I know there are a few people here who have had this problem or already had their gallbladder out. My husband has just been diagnosed with a gallstone and is having a fair bit of pain with it. We are trying to get him to a surgeon asap but in the meanwhile I was just wondering if those of you who have had this problem can help me by sharing what they did for pain relief, what kind of diet did they follow, anything that made it better or worse and if you've had the gallbladder removed how you have coped since. Thanks in advance!

I dont know what to tell you but it appears i am going to have mine out soon too. They dont find any stones i just get all the symptoms so they are going to take mine out. When i have a flair up i just bear it right now. I am really careful about cutting all the fat off my meats and trying to keep fatty foods to a minimum.

I had to have my gallbladder removed via emergency surgery in 1999. That was mostly my own fault though because I waited over a year after the pain started before I went in and saw a dr about it. The gallbladder attacks I used to get were the most painful things I have ever experienced in my life - even 49hrs of labor and a c-section don't compare to it lol. When I used to get the attacks, I tried walking around, laying still, hot bath/shower, pain killers, acid reducers prescribed to me etc, but nothing seemed to work, with the exception of semi-flat ginger ale. I discovered this, and every single time it worked like magic and the pain would go away within a minute or so. I don't know whether this works or has worked for anyone else, but for me it was a lifesaver.

I was never told to alter my diet after I was diagnosed with gallstones, but I have heard from people that a lowfat diet seemed to help them. I had lap (scope) surgery to have my gallbladder removed, and it was a quick procedure - I was out of the hospital the next morning. The most painful thing I experienced was pain in my shoulder, apparently they pump you full of air when they are doing the surgery, and afterwards the air left in your system can be a bit painful. The pain would go away if I forced myself to move my shoulder around a bit though. At the time of my surgery, I had to stay by myself, and since I had noone to help me at all, I had to sleep in a recliner, because I couldn't get myself out of bed if I laid down flat in my bed or on the couch. For the first 3 days after surgery, I think I slept about 23 1/2 hrs per day, waking up only to take more Tylenol 3s. After that, it was a breeze recovering, and I was back to work within about 10 days. The only physical difference I have noticed since having it removed (and this was moreso for the first year or two afterwards), was that I never had a problem with constipation - actually it was usually the exact opposite problem (sorry if this is too much info, but it was something I wish someone had told me I could expect afterwards, because at the time I was really worried it was something I was eating that was causing it). Other than that, I feel exactly the same now as before.

I hope I didn't go into too much detail here, if you have any more questions, I would be glad to answer them.

I had my gallbladder removed when I was in my mid-20s. I remember well the all-encompassing pain. /shudder I'm with Rae on the "unexpected side effects" bit. I had no clue that might be a problem after the surgery. Now I pretty much eat what I want. Right after the surgery I ate very healthily, and low fat.

Lowering the fat and sugar in the diet may help, and adding more fiber to help digestion. Personally, I needed to avoid cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower -- that family). There can be other trigger foods, too. Your husband may need to experiment to find out what triggers his attacks. Some of the articles below list possible trigger foods.

For lots of good info:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/g...tdiseases.html
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/gal...ms=gall+stones
http://www.umm.edu/patiented/article...e_000010_1.htm


If you're into holistic stuff, look at these:
http://www.gnc.com/health_notes/Concern/Gallstones.htm
http://www.consciouschoice.com/holisticmd/hmd1201.html
http://www.naturalhealthnotebook.com..._Disorders.htm

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the info. Right now he is taking a couple of different meds 3-4 times a day to keep the pain in check. I'm trying to make sure that he is eating lower fat foods but it is not easy particularly when he is a big potato chip and cookie snack eater. I knew about the after surgery side effect. too bad no one told you about that, something that definately should have been explained!

when i first got sick (in 1995) with my gall bladder i went to the doctor and he told me that i had been reading books about gall bladder disease so i'd know what to tell him. they ran some tests and found that my gb was functioning at 73% and supposedly a normal person's functions at 35-40%.

a year later i was SOOOOOOOOOO sick. they ran all the tests again and it was functioning at 1%. they never found any stones but the pain i felt was extreme!!! i ended up in the hospital for 4 days on demerol and potasium. they released me and i had to come back 3 days later to have my gall bladder removed. i dont remember taking any meds other than tetracylcine and acidopholis when i first got sick with it in 95. they originally thought it was some kind of stomach thing.

as far as diet, i was living at home with my dad at the time. and his wife was doing WW at the time so i just ate what was there, mostly healthy foods and stuff. im still not sure why i had the gall bladder thing to begin with. but after i had it taken out is when i started putting on all this weight.

AND.... its been almost 7 years since i had it taken out and i STILL have pains. they called them phantom pains.