Went to the doctors this morning because I have this terrible pain in my stomach which isnt shifting and he wants me to have a scan because he thinks it might be gall stones. :( My mum and sister have both had theirs out so it looks like Ill be next. They were in their 30's when they had theirs out...I'll be 23 next week. :( Anyone else had theirs out? No horror stories please, Im scared enough as it is!

My mum had hers removed recently and she's 69, she sailed through it and felt SO much better afterwards. :)

I had mine removed 4 years ago (aged 39), no problems. Keyhole surgery is very straightforward. A little uncomfortable for a few days after, but to get rid of the pain from the gallstones was such a relief.

Had mine out in '85 aged 26, no problems and glad it's gone...nowadays it's almost minor surgery with keyhole techniques...I've certainly gone through far far worse since!

A friend of mine had hers out about 6 months ago. She is 30 and is currently enjoying an extended holiday in Australia so you can guess how her recovery is going

She had keyhole surgery, was in hospital for a few days and off work for 6 weeks.  She actually felt fit for work much sooner but her employer insisted she take a minimum of 6 weeks...I wish I worked for him!! :D

Hope you feel better soon
Lynn

I wish I worked for him as well!! I'm self-employed so had no choice but to get back working and besides the consultant would have only signed me off for 2 weeks, and I was only in overnight. I did go private in the end because the NHS kept mucking me about and I couldn't keep messing clients about and turning down jobs. I did have help for about a month afterwards walking 3 dogs but felt fine in myself.

I had my gallbladder, with the  gallstones out when I was 21 (1983). I had terrible pains at night time since I was 19! The doctors told me I had indigestion! I had a mixture of chalk tablets to chew, but the pain kept on. Sometimes the pain was so bad I thought I was going to collasp & die (no joke). Eventually I asked for a 2nd opinion &  that doctor knew at once it was gall stones. For the next year I had xrays & eventually a ultra sound scan that showed I had floating gallstones. So when I laid down at night the stones were trying to get out of my gallbladder, hence causing the pain! I had a big operation to get the gallbladder out. But that was 24years ago & how things have changed. So I'm sure they will just blast your stones to pieces with a laser & you'll probably be back to work a couple of days later. I was off for 3 months! Good luck, at least there will be no more pains.

My dad was due to have his gall bladder removed due to gall stones. He consulted a homeopathic doctor who treated him with, amongst other things, cider vinegar. When he went for a pre op scan the stones had dissolved and he has been free from them ever since. Might be worth a thought if you are not keen on having an operation.

Tracey, I have just re read your post & you mention stomach pains. My pains were very high up above my stomach & in between my shoulder blades. Sometimes the pains lasted only minuets, that was after milk etc, they were the worst pains. The nightime pains lasted hours, they were painful too, but more in a nagging kind of way! Apart from the night pains I also got the pains after any dairy products too. Because the gall stones are made up if excess fatty deposits, the dairy products aggravated the gallbladder. Do these symptoms ring any bells with you?

Sending LOTS of positive vibes for you Tracey...keeping everything crossed for you Sweets xxxx

Gallstones aren't always made up of fatty deposits tho :(  the ones I had were like little sputniks, excruciatingly painful and caused by a shrivelled gallbladder.  I was 22 when I had it removed after years of pain and sickness (LOTS of sickness! lots of pain - I had pethidine tabs to carry about )  Once the gallbladder was gone and I'd passed the rest of them things settled down :)

It was in 1984 when I had it done and it was a big op then as they went looking for the little horrors but these days it's a tiny scar and shorter stay.   The op is nothing compared to living with the pain and sickness of gallbladder/stones problems ;) :)

Good Luck - Hope they get you sorted soon
{{{HUGS}}} and lots of positive vibes
Dill

Harley
I too consulted a homeopathic doctor/nutritionist and was given similar advice. Over a few days I was in agony so wouldn't recommend it. My gallstones were still very much there. It may depend on the size/make-up of the actual stones.

Also if the pain is caused by Cholecystitis (infection/inflamation of the gallbladder) and/or blockage of the bile duct you could be in serious trouble very quickly, the least of which could be jaundice

Definately wouldn't try any 'herbal' or homeopathic remedies - too dangerous for this condition by far!

The pain is more under my rib cage in the middle. As I work at the hospital Ive rung the scan department and said if anyone cancels at the very last minute I can come straight round so hopefully it wont be too long a wait! If not Ill just keep taking the pain killers!! I havent worked out what precipitates it yet - my mum mentioned dairy - but Im sure Ill find out!

Definately wouldn't try any 'herbal' or homeopathic remedies - too dangerous for this condition by far!

He didn't just go and try a homeopathic remedy His GP referred him to a homeopathic doctor and it was she who gave him the tablets and recommended the cider vinegar.

He had already seen the consultant at the hospital and was awaiting his op - about 5 months on the waiting list and his GP agreed that it was worth looking at alternative remedies.

The pain from his gall stones gradually diminished -over several weeks - and the stones were no longer in evidence when he had his next scan.

She may be called a Homeopathist but in this instance she was acting as a Herbalist which makes a whole lot more sense ;)

Hi Tracey
If you do have gallstones they will show up on the scan. In the meantime you should be on a low fat diet as fatty food causes the gallbladder to contract and expel bile to help digest the fat. This increases the pain of your already inflamed gallbladder . Eating less fat will reduce how much bile is expelled, so hopefully you won't exacerbate the problem. Eating a low fat diet until you get a firm diagnosis is not going to be harmful either. As a rule, if you need to have your gallbladder removed it is done using key-hole surgery and generally are in hospital overnight. Some hospitals even do it as a day case now I believe.
Wishing you well and hope you are feeling better soon!

Thank you hamster. I must admit what you've said must be right because last night I had steak, pasta, mushrooms and onions for my tea and the pain disappeared. It was only ever so slightly there, so Im guessing that food must be ok. I've only had a small niggle today so hopefully this phase of the pain is over. It does come and go but this bout is the worst Ive had it. Ill let you know what the scan reveals as soon as Ive had it done!! :)