gallbladder surgery
enyagoboom
Posts: 377 Member
so it looks like i need to have my gallbladder taken out, scheduled for next month for a frustrating array of reasons. my trigger seems to have been the weight loss and isn't related to foods.
anyone here care to share their recovery tips? i was completely caught off guard that it would be two weeks before i was able to go back to work.
anyone here care to share their recovery tips? i was completely caught off guard that it would be two weeks before i was able to go back to work.
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Replies
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I found recovery to be very easy. I farted a lot because of the gas they use to distend the stomach, that's all. Got an appointment to remove the stitches.
Later (recently, actually) I found out that eating low fat for too long periods was most likely the reason gallstones had formed, and then, naturally, fat gets all the blame when it triggers attacks (gallbladder contracts to empty itself). I had some "phantom attacks" for many years, but they seem to have subseeded now.6 -
I had mine removed laparoscopically years ago. Everyone seems to be different in their post-surgery needs, but I took 3 weeks off from work and didn't need them. I was bored puttering around my sister's house after the first week, but then I work a desk job and probably could have managed more easily than someone with a more active career. Mine was serious enough that they chose to leave a drain in me to be removed a little while later, but it was no big deal. More an embarrassment to hide than a serious concern.
Some things that took me off guard: I sleep on my side or stomach and couldn't do either for a short while after the surgery. It turns out you need your ab muscles to balance on your side and it will hurt to try. Stock up on pillows to prop yourself up. Likewise I couldn't sit up out of bed for the first day or two and needed a hand. I was also constipated for a couple of weeks which is normal. They'll probably send you home with a stool softener and you should take them. But again, everyone is different.
For the first year, any meal with high fats would send me rushing to the bathroom an hour later. That has eased off for me, but some people struggle with it for life. You'll just have to wait and see.1 -
Hey, I had gallstones due to weight loss, suffered terribly for months, I finally had surgery back in October and I have been fine ever since, I did gain some weight which I mentally prepared for as I was on such a restricted diet before surgery that a week after surgery I did go a little mad with the indulgence lol anyway if you have any questions feel free to message me, I would like to add though I don't work so I can't answer the questions about going back to work but I can answer other questions and help you the best I can, take care x2
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thanks folks, it's helpful to hear other stories. I am relatively healthy (other than being overweight and working on losing weight) so I'm a good candidate for the laproscopic surgery and they expect (barring any complications) I'll be home that night.
I plan on taking the rest of the work week off (the surgery is on a wednesday) and then working from home the following week provided I'm able to do so with the drugs. I am superbly bummed about not being able to swim for a bit and definitely wary of what is going to happen to food things afterwards; a few folks that I know have had this and some have ended up not being able to eat dairy following the surgery which... I know i'd get over, but that would be a hard one.
what kind of foods did you eat following surgery? how mobile were you a few days after? Like, could you walk around the block?0 -
I had mine out a few years back. I couldn't sit up or move really for about a week after my surgery. I'd suggest finding somewhere you can prop yourself all day which has painkillers and water within reach! Once I was in a position I wasn't moving unless I *really* needed to as it was so painful and my abs just didn't work. I also spent most of the first week sleeping and only gradually managed a brief shuffling walk (by the end of week 1) and was knackered after so slept the rest of the day.
As for food, in general I'm not too bad. My diet was never overly high fat so there haven't been many changes. Thankfully I can still have chocolate and ice cream - yay! - and the occasional burger or sausage sandwich. I have discovered that if I eat some things with a certain amount of fat without having I guess coated my insides with something else first, I'll be rushing to the loo within about 30 mins with horrid cramps. That's all trial and error for me, I'm aware of what I can and cannot have. I think the first week or so I ate small portions of plain food (rice pudding, roast chicken and veg, cottage pie) and nothing covered in spices or whatever.
I hope your surgery goes well and you're free of gallbladder related pains soon.2 -
I had surgery for mine ten years ago or so. That first fart after the surgery? Magnificent. The air they pump inside you and the sensation of it moving around your abdominal cavity…not so good.
