Gallbladder Surgery

bmreed0920

So I was told I need to have my gallbladder removed. It is filling up with bile and not letting it go. So my gallbladder is the size of a baseball when it should be the size of a golfball. No stones but its still painful. I go next friday to have it removed. I am doing it laparosopically and have some questions. What should I eat afterwards? How will this affect my weight loss? Do I really have to stop drinking alcohol? (its not like i drink all the time, i like to enjoy a glass of wine every now and then) Will it really get rid of my bloating and gas? Please help if you can. Thanks.

Krizzle4Rizzle

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kate0309

I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago. The first day, I just ate soup. The day after my surgery, I was feeling pretty good and was able to eat normally. I didn't have any issues with food or alcohol after. I know some people can't eat fatty foods, but that wasn't my problem.

Good luck with your surgery. You'll feel so much better once it is done.

dalbers

Long ago I was a student nurse and actually witnessed this surgery.

You will be given a complete set of post op instructions, regarding when you can eat, etc....

Most of the dietary restrictions are due to coming off general anesthetic as that halts your bowels which slowly restart. If you eat to soon, you can basically plug up... When I was a nurse you were not allowed real food until you had one bowel movement after surgery for this reason.

You should see much releif soon after your surgery.

This is a pretty common procedure. Impact on your life should be minimal, but definately mind your stitches and care for them!

As for booze, not a good idea as it can iratate the tissue that has been severed inside. So yes, even the odd glass of wine may be a bad thing at first.

megan_mp

Hi there...

I had my gall bladder removed about 9 years ago and I'll let you know what I've experienced since then...

I can drink alcohol, although I've never been a heavy drinker - I drink 1 to 2 times every 3 months or so. However, my body's ability to digest high sugar or high fat meals has been greatly diminished. If I consume too much of these types of food in a sitting, you better bet I'll be in the bathroom about 20 minutes after I've finished it. However, that's not to say that's what's going to happen to you, but at times it's a real inconvenience.

Best of luck during surgery!

skingszoo

I had mine removed in November. Mile was filled with "sludge" and didn't have stones either. They say you can gain weight without it but I have not. I just started my new lifestyle change in January and have lost 17lbs without it. There are some days that I can't eat certain things but other days I can. Stay away from high fatty foods but that is about the only thing. Sometimes milk makes me run to the bathroom if I have enough of it. I have had a drink and it was ok. But you will feel really lboated and gassy for awhile after surgery. They fill your abdomen up with air so that they can work and sometimes it takes awhile to get out of your system. Other then that you should be good. My stomach muscles did hurt for awhile afterwards. It was a good 5 days I was laid up where others they are good to go the next day just listen to your body. If you have questions. Message me. Oh and I ate soup that whole week.

mickey120

Hey, good luck with your surgery! I also had mine taken out in Sep 2010 due to a bunch of stones. For me I actually lost about 5 lbs b/c I had a bunch of complications and was in the hospital for one week. ( I have yet to gain weight though from it, yay) I'm sure you'll be just fine though. As for what you can eat, it totally depends on you and your body, since everyone's is different. For example, I can't eat beans and oats. The result is super bad cramping and instant diarrhea. So you just test small amounts to see if it settles ok. Eating soup for a bit is a great idea as well as soft bland foods. I still suffer from bloating and gas, but you may be different Again, good luck!

eliz_in_pink

i had my gallbladder removed when i was 16.. let me tell you.. everything that you eat will come right out of you for a while.. thats how it did with me anyway (and other people i have spoken with.) the drinking thing- like i said, i was 16- i drank when i was 21 and it caused an ulcer, not sure if it was because i drank too much, lol, or if it was side affect of the gallbladder surgery..

anyway, i didnt have a special diet or anything that i can remember but this was almost 9 years ago! (yikes, that made me feel old!) hope my tid bit of info helped a little bit? good luck with your surgery and have a speedy recovery!! :flowerforyou:

funkyspunky871

I had my gallbladder taken out last year. I was in the hospital for a few days before, so I was advised not to eat (after I had already gone almost a week without eating because of nausea). I was put on a clear liquid diet for three days. The morning after the surgery, I didn't have an appetite, but I had a bit of toast, cheesy eggs, ham, cheese grits, and whatnot. The following week I ate whatever I wanted. I needed the calories after spending a week eating nothing, you know? And my surgeon want to see how I'd tolerate fatty foods. I lost 9 pounds that week, lol. Even after having ice cream and fried shrimp and alfredo! I'm not old enough to drink, but I've never heard anything about having to limit alcohol intake. Almost every adult in my family has had their gallbladder removed, and they still have that "occasional" glass of wine.

bmreed0920

Thank you all. I had surgery on my arm in november and remember how I felt after that and couldnt eat for like two days, it made me sick to. I'm just hoping this is different. I will monitor my fatty foods and oats and beans to see what it does to me. I really appericate all the feedback. It helps me to stop stressing about it.

TrinityPixie4

I had my gall bladder taken out almost 4 years ago. At first I just ate/drank liquids, but after that I was told that I could eat normally. Later one (about a month after ward) I couldn't, still can't, eat anything real greasy (like pepperoni pizza) otherwise I got/get real sick. Good Luck with your surgery.

