Gallstones

What have they said about treatment? I was relieved of my gall bladder 30 years ago in the days when it was open surgery - it is keyhole stuff now I believe so pretty painless.

My sister had a cholecystectomy in April. She had keyhole surgery and recovered in a couple of weeks.
She didn't have any symptoms other than sudden onset pain. The thing she found difficult was cutting fat from her diet while waiting for her operation. She's absolutely fine now.

They've said to wait for the report to be sent to gp.I'm such a wuss and a worrier.Have to wait and see if suppose

unfortunately gallstones won't go away. If your gallstones are manageable then I suspect nothing will be done for the time being. I had episodes of severe pain under my ribs and going round to my back (every couple of months) When the frequency of the pain episodes increased, scans revealed gallstones and a recommendation for gall bladder removal. I had the surgery via keyhole and was back home the same day! it's the best thing I had done.

What was the pain like fizzers, mine only starts after a lot of repetitive work with right arm, then back ribs feel tender and go into spasms, no pain in abdomen or feeling sick ?

Following two emergency paramedic calls Dh had his gall bladder removed for keyhole. He was back playing bowls within a month.

Ooops..... Via keyhole

My gallstone pain was not abdominal it was on right side in rib area. It usually came on after eating fatty food.
I had mine blasted about 25 yrs ago via an endoscopy and not had any problems since.

Katyj it was like a muscle strain under the ribs, but it would extend round to my back, and it felt like a 'normal' back ache, however, unlike normal back ache that can be alleviated by changing position, this did not. I would get these bouts of pain every couple of months, and it would ease off with a couple of painkillers, however the frequency increased and the pain got severe, and started lasting for longer periods. I would feel sick with stomach pains - (like a stomach virus), so much so I ended up in A&E twice. Fatty, oily foods, and sometimes spicy foods would trigger it off. The operation was done at 9 am and I was back home by 4pm, takes a couple of weeks to recover from it , as it is a major surgery even though it's done via keyhole, but the relief is immense

I was 21 when I was finally diagnosed, having been in pain for a long time - it was originally put down to stress (A levels etc). In the end, I couldn't hold any food down at all and lost a lot of weight. The pain in my ribs was excruciating, plus it was across my shoulders at the back. X-rays revealed multiple gallstones and I had open surgery. Oh, the relief!!

Recovery was quick and any after-effects in terms of post-op pain were nothing in comparison with the original pain! I avoid fatty foods or make sure that I will be within easy reach of the loo if I do indulge!

Good luck, I hope whatever treatment you have, if any, works for you

I had mine out by surgery 41 years ago when I was 24 - I'd had a lot of pain when eating certain foods particularly bananas. It was quite a big op back then but my husband had keyhole surgery about 8 years ago - he'd been feeling ill for several months but was admitted by ambulance one night with severe pain - luckily the surgeon was in the next morning and he operated on him straight away - he was back at work in a couple of weeks.

Gall stones are very common and people seem to have different symptoms but they generally need to be removed at some point.

Thank you everyone my spasms don't seem to fit with gallstone pain as I have had it ten years and it hasn't got any worse.I'll have to be guided by the Dr ,although I think now I know I have them I'll be waiting for something to happen.

Katyj, Please make a fuss if your symptoms worsen and you're not happy with your GP's response.

I wish I'd nagged my DD more when she was told to 'wait and see'.

Go with the advice given by the doctor. I had my gallbladder removed a couple if months ago. I was in fir just one day.
The pain was irregular but did hurt and I was sick too. My last attack was the worst so was glad when it was removed. A bit sore after, you will have 4 separate wounds, small ones. No problems since.
If you have gallstones they could go down into a biliary duct which is something to avoid. Don’t worry it’s a very common ‘bread and butter ‘ operation. You will be fine.

Katyj the pain was spasmodic , but over a couple of years it steadily got worse, and longer. If you are recommended to have your gallbladder removed then I would strongly suggest you do so, there can be severe repercussions from not having your gall bladder removed, such as infection and blockages, the op is fine

I once (30 years ago) had a very severe episode of pain under right side of ribs, but it want away and I didn’t think any more about it. Then about 10 years ago I started getting a dull sort of pain shortly after I started eating. I went to GP who took referred me for ultrasound. Meanwhile, I decided to stop taking statins I’d been prescribed as the pain had started shortly after starting the meds. Pain went away, appointment for scan came up a few months later, and to my surprise, a gallstone showed up!
Went back to doc, who decided not to do anything as I’d now got no symptoms. Since then I’ve had no issues that would appear to be gallstone related. I think.

Apparently a lot of people have gallstones but no symptoms. Katyj your pain sounds more like intercostal muscle strain.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.