A trip that I could have done without (Warning: horrific picture!)

[Harvestman]

Last Monday night I started suffering really bad abdominal pain. I ended up in A&E but the symptoms passed off, so they sent me home and told me I had probably been passing (or trying to pass) a gall stone.

The following night I was admitted to hospital with the same symptoms, only much worse, and they wouldn't go away. Pain worse than anything I have ever experienced before, to the point of making me throw up just from pain. Anyway, after a few days of painkillers and antibiotics, I got a nice surgeon. The nurse told me "He's great. He's not supposed to operate on weekends but if he sees someone with gall bladder symptoms he just does it because the waiting list is 12 months". So on Saturday, in I went for surgery...

Thank goodness for that surgeon, because it turned out that my gall bladder was gangrenous, and if I hadn't had the op I would have been rushed in for emergency surgery this week with septicaemia and worse, and it could all have been life-threatening. The surgeon said my insides were "a mess". So I am a very lucky chappie, and very relieved to be out with just some bruising.

Here's me post-op. Don't say I didn't warn you!

The knee socks are actually compression stockings to prevent deep vein thrombosis, or so I'm told. Could have just been a nursing joke.

So I came home yesterday. I have dressings over two of the four keyhole wounds, and currently still have an abdominal drain in place to remove internal bleeding. Sneezing, coughing and yawing all hurt, and it will be a few weeks before I can drive, but basically the road to recovery starts here and the worst is over.

I just wanted to stick this up to say what a downright fantastic job the NHS staff at Neville Hall hospital in Abergavenny did, especially the surgeon Dr Muhamed, to whom I possibly owe my life.

Stay safe everyone. I wouldn't wish that amount of pain on anybody.

 

[GGTBod]

Serious ouch and massive laughs in one post, congratulations on that in itself, love the socks and hat combo, the only thing missing from this picture is one of your usually small furry cute critters that often accompany you in pictures

 

[MartinK9]

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

the only thing missing from this picture is one of your usually small furry cute critters that often accompany you in pictures

Thank heavens for long NHS gowns.

 

[British Red]

Let me know if you need any home made goodies to speed recovery mate! Glad you had a good NHS experience

 

[crosslandkelly]

Thank goodness you are okay, heal well and fast.

 

[sausage100uk]

Whenever i meet a gall bladder patient i always give em 10 of morphine. No one deserves to be in that much pain. Speedy recovery. Did you keep the socks?

Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

 

[Harvestman]

Let me know if you need any home made goodies to speed recovery mate! Glad you had a good NHS experience

Oh I do, I do! (any excuse )

Whenever i meet a gall bladder patient i always give em 10 of morphine. No one deserves to be in that much pain. Speedy recovery. Did you keep the socks?

Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

I didn't keep the socks as they went back into the wash in hospital and they didn't give me more. Dead right about the pain. At its worst three painkillers didn't even touch it. :yikes:

 

[Harvestman]

Thank heavens for long NHS gowns.

:You_Rock_

 

[mick91]

Good catch from the team there. Wishing you a speedy recovery there I've seen inflamed and infected gallbladder patients and it's apparently bloody painful. ATB

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[DurhamBushcrafter]

Yes Harvestman, I have had an attack of Gallstones like yourself, and the pain was unbelievable, as you said. the nurse who had also had gallstones said she was in more pain than in childbirth.
Speedy recovery mate!

 

[markheolddu]

Get well soon!

 

[British Red]

Oh I do, I do! (any excuse )

Bung me your Addy mate and I will get a care package over

 

[petrochemicals]

Have a good recovery!

 

[Fraxinus]

Glad to hear your getting better, cool pic too.

Rob.

 

[santaman2000]

Wishing you a full and speedy recovery.

 

[Goatboy]

Ohh sorry to hear that Mike. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Good photo, glad to see like Tom Jones you left your hat on, though I'm not sure about the rest of your strippers outfit.
Glad the Doc caught it early and avoided further complications. Like you I can't big up the NHS enough, they saved my life and put me back together again like all the Kings horses and men couldn't have done.
The socks are also available in black by the way, they made me wear them for about a year.
Anyway get well soon and hope you can get back outdoors soon mate.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[bobnewboy]

I hope you're feeling better. I had more or less the same two years back. I thought I was dying, quite literally the worst pain I have ever experienced. Breathing was agony and speed humps (popular round here in the Home Counties) caused agonising explosions of pain as the ambulance went over them on the way to A&E. Grrrr!

The NHS were outstanding though. I had keyhole surgery too, and have 3 new scars and an odd shaped belly button now where they took out my enflamed gall bladder completely full with a 3x3x3cm stone. I took a pic of it and uploaded it to my older Flickr account - if you want to see look at the links below. At the time the specialist told me that gallstones are now considered to be a hereditary issue, and not directly linked to diet, although it is eating fatty food which eventually kicks off the problems. That is what the gall bladder is there for in the first place .

Support our NHS !!!!

ATB, Bob

 

[Harvestman]

Thanks for all the good wishes folks. Just had a check up back at the hospital and all looking ok so far. That minimal exertion has knocked me flat.

It occurs to me that 100 years or so ago, this problem might have led to an agonisingly painful death. Be glad of our times!

Be well everyone.

 

[Toddy]

I watched helpless but to call an ambulance as a friend writhed in agony with gallstones. The difference before and after her operation was amazing.
Sorry to hear you had to thole that, but glad to hear that it's been properly and promptly dealt with, and that by the sounds of it that you're on the mend

Get well soon.

atb,
M

 

[cranmere]

That surgeon is a good man. I'm glad you're sorted, judging by the comments of a couple of friends who had gall bladder problems, they realised that they had been suffering from low level symptoms for some time and felt much better afterwards.

And yes, you're right, the NHS is wonderful, and modern medicine is amazing.