Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Smokey on October 31, 2015, 02:16:25 PM
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I've just had my scan re-taken as previous one wasn't clear enough, it was initially to check my liver because of enzymes found in my last blood test, liver is fine but have been told I have quite a few Gallstones in my Gallbladder!
I'm now waiting for a letter from my Gp to confirm.
Anyone else had same?
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Hi I had my gallbladder and stones out a couple of years ago after a few very painful flare ups. It was keyhole surgery in one day out next,nothing to it ;)
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Thanks Dazned and Sparkle
That's just what I wanted to hear keyhole surgery and not open, encouraging news that's it straightforward.
Do you have to stick to a low fat diet now?
Ann x
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I had my gallbladder removed last December, after very painful flare gall stone attacks. I had keyhole surgery in day surgery and haven't looked back.
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Well we're all supposed to aren't we ::)
I just eat normal ,I did ask if I needed to keep a special diet and they said no not really your body would soon tell you what it could and couldn't handle. Have found if I eat too much fried stuff I feel a bit sick ;)
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I had mine out keyhole as a day case also. The only issue I've had is that I can't take codeine now - I believe its called sphincter of oddi dysfunction and can happen sometimes after gallbladder removal. If I take any opiates I get the pain as if the gallstones were still there - very unpleasant!
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I have had gallstones for 20 years but thankfully they don't bother me and I don't bother them! Huge numbers of people have them without any symptoms or problems but if they are causing trouble as in attacks or altered liver enzymes then its best to get rid.
I cannot eat pastry but thats it and I haven't eaten pastry after my first attack over 20 years ago. I have liver blood test twice a year and every 2-3 years an ultrasound but as long as I have no attacks and my bloods are okay I can keep them!
Altered liver enzymes can be because a stone has become stuck and is blocking the bile duct so you do need further tests. Also liver enzymes can take up to 6 weeks to return to normal whatever the cause so I would imagine they will be wanting to retest you before any talk of surgery because if they return to normal then surgery may not be needed.
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Small stones can be zapped by laser can't they :-\ so that they break up, similar to kidney stones which are then passed without problems.
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They don't do the zapping anymore because too many people then got small bits blocking their bile ducts and in time they came back anyway. They also used to use drugs as well but it took about 6 months of taking them to work and they found that they always came back and the drugs had side effects.
Now they just leave well alone if they are not bothering you or they take the gallbladder out. Keyhome made the other things obsolete.
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Thanks everyone
I really appreciate all your help and everyone's views it's really helpful.
I'll let you know how I get on, and what the doctors letter says.
Ann x
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Hi
I had an attack but also with pancreatitis as well. Well, bloods say that's what it was but scan showed no signs of inflammation or scarring. Have to have appt with consultant to decide what it was and what to do next. Not sure what set it off, maybe a week of eating lunch but no dinner and falling off the lower fat diet a bit. Annoying thing is that I've never even had so much of a twinge when eating except for one incident a few months back which seems to have been the same thing but short and sharp whereas the last attack wasn't so painful but went on for much longer.
Anyone else had this combination?
Cheers...
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I know I had one large one, tomorrow I find out if it has friends!
Apparently liver enzymes were raised 3 days afterwards so back for more tests.
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I know I had one large one, tomorrow I find out if it has friends!
Apparently liver enzymes were raised 3 days afterwards so back for more tests.
Having one large gallstone seems to always cause the most trouble as it blocks the duct more easily when it moves. Having tiny ones means they can go down the tube so to speak! I have hundreds of tiny ones that don't cause me any problems as long as I never ever eat any pastry and avoid other than tiny amounts cream or melted cheese ( strangely cold cheese is fine!).
Hope your tests give you an answer and the consultant a cure.
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I had my gallbladder out by keyhole surgery too - a year ago next week actually :). Its so nice to not be in constant pain all the time. I was told to eat as normal too - everyone is individual and you'll know what your body doesn't like. Good luck x
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Hi
It seems that I've grown a few more smaller ones since the original one was found last year. Annoying as I have been watching what I eat and exercising more and looking out for twinges if I do have something naughty but there have been none except for this time. Must have bad bile!
So see what the consultant says whether it can be managed or whether it comes out at some stage. I know some people have pain all the time so I can understand it has to go. Problem is you never know when it might be upset and probably at the wrong time!
I'll let you know how we go when we see the gastro!
