waiting for my scan... petrified :-(

[Nats1983]

Hi. I have been having gallstones attacks for 7 or 8 years now, but only every now and then (once or twice a year) and lasting just a couple of day's,  until about a month ago I started to get them nearly every night so decided to see my doctor who thinks I have gallstones and referred me to my local hospital. My scan is in 14 days and I am now absolutely petrified I have gallbladder cancer. I know the symptoms are similar but gallbladder cancer is usually in the later stages when you start to have symptoms and by that time the cancer has spread. I'm almost 30 with 3 children I don't know if they are risk factors. My family say  I'm being silly but I have never been so scared :'(

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

So, the gallstones were causing your symptoms. Any structural abnormalities of the gall bladder like stones or polyps need surgical correction. The stones can chronically irritate the gallbladder wall and cause inflammation and pain. Also, this chronic irritation is a predisposing cause for gallbladder cancer. If the stone is placed in the neck of the gall bladder, it can cause retention of bile, with stasis and consequent infection. So, the best option would be to have an elective gallbladder removal. Discuss this with your doctor when you meet him. And Best wishes on your procedure.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[Nats1983]

Hi. Had my scan today and it showed 2 relatively big gallstones in my gallbladder.  The results will be sent to my doctor from the hospital, and I have been told to make an appointment with my doctor in 7 day's to discuss the results and options.  I asked if everything else seemed ok and if my gallbladder was inflamed, she said it was difficult to really tell on a scan but it seemed ok.

[Nats1983]

Thank you for your reply :-) My scan is in 11 days and I'm still dreading it. I haven't had an attack for 3 days now trying to stay positive.  Will update on here again when I know the results.  Thanks again for taking the time to reply your answer did help.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Understand your predicament. Chronic inflammation of the gallbladder poses an increased risk for the development of gallbladder cancer. The increased pain now could be due to inflammation of the gallbladder. Usually with any neoplasm (cancer), there are likely to be other associated symptoms like loss of appetite, loss of weight and fatigue. So, stay positive and wait for the scan report.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.