Experience with Gallbladder Removal?

I had my gallbladder removed 4 years ago and I've had no problems. The only thing I did differently; I don't eat much greasy foods anymore. Less fried foods, etc. I do not have diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, etc. I think it all depends on the person and how well you take care of yourself afterwards. Do it know before it becomes and emergency. Now they can probably do it lyproscopic and you're back on your feet the next day (with minor restrictions). If it becomes and emergency (seriously inflammed and stones too big) then they'd have to cut you open the old way and you'd have 6 weeks of healing (major restrictions). Just the pain being gone was worth it for me. Good luck with your decision.

My experience with having my gallbladder removed isn't near as difficult as you are hearing. As far as diarrhea, it's not like when you have the flu, if you know what I mean. It's more a looser stool than what you are used to. I also have Crohn's Disease, so my experience may be different than others, since Crohn's also causes loose stools. My mom, dad and brother have all had their gall bladders out and have not had any real problems. I have never heard of, nor experienced any of the other symptoms you mentioned. Are you having pain with the gall stones? If you aren't, and you're still unsure of what you want to do, I imagine it could probably wait. However, it can get very painful having the stones there. Best of luck!

I had mine taken out 9 years ago, when I was 23. I haven't had any issues. The surgery was very easy to recover from. I had one gall bladder attack and that was enough for me. It was aweful...I'm so glad I had it out. I have 3 co-workers who have had their's out as well..and no issues that I know of. It's actually a fairly common surgery. Good luck in whatever you decide.

I had my gall bladder out January 2008, and have not had any problems. After two horrible gall bladder attacks, including one that led to an ER trip, I just decided to get rid of it rather than deal with that again. The surgery was done lapriscopically, so it was a minimal of fuss--went into the hospital at 7 am, and was home by 2 pm eating a hot fudge sundae. :) The recovery was about 3 days, but that was more for the effects of the anasthesia than from anything else. I only took the prescription painkillers for one day, the rest of the time I used regular Motrin. I had the surgery on a Friday and was able to take a short trip around the grocery store that Monday. Assuming that yours follows the regular pattern, it really is NOT a huge deal. I can assure you I do not have permanent diarrhea! LOL There are some foods that do digest quicker than others, but you'll figure out what those are as you come across them. I am able to eat everything I did before, with the bonus of not worrying about a gall bladder attack afterwards! I read the horror stories, too, but I really think that, IF they are true (and we know how people love to scare other people, just remember all the pre-childbirth horror stories!!), they are the exception to the rule.

I had mine removed in November 2007 due to gallstones. Very painful. Yes, there are times when I eat something and I will have to go to the bathroom right away. You will just have to do the trial and error method. And it isn't every day that this happens. Everyone is different so it may not affect you the same way. It was totally worth it because the pain with the gallstones was bad. The surgery is very easy. You may be sore for a couple of days but no major recovery time needed. Good luck.

Hello R.. I had my gallbladder removed July '07 after my daughter was born. I do suffer from chronic diarrhea, but I have also learned to just eat earlier in the day and that if I haven't eaten within the last 4 hours to make sure to drink very little with my food until about 5 minutes later and that actually helps me tremendously! Good luck.

Oh Hon, This is the easiest thing you'll ever do and you will feel so much better for it!
I had "sludge" in my bladder and had symptoms for 2yrs before it was properly diagnosed. Let me tell you how much of a blessing it has been to have it gone! Directly after I got home from the hospital (I had an overnight stay) I felt wonderful, sore but wonderful. And after 4 days I was up doing most everything I did before. Now that surgery was in Nov of 2008 and i'm telling you I feel GREAT! No side effects, no problems and being able to eat what I want is fantastic, although that is probably where the weight gain comes in haha. Of course you'll gain some weight once you can eat normal food again. I had lost quite a few pounds while sick and only added a few pounds initially, which came right back off after realizing that yes I can gain weight now bc i'm no longer sick at every meal lol.
Good Luck! I know you'll be fine!

I had My Gallbladder removed by laproscopic Surgery when I was 5 months pregnant.I do not have any unusual side effects at all. Goodluck ,u will feel better after the Procedure. Dr.Joe Petelin is at Shawnee Med center and is a great doc. see if U can find him.

