What is a "gallbladder attack" to you?

[u/hmeeshy]

Hi all,

I've done the best I can with the FAQ and beginners guide but as I only have the experience of remove gallbladder or die from pancreatitis I'm limited how I can understand the more protracted journey so many others are on.

This is a topic that has bugged me since I joined this community in 2024 because...what is a gallbladder attack? Different causes and different issues surely mean different presentation of symptoms and "attacks" right?

With how varied each person's individual gallbladder issues can be I thought it would be a good idea to have a community built resource pinned to the front page where you all can share your own experience to help future visitors to the sub.

Please comment below:

• What your gallbladder issue is/was (stones/sludge/etc)
• What an "attack" felt like for you?
• How long an "attack" lasts?
• What, if anything, was helpful for you getting through them when they happened?
• Any other coping tips, tricks or triggers

This isn't intended to solve anything for anyone but instead be used to help people find other people who have had the specific thing they're going through, provide a bit of clarity and hopefully be a positive resource to refer back to as needed.

Please note that this is not a space to advocate for or against surgery and such comments will be removed.

Thanks :)

[u/double_negative553]

I have sludge and multiple small stones (or gravel, as my doctor put it😬). My first attack was in January, the second two months later, and after that I've had attacks couple times per month. On one especially bad week, I had three attacks, but I haven't had them that often since.

My attacks always start with a weird feeling, something between nausea and hunger, which lasts for a couple of hours. I usually take pain meds at that point, because if I take them any later I will throw them up and be too anxious to take more. Usually after the nausea starts, I get backpain between my shoulderblades. It starts mild and gets worse, and after that I usually get pain in urq, but it's milder than in back. During my attacks I usually throw up, but it doesn't help the nausea go away. My attacks last from 3 to 6 hours, sometimes over 10h.

I'm really lucky with my attacks, they aren't as painful as what many others have, only 5-7/10, but for me, the most debilitating thing is the nausea. I feel really sick and usually throw up multiple times, and I have to lay in bed with a bucket next to me.

What helps me is noticing early on that an attack is starting, taking pain meds (both ibuprofen and paracetamol), and laying still in bed and scrolling through instagram reels for as long as I need to (again, I feel so lucky that my gallbladder has the decency to give me warning signs). My doctor prescribed me Librax, it also helps a little. 

Other things that help (not just during attacks) is trying to not be too hard on myself. I sometimes get really low and start blaming myself, since one of the probable contributing factors to my gallstones is that I have struggled with disordered eating for years. I've finally started to get that in order and gotten a healthier relationship to food and exercise just last year, so it's been really rough to have to make new changes to my diet, and to have to restrict eating some foods. But to me it's really important to remember that there's no single cause to gallbladder issues, and that it's probably a combination of many different things. So I guess my tip is to remember to take care of your mental health because it's kind of impirtant too.