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Hi everyone
Still not had any contact From the Doctors surgery about my Gallstones I even rang them last week but couldn't get through Does anyone think that's what caus d my liver enzymes ? I've not had so much stomach pain in the last three weeks or so , not sure whether the pain was from heartburn or Gallstones? When I did have some I just used Gaviston which seemed to do the the trick.
I hope everyone else is feeling ok today😀
Ann x
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Hi Smokey
You can have raised liver enzymes after an attack. The blood test the next day after my attack only showed pancreas but then 3 days later the liver ones were raised (peak can happen sometime after the initial attack) which prompted to have an ultrasound. I think it can take a few days for levels to return to normal.
Best to stick to a low-fat diet until you hear from the docs, the less the gallbladder has to work the better. Don't skip meals (I think this caused mine along with a few days of eating a bit more fat than usual), have plenty of fluids and fibre.
Interestingly apparently oestrogen is a factor in forming stones so if you've been on the bcp and hrt can help the stones form. Like wise if you have a sluggish digestive system also contributes.
I'm just starting to try apple cider vinegar in some beetroot juice as that is supposed to help with all sorts of relating things.
Most people I've spoken to have had little problems after removal but some forums are full of people who seem to have on going problems, I guess like any op there are complications. Equally lots of people watch what they eat and are fine with them but if you are in pain all the time or get more frequent attacks even if you are watching fat intake then better out!
Hope they contact you soon, just badger them :)
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I feel uncomfortable if I have too much fat since my op, but as that means a low fat diet, it not a bad thing.
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Hi there...update!
Saw the man and he was in the whip it out camp. Strange chap, didn't really warm to him but whilst I wait I've got to have another scan to see if any stones are in the duct, I got the feeling he didn't trust the ultrasound which said there were none. Had another blood test to see where liver enzymes are at, keeping fingers crossed they have gone down.
Unfortunately everything will be delayed because of Christmas. I've booked an appointment with the surgeon but that's not until well past mid-Jan as he's off for 3 weeks...alright for some! I guess I see him and go on the public waiting list. At the moment these gallstones have racked up a few $ but I guess I'm getting seen and scanned quicker than in the UK.
So it's just a case of sticking to the low-fat diet, not over eating and keeping fingers crossed. I have been more gurgly since the attack and a few twinges here and there but that may be because of the gurgles as it passes. However, having had a couple attacks now (but I can see why looking back) I am a bit aware of everything going on! Although I need to relax in case anxiety or stress also sets them off.
I did ask about supplement support i.e. milk thistle but he brushed this aside. I'm always in the camp that something can be done to help but I might give it a go as improving liver function and bile must help? I'm trying apple cider vinegar at the moment in beet juice....disgusting but apparently beets and cucumbers are healing.
Has anyone tried acupuncture, I feel like I need sorting out and balancing. I used to have reflexology but wonder if the needles might be better for this?
I asked about alcohol as I've not had any since the attack and he said it should be okay as long as I didn't binge drink. Problem is so many people have different triggers but I've been (touch wood) okay with low-fat dairy and coffee. I've cut out a lot of sugar as in cakes, biscuits and choc as well as red meat, even low fat cheese and eggs at the moment. However, there is so much conflicting info about what you should and shouldn't eat!
He said you don't look too impressed but it's still an op and losing something that should be there! Plus I hope I'm not one of those people who have problems afterwards or continue to get stones in the ducts. Although most people I've spoken to have had it out have been fine.
Have you had any news yet Smokey?
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You express all the worries I had a year ago. I had my gall bladder removed 2 days before Christmas. It was huge relief and messing up Christmas didn't seem important. I was having very painful gallstone attacks, some trips to a & e via ambulance. ( Had an attack in the mountains of snowdonia. Saw the mountains from the back of an ambulance!) The consultant told me to read labels and not to eat anything with more than 2.5 g of fat in it. Eggs were not a problem. The op was done in day surgery. Apart from the normal recovery from an operation, I have been fine. The biggest issue I had was the long wait to see a consultant, 3 months and by the time I saw him, I was feeling rough all the time generally. I also lost a lot of weight I could ill afford to to lose. I had the op very quickly after seeing the consultant. I was fortunate that I am retired as I don't know how I would have coped when I was working. Gall stone attacks do not mix with being in charge of young children!
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Hi Ju Ju
Glad to know that you were okay afterwards but if you are in pain all the time then it must be such a relief to have it out!
I'm reading labels...takes twice as long to do the shopping! Eating out is hard as you can get a lot of gluten free, low-sugar foods but not low-fat!
Cheers ...
