Goldilox:
Gosh, what’s all this about gall bladder problems, etc? Is it common and how and why does it start??Not sure I would like 2 belly buttons
Your gall bladder is part of your bile duct. Bile helps break down fats for digestion.
Bile is kept in your gall bladder until you eat something fatty, then your gall bladder contracts and shoots a quantity of bile into your stomach.
Some people develop gall stones, which are balls of cholesterol globules all stuck together.
I expect most peoples cholesterol globules just go straight through, but sometimes they stick together and become a problem.
When they do keyhole surgery they make two incisions, one for the actual keyhole surgery, one to inflate your belly so they’ve got a bit of ‘elbow room’.
The inflater hole is usually in your belly button apparently.
My gall bladder went into spasm 3 times. Several months between each episode.
The first time was just after Christmas, I thought I’d just made a bit of a pig of myself initially. Then I thought it was trapped wind, as if a good burp would relieve the discomfort. But the ‘pressure’ just kept building higher and higher. By the time I realised this was a bit more than a bit of trapped wind from pigging out, it was getting late. My wife got the NHS24 doctor to come out. He diagnosed an ulcer, gave me some pills to take there and then, which stopped the pain in a few minutes. I also got a couple more pills to tide me over and had to go n see my gp for a script.
The second time I was parked up at Carnforth Truckstop, on my way homewards from Spain. I felt the same kind of ‘pressure’ starting to build up, so took a couple of extra pills (this had worked a couple of times previously) but the pressure continued to build. So I went over to reception and got an ambulance out, who took me into Lancaster General. By the time we got to hospital I was in agony. The doc in A&E diagnosed gall stones, not an ulcer, gave me some morphine, kept me in overnight and I was sent on my way the next day. That morphine is magical stuff 
The third time I was at home. I’d had scans, gall stones was confirmed and I was waiting to see the specialist to arrange surgery.
Again I recognised that particular feeling of building pressure, so drove myself into my local A&E in Kirkcaldy. By the time I was seen the pain was getting really bad. They gave me morphine again 
The next thing I remember was being in Dunfermlines Hospital and was going to be operated on that week.
I didn’t get any information about possible side effects or anything else about it. Just a run down of what the op’ entailed. I expect if I’d gone through the usual channels, all the other stuff would’ve been talked about. The timing of this spasm just shorted the system, so while I was in their hands they whipped it out.
Two or three weeks later I was back at work.
I can eat almost anything, even a chip butty, provided they aren’t greasy chips. I have haggis and chips from our local chippy occasionally, with no problems.
Just every now and then I’ll forget, or it’ll be something that doesn’t appear to be that greasy.
Then, roughly an hour later, I get the danger signals. Find some facilities asap or there’s gonna be trouble 