Anyone Had Their Gallbladder Removed?

I had my gallbladder taken out about 3 years ago. The laproscopic surgery was pretty easy, I felt normal by the fourth day. I did have a lot of gas for a few days after. I felt like I would never stop burbing. :)
Now, I just need to watch what I eat or be ready to run to the restroom. Fried and fatty foods cause me to experience what some here have called "dumping" syndrome. Regardless, it's better than pain, so I'll accept it.

1 mom found this helpful

I had my gallbladder removed two months after my son was born. The surgery was on my birthday! No cake for me! :-) The surgery was a breeze compared to all the issues I had with my gallbladder before the surgery, I was unable to eat a lot of foods without getting sick. After the surgery I only had a problem with a few foods. Sometimes foods affect me, but not always. I do sometimes have some diegstion issues but nothing major. I have two very small scars on my stomach and one slightly larger one just below my ribcage. I was off work for about a week because of the surgery but I don't remember being in much pain at all. All things considered I think the surgery was a minor inconvenience.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi K.,

I worked for a surgeon for years and most people bounce back from the laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 3-4 small cuts instead of a big 4-6 inch incision surgery within 4 to 7 days to move around. Back to work in 7 to 10 days. The anesteshia is what knocks you down the hardest I found. Diet will be mild a day or two if everything is normal for you. Most folks have more problems when they take the pain scripts because it upsets their stomach from not eating before taking it or just to strong medication. I recommend over the counter products for the most part. You might need something stronger once in a while but I thought it was not needed after the first day for most. The air they inflate your abdomen, for laparoscopic is usually what most complain about. It takes a few days for it to work it's way out of your system. If your surgery converts to an open procedure you could expect 4 to 6 weeks recovery.

Ask if they do a cholangiogram. Since you are a person that makes stones then they need to make sure you do not have a stone in the duct because you could continue having the pain after they do the surgery and you have a clip put on the duct with a stone still in there.

Hope you have a board certified surgeon and he or she has many laparoscopic procedures under their belt because it makes the difference when they have the skill of working through tv monitors and delicate instruments. If they have a F.A.C.S. after their name they are board certified.

Good luck to you and hope you feel relief from the gallbladder removal. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

K.

1 mom found this helpful

I had my gallbladder out almost a year ago(11/29). The surgery went really well and the recovery time was spectacular! I had the laproscopic surgery 4 incisions; 3 up the side under the right breastbone and one in the bellybutton(which was worst and the biggest). But you will do great. like all surgeries, you have a weight restriction. But you will do great. The recovery time is about 6 weeks. Good Luck and keep us posted how goes.

1 mom found this helpful

Hello i am 35 year old stay at home mom of 4 kids also.. 16, 13, 8, 9 . i had my gallbladder surgery in 1991 when my son was 1 i was single then so it was a little harder for me it was a pretty short recovery painfull but a quick recovery. good luck thanks K.

Hi, my name is D.. I was dreadfully sick for 2 months before they figured out it was my gallbladder. I had an awful C-section recovery 3 years prior, so I was expecting the worse. My surgery was a breeze and recovery wasn't bad at all. I have a low pain tolerance too. My gallbladder removal was honestly not bad. They will give you painkillers to help with the pain. I was just so relieved I wasn't sick anymore. I hope this helps.
D.

Hi K., good luck with your removal...the discomfort from the air bubble after the surgery was the worst part for me. But I drank soda and belched alot ;) It kept the preasure from building to bad. Aside from a little heartburn from spice food, it was worth it! Good luck.

Hi K.......
I just had a complete hysterectomy the end of August, and they found my gallbladder was enlarged. I ended up having my gallbaldder taken out almost 2 weeks ago then. Honestly it was a pretty rough ordeal for me but I & many family members believe they bruised my bronchial tubes while intibating me. But as of yesterday (11 days) later I am back to normal. I did not have much of an appetite afterwards but I believe I am almost back to normal. I have a high tolerance for pain and have had 3 laparoscopys for endometriosis so this wasnt a big deal to me except the breathing problem I had for about a week afterwords. I truly believe if there wasnt an issue in my bronchial situation I would of felt much better. Probably just something that happened which any surgery has risks but I can say I am not going to the bathroom as often as I was and things feel MUCH BETTER now. If you would like to chat feel free to email me or respond on here and I will be glad to give my number even. GOOD LUCK ALSO!!