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I am wheat intolerent and have to keep to a low sugar diet anyway, so a very low fat diet as well, things became silly. I lost too much weight, but put it back once I had the op. It's temporary. One tip with label reading. If the ingredient list is long, don't bother; usually that means it full of additives that no one should eat. Anyway, I haven't looked back, though it took a while to feel completely well. It's easy to forget having your gall bladder removed is a major op, even though it is usually now done with keyhole surgery and in day surgery.
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Hi all
Still had no contact from my gp with respect to my gallbladder not that I'm keen to have it out as it will interfere with my ms and make my fatigue even worse. At the moment I've been feeling really exhausted again and really aching legs, my ms nurse thinks I may have picked up a virus.
I've cut out chocolate and full fat youghart and rarely eat cakes but I think sugar must affect me as I've got indigestion or gallbladder pain now after eating an apple .
Ann x
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Hi Sparkle,
It could be trapped wind, I'm certainly best friends with the bottle of Gaviston at the moment but it works quite quickly so that's something.
Now every month when I have my period I have trouble sleeping saw 1am 3am woke at 4 and couldn't get back to sleep after that, now I feel like a zombie! I'm thinking of trying some herbal sleeping tabs from Boots soon, if I can read the packet without falling asleep that is.
Hope your ok at the moment
Smokey x
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My pesky gb looks like it's been set off again! Different episode this time, pain on left side and can't get comfy sitting.
Spent last night awake, just started off as windy tum but by this morning is pain and aching upper back. On hols so had to see local doc, had bloods done and awaiting US. She just wants to check out the pancreas. Can't even take a pain killer as in starvation mode. Temp and bp okay and no hurting when prodded but internal pain, feels like I've pulled an internal muscle, which I don't think I have!
Can't wait to get rid of it now, I've been so good since the last attack but something has set it off.
Fed up with living on a knifes edge all the time, every twinge you wonder if it's another attack brewing. Looks like I've got to be brave and go through with the op ...eek!
Smokey, a bad gb can affect lots of different areas of your body so you never know your fatigue may improve. I did read of one lady who hadn't realised how many ailments she had been living with until she had it out. Made a change to read a positive story! Hope you feel better soon.
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A year ago I was counting down the days to my op.....2 days before Christmas, but I just wanted it out! Christmas was spent in my best pjs. Between the initial attacks, I was ok, but as time went on I begun to feel generally unwell, with low level pain all the time, weight loss etc. I had to wait to see a consultant for 3 months, but had the op within 2 weeks. I remember the fear of having a gall stone attack. They came very suddenly, with little chance of getting somewhere safe and were overwhelming, so I curtailed outings out and was frightened of driving. I was given pessaries to put in which would take the edge of the pain away, but you can't insert the damn things in a public place! I don't know how I would have coped if I worked. But I felt better immediately after the op, though of course l had to recover from the surgery. I did have some niggly pain mainly in the upper right side of my back, but a year on that has gone. There is light at the end of the tunnel!
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The knife edge thing is the worst, you just never know what will set it off.
Well, that attack finally subsided just in time for bed but returned yesterday afternoon and then from evening constant pain. Was very sick this morning so off to the docs again. A different one this time as now in seaside resort. I just need some advice on what to do....eat and if so what, not eat, go home...although I don't feel like travelling right now.
The bloods and ultrasound came back ok but I suspect since then my levels will have risen as my urine has been darker.
Just a tad fed up at the moment!
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I was advised by the consultant not to eat anything 2.5mg fat, which means reading labels. I think I googled lists of foods, like safe biscuits to eat for treats. When cooking, use methods that don't require fat. Lean meat only and carefully drain off excess fat. Don't use butter or margarine on bread. All great if you want to lose weight, but I didn't. I can't eat wheat and have to limit dairy and sugar anyway. I began to wonder what to eat, but I did muddle through.
I did have a few ambulance trips to A&E as my gall stone attacks could be severe, but like you my bloods were OK. I was told I 'didn't fit the profile' for emergency treatment and that I would have to cope with the 'discomfort'! At which my normally calm, kind DH hit the roof! Calling this level of pain discomfort? I think the young doctor had a lesson in how not to talk to patients! My GP prescribed 100g voltarol pessaries which when I eventually managed to find a chemist that stocked them, took the edge of the severity of the pain, averting further trips to A&E. There was never any question of avoiding an op, but because my bloods were OK initially, I had to wait. It was living on a knife edge and I became scared of going out or being on my own. I'm retired and have wondered how I could have worked.