Like you I was relatively healthy when mine was diagnosed. The only trigger I found was alcohol. I had mine out laparoscopically and certainly needed at least a week to recover – it took me about three days just to stop feeling woozy from the general anaesthetic. I also had a reaction to the dissolvable stiches they used and needed a further mini-surgery under local to deal with that.
Post-removal – I struggled to start with as I found I needed to ensure my stomach was never empty for long, otherwise the bile which now dripped automatically into my stomach made me feel nauseous. That sensation lasted for a few months, and doesn’t seem to be a problem any more, and no foods seem to be off-limits.
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Laproscopic? I was back at school in 5 days. I missed no days, as it was Thanksgiving vacation. I went home from the hospital the same day (to be fair, I'm very stubborn after anesthesia and was forcing myself to get up and walk around to the bathroom and the halls within the hour - another day of hospital IV pain meds probably would have been a better choice). Pain was manageable after the first 3-4 days without meds, stomach/abs felt loose/painful when moving for about a week.
Sleeping in a recliner is great if it's available to you. Easy to get up without too much ab work.
I had some bathroom "immediacy" issues for a few years following, but I also have IBS so it's hard to say what was what. Go easy on high-fat foods, or eat them at home, until you see how you react.3 -
I had my gallbladder removed Jan of 2017 I also did the keyhole surgery and was home like 5 hours after arriving at the hospital. I ate alot of toast, jello, & broth those first few days until I became brave enough to eat some real food. I do remember how hard it was to get up from a seat or bed my husband helped me alot for about a week. I had 5 days off including my surgery day but I probably should of taken 1 more day. I don't know if this applies to you about I still suffer from Gerd & IBS so I was hoping the gallbladder removal would help that out but it seems like no luck for me on that. Good Luck!1
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I really, really appreciate everyone sharing their stories and results.0
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Had mine done laparoscopically with no stitches just surgical glue at an outpatient surgical center. Only took four hours from check in at front desk to walking back out the door. Was so easy and felt fine afterwards. Even stopped to buy groceries on the way home.
Was doing housework including vacuuming the next day. Definitely be cautious lifting heavy stuff though- you’ll feel it! Holding a pillow on my stomach helped when it was sore. Did have trouble getting regular and needed laxatives for a while.
Just know that once your gallbladder is out you will be constantly secreting small amounts of bile into your system rather than your gall bladder saving it up for big fatty meals.
For many months I had complete intolerance of fatty foods. Be sure you are slow to reintroduce fat to your diet. Eating small meals or snacks frequently instead of large meals can help too. Drink plenty of water every day to thin the bile and flush it out. It can irritate your intestines.
Tell your doctor if you’re still having “gallbladder” attacks after the surgery. I had those and it turned out it was pancreatitis. So now have to avoid alcohol and be careful what I eat. Also developed several food allergies due to incomplete digestion of foods, but that is pretty rare. Even with those problems, I’m glad I had it done. I didn’t realize how run down and sick my gallbladder was making me until it was gone!
Hope your surgery goes well.
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I had mine out a few years ago. I was told that I would be out for 2 weeks but I was back at work after 5 days. It really just depends on how quickly you feel better.
In my experience, you'll want bland, easy to digest foods. One of my friends brought me a care package because he had had his gallbladder removed years before. It was popsicles, sherbet, broth, etc. You get the idea. Just make sure you can take it easy for at least 3 days. The less you move initially, the better you'll feel and the fast you'll recover.
The weird thing for me was finding out I had different trigger foods after I had my gallbladder out. Before, it was grease and alcohol. After I had my gallbladder out, it's overly sugary things (think really sweet drinks) and mexican-style spices like jalapenos, chili powder, etc. Don't be freaked out if you suddenly can't enjoy certain foods without a gallbladder attack. Good luck to you!1 -
For me, the laparoscopic surgery itself was a non-event. No pain, no problems.