I had mine removed a month ago along with a colonoscophy (spelling eek). Because I had both procedures at the same time I was in the hospital for two days instead of outpaitent and my recovery time was longer. I was not alowed to lift anything heavier than 5 pounds for 2 weeks and during that 2 weeks I was supposted to rest. Now Im a graduate student so I rested for about 5 days and then went back to classes and work. It was rough, I am still in some pain because apparently I slowed down my healing time by doing too much too soon. I am fine, I did have some troble breathing for a few weeks afterward and the surgon said that was because sometimes there is injury to the ribs. I also have other medical problems that complicate the issue so it is sometimes hard for me to tell what is a result of the surgery and what is caused by the other problems. I can eat fine now. Anything I want (that didn't make me sick before) Actually I had problems eating anything before my gallbladder came out so this is much better!

Good Luck!

B.

My husband had his removed last year..He was in pain for about a week. his best advice is stay close to a bathroom. Since he had his Gb removed when he has to do a #2 he has to do it....There is no waiting...just be prepared for that. Hopefully is wont happen to you, but I have had to pull over in any restaurant or gas station for him to RUN to the potty

I had mine out years back and I did fine. I however still have stomach trouble but I dont know what or why?
I feel sick ALL the time. Its kinda like the flu, your fine then your not, fine then not. Its just about every single day off n on and some days it last for a few days. I cramp and hurt and feel so sick. I feel like Im goin to throw up but I dont. Thank goodness!!

I have noticed I have alot more Diahrea (sp) since the gallbladder was taken out.

I had my gallbladder out four years ago. It is definitely a lot better with it out. Unfortunately, there are some foods that I can no longer eat. If I eat too much fat at a sitting or really spicy foods, then I spend the next two days in the bathroom. The plus side is that I lost 40 pounds and kept it off for two years (until I got pregnant). Good luck!
Becky
Full Time Working Mom of an adorable 2 year old girl

I had my gallbladder out a few years ago. The surgery was very easy and there were no problems at all. After it felt like I had ton a million sit ups. I didn't have any trouble eating anything after either. I stayed away from a lot of fried foods and really fatty foods but other than that I ate whatever I wanted.

I had to have mine removed 4 months after having my daughter by c-section. It was fine, there was 3 tiny incisions, 2 stitches each and I was up and walking around the next day. You just have to be careful of lifting heavy items. You should be fine in a couple of days, just take it easy and rest. Good luck dear.

Hi K.,
Gallstones are curable if you want to avoid surgery. Many conditions in the body are caused by an imbalance or lack of digestion or various things like this. Let me know if you'd like help with meds or surgery.

Glad your surgery went well. I had mine out in 2003, eight months after the birth of my first child, and twenty weeks pregnant with my second. I first noticed the pain shortly after the birth of my first child, and by the time I went to the doctor, I was already pregnant again so no one wanted to touch me.

By the time I had the surgery, the doctor told my husband afterwards that had I waited any longer, both me and my child would have died. My gallbladder had turned to mush and was attaching itself to my liver, suffocating my liver.

I've had about seven surgeries since then, and an emergency c-section, but the gallbladder was by far the worst. Probably because it was my first, and because I was pregnant.

Anyway, Im glad youre doing well... Just had to "vent" my story, I suppose!

I am 28 and had my gallbladder out about 2 mths ago and was only in pain for about 3 days. I suggest making sure the day after having someone there for you to help out if needed. I had mine out on a Friday and cleaning house on Wed. I still had my son at daycare for the first few days so I could rest but was fine after that. Don't worry everything will be fine. The only problem I am having now is I can not eat spicy food so just be careful what you eat at first to see what you can tolerate. Good luck and you will be fine.

I had mine out in 1993. I was back to work in about 10 days. I remember being sore for a few days. I have 4 small scars (had 13 staples total). Truthfully, it was the easiest of the surgeries I have had. (I like to tell people that I would have minor organs removed every day before having my tonsils out again! And at least with my c-section, I had a beautiful baby to show for my pain!)
I have "suffered" from what my doctor told me is bile salt diarrhea since that time. Basically, if I allow my intestines to go empty (I wait too long between meals), then I have abdominal cramping and need to be near a bathroom. So as long as I eat, I am fine. I usually eat every five or six hours and try to eat a snack before bed.
All and all, not a bad experience.
Good Luck.