The actual op was almost an anticlimax. Day surgery, 3 small scars that are fading and I can't fault the treatment. As with most ops it takes time to recover and heal. Because it was day surgery, it was easy to underestimate the need to rest. The worst thing was the long wait to see the consultant, 3 months. My GP had said much less time. If we had known we would have resorted to private medicine, which we could ill afford.
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Knowing that things could turn bad I'm surprised that it's such a long wait, especially ending up in emergency and they just send you home.
Here in Oz things work differently because everything is private but either Medicare gives you a partial refund or private health insurance covers it. This means that you can walk into any GP and things like radiology are all private companies, so there are loads of them. The upside is that you get diagnosed a lot quicker but it costs, my gb has already racked up a several hundred $s.
Once diagnosed you then have the treatment via insurance, but this is only a gap insurance so you may still have to contribute, cough up the funds yourself or go on a public waiting list which will then be free. I had a procedure a few years back which I paid for but I couldn't get a refund for the theatre or the day bed but got money back for the doc and aneathatist.
Saw a lovely guy yesterday, very helpful. Gave me some pain killers, some anti-nausea tablets and a course of tabs to keep stomach calm. He said I could also have a small ulcer (worry about the gb lol) as all the tenderness is in the stomach not the gb which everyone is surprised about! They poke gb and that's fine.
It eased off yesterday and I just ate a very small bland meal last night, tiniest bit of chicken with potato and veg. It still feels a bit sore this morning and urine still darkish so something is still going on.
2.5g of fat is hardly anything, I've been trying to stick to 5 and that's hard enough. Trouble is things like the good fats which we need to eat (avocado, walnuts etc) bump it up but I'm not sure if that counts? I did ask gastroman and he said the body can distinguish between big fat cells like a sausage and smaller ones as in salmon or the good fats. We still need to keep fats as otherwise that has other affects on the body. Even half a portion of a small salmon steak has around 6gms but is this ok compared to 6gms of steak for instance?
Work most of the time is okay as I work from home but I have to go out and do the job first and they are big long days which worries me. Will just have to be super careful on the run up.
I'm being a label reading (takes twice as long to do the shopping!) and I could probably do with seeing a dietitian or nutritionist but with Christmas looming it's impossible to get to see anyone. Double whammy in Oz with Christmas and summer, everyone takes at least 2-3 weeks off.
See how we go today!
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Yes 2.5 is hardly anything, but by the time I saw the consultant, I was ready to follow any advice to prevent further attacks. I had the op within 2 weeks, 2 days before Christmas after seeing him. I spent Christmas in my pjs looking decorative!
When we came to oz 10 years ago, we were very impressed with the medical service my husband received. He had a lesion on his arm that looked unusual. ( He does have a mild form of sarcoidosis ). As a precaution he saw a doctor in oz as we were travelling for 6 months. The doctor booked him in to have it removed the same day. He rang for the results a week after, all fine, and had the stitches removed by another doctor 2 weeks later in another city. No waiting, no fuss and we didn't have to pay. Here he would have had to wait for a hospital appointment.
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Hi
My doc did give me a referral for endo and colon initially until it was established the one a few weeks ago was gb related and then we put that on hold until I'd seen another gastro who could do the fishing for stones in the duct if necessary.
I'm seeing the gp again as I want to bring her up to speed so I'll mention the tender stomach to her. The other doc gave me some tablets for reflux, stomach acid just in case there might be an ulcer as well. The course will clear up anything.
I may also ask if she can recommend a dietitian as I know you need to keep some fat in the diet otherwise that then can create other problems like dizziness and brain fog. Also trying to get enough calories a day is hard once you start cutting out fats and consequently sugar as in cakes and biscuits.
Things do happen fast here, if you have bloods or scans done in the morning the results are usually back later that day! My doc also posts them to a website and they text me when it's cleared for me to see!
Just got to get back on an even keel now and try and keep gally happy, even though Christmas food won't be much fun this year!
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Hi
Today is going to be difficult with all the lovely food around! Like Ju I've become an avid label reader...can you believe on Ferro Roche has 5gms of fat in it!!! I used to be able to put a few of those away...eek!
This episode does seem to have had an effect through my whole digestive system but hopefully will settle down soon.
Interestingly I looked up the gallbladder meridian and a lot of the emotional side of it does relate to what's happened in the last year and a half....mmmmm food for thought!
Might go and investigate acupuncture or get some reflexology done, help balance things out.
Have a lovely fat free Christmas...oh joy!