Gallstones In The Biliary Tract

[Barsel]

I'm hoping that if any of you have ever has this, you may be able to advise me.
During a routine blood test last October, it was noted that my liver function tests were high.
I had follow up tests right up until the day before Christmas Eve when they were so high my GP sent me to hospital where I stayed until Boxing day.
The consultant who came to see me said he thinks it is probably gallstones in the biliary tract., but I need a MRCP scan to confirm, this is booked for Jan 15th.
I was fine in myself until New Years Eve when I had excruciating stomach pains and was vomiting all through the night and spent New Years Day in bed. If I had phoned an ambulance, I have no doubt they would have admitted me again, but I really didn't want to go back , especially as I have a fear of catching the Covid in there, so I decided to see if I could get better at home, which I've done, more or less.
My thoughts turned to what I had eaten on NYE that had caused this, and the only thing that I think it could have been was half a medium pork pie and 4 sausage rolls!
Was my liver unable to cope with this food, and is this what caused the pain and vomiting?
Since then, I have been eating very bland easy to digest food, and touch wood, I've been fine although I daresay my function tests will be even higher now especially the bilirubin. Sorry this has been so drawn out , but my question is,
Was the pain etc caused by food and if so, which food should I eat and avoid?
Do you have experience of it or perhaps know someone who has?

[woofgang]

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gallstones/prevention/

[Sqad]

Your story is typical of a gall stone "escaping" into the biliary tract and causing your pain and vomiting.
Eating fatty foods should be avoided as they will accelerate the migration of these gall stone.
It looks as though you are heading for removal of your gall bladder at a later date.
No,I have no personal experience of such a problem.

[Mamyalynne]

My Daughter suffers similarly with bouts of Biliary Colic which can last from a few minutes to many hours - the triggers vary but what you ate could be the culprit, so avoid such foods until you've had your scan.

[Sqad]

Well.......it seems that the Internet Shouldham been your first port of call.

[Mamyalynne]

Shouldham might be in a different Tier Sqad, quicker to ask here ;-)

[anneasquith]

I have experience ( my own) . Pastry a no no , sorry .

[Barsel]

Sqad, I had my gall bladder removed many years ago but these symptoms I am getting now are the same but the Consultant said they are in the biliary tract. The food that did it to me before having my gall bladder out was cheese, but it was trial and error finding that out, but when the gallbladder became infected, it was removed.
This time it isn't cheese, because I haven't had any for a long time, but could it be the pastry on the pie and sausage rolls that was too difficult for me to digest?
As I have your attention, I just wanted you to know, would you believe, that my GGT went up to 2062 when I was admitted at Christmas.

[Togo]

Get yourself to hospital. after Gall stones and the agony that accompanies them I pressed the consultant who begrudgingly removed my gall bladder. All was OK for over 2 years until Sept 2019. Then I am in pain and vomiting. Like you I put it off and tried to cope and carry on. Mistake. The pain came back and I went to the doc because "she who must be obeyed" made an appointment. Doc says hmm if I didn't know that you had had your gall bladder removed I would say gall stones. Get to A&E immediately and take this "doctors note". 5 hours later I was unconscious and remained so for 10 days in an induced coma and on a dialysis machine. Turns out that I had a Gall stone left behind in my bile duct when the op was done and it had become infected. It closed down my liver and kidney function and it was a miracle that the septicaemia didn't finish me off in a week. Gall stones and your bile duct are not something to cross fingers and hope for the best with. It took me 12 months, nigh on, to get back to anywhere near my original fitness levels and I am now allergic to pistachios and almonds after eating them all my life. They both make me violently sick within the hour. I have given up smoking mind, not had a ciggie for 15 months and I do sometimes fancy a smoke like hell.

[Barsel]

I will read woofy's link with interest as all I have found up to now is about the gallbladder whereas woofy's link is about the liver.
Thanks anne for telling me pastry is a no no, any other foods?
Mamya, has your daughter had any treatment for this?
sqad, I always check the internet first, but you can't beat first hand experience and advice.
If this is stones in the biliary tract, do you know what would be on offer treatment wise?

[Mamyalynne]

My daughter still has her gall bladder, she is mainly being monitored at present.

[anneasquith]

Barrel, re food. Trial and error, small frequent meals. Food , as bland as possible.

[Togo]

P.S. When I had recovered a little I went back for an afternoon and the stone that had been in my bile duct was removed with a remote claw with a camera attached that was fed in through my throat. The guy that performed that procedure was superb, I consented to a student being in attendance to watch(you have to don't you or they cannot learn) and the poor girl had to have a sit down after feeling faint. We had a laugh afterwards when we had both recovered.

[Barsel]

Togo, that's shocking. The thing is I hadn't been ill, it was just noticed my LFT's were going higher and higher when the doc said take this letter to A&E where I waited 7 hours for a bed on the ward and because it was Christmas, no-one could do the scan, so they sent me home Boxing day and sent me an appointment for the 15th Jan. This episode I had NYE is the first time I have been ill with it, so now I am feeling ok, I would rather stay at home and be careful until I can go and get a firm diagnosis and treatment. Hope you are ok now.

[Togo]

Ok now

[Barsel]

Togo, what was that treatment like ?
///was removed with a remote claw with a camera attached that was fed in through my throat///
Do they knock you out for it and if not, was it awful?

[Barsel]

Mamya, does you daughter avoid certain foods?

[Mamyalynne]

She avoids fatty foods and too much processed stuff though when she lapses she does suffer.

[Togo]

Dont know what happened there ... meant to say

OK now Thanks Barsel but it was a kin close thing. I was lucky to have a Daughter who is a Doctor and "sort" of took over and a partner who insisted I went to the GP and took me to A&E. Within an hour of getting to A&E i needed morphine because of the pain and it still was agony. Had my daughter not been on a day off, and arrived in time, and insisted that I was taken to intensive care(it was a Friday afternoon) I would have died on a ward on the Saturday. Haha I am a lucky man. P.S. An exercise bike was delivered this afternoon and I am now going into training and will likely get a bike for the spring.

[Electrochem]

The pain is horrendous. I think you may be better of with ERCP (see link)

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gallstones/treatment/#:~:text=Endoscopic%20retrograde%20cholangio%2Dpancreatography%20(ERCP)%20is%20a%20procedure%20that,removed%20using%20other%20surgical%20techniques.

The pork pie and sausage rolls won't have helped!

[Barsel]

Good for you Togo and good luck with the bike.
Can you have a look at my question for you @16.34 please?