KWSR16

I personally know nothing about this. But SEVERAL members of my family had this done. They all said that afterwards it felt much better (gas and bloating) but they have to watch thier dairy intake now to make sure that they dont get gassy from all the extra bacterias in dairy products. Also, they have to stay away from greasy foods or it will give them the scoots..eeew. It almost forces them to eat healthier so idk if its really a bad thing. I'm not sure if thats for everyone, but I know they all have to watch it big time. When my brother had it done he was eating regular foods in just a day or two. I'm not sure about my other two cousins though.
The hard part that they faced with thier weight loss goals was that they had the whole kit n kaboodle cut outta em (splein and gallbladder) so their stomachs were all scarred and it made it harder for their abdominal muscles to grow back together. So they still do face weight issues. However, none of them had the laproscopy done so I'm sure it will be much easier to bounce back after that.
Also, my brother's gallblader was HUGE I think they said it was like the size of a football (and he was only like 4 or 5 when he had the surgery) and because all the bile was stuck in his body some moved on to his liver and damaged some of it so he REALLY has to be careful drinking. However, the dr. said that casual drinking every once and a while wasnt going to kill him. So im sure youll be fine.

So basically eat healthy foods and limit your grease and dairy intake. Drinking a few is fine every once and a while just not all the time. And keep doing ab's stuff so they can regain what they lost from the surgery (but im not sure you will need to with it being laproscopic.)

Good luck!

Shirley61

My gallbladder was removed almost 30 years ago and the only thing is fatty foods and greasy foods
which I totally stay away from anyway because I am trying to lose weight. As far as alcohol goes,
I drink anything within moderation and it doesn't bother me. Good Luck with yours, I was packed
with stones. This all has to do with your diet so you probably will change that too after you feel
better. :flowerforyou:

eates

I had mine out last April. I was eating normal a couple of days later. I was nauseous from the anesthesia so the day of surgery I nibbled on sprite & crackers when I wasn't passed out. I haven't had much problems eating things afterwards. The only thing I can't eat anymore is taquitos (like the ones you buy from the store & cook at home) because it runs right through me. Nothing was ever said to me about drinking afterwards except no alcohol for 48 hours or while I was still taking the percocet.

wildbio

My sister had this surgery last year. She still drinks and doesn't seem to have too many complications from it. What she can't eat includes dairy, fast food, super fatty foods and spicy stuff. She eats pretty much everything else I think. When she does eat any of these things she's down for the count for at least a few hours and feels rotten. I agree with everyone on here that you just need to listen to your body. Good luck on your surgery!

kimzxx

I had a laparoscopy 6 weeks ago to remove an ovarian cyst. Although I am no help at all on the gall bladder side of things - with my laparoscopy and I'm sure that with all laparoscopy's (although I could be wrong!) they use gas which they fill you up with to be able to get a better look, well I found that the pain in my shoulders afterwards from the gas was a little uncomfortable and that bothered me more than the pain in my abdomon, anyway, my little tip is to drink peppermint tea - I absolutely hated the stuff before my op but the nurse gave me some afterwards and oh -my the relief was amazing! I would definately recommend! Im surprised I didn't turn green in the 2 weeks after my op as I couldn't get enough of it! I probably drank about 2 cups a day - not sure how healthy or unhealthy it is but it sure did the trick!

Hope all goes well :-)

bmreed0920

Yummu peppermint tea. I will defintly try that. Thanks.

Woodman725

I had gall stones and was told that I needed surgery to have my gallbladder out. Fortunately it wasn't an emergency situation, but it was keeping me up at night with severe dull pain in my side. I figured out that the trigger was fatty and/or greasy foods. I cut out as much fat from my diet as possible in that month and didn't even eat a hamburger. I lost about 20 lbs but afterward I was able to eat whatever and eventually gained about 15 lbs back. I don't drink a lot, but I never saw anything about not drinking. The thing I always tell people to be prepared for is the gas pain in your shoulders when you finally sit up after surgery, usually the next day or two. It is so friggin' painful and there is nothing you can do about it, just be ready for it and know that it will go away. I'm not trying to scare you, but I wish someone would have told me about it so it wouldn't have scared me when it was happening. Anyway, good luck with the surgery. Oh and speaking of tea, I started drinking green tea with pomegranate, yummmm!!!!

bmreed0920

Thanks. i heard the pain from the gas leaking out of your shoulders was the worst of it all. How long will that last? I dont like taking pain meds as they back me up. I will try the green tea with pomegranate. I like tea and pomegranate just never tried them together.

kimzxx

The thing I always tell people to be prepared for is the gas pain in your shoulders when you finally sit up after surgery, usually the next day or two. It is so friggin' painful and there is nothing you can do about it, just be ready for it and know that it will go away. !

I was trying to say it nicely :laugh: but yes the pain from the gas is not nice but honestly peppermint tea will make it vanish! As soon as you feel the pain coming back drink more!! It worked wonders on me! I too am very cautious of taking pain killers and was given soo many but after the first day or two I hardly took any pain meds at all - thanks to the peppermint tea!

As for how long the pain will last it depends how much gas they leave behind as they will try and remove most of it but for me I had pain in my shoulders I think for about a week but it was bearable after about the 2nd or 3rd day.

.....mmm green tea and pomegranate - will have to try some of that!

sray30

I had mine taken out in November. I didn't have stones either, they called it Cholestrolosis of the gallbladder. I went in on a Friday morning, was out of the hospital by noon and ate soup for a few days, I was back at work the next Friday. They will recommend you get something like Gas-X to help with the gas they pump into your body, trust me you will want it. I had gas settle in my shoulder and it felt like someone was breaking it over and over again. I still have a problems with food, I was told to stay away from fatty, greasy, oily foods for 3 months and it could take longer for my body to adjust to certain foods. I have a problem with milk and cheese but I'll take that over the pain that I was having with my gallbladder.

Good luck.