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My OH has had symptoms of gallstones for several years making him very unwell at frequent periods. He's on all sorts of drugs has had 3/4 endoscopies over the last 6 years privately at great expense and stress but his Doctor won't send him for a simple ultrasound. I've come across about 6 other friends and family who have had the same problem never resolved until it has become an emergency situation. Anybody know why Doctors seem so reluctant to check for gallstones?

I'd want to know why he won't as it's probably budget and not patient related.
Next time your husband isn't too good go straight to A & E and pretend to be even worse than he feels. 
I certainly wouldn't wait for it to become an emergency situation.

Do gallstones show up well? They aren't stone-like the way kidney stones are. I had an inflamed gall bladder around ten years ago with vomiting and pain and was taken into hospital. Luckily it didn't reoccur. I gathered then that many people accumulate gallstones through their life with no side effects. After a year I was offered surgery but turned it down. I said I'd reconsider if it caused trouble later. Maybe the opinion of another doctor is needed.

Kea, I do sympathise with your OH, as I only had my gallbladder taken out after I got high temperature and went very yellow.  They took ages.  When I finally got my endoscopy it was all too apparent that my gallbladder was chock-full of stones which spilled over painfully - very painfully!

After diagnosis and before operation (a long time) I found that food brought it on.  Anything dairy initially, but in the end I was on a diet of black coffee, bread and jam.  Anything else risked an attack, which was too painful to do anything.  The medication did not touch the pain and since it came with warnings of driving and handling machinery, I could not take it and function in any case.  I had several attacks a week, at a time when my OH was away on business very frequently and the kids were very young.

In the end I had to go to hospital as an emergency to get fit for the op and had to stay for over a week.  The op itself (one of the first keyhole procedures at the local hospital) was a doddle, the recovery was very quick too - just as well, as I could not 'do' being ill at that time.

I don't know what the endoscopies showed - mine was very clear apparently - but your OH needs a proper diagnosis and prompt treatment for his symptoms.  He needs to insist on getting proper  treatment.

This pain is no fun at all.  It felt like battery acid burning my innards and every attack lasted several hours.  Much worse than labour pains!  Hope your OH can get this fixed fast!

Agree with Flighty - if it happened today, I would go the A and E route in order to get something done, but did not then unfortunately.

Kea the fact that your poor husband has not been sorted yet is terrable , having seen my wife go through some serious pain when having an attack its horrible . I would totally agree with Flighty when he gets an attack go to A&E its what we were told to do by NHS Direct , we went to John Radcliffe oxford where they gave her Morphine to stop the pain . However it took a second attack a couple of weeks later while we were away and a visit to Frenchay Hospital Bristol again morphine was given but also some heavyweight pain killers to takeaway with us , which controlled the pain of further attacks until they removed the gallbladder at a later date.

Thanks everyone....it's a little scary that you all know the problem with this one friends and family both sides of the world have had the same problem too. I have already told oh the next bout of sharp pain and he's off to a&e no argument. He's lost about 4 lg in the last week from not eating much, been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome but any one would be tired he can't sleep can't eat properly but they give him  and exercise not look for the cause and treat that.

Kea get on to your GP as soon as possible, i was diagnosed with gallstones 4yrs ago. After my first endoscopy i was told that some had gone into the bile duck, Went into hospital  to have them removed took out 6 then told i would have to go back to have the last ones removed.
It was then i was told they couldn't remove any more as the last one was shaped like a diamond.
I then started to go yellow and was told i would have to be transferred to the liver transplant team at Q/E Birmingham. They did a great job removed all the stones from the bile duct and saved the liver. Go back next month to have the dye put in then if OK have the tube removed. So get it sorted now. People said to me its only gallstones yes but its what they can do to you that counts        All the best

OMG Springs! What a horrible time you've had.

I had symptoms, gurgling discomfort, went to my family doc who immediately ordered an ultrasound which showed a gallbladder completely chockful of stones. Had the gall bladder out with only 3 tiny incisions, easy recovery.

There is no good reason to put off surgery and risk dangerous complications which only cost more money in the end, that's only my opinion. 

I agree surely keyhole surgery is cheaper than an emergency op with longer recovery time.
It's calmed down again now, he managed some dinner last night and it wasn't followed by stabbing pain. He's got an appointment with the Dr again next week where he claims he'll push for an ultrasound.

Good luck, you are having a rough time.
If Gp doesn't send for U/S ask why not so you know why.

Sometimes it helps to just grab the doctor's arm and say, "I want this____ removed! Now!" (fill in whatever organ you like). It helps get the point across and worked for me. (that's why I now have no brain )

Another thing I learned as a nurse: men might go to the doctor about a complaint, but then they minimize the problem when they describe it to the doctor, even though they've paid money to see the doctor! Male ego?
Even though he takes a written list of the symptoms, he'll "forget"  
Sometimes I go with my husband to help get the point across and see some action.

Another fact found while surfing for "Complications Gallstones": "Having gallstones can increase the risk of developing gallbladder cancer, but this type of cancer is rare — most people with gallstones never develop gallbladder cancer." 
I hope your husband gets some good solution soon.

Kea, I am sorry to hear that your OH has gallstone problems.  He really needs to get it sorted quickly and I agree with GrannieAnnie that it would probably help matters if you go in to see the GP with him. 

I'm afraid I've done that the time before last but it didn't work. I've told him next time he has a bout I'm driving him to A & E.

This is not on ,get your husband to change his Doctor. I had my Gall Bladder removed years ago because of Gall stones. no more pain, the best thing  that happened to me .most of the surgery is keyhole now, and you don't stay long in hospital today.
Hope your husband gets he help he should have soon.
  June.

For 15 years I was told it was stress, until one night I was taken to the hospital.  The gall bladder was wrotten and I was lucky not to have been poisoned.
Next lot of pain your other half gets straight to A&E. The stones show up as red stars on the scanner.  Don't take no crap we pay their wages.  And docter is not spelt GOD no matter what they may think to the contrary .

I don't think he thinks the doctor is God, he has 3 degrees which means he's had more years of study than his GP. To be fair she's the best GP we've had since we moved from Scotland. If you read the health forums on the subject of gallstone symptoms there are loads of people not being checked out and ending up in a&d often after many years of suffering and treatment with medication that doesn't work. There is obviously something wrong, it's like there is some rule that Dr's can't/aren't allowed to diagnose it.

I think that Dr are under pressure not to refer people for anything if they can possibly delay things.
I am not sure how this actually saves money.

There are various diets for gallbladder problems, do any of them actually work?

Before Ray had his gall bladder out, he couldn't eat any fatty food. He had keyhole, worked really well but that was in the days before the cut backs

When OH was in hospital in May & June I couldn't believe how many older people were on the same ward all with GB problems. I was chatting to a lady at the bus stop who was waiting to have her GB out & a chap spoke to us. His wife had been rushed in the night before. She had been poorly for years so he did the cooking & had made a fish pie with lots of butter that had triggered an attack. He was shocked because it looked as though GS were the problem all along. I hope your OH gets sorted soon Kea, I remember the pain so well even 30 years on. Childbirth forgotten,