatty/fried foods!

Just watch your diet but if it happens again, get it checked out.....

Kind Regards

Angela 💐

[Daffodilia]

I have gallstones - very painful - I try to do low fat and have had no bad attack for 18 months - paracetamol ok for low level rumbles of pain

[yogabonnie]

that is what I will try!! thanks so much