Wondering About After Gallbladder Surgery...

slider728
slider728 Posts: 1,494 Member
edited November 18 in Chit-Chat
I've been having gallbladder attacks off and on for about 4 years. Usually I'd be uncomfortable for a few days, have my.....ummm....waste...turn white, but things would work themselves out.

Now, my symptoms are as bad as they've ever been. The pain is not going away anymore, my reflux is just terrible despite doubling up on my acid relux meds, the taste in my mouth is driving me nuts.

I'm going in for a CT scan in the morning and I am really wondering if this is the time they are going to pull my gallbladder out.

I've tried to search online about what to expect after surgery, but it seems that people only jump on the internet to tell horror stories about this sort of thing.

So, for people who have had their gallbladder removed, how was the recovery? How was life after surgery? What kind of issues did you have?

Any feedback would be appreciated. I only know one person who has had theirs removed and they said they were pretty good afterward (just an occasional upset stomach after a fatty meal). Just wanted to see if any MFPers would be willing to share what it was like after.

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    My recovery went pretty well. The only major pain I had was actually from the dissipating gas they fill you with to create room in your abdomen. The incisions and removal really didn't bother me. I was sore but not so much that it was agonizing. I didn't take the whole week off after. I took 3 days cuz I think I am superwoman sometimes. I should have taken the whole week. Work was rough on me and I don't have a labor intensive job. As for eating now, the only thing that really has an undesirable affect on me is lettuce.
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
    Have you had a HIDA scan?

  • jenngitch
    jenngitch Posts: 190 Member
    I had my gallbladder removed on a Tuesday, on Friday of the same week I was riding a new horse I was interested in buying...... the gas pains the first day was the worse part.
  • slider728
    slider728 Posts: 1,494 Member
    edited April 2017
    ClubSilencio wrote: »
    Have you had a HIDA scan?

    Yeah, it came back normal discharge rate (they rattled off some values that meant nothing to me). Had a couple ultrasounds in the past and they haven't found stones either. Honestly, my gallbladder issues have been pretty frustrating. They figured they'd try for a CT scan this time to see what they see.
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    I had mine removed in 2011. I had no Problems. The gas can be painful from the proc but even. That was minimal. I was in school and only worked weekends so I only needed one weeked off of work. I have no issues now with foods.
  • DasItMan91
    DasItMan91 Posts: 5,753 Member
    edited April 2017
    After I had my gallbladder removed, I was really sore and it was hard to move around but I recovered after about 1-2 weeks. Some woman told me I would never be able to eat fatty foods or spicy foods ever again because she couldn't after her surgery but I still can with no problems. The only thing you have to worry about is phantom pain which happened more often years ago but now it happens once and a while.
  • kittkat789
    kittkat789 Posts: 111 Member
    I had mine out in 2011. I couldn't lift anything over 15lbs for a couple weeks. The first few days sucked but after that it wasn't bad.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    I had emergency laproscopic surgery about 6 years ago. I recovered over several days, and have had no major repercussions. Sometimes I feel overfull after a large meal for longer than I used to.
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    I was sore after but three weeks later I went to a Reds Cubs game. I was tired and a little sore from walking to the ball park and back(uphill) so there is that. I can't eat a lot of gravy or I will get "fake gallbladder" pains, and I can't eat fried or fatty food more then once a week. Also I have non stop heartburn because once your gallbladder is removed that bile drips directly down into your stomach. Bet everyone is different. Good luck mine was only working at 3% so it had to go.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    I had laparoscopic surgery to have mine removed in 2010. I think I took a week off work, but probably could have gone back sooner, work requires doctor to sign off after 3 days off and that is when my follow up was. The gas from the surgery was the only problem I had, it was weird that the pain was in my shoulder

    I can eat whatever I want. I hear people say they can't eat spicy food, which would have made me very unhappy. Thankfully I have no problems.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    slider728 wrote: »
    I've been having gallbladder attacks off and on for about 4 years. Usually I'd be uncomfortable for a few days, have my.....ummm....waste...turn white, but things would work themselves out.

    Now, my symptoms are as bad as they've ever been. The pain is not going away anymore, my reflux is just terrible despite doubling up on my acid relux meds, the taste in my mouth is driving me nuts.

    I'm going in for a CT scan in the morning and I am really wondering if this is the time they are going to pull my gallbladder out.

    I've tried to search online about what to expect after surgery, but it seems that people only jump on the internet to tell horror stories about this sort of thing.

    So, for people who have had their gallbladder removed, how was the recovery? How was life after surgery? What kind of issues did you have?

    Any feedback would be appreciated. I only know one person who has had theirs removed and they said they were pretty good afterward (just an occasional upset stomach after a fatty meal). Just wanted to see if any MFPers would be willing to share what it was like after.