Doctor told me no workouts but walking for.(IIRC) a month, no lifting more than 5 pounds. I stopped rowing (in the middle of rowing season: Wah!) and started walking around 2 miles twice a day. In the last week or two of restrictions, doc said I could lift 5 pounds repeatedly (I'd been pestering her
), so I started doing 5-lb dumbbell reps to boredom of some exercises that didn't involve substantial abdominal movement.
I was told to stick to a reduced fat diet for a while, then start adding back more fat slowly to see how it went. How I was eating at the time meet their "low fat" definition, so I didn't change anything. In the 2+ years since, I haven't had any digestive problems from the surgery, and I have eaten occasional major fat meals (e.g., big order of beer-battered deep-fried onion rings, 8x10" very cheesy deep dish pizza).
The one thing I wish I'd done differently: I should've gone to maintenance calorie level, or at least close, for a few weeks. I was still losing a pound a week or more at that point, and kept doing it. I don't think my healing was compromised, because my body did a good job prioritizing it, but I did eventually experience some avoidable fatigue and weakness that too a few weeks to fully recover from.
So, I'd suggest eating at/near maintenance for 3-4 weeks. It's worth it.
Best wishes for smooth and easy surgery and aftermath!2 -
The one thing I wish I'd done differently: I should've gone to maintenance calorie level, or at least close, for a few weeks. I was still losing a pound a week or more at that point, and kept doing it. I don't think my healing was compromised, because my body did a good job prioritizing it, but I did eventually experience some avoidable fatigue and weakness that too a few weeks to fully recover from.
So, I'd suggest eating at/near maintenance for 3-4 weeks. It's worth it.
This jives with what I was thinking - I spent most of December and a couple weeks in January at maintenance levels and I'm not overly fussed about when I get to the goal weight (I mean, I want to get there sooner rather than later but I'm going pretty slow). I'm particular about prioritizing things in my life and for the time around the surgery, healthy, complete healing is the priority which means weight loss will move down the list.
If anything, I'm more bummed that it will be at least two weeks before I'm back in the water, and probably closer to 4. It is what it is though.
The weird thing for me was finding out I had different trigger foods after I had my gallbladder out. Before, it was grease and alcohol. After I had my gallbladder out, it's overly sugary things (think really sweet drinks) and mexican-style spices like jalapenos, chili powder, etc. Don't be freaked out if you suddenly can't enjoy certain foods without a gallbladder attack. Good luck to you!
HAHA THIS terrifies me! I LOVE spicy food! Since I started losing weight actually I want it spicier! Ah well. I'll take it slow and see how it goes.
Thanks for the good wishes, all!1 -
Hi do you put on weight after gall bladder surgery?0
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Hi do you put on weight after gall bladder surgery?
Hi @ruhids, I haven't gone through the surgery yet but the same principle that applies pre-surgery applies post: calories in, calories out. I assume I will be sedentary following surgery for at least a week, so I will eat at maintenance levels which for me is between 1600-1800 calories per day. The trick is going to be finding food, like protein dense foods, that don't aggravate the bile production and cause the listed discomforts associated with not having a gallbladder, i.e. diarrhea, IBS, etc.
if you're going to be having gallbladder surgery, good luck!
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Hi do you put on weight after gall bladder surgery?
I did not. I had mine out mid weight loss (though unlike some people's, the need for my surgery was not caused by weight loss).
I saw no difference in weight loss rate before surgery vs. after (and I'm a data geek, so my CICO & scale weight tracking was quite meticulous).
I'm not medically educated, so take this in that light: It seems like a reduced ability to digest fat would help weight loss by reducing ability to absorb the fat calories, not make one gain weight. In my understanding, the reason some people get diarrhea post-surgery after high-fat meals is that the fat isn't properly digested.2 -
I lost about 20 pounds afterwards because of diet changes2
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I lost a 40 pounds in 2012/2013, then my gallbladded faliled. I put off the surgery for almost a year and gained back all my weight.
I finally had it removed in 2014. The surgery went well and so did the recovery. I look maybe two of the pain pills they sent me home with. The most painful part was the gas pains that you feel in your chest and back. I was very bruised up after.
I struggled with high fat food after for a long time and with losing weight. Honestly switching to a high fat diet helped me in both those areas.