Once you develop the gall stones, they don't go away. The only way to fix the problem is to remove it. The gall bladder is really just a storage tank and when it is removed, the liver takes over. I had mine out in 2005, right after my first baby was born and have not had any problems. It is a very easy surgery. You will have 3-4 1/4 scares that some doctors don't even use stitches to close. Mine just used glue. They will tell you not to eat anything high in fat for a while but once your body heals and the liver takes over, you can pretty much go back to eatting anything you want. There are times that if I eat lots of high fat foods I will have mild diarhea but I have never had anything that was uncontrolable. I haven't ever had to take medicine for it. Most of the time, people that have the extreme problems are the people that have ignored the problem for a long period of time so it takes their body a longer time to adjust. The sooner you do it the better. Don't make yourself suffer any longer then you have too.

I say do it! I had mine out 6 weeks ago. I was a very easy surgery with quick recovery. I was miserable before the surgery. I had pain and couldn't eat much of anything. I have not had any problems or diarrhea. My sister had hers out several years ago, and she hasn't had any problems either. Good luck!

I had my gallbladder out last November through an emergency surgery, since I kept getting diagnosed incorrectly. It is extremely painful to leave your gallbladder in when it is not working. You do not need your gallbladder and I have had no side effects at all. I am now on my 3rd pregnancy and I think not having a gallbladder is making it a lot easier on me. Having your gallbladder out is much better than keeping it in. Of course every one is going to be different, but I honestly don't know anyone who has had any bad side effects ... all good news from everyone I spoke too. Good Luck!

Absolutely DO NOT read the internet on this. I had my gall bladder out in March and have had absolutley no problems at all. It was done laproscopic and I was home the same day I went in. I was a little sore, but I was up and ready to vacuum the next day. I wouldn't recommend that though - ha. It is one of the most common types of surgery that they do anymore. Do not worry about it - it is a simple procedure and if you have had some trouble - you will be amazed at how much better you will feel - instantly.

Good luck!

If you are ready on a fat free vegetarian diet then go ahead, if not I would try natural stuff first. You will get diarrhea every time you eat at first and then everytime you eat fatty foods. I can't even eat any chicken or fish without getting sick. It has been 4 years and the tissue under the incision stabs when I move the wrong way, I did gain a little weight after surgery but lost it within about 2 years after my body readjusted, It took my friend 7 yrs to stop getting bad diarrhea. I think it turns out differently with every person though but you will have to go on a fat free diet for a long time. PS When it sound to be too good to be true it probably is!!

R.,
I had my gallbladder removed in 95 and I have had no expereinces in having side affects. I have not heard of hearing about anyone having any ramifications to having this surgery. I wouldn't worry about those things at all.
Once your gallbladder is removed you will feel so much better.

good luck
J.

Hello R.,

I had my gallbladder removed with laparoscopy and I had the same questions (and a little fear) like yourself. It was removed last February, I had strong attacks and it was very painful. After the procedure and during one week, I had very loose stools, and I had to run to the bath after having breakfast mostly. Every person is different, and in my experience I have not had any other difficulty after the laparoscopy. The first week is important not lifting heavy stuff or children, and avoid too much activity. I got 4 incisions in my abdomen , and the one in the belly was a little bit more painful. Your diet should be light before and after that for a while. After having diarrhea, you may experience constipation, so you will have to eat more fiber and lots of water, besides that I do not have any side effects at all, and after 2 weeks I recovered completely. I say 2 weeks, but is much less than that; however, you have to take precautions as I said earlier. In my experience everything went great. Another thing that you may feel after the laparoscopy is the heaviness in your shoulders and upper back; some people feel that because of the gas the doctor put in your abdomen to work during the procedure or just because is not easy to stand or walk perfectly straight after the laparosocpy and the muscles in your back are weak which was my case.
You will be fine, I feel great, and I am keeping a very healthy diet since then!
Oh...I heard from a cousin of mine who had laparoscopy also that you may feel some discomfort after the laparoscopy if you eat fatty or sugary food later in time, but it will fade away.
Good luck!
Alejandra

JUST DO IT!!!!....I had mine out 24 years ago. I was 19 and a new mommy. My baby was 7 months old. I almost died prior to the surgery. I thought, it is just a Gallbladder, what is the big deal? In those days, there was not a laproscopic procedure and I have a big old scar to show for my pain and discomfort. The attacks were horrible. I have had 4 babies without medication, that is less painful than gallbladder attacks. In my case, a stone passed into my lower bowel and I was seeping bile into my system. The doctor who did my surgery, did it as an emergency surgery and said if I had waited a few more days, I could have died.

So, with that said, 24 years later, the only real side effect I have is excessive gassiness. It is not a pleasant side effect, however, I have never experienced the other things you are talking about. Occasionally have diarrhea after eating pork, but I hear a lot of people (who have never had the surgery) have that problem also.

