Gallbladder surgery...

kyliedurnan
kyliedurnan Posts: 58 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello! So i figured out that i have gallstones & i have the option to do surgery to remove my gallbladder. Being that i am only 17, i am really not a fan of having one of my organs removed. So for right now, i am on the pill Ursodiol. It is supposed to break down gallstones. Has anyone on here ever had gallstones or gallbladder surgery? Would you recommend it? I have heard quite a lot of negative reviews on the surgery but i have also heard quite a bit of negative reviews on these pills. Thanks!

Replies

  • Serafimangel
    Serafimangel Posts: 174 Member
    HI, had my gallbladder out at 18, so yeah, I know how you feel.
    I never really had any choice. I was rushed in during an attack, then told they were going to whip the bugger out, my 'gallstones' were like sand apparently, I was told if they got the sand it, it was just going to happen again. And it would probably plague me mostly the rest of my life.

    I had no real after effects of the surgery, I have the four wee scars from the keyhole, thats all.

    The one thing I will say is, your digestion will never be the same again, I tend to switch between constipation and the runs, even though I try to keep a good hold on what I eat. I even take fibre suppliments daily.

    Hope this helps, any more questions just pm me xxx
  • BogQueen1
    BogQueen1 Posts: 320 Member
    I had my gallbladder out like 2 years ago after it got plugged up and was causing me really major pain. The surgery took a bit to recover from, maybe 3 weeks, but after that, I've literally had zero side effects. I haven't noticed any changes at all in what I can and can't eat.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    What kind of side effects and problems do the pills have? I'm asking because my mom had gallbladder surgery, and while it is a pretty routine procedure, she did end up with complications and had to have emergency surgery to fix it. She's fine now, but it was very fortunate that my brother insisted on taking her back in. If the pills are working and aren't too horrible otherwise, I would think it best to stick with them because of the risks of surgery in general.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    remove it will be the best surgery of your life.

    You dont want to end up in ICU because of pancreatitis. Dont mess with it get it out.
  • chrissyreneet
    chrissyreneet Posts: 52 Member
    I had mine removed 5 years ago. I will say that if I eat a meal heavy with fats, I feel it.
  • cneshe
    cneshe Posts: 3
    I also had my gallbladder removed. Gallstones have a tendency to run in the family. All my siblings have had the surgery except one. I had my surgery a few years ago - it was my first time under the knife, or in this case, laser! I have four scars - one in my belly button, above the belly button, one at the gallbladder site, and one below it. The scars are small-ish. The surgery itself is usually very well tolerable and extremely common. Usually your primary doctor and the surgeon will put you on a low-fat/low-cholesterol plain diet before and after.

    Pros - no right upper quadrant abdominal pain. You can resume normal living after the surgery. You'll have abdominal pain immediately after from the four surgical wounds, but if you need to laugh/cough/sneeze, just hold a pillow to your belly. Healing time is relatively quick. I had my surgery on a Friday before Labor Day and was back at work after the holiday. I was discharged from the hospital less than 24 hours after the surgery. I tolerated it very well.

    Cons - I could not digest certain foods after the surgery - for several months. Cheese and eggs resulted in emergency bathroom visits. I definitely lost a few pounds after the surgery. Now, years later, I can pretty much eat anything without any negatives. Your liver's vessels will eventually expand to compensate for the lack of gallbladder.

    Hope that helps!
  • MorissaW
    MorissaW Posts: 95 Member
    I just had mine out a few months ago. I had been having attacks and was sent in for emergency surgery. I was very ill prior to the surgery so to me, it was the best thing that could have happened. Within 2 days I was back at work again.
    The scars are not THAT small. I will never wear a bikini again because of my stretch marks from pregnancy but even without those, I wouldn't wear one with these scars.

    I am still having some digestion issues but I just watch what I eat. No high fat foods at all. I lost about 6lbs in the week after surgery.
  • AbFabKat
    AbFabKat Posts: 16 Member
    I had mine removed laproscopically 20 years ago. Easy surgery, short recovery (1 week) and IMHO way better than taking pharmaceuticals. Because of the function of a healthy gallbladder toward digesting fat, I found sticking to a lower fat diet especially for the first 4-6 months was more comfortable...less indigestion and feeling too full. After those first few months my eating returned to regular (unfortunately) and I've been able to consume anything I like.

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