Gall bladder and travel

[cookie]

Trying a different way. Some of you old buggers must know or have had the same problems.
Has anyone travelled with gall bladder issues, did you get travel insurance, who with?

Cheapest can find is saga £1200 for the 1 trip 90 days

Will ghic card cover anything?

I'm a low risk p3 to p4, p1 being high risk.

Eating healthy ( god how I need junk food) I'd kill for a burger or chocolate.

Help please

 

[DandJ]

GHIC...https://faq.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/knowledgebase/article/KA-26795/en-us

It's the repatriation that gets extremely costly....many thousands if you shoudld require a medivac

 

[Puddleduck]

My Dad had gall bladder flare up when on a UK holiday. He had his op in a hospital local to his holiday accommodation and then (very much against medical advice) drove home 300 miles in one day.

Back in hospital a couple of days later.

Take your choice as if to risk it or not.

Dad had no idea he had gall bladder issues prior to the holiday.

 

[BobM360]

If you've only had a single episode of cholecystitis (inflammation of the gall bladder), and it's settled down fully, your risk of another episode isn't terribly high. This source quotes the risk of recurrence at 20% in 2 years. Strict adherence to a low fat diet will reduce your risk, although that 20% probably includes unfortunates who meticulously stuck to it!

Your problem is that it can come on quite quickly so unlikely to have enough time to up camp and head back home if it does flare up. Also although it's often treated conservatively nowadays in the UK, I don't think that's the case in Spain and an admission is likely to result in surgery over there (based on my experience of what happens to my patients who get ill abroad). Expensive, and would need some recuperation time before being able to head home. Probably too risky to go without insurance.

I've used Insurance With a couple of times for travel insurance with a couple of pretty serious background problems. Their quotation form is very comprehensive and fairly straightforward and I found their premiums to be reasonable.

No idea about the GHIC I'm afraid. I always take one but have a low expectation of it being much use!

 

[Abacist]

If you have gall stones and your gall bladder decides to pass one (mine were the size of maltesers) you will know all about it and be in agony and incapable of anything. I had to have 2 shots of morphine to get the pain under control.

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[Lenny HB]

Depends where you are going GHIC only gives you the same cover as the locals get so could be expensive in France.

They nicked my gallbladder in Germany 3 years ago, didn't know I had a problem until it ruptured. So didn't have an insurance problem. GHCI card covered everthing apart from a €10 per day charge in hospital.

 

[LostInSpace]

I had gall bladder problems 20 years ago. A nursing freind advised me not to eat any fat and you will be fine.

I was told I could drink alcohol, carbonated drinks; just eat no fat.

I was also told not to let any surgeons near until it had all calmed down.

You get used to the low no fat diet after a while. And travel was not a problem, either.

All dealt with by NHS keyhole surgery at a time of my choosing.

 

[Cookieboy68]

My better half is having her Gallbladder out in a couple of weeks ,due to a flare up only a few weeks ago.she had a flare up 10 years a go . That time a gallstone popped out and blocked her cental bile duct,so ended up jaundiced. This time an inflamed gallbladder which antibiotics sorted out.But as I say nothing for 10 years .She's quite worried about the consequences of not having a Gallbladder. we have read there can be side effects for some people that can be not nice,but most people don't know they do not have one .Diet is the key I understand. Anyone on here with advice.

 

[LostInSpace]

but most people don't know they do not have one

I had totally forgotten I do not have one until I saw this thread.

My better half is having her Gallbladder out in a couple of weeks

Tell Advise your other better half to eat no fat until then. A no fat diet is key.

 

[Cookieboy68]

She has fallen lucky with the op.Was told 4-6 month waiting list.2days out of hospital, she was in the shower and missed a phone call from the hospital. She was panicked in case it was something important, Rang back got passed from one department to another and ended up talking to someone who took bookings for appointments, listened to what has happened looked on the vacant slots for the surgery on got her in on the 17th October 7 weeks after being in hospital with the flare up,Amazing

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[Roger S]

My better half is having her Gallbladder out in a couple of weeks ,due to a flare up only a few weeks ago.she had a flare up 10 years a go . That time a gallstone popped out and blocked her cental bile duct,so ended up jaundiced. This time an inflamed gallbladder which antibiotics sorted out.But as I say nothing for 10 years .She's quite worried about the consequences of not having a Gallbladder. we have read there can be side effects for some people that can be not nice,but most people don't know they do not have one .Diet is the key I understand. Anyone on here with advice.

