Has anybody else had a gallstone attack?

No direct experience, but I've known two people who have. They both described it as the worst pain they had ever experienced.

It's not as bad as the kidney stone attacks I've had in the past, but it's pretty bad and I'm holding it down with low doses of aspirin. I'm breaking up one aspirin pill and taking it over the course of 4 hours. That way I won't exceed the maximum dose of six pills per day. It doesn't kill the pain but it dulls it considerably.

You might oughta see if you can get in to your doctor before the labor day weekend.

I've got an appointment tomorrow with my HMO, but I can't even get to see the doctor, instead I have an appointment with the physician's assistant.

I was only 28 when my gallbladder went kablooie.....the pain started slowly around my waist and spread into my chest and throat. My son was only 4 and I had to ask him to get the neighbor next door....I was afraid I would pass out...and my other concern was I might be having a heart attack.....The hospital kept me for nine days trying to figure out the problem....they couldn't release me until the fever and infection subdued...then they decided the gallbladder had to come out...that meant 4-5 more days in the hospital and 6 weeks out of work. That was how they did it before laparoscopic procedures were available.

Anyhow, I'm not sure if the aspirin will cure the gallstones, if the pain gets intense, call an ambulance and go to the emergency room. The pain presents as a heart attack...and you really want to rule out heart attack...the hospital is your best bet. Don't fool around, the pain gets really intense and hangs on for longer streaches.

The pain is localized in the right lower abdomen, so I'm pretty sure it's a gallstone or, at least not a heart attack.

Is it possible it's colitis? I'm not a doctor just a person who had an inflamed gall bladder with a bunch of stones. Have you ever been diagnosed with gallstones before?

It's possible to have pain in the lower right abdomen when an appendix goes belly up.

I had my appendix out when I was a kid, so that's eliminated.

I've never had a gallstone before, so this is new. As far as colitis, I used to have some problems with my colon, not severe, but that's all cleared up since I've been eating tempeh. Still, I haven't ruled out a fecal impaction.

OK, please make sure you don't run a fever....and if the pain gets too intense, call 911....

Another advantage to the ambulance is that you go straight into treatment. Often, if you're not bleeding on the floor, they will park you behind a half dozen people with sore throats and runny noses.

Please take care of your health. We worry!

Thanks to everybody who responded. The stone finally passed after about 20 hours, which is a long time compared to kidney stones. Though the kidney stones pass faster, they're more intense. I've got an appointment with the doctor to see how the prevent them in the future.

I learned how to deal with kidney stones by blunting the pain with aspirin. With the gallstone I cut up a 325 mg pill into four parts, but not very evenly. The best bet would be those little 80 mg aspirin pills. You can take one per hour without breaking the limit of 6-325 mg per day maximum on the label.

Apparantly it wasn't a gallstone after all, but just another kidney stone that started in the ureter instead of the kidney.

Glad you got that all figured out. Do you know the composition of the stones you are passing? That helps in figuring out a better diet.

BTW - someone told me for a gallbladder attack, get down on the floor, on your knees, and lean down in front with arms extended. Gave my friend some relief when she did that.

Finally, the kidney stone passed into my bladder this morning, but it hasn't
been voided yet.

I thought I had my diet figured it out, because I haven't had a kidney stone in 20 years, but I may have gotten a little careless.

The pain started in the front in the ureter instead of the kidney where it normally starts. That's why I thought it was a gallstone.

It's important to keep a bottle of those little 80 mg aspirins. You can pop those one an hour for 24 hours without exceeding the limit of aspirin for the day. It's easier than cutting a 325 mg aspirin pill into four parts. The aspirin really blunts the
pain making it bearable. In my experience the attack lasts about 4 hours so you might even up the dosage.

The stone hasn't passed yet. It's in the lower ureter and starts moving every couple of hours. So I take aspirin and the pain is blunted. Then a couple hours later it starts again.