Drop in weight and gall stones

PudgyFellow123

Hi All
I'm under going a laparoscopic surgical procedure in a couple of days and I'm honest to God, pissing myself! One day, I woke up in the middle of the night in horrible dull pain around my right upper abdominal and a dull pain somewhere around the same area in my back. No matter what position I slept, if wouldn't go away. Ended up at the hospital and was told I had possibility of gallstones. After a scan, I had a single 3cm stone which I was advised to have my gallbladder removed. The cause apparently is because I had lost a lot of weight in a short period of time. Thought I argued I did a slow weight loss over 5 years however having such a large stone, it would have been building long before my weight loss due to a high fat diet.

So that time has come and I just wanted to see if anyone has had this procedure done before? What kind of pain was it post surgery and how long was the recovery time? If you weight train, how long before you hit the gym again? Would appreciate any experiences you could share.

Thanks

kema2007

My sister had her gall bladder removed several years ago. Don't remember exact recovery time or anything but it was pretty easy going for her. I had my appendix taken out laproscopicly and it was very easy recovery. Your joint will hurt for a few days, I guess because the air they fill your belly with escapes that way (? Just what I was told). Also your scars will be very very small and likely will almost disappear after a few years. Biggest issue for gallbladder remove is you just have to be really cautious of your fat intake for the rest of your life. Hope that helps settle your nerves.

andreaboby

I had mine removed in 2008. I remember the gas in the abdominal cavity caused the most discomfort. I needed help getting from a lying down to an upright position. Also, very important...take a small amount of food with pain meds, always. Throwing up after that surgery hurts terribly. You may want your doc to prescribe something for nausea before you go home. I was up walking around after 3 days, pain subsidized dramatically after 5-7. Back to a physical job after 3 weeks. Not sure about weight lifting but I felt like I could get the heavy things after 4 weeks. Also, plan your post-surgery diet. I lost 10 lbs after. If you do have something greasy, try NOW Foods Super Enzymes. You can order it from Amazon. I still take it if I eat fatty foods. It will help. I hope this is helpful. Good luck! It's not as scary as I thought, surgery or post-op diet. You'll do great.

PudgyFellow123

andreaboby wrote: »

I had mine removed in 2008. I remember the gas in the abdominal cavity caused the most discomfort. I needed help getting from a lying down to an upright position. Also, very important...take a small amount of food with pain meds, always. Throwing up after that surgery hurts terribly. You may want your doc to prescribe something for nausea before you go home. I was up walking around after 3 days, pain subsidized dramatically after 5-7. Back to a physical job after 3 weeks. Not sure about weight lifting but I felt like I could get the heavy things after 4 weeks. Also, plan your post-surgery diet. I lost 10 lbs after. If you do have something greasy, try NOW Foods Super Enzymes. You can order it from Amazon. I still take it if I eat fatty foods. It will help. I hope this is helpful. Good luck! It's not as scary as I thought, surgery or post-op diet. You'll do great.

Thanks Andrea. So what happens when you eat fatty foods? Did it eventually come better? I take it the pain besides the abdominal cavity, was because of the keyhole incisions? It's happening first thing tomorrow morning. Do you remember the type of meds you took? I'm allergic to tramadol

andreaboby

I was given Lortab. The acetaminophen (Tylenol) in Lortab caused nausea on an empty stomach. Pain was the pressure from the gas used to pump up the abdominal cavity in order for them to operate. Your body isn't used to it & it tends to shift around. It will be absorbed by your body the first few days. As for greasy foods, it get a little better over time. I got nauseous after eating grease, no worse than before the surgery. It also feels like greasy food just sits in your stomach, like bloating. The Super Enzymes relieve the bloated feeling. I hope you get to feeling better soon!

PudgyFellow123

andreaboby wrote: »

I was given Lortab. The acetaminophen (Tylenol) in Lortab caused nausea on an empty stomach. Pain was the pressure from the gas used to pump up the abdominal cavity in order for them to operate. Your body isn't used to it & it tends to shift around. It will be absorbed by your body the first few days. As for greasy foods, it get a little better over time. I got nauseous after eating grease, no worse than before the surgery. It also feels like greasy food just sits in your stomach, like bloating. The Super Enzymes relieve the bloated feeling. I hope you get to feeling better soon!

Thanks but I am sitting up in bed, will head to the hospital in 6 hours time for a 9am procedure (after all the admin is done). I've just ordered the super enzymes like you suggested off Iherb. Here's hoping for the best!

andreaboby

I felt much better after recovering from surgery than with the gallstones. They are pesky little things! You're going to feel sooooo much better!

PudgyFellow123

andreaboby wrote: »

I felt much better after recovering from surgery than with the gallstones. They are pesky little things! You're going to feel sooooo much better!

Thank you, Andrea

PudgyFellow123

Just an update. Tomorrow will be a week after my surgery and it's been manageable. What I mean is, the pain can be terrible, andreaboby, weren't kidding about the air in my body. It's not something you can just burp or fart out either. Just sorter rolls around in there. Some say they get shoulder pain as the air hits the nerve on the diaphragm but mine has just been a little sore for about 2-3 second stints whenever I move around. As of yesterday, I had a breakout of hives for some unknown reason. I've never had food allergies but I can't help but feel it's related. Going to see a doctor today. Overall, been able to do the 2s again which I was most excited about

Eating has been a real bigger. I could eat a slices of bread and I'll be full. I'd drink 1 glass of water, and the pressure would hurt for hours. That's been the most bother. Because I'm eating a lot less, I've dropped 3kgs this last week. I'm sure a bulk of it is water weight but I'm sure a lot of it would be muscle as well. Been forcing myself to at least drink 2 litres a day, but it's been a struggle.