Anybody had their gallbladder removed?

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  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
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    I had a bunch of small ones I guess. The Dr. said it looked "gravelly" in there. Which in my mind means, more of them are going to try and pass? Because I agree, there's no one that can tell you you aren't dying, or make you at least wish for death a little.

    Not trying to scare you, but you will absoutely pass more and they will probably get bigger. Have the surgery. I had mine removed almost 15 years ago. Some of my stones were the size of quarters. The one that sent me to the hospital wasn't that large, so I could only imagine what the larger ones would have felt like. I also developed pancreatitis because of the gallbladder issue.

    In the meantime, stay away from foods with fat.

    Best wishes!
  • autumnlily31185
    autumnlily31185 Posts: 279 Member
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    My sister just had hers removed on Monday and I took care of her for these past two days. She was in a lot more pain than she thought it would be. She also had a bad reaction to the anesthia post op, she was very dizzy and nauseaus. The hospital wanted to keep her overnight but she is stubborn and went home because she hates hospitals. So I would think if any of your family members have ever had any bad reactions following surgery and discuss that with your doctor as well. But she is glad that it is over and that recovery has started. So I would suggest if you have the means and insurance and time off work, that it would be a good idea for you.

    Hope that you feel better =)
  • karylee44
    karylee44 Posts: 892
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    get it out.. surgery is relatively easy.. (although i got really sick after mine.. not from the surgery.. but the meds.. )

    no issues since it was taken out.. so get it out.
  • OriginalKatie
    OriginalKatie Posts: 119 Member
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    Hi, I'm a nurse, and I work in a surgical ward where I nurse people with gall stones and cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) all the time. You're likely to have another attack, especially if you don't pass all those stones. And even if you do pass the stones you will probably just get more again. Not only is it the pain you have to put up with, but it's the inflammation and how unwell you can get. If you don't have the surgery your gall bladder can become gangrenous, and believe me - you'll want to get rid of that.

    The surgery is generally laparascopic (3-4 little holes), unless they need to open up for some reason so they can see better. They blow your abdomen up with gas so that they can visualise better while doing the surgery. This gas will cause some shoulder tip pain, but the gas will dissipate after the first 24 hours. They might put a drain tube in to drain out the washout fluid they use, but generally it will come out the next morning, and then you go home if you're feeling well enough. They might also give you some antibiotics overnight, and definitely lots of pain relief :)

    Have the surgery - you will feel so much better afterwards. You will have to adjust your diet by cutting back fats strictly for the first 6 weeks, but then you can slowly introduce some fat back into your diet, and learn how much you can tolerate.

    - I hope I have helped you - all the best!
  • hjpate
    hjpate Posts: 11 Member
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    Yes - and no regrets. I started having what were gall bladder attacks in my late 20's without realizing it was not simply indigestion. Triggers for attacks were meals high in fat. So I stopped eating deep fried anything, ate leaner meats, avoided eggs, high fat content dairy, etc. That helped but eventually the attacks were more frequent and painful. I had the laparoscopic procedure which was a quick recovery.

    I did have a complication which you will want to avoid. Prior to the surgery, some of the "sludge" (not stones) moved down the common bile duct and blocked the pancreatic duct. Stones can do this, too. That is a life threatening problem as it causes the protein digesting enzymes from the pancreas to back up back into the organ. Which is made of....protein. The pancreatitis was miserable. If you have travelling gall stones, then having the stones removed, at least, is a good idea. Most people end up having the whole gall bladder removed as once the stones start to form, it's likely to happen again.

    As for after effects, low to no-fat diet with smaller meals works fine. If I eat three slices of Decadent Chocolate Cheese Cake with Hazelnut Cream Topping or Supersize Burger with Fries, yeah, I pay. So, I don't eat that sort of thing or at least, eat a very small portion.
  • luvmynook
    luvmynook Posts: 61 Member
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    I had mine removed and the week long recovery period was NOTHING compared to the attacks. I would curl up into the fetal position and just cry in pain.................until the attack would just "go" away. They would come on so quickly and then just seem to end??

    I've had 3 children since then and I will tell you that my childbirth with all 3 was less pain than the attacks.............get the surgery!

    On a side note, I had so many gallstones that I had to go back 2 days post-surgery so the gastroenterologist could remove the stones that were outside of my gallbladder!

    I haven't had ANY problems since my surgery.....................crazy as this may sound, it was the best thing I ever did!
  • OriginalKatie
    OriginalKatie Posts: 119 Member
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    I had a gall stone issue while I was pregnant with my daughter - ended up having to have it removed while still preggers - Although the pain issue was resolved immediatly I have never been the same - This next part is kind TMI but it's the major issue - so I apologize. Bathroom issues are INSANE - eating is a joke - I eat I'm in the bathroom 5 seconds later. I almost always feel like I'm going to crap my pants! (PS How does a person who cant keep food in more the 30 mins end up fat I'll never understand) LOL

    With that said I have also had a complete hystorectomy and cancer so perhaps that all plays a roll as well. But I will say IF you can avoid removal! Try!

    I'm a firm beleive in surgery is to be avoided at all costs (when possible)
    But this also from someone who is 34 and had 12+ operations for things ranging from cysts, gall stone, etc to stage 3 cancer.

    Anywho, hope you are feeling better since the GB issue - I know how very painful it can be - Sidenote: there are lots of foods that make it worse so be mindful of that as well.

    Goodluck!



    Maybe you're eating too many fatty foods? People who have had a cholecystectomy cannot tolerate fatty meals because there is not enough bile being released anymore - instead you get a slow trickle, rather than a big burst when needed.
  • 5ftnFun
    5ftnFun Posts: 948 Member
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    I had mine out about 13 yrs ago. I didn't have gallstones, but for some reason, it wasn't functioning properly according to some kind of test I had (nuclear medicine? can't remember now). I had my surgery on a Tuesday, up and about by the weekend.

    Thing is, everyone's story is going to be different, so it's hard to know how it'll be for you. But I will say this. I suffered for about a year & regretted putting it off.

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