Gallbladder

I think I had a gallbladder attack tonight... OMG!  This is worst pain I have ever felt.  Not sure what I should do about it... the pain passed after a few hours.  Is it a one time thing?

Michelle

I think I had one recently too. I'll be interested to hear what others say? Is this something we advise the clinic about? Our GP?

I've also had gallbladder problems and they aren't fun. I'm sorry to report that it's rarely a one time thing. You may have had a stone that shifted or passed or it could be gallbladder disease.

I would make an appointment with your GP right away so you can start having some tests done. Let them know what happened when you make the appointment.

If you have another attack before you can get into see your GP, or develop a fever or other signs of an infection, I would go to the ER. It also wouldn't hurt to call Telehealth and speak to an RN for advice. Their number is 1-866-797-0000. It's available 24/7 at no charge.

Gallbladder attack are very painful. I also suggest seeing your GP about it.

I was told the same thing, if you develope a fever, vomiting, etc...go to ER right away.

I am having mine out Feb 26, thankfully.

Take care and all the best,

 

Tanya

I had gall bladder issues 3weeks after my RNY. Dr Cyriac took it out ... I had ended up in emerge 3x in a week and a half. If you get another one go  to TEGH right away and tell them that you are a patient of Dr Cyriac and they will take it from there. They will either call him or at least the bariatric team and the will come see you and decide what to do from there. 

Unfortunately, it is NOT a one time thing and it will keep happening. What did you eat or drink to trigger the attack? Make notes of this and 1) stay away from it and 2) they will ask you at the hospital. 

Even if it doesn't hurt alot, play it up a bit and you will get seen quicker .. Don't forget to tell the triage nurse that you are a bariatric patient.

I didn't know foods can trigger this... time to do some research.

Thanks

Michelle

ohhhh my gosh... yes.. 

Read this link...http://www.gallbladderattack.com/gallbladderdiet.shtml

Something you ate, or possibly drank, brought on your gall bladder attack... The only things I could have without ANY problem while waiting for surgery, was grapes, cucumber, protein shakes and soup

 

Sorry but no, this does not get better once it has started. And it sucks big time. See your family doctor asap and if you get another attack go to the ER. They will give you fluids and something for the pain and make sure you are ok. As others have said avoid food that you ate before an attack, this can help as some foods can trigger attacks. Could not wait to get that little bugger out of me (5 years ago now), and once it was gone I felt better right away, it was like a miracle after years of suffering.  Best of luck to you and let us know how things go. 

Here is a blurb about my possible gallbladder attacks. Since I posted this in December, I have had 4 more small episodes, one I almost went to the hospital with but then it cleared up. I also had my 9 month follow-up with my centre & they were leaning towards it being stuck food. So, I have been being very careful about what I eat, how much and how fast. If I was in your shoes, I would want to get checked out because a scan could show stones (my did not), so that could mean a different treatment path for you. I was told sometimes stones don't show up on the scan though, so that can be tricky. For me, I am in a wait and see situation. If I get a bad attack, I need to go to the hospital. If the attacks get more frequent/severe, I need to follow-up with the clinic.

Here is my previous blurb from December:

So, last week I had what I assumed was a major gallbladder attack. It was my 2nd incident of this nature in about 3 weeks. The first one was much milder and only lasted about 20-30 minutes. The one last week was agonizing, lasted several hours, sent me to the ER because I really thought I was dying! They did a CT Scan that night and I had a follow-up abdominal ultrasound done last Thursday morning. Yesterday my doctor's office called me to say that "my ultrasound showed unremarkable results". This means that they don't see anything. No gallstones, no nothing to explain my painful episode. So, I let my doctor's office know that the results would need to be sent to my bariatric centre (Ottawa). They said they will forward them right away.

In the meantime, I have called the bariatric centre and spoke with the NP about what happened and asked her opinion and for some advice. She said they will review the reports when they get them. If they see anything, they will call me. Other than that, there is a list of possibilities that could be what happened:

1. Hernia: sometimes these don't show up on scans. Or, it can pop in and out apparently, so, it may have been out then popped back in by time they did the scan.

2. Twisted bowel: when we have our RNY, they loosely tack down the bowel where they have reattached it. After we lose a lot of weight, there isn't as much fat in place to help hold the bowels where they tacked them down, so, they can twist and untwist fairly easily, it seems. Same idea as the hernia, maybe they twisted and then by time they did the CT Scan, they had untwisted.

3. Stuck food: She wasn't sure about this because of the amount of pain I was in, but, it could be a possibility.

4. Possibly still a gallbladder issue and it just didn't show up either.

So, I don't know what to think. The NP told me if I have symptoms again to go straight to the ER so that they can check it out right away. Like, with this last episode, I had waited about 45 minutes to see if it would pass. She said not to do that. She said basically at this point, it is a wait and see situation. If it starts happening more frequently and closer together, they made need to look at other options, whatever those may be. I was hoping for an answer, but, I guess this will have to do for now.

next to having major surgery, gall bladder attacks are most painful. sometimes they don't last long if ur lucky, but mine always lasted a couple hours, or until the dilauded started to work it's magic. i ended up going to the ER every time for iv meds because it was just so much quicker. in the beginning they were spaced far apart, but when they started happening every month or more, i couldn't jump onto the surgeon's bed fast enough. for me i could never exactly pinpoint what the trigger foods were, so i think it was just stones getting stuck and unstuck. get that sucker out ASAP! no one actually *needs* their gallbladder to live. your GP can referl to you a general surgeon. post-surgery, i was back to work post haste, as it was done lap-style.