Gall Bladder

You will do fine. I had mine out in May this year in Australia after going through major pain for over a month. Surgery was quick and recovery was a few days. I don't think you will be able to pick the children for a month or so though. I was limited to not picking anything up over 5 pounds for that length of time and by the send of summer my scars were gone. I had one incision in the navel and three small incisions on the right side of my abdomen. No stitches and they all healed beautifully. I made a personal decision to avoid fried foods since they didn't seem to agree with me. But that is a good way to start losing a little weight. My experience was a good one since the pain before surgery was terrible. Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful

I had to have the same surgery as well (7 years ago). I had my surgery on a Friday afternoon and was able to return to work on the following Tuesday. I did need a lot of rest over the weekend to recover (my whole body was sore, like I'd worked out really hard or been in an accident). It was nothing a few advil didn't help with though. Good luck!

With laproscopic surgery you will bounce right back in a couple of days. You'll just have a few band aids on your abdomen following the surgery. Most people feel great, especially considering the way they felt prior to the surgery!
Good luck with your surgery.

if you do your research you will find that your relief from symptoms will be short lived after removal, there are simple ways to flush your gallbladder to remove stones, check Hulda Clark's website,and there are herbs like Dandelion that will clear stones. I know you said you wanted only stories of recovery and what to expect, please reconsider surgery as the first option

C.
All About Health 505/888-5858

Hi, E....
Shortly after my first daughter was born, I had to have my gallbladder removed. The pain of recovery is NOTHING compared to the pain of the stones!! It took me only a matter of days to recover. I did have to be careful with lifting, of course. So, if you are babysitting, be sure you have things like diapers, wipes, etc... nearby and a spot to change a young one on the floor or couch to keep from unnecessary lifting.

You'll do fine. It was sooo much less than I thought it would be. I was expecting major pain and discomfort.

L.

I had my gallbladder out last year my son was 3 months old and recovery time was less and less painfull than when i had my son by c-section I also had the laproscopic surgry, witch they made 4 small insinsons two on my right side, one in my belly button and one right above it. I went home less than 3 hours after the surgery, and I was back to doing normal things about one week after my surgery. I was still a little sore but nothing compared to when I had my son by c- section. if you have any onther questions just let me know.

Hi E..
I had my gall bladder removed about 8 yrs ago. I remember I was up the next day vaccuming and cleaning my house. I guess it all depends how much pain you can stand. But you know what, if you don't really need the money your making off of babysitting, give yourself a break. We always over work ourselves. Use that as an excuse to take a break from everything and to be with your family. Good luck and don't be scare everything will be alright. Take care.

My husband just had his out last month by laporoscopy and took one week off. I would say between the after effects of anesthesia and the discomfort from the surgery this was more than sufficient for him. He quit taking his pain meds because they were making him so loopy after about day 2 post-op. The surgeon may tell you there are no activity restrictions---just do what you feel you can without overdoing it. He was still a little sore a few weeks after but nothing that kept him down.

Best wishes!

Hi E.,

I had my gallbladder out last October and I was thinking no problem I can go to work the next day. I thought because it was laproscopic it would be a breeze with no pain, Just because it's out patient surgery don't be fooled - it is still painful.

I would take a least 5 days off - I wasn't supposed to lift my kids for 7 at least days. When I went back to the Dr. I told him how suprised I was that I was up and about the next day - he said no way you still underwent surgey on your body and you are put under general anesthia.

Give yourself some recovery time if possible - my Dr. said it takes the body 6 weeks to fully recovery, however after 5-7 you should be feeling much better.

Hi E.,

That is really too bad that you need to have your gall bladder removed. It is possible that there are alternatives to that surgery that no doctor will ever tell you about and that have been very successful in removing the gall stones without removing the gall bladder.

I am very happy to tell you about these alternatives if you email me.

H.
www.dharmahealingintl.com

Hi!
I had this procedure done about 6 years ago, but I had complications because I let it go too long before I did something about it, so my recovery time was a little longer. However, my friend just had this done & she was out grocery shopping the next day. Sleeping off the anesthesia is the biggest thing, I think. You'll be a little sore from the 4 punctures in your belly, but other than that....no big deal! Good luck!

My sister just had this done a few weeks ago and she is in her 50's. She was in bed for about 3 days and then was able to move around comfortably. Luckily you are having it the laproscopic way, less invasion to your body. I unfortunately had it 20 yrs ago and have an 18" scar to show for it. I was in the hospital for almost a week. My sister was in and out the same day. However, you won't be able to lift things, like children for a few weeks. Good luck. You will feel better afterwards.

Before you have your gall bladder removed, get tested for Celiac Disease. I have a friend whose gall bladder was removed 2 1/2 years ago. She was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease last year and found out that a gluten free diet (required for Celiac) would've "fixed" the gall bladder problem. Unfortunately, undiagnosed Celiac can cause a lot of other problems with the digestive system along with other autoimmune diseases. I was diagnosed with Celiac almost 2 years ago after finding out it's in the family. I have 2 cousins whose gall bladder was removed. Anyway, it may not be Celiac Disease for you, but it's something to consider... if it means avoiding surgery.

Hi E.. I had the surgery almost three years ago. The first couple of weeks were rough, especially when I sneezed or coughed. I was back at work after two weeks but I wasn't allowed to lift anything at first. So if you have real little one's you need to find out a weight limit, I think mine was 20 lbs after two weeks. Oh and no vacuuming that can cause some real problems, like tearing your stitches and reopening the wound. I wish you luck and no worries the surgery is real easy. You should be able to go home that same day, just make sure you have someone to help you the first two days, you will be really sore and getting out of bed can be a real chore, my husband had to even help me on and off the toilett. I never realised how much you use your stomach muscles everyday until I had that surgery. Oh if you have a bra without an underwire I would recommend wearing that for a while. Good luck, let me know how it goes.'
C. P.

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i

I also had my gall bladder taken out at 24 years old. Not wanting to scare you or anything, but it was worse than what I was expecting. It was still much much better than the pain I was having from the gall stones though. It's good you are having the laproscopic kind because I've heard that the other old version of surgery is terrible and takes forever to recover from. I think it took me about a week for the soreness to go away, the first couple of days being really rough. This is the only surgery I've had though... and I was thinking recovery would be about like after having a baby. I thought it was much easier to recover from having a baby... but I wonder if it would be about the same recovery time as a C section.
Anyways... my advice would be to take a week off and try to have someone around (husband, mom etc.) for the first few days to help you out with your own kids. Good luck with the surgery!!

I had my gall bladder removed in July and was terrified! It ended up being just a few days recovery and the surgery was no big deal at all. (and I am a total wimp!) I was tired but feeling pretty good about four days after surgery. My surgeon told me not to pick anything heavy up for a while (more than 25lbs)...I think four weeks. (including my 1 year old) Nothing but walking for six weeks. So, you have to take it slow for a while. All in all it was a good experience. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

I went to Dr. Curry and he was fantastic!