My mothering in law and a niece have had theres removed and are both pleased it was done, no side effects

 

[Ninjabob]

It was garlic bread starter followed by a "Pizza Hut" pizza and ice cream dessert that made me call an ambulance at three the next morning. Spent a day on a drip on hospital and told to go on a low fat diet as they could not do the op whilst inflamed. Lost two and a half stone in the same number of months and never felt better. Looking back I wish I had never had the op done because the threat of that pain was keeping me on such a good diet. Missed the advent of keyhole surgery by six months and took nearly a month to recover from the invasive surgery.

Low fat or no fat is the key.

 

[DandJ]

My better half is having her Gallbladder out in a couple of weeks ,due to a flare up only a few weeks ago.she had a flare up 10 years a go . That time a gallstone popped out and blocked her cental bile duct,so ended up jaundiced. This time an inflamed gallbladder which antibiotics sorted out.But as I say nothing for 10 years .She's quite worried about the consequences of not having a Gallbladder. we have read there can be side effects for some people that can be not nice,but most people don't know they do not have one .Diet is the key I understand. Anyone on here with advice.

I would recommend speaking with a specialist dietician....but when I did just that, earlier this year, the advice I received (privately, for a chunk of cash) was pretty much what I had found myself after an hour of reading on the internet,,....
I had my gall bladder out in 2020 (together with half a pancreas, small intestine and a bit of my stomach) I'm still finding out what works (had gall stones earlier this year...yup, gall stones without a gall bladder...Dietician said 'I'll have to look that up and see if it is possible...erm...Hello....I've just come out of hospital where specialists absolutely diagnosed them!)
I'm not on a low fat diet per se....I avoid fried stuff, try my best to avoid ultra processed food (75% of what you see ina. supermarket then !) and try to eat smaller meals but with healthy snacks in between.
I sleep better, feel healthier, always have energy but it does take a little adapting to (but it beats a gall stone blocking your bikle duct, not eating for 20 days, becoming hospitalised and losing 2 stone in 3 weeks.....)

 

[Abacist]

I have no problems with no gall bladder and eat what I like. My father could not eat cucumber afterwards for some reason.

 

[Brize]

Gall bladder issues don't tend to go away, so why don't you have it out? (Maybe you are on a waiting list, don't know).

I had issues in the past, and had the GB taken out about 8-9 years ago. Keyhole stuff and home same day. Feel fantastic, just have to change diet as lots of fats or sugary food gives you the runs.

Secondary benefit is that cutting down on biscuits/sweets/cakes/ice creams gives you a flat tummy and reduces the waistline!

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[pjay]

Had mine out in August, they damaged one of the pipes connecting to the bladder during the removal so bile was leaking into my abdomen, 2 weeks later, back in for an abdomen drain after regular bad pain in the abdomen during the supposedly 1 week recovery time, initially they got 2 litres out, the pain and pressure relief was amazing. Fitted with a drain bag and around another 3-4 ltrs came out via the bag over the next few weeks.
I then had to have an endoscopy to get the last stone out and to fit a stent to make sure the bile is now draining properly.
Having my drain bag out on Friday and the stent removal (another endoscopy) soon after that.
Certainly not a routine op for me.

Pete

 

[gus-lopez]

If you have gall stones and your gall bladder decides to pass one (mine were the size of maltesers) you will know all about it and be in agony and incapable of anything. I had to have 2 shots of morphine to get the pain under control.

I pass them regularly .Yes it is painful but hot water bottle as in scalding helps. If you fall asleep then it s 3rd degree burns though when the registrar didn't want to remove mine in 2009 after they were diagnosed I just put up with it.
Recurrs about every 4-6 weeks & obviously is shorter some times as I eat anything I want. Actually appears to be starting now after the 2nd doughnut.
I must have had them at least 15 years before the 2009 diagnosis as I'd had the pain on & off for years when i was working..