I did learn that you can still have gall stone attacks. I had one in early 2017. I guess if your body makes stones they can get stuck in the bile duct itself and have all the same symptoms and pain. Luckily it was a 1 night thing and not ongoing like it was before the surgery.1 -
CryingBlue wrote: »I did learn that you can still have gall stone attacks. I had one in early 2017. I guess if your body makes stones they can get stuck in the bile duct itself and have all the same symptoms and pain. Luckily it was a 1 night thing and not ongoing like it was before the surgery.
Well that's obnoxious!
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The worst part about my surgery was a sore throat from the breathing tube! Everything else was super easy; life post-gallbladder worries is the best. Everyone is different but I didn't have any food-related problems after (and I put hot sauce on everything).2
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The worst part about my surgery was a sore throat from the breathing tube! Everything else was super easy; life post-gallbladder worries is the best. Everyone is different but I didn't have any food-related problems after (and I put hot sauce on everything).
The worst part for me was the effect of the anesthetics... let's just say that I had no filter between brain and mouth for 2-3 days afterwards and was scatter brained and out of it for a good 3 weeks afterwards. As far as I remember (which I don't very clearly TBH), I propositioned to both the surgeon and the male nurse on duty during the night I was at the hospital. Poor guys.
I also couldn't quite grasp the concept of 'different languages'. Since I'm fluent in 4 of them you can imagine what a mess it was to make sense of me. The on-duty doctor at night must have had quite a fun time of it.
As far as physical recovery went, I couldn't go swimming or take a bath for 6 weeks after but had very little pain. I couldn't eat very high fat for a good year after wards and could only slowly increase the fat content. I was off work for 3 weeks more because of the weird effect of the anesthetics than anything else. I'm a translator and need my brains to be functional. 7 -
Something I didn't see others mention - some type of trousers with a loose/elastic waist will be your friend. I couldn't wear jeans for weeks as the waist would dig into my scars - probably not helped by the fact I had to have stitches as various glues don't agree with me. Either way, any pressure hurt and I could position the waist of elasticated jogging bottoms just right so it didn't hurt.3
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I waited to long to have it removed, so it was done by emergeny laparoscopy, and I had to stay one night in the hospital. I was sore for maybe a week. After that fine, could eat the same and never noticed any food differences.3
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thegeordielass wrote: »Something I didn't see others mention - some type of trousers with a loose/elastic waist will be your friend. I couldn't wear jeans for weeks as the waist would dig into my scars - probably not helped by the fact I had to have stitches as various glues don't agree with me. Either way, any pressure hurt and I could position the waist of elasticated jogging bottoms just right so it didn't hurt.
ah, yes! I already looked over my 'yoga inspired' ensembles (hahahah) to get them out and have on hand. good call there.
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I stocked my freezer with about two weeks of low fat tv dinners, SmartOnes, Weight Watchers, etc. I had my husband take a couple days off work to take care of me, mostly to prepare my meals for me (thus, tv dinners, he's not much of a cook ). I didn't have gallstones, just sludge and a diseased gallbladder. I woke up in recovery feeling in pain, but so much healthier.
The TV dinners were really quite tasty and pretty filling for me, and I wish I'd kept eating the low calorie diet and lost weight then.
I wore a nightgown for a week and took it easy. I was so out of it because of the anesthesia and pain meds that I couldn't even lie on the couch and watch Friends! I mostly laid in bed and played on Facebook/games on my phone and slept for the first four days. After that I was fine, and by the follow-up appointment a week later I was feeling pretty normal again. I only really needed someone to help me the day of surgery, but I hadn't had surgery as an adult, so I didn't know how I was going to react. I was out of it, but fine for microwaving food and going to the bathroom, and taking my pain medication.