Gallstones can be serious, painful and even deadly if left untreated. The laproscopic surgery is so easy, just do it.

God Bless You..

~K.~

Hi R., I also have had my gallbladder removed about 5 years ago and also work for a general surgery practice that does this type of surgery nearly every day. It's honestly not bad at all. I do have diarrhea from time to time but that could be to some other issue's that i have besides my missing GB. I don't have any of the other symptoms that you mentioned. From time to time i will have a patient come into the office with some "complications". Usually that's mostly in the early stages right after surgery. But once your body "figures out" that it can survive without this missing item, it will typically return back to normal. Good luck with what every you do decide. But take it from me, don't want a long time to get it removed if your have those really bad attacks. If your stone begin to spill out of your GB they can travel down to the pancreas (SP) and that is another issue (that's what happen to me because i wanted to long). Write if i can answer anything else to you! Best of luck!!

Have you heard of the natural gallbladder flush? I know several people who have done this and removed their stones naturally without having to have their gallbladder removed. you drink apple juice for several days and then you take some epson salts followed with citrus juice and extra virgin olive oil that actually flush the stones out. My fiance did this several years ago and has had no problems since.

My husband was in major debilitating pain before he had his removed. He had lyproscopic surgery to remove his. I can not tell you how great it has been! He hasn't had any issues, he is no longer in any pain, no ill effects at all. Such a blessing! Good luck!

I had no problems! Healed very quickly, my surgery was laproscopic. My surgeon was Trent Failing, and I had my surgery at NKC hospital. Good luck!

If it were me, I would try everything else before surgery. The MDs will try to tell you there is nothing else, but that's not true. Edgar Cayce recommended castor oil packs 2-3 times/week. There is also the flush method described by an earlier poster, and there are several variations on this. I think there's also an ultrasound treatment now that breaks up the stones so they pass. It's probably not covered by all insurance, as it is more expensive than the surgery.

My dad had his gallbladder removed and he had horrible stenchy black diarrhea that he couldn't control. There were black stains on the carpet for years where he couldn't get to the bathroom in time.

There's no harm in trying alternatives, but surgery can and does have side effects. Some people might be just fine, but no one can guarantee you will be one of them.

Message me if you want more info or links.

Those things are true after surgery, but it starts to get better. You just need to watch what you eat. You'll figure out what you can and cannot eat, or how much, after a short time. It does get better, though. It took me a couple of years to adjust, but now I can eat a lot more foods that do not irritate my digestive system like it did right after my surgery. Best wishes~

R.: I have had mine out about 3 years ago. and yes at times i still have diarrhea. The only thing that i can suggest is to take time, try new things at home, and see how they affect ur stomach and bowels after the surgery. EAT lots of FIBER. There are things now that i used to eat that i dont dare eat out at a restrauant because of having to make quick trips to the bathroom.
but i am glad that i had mine out even with everything.

Had mine out about 2 years ago. I have NEVER regretted it, and would do it again in a heartbeat. I had all those issues you mentioned (and more) BEFORE I had it out. It felt like a miracle to be NOT SICK almost immediately after the surgery.

Thing is, though, you really don't have a choice. If your gall bladder is that bad, you MUST have it out. It will become a life and death issue eventually if you don't, and even before that, the pain will become unbearable.

Don't be afraid. While there is always someone who will have a complication with almost any medical procedure you can name, for the most part, most people find great relief, not troubles when they have the procedure done.

I wish you all the best :-)

I am headed to have mine removed in about an hour, TI will let you know how it goes. I have read all the same things on the internet. I was told to drink slimfast drinks for the first week to help with the chronic diarrhea. Good luck to you

It all depends on what you eat. I had mine out when I was 15. So of course I still ate pizza, burgers, ect. And yes I did have to watch what I ate depending on where I would be because I would get diarrhea A LOT. I always carried a bottle of pepto bismol around with me. Now 12 years later, it doesn't seem to be as bad as it was those first few years. Some things do upset my stomach, but I don't know if it is due to my gullbladder being removed or just certain food will do that to you. I don't know what you are dealing with pain wise, but that sure beat the horriable stomach pains I was having prior to having it removed. And the really cool thing is that they take it out with lasers so you won't have a huge scare, jsut 4 small ones and I was only in the hospital over night. Good Luck!!

I had my gall bladder removed in Sept 08. The procedure was quick and the recovery period was easy and quick as well. I have suffered no ill effects from the surgery. I feel so much better than I did before and would recommend it to anyone feeling discomfort from gall stones or gall disease. Good luck!