    Thanks in advance!

    Recovery was easy. I had two other procedures at the same time, so mine took a little longer than most, but I was back to light exercise in a week. I was mostly tired. I didn't even need the pain relievers. And I can eat ANYTHING again! You won't regret it.
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
    I was pretty miserable until my post-op checkup at about 9-10 days, and mostly fine thereafter. If I bend over funny, sometimes I'll get a sharp cramp at one of the incision sites; that's decreased steadily as time since operation has increased. I can eat anything with no issues. It's been 13.5 years since I had mine removed.
  • MrStabbems
    MrStabbems Posts: 3,110 Member
    ClubSilencio wrote: »
    Have you had a HIDA scan?

    Lol I used to do those back I'm my nuclear medicine days :D
  • slider728
    slider728 Posts: 1,494 Member
    Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who answered so far. Really makes me feel better about if I have to go the surgery route!
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  • FabulousFantasticFifty
    FabulousFantasticFifty Posts: 195,832 Member
    I had mine out not three weeks after having my Son. I had had symptoms towards the end of my pregnancy which were assumed to be Pregnancy issues, but after my Son was born I got worse, and after spending half the night on the bathroom floor due to excruciating pain, my husband took me to the ER. They scheduled an immediate emergency surgery. I had a Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy). Four very tiny incisions and they were able to remove my Gallbladder and 13 gallstones blocking my bile duct. Easy Peasy! and you can barely see the tiny scars. I don't recall any bad afterpains at all, and even went drug free because I was nursing my baby. If you get a chance to get it done sooner than later, I would recommend it. If it gets as bad as mine was, I promise you that you have never experienced any pain like it! I've had four children all natural with no pain meds and would rather give birth to ten more rather than have that Gallbladder issue again!
    Much Luck & Be Well!!! :)
  • littlewolf3785
    littlewolf3785 Posts: 2,592 Member
    I had mine removed in November 2015, Black Friday to be exact. The worst of it was that night with getting all of the gas out of your system. I paced the floors for a bit at night because of the discomfort. I was a little nauseated and didn't eat much that evening. I was off work for a total of 10 days. I could have went after 7 days. I had some discomfort in my stomach muscles for a few weeks. I do get phantom pains in my side every once in a while. Other than that, I can pretty much any foods if I want to. My gallbladder was full of stones before they removed it so it was a matter of time before that thing became a ticking time bomb to explode.
  • FreyasRebirth
    FreyasRebirth Posts: 514 Member
    I had mine removed after my second child was born. The first night home sucked, really sucked. It wasn't too bad after that. I can't eat very large amounts of oils anymore (like binging on potato chips or peanut butter pie) but I haven't had any afterpains.
  • PrincessMel72
    PrincessMel72 Posts: 1,094 Member
    I had mine out in 1997. Couple of days of pain after the procedure, but I was back to work the next week. I took off 2 days to recover. For about a month, I couldn't tolerate certain foods, like ranch dressing. For some reason it just made my stomach hurt. But after that, I can eat whatever. Good luck with your surgery!
  • slider728
    slider728 Posts: 1,494 Member
    Still waiting on the results of my scan. It is amazing how slow time goes when you're waiting for something that is important to you. The pain is going down thank God, but the nausea and bitter taste in my mouth is almost as bad.

    Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their input on the thread and in PM. I really appreciate it!

    Me chugging barium at 8AM on Saturday. I have to say, I wasn't a fan.

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  • jenovatrix
    jenovatrix Posts: 219 Member
    I had mine out in January. Also laparoscopic. I'd never had surgery before so I was really scared but it wasn't hard at all. I was out of work 2 days, then half days for a week. No lifting over 15 lbs and DEFINITELY don't get tired, yawn, and stretch your arms over your head! ouch!! For me, honestly, the worst part was the IV. I hate needles. In recovery they don't let you go until you've emptied your bladder sufficiently which for me took 5 hours. I did throw up once but that's because they gave me Phenergan, which is anti-nausea but ironically always makes me sick.

    I don't have any restrictions on my diet and haven't noticed any issues with my digestion. The only thing that bugs me is the scar! I keep rubbing Vitamin E oil on the thing but it's still pink. Hoping it'll fade soon. I'm very pale so it stands out a lot :disappointed:

    Best of luck!
  • cklbrown
    cklbrown Posts: 4,696 Member
    I had a laparoscopic removal. I was in the hospital overnight due to medication I was taking at the time. My recovery was very easy. The weekend after I went away to my cousin's wedding with no pain or side effects. I never had any restrictions on my diet and quickly gained back any weight I had lost.
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