Take your pain medication as prescribed, but try to get off the heavy stuff as soon as you can. That stuff is addictive! I found that the first two-three days I needed the hydrocodone, but by day four or so I was fine with 800 mgs of iburoprofen every 6-8 hours (800 mgs is the highest safe dose of ibuprofen). Don't take the hydrocodone any sooner than prescribed (well, I would cheat a bit, I'd take it 20-30 minutes before the next time it was due, but not any sooner than that, don't tell my doctor... ), but do keep up with the pain pills, set an alarm at night to wake up and take the pills as scheduled, even if it's just the ibuprofen, because you want to stay on top of the pain.
If you've never had anesthesia before, it can make you nauseated. Ask the anesthesiologist if they think you should have nausea meds. I know it makes me nauseated, so I always ask for meds. When I had my tonsils out as a teenager I threw up every time I sat up for 15 hours after surgery. NOT FUN.
Recovery isn't as bad as you think it will be, really.
Some people have a hard time digesting fat and spicy foods after surgery. Your liver will compensate for the gallbladder with digesting fat, but sometimes it takes a while for the body to figure that it and start doing it. My friend got sick for a year after surgery if she ate too much fat. I had no trouble at all right away. My mom has not had a gallbladder for fifty years, she never had trouble either. Everyone's different, and you'll learn really quick what you can handle.
Good luck!1 -
Anyone have pain in one particular area? I had laparoscopic removal 6 days ago and the entry on my left has a muscle that keeps cramping bad! I may call the doctor because the other holes don't hurt. That is the only really sore part. I sneezed and wanted to die! I was looking for an update on the op. How did it go?1
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Hi All! So surgery was last Wednesday. The weekend before surgery was a hot mess; I had multiple attacks and ended up in the hospital Sunday night into Monday. They were going to admit me but couldn't promise I'd get surgery that day because I wasn't inflamed so I'd be waiting in the hospital for surgery soooo I said yeah, how about you give me some drugs and send me home which they obliged. I was on clear liquids leading up to surgery with some white rice mixed in (made with chicken broth) so I had something with a little bit of substance in my belly.
Surgery itself was very zippy. I was in and out by lunchtime and back home sleeping. The days following were ok; one thing I wish I would have done differently was taken the full amount of drugs rather than the low end for the first three days. I'm pretty much off all pain killers now except for some aleve once a day. The ache is limited to where the internal stitches are for my gallbladder, and the lower abdomin for the laproscopic proceedure.
Things I wish I would have known: The gas pain was worse than the gallbladder recovery; for laproscopic proceedures they blow gas into your abdominal cavity so they can get around. That gas cannot escape through normal venues so it tries to get out - in my case - through my darn shoulder. The other thing and this is way TMI but whatever, the drugs block up a normal person's bowel movements. I had already been constipated before the attacks the weekend before, so by the time surgery happened it had been a week since I had taken a crap even after trying to take some ducalax two days in and all that. After surgery I had to take extra measures to get the the works moving again which was really hard to do because my arm wasn't working due to the gas trying to get out through my shoulder.
I'm home resting this week doing some telework mainly to stave off boredom. there is only so much TV i can catch up on before I'm drooling on myself. I'm eating solids again, very limited fats and rich foods, being careful when I bend, and I find myself holding my lower abdomin when I'm walking. Oh - that's another thing - the gas and surgery kind of undid all the posture work I've been doing since last July trying to keep my gut tight and tucked. It's very loose and I definitely had a cry over my extended pooch. It will pass and in a few weeks I'll be able to start doing work on these things again, but it was a slight and unwanted surprise.
I'm very grateful for everyone's advice and shared experiences. It helped prepare me for a lot of what was going to happen and made me very determined in the lead up to surgery and getting the hell out when it was time 1 -
Thanks for the update: It's always nice to hear how things worked out!
Honest, I would've warned you about those after-effects . . . and feel a little guilty saying I didn't warn you because I didn't have them.
Betting your "extended pooch" relates partly to the gas, too. Your hard work isn't undone, just set aside for a mo.
(((Hugs))) and best wishes for speedy recovery from here on!1 -
Mine was taken out years ago. It ended up being a complicated mess. One thing I noticed in myself and other people who have had the surgery is be near a bathroom if possible to avoid accidents. This calms down after awhile. It might not even happen to you but it did to me and others.0
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