Gallbladder Surgery- What Are Your Experiences?

After many years of what I thought was severe pain from endometriosis, a new doctor decided to do an abdominal ultrasound. It was found that I had a very large stone in my gall bladder.

Once I had the surgery, in 2010, and recovered I felt much better. I was told that I have a very high pain tolerance as I had been having random attacks since 1995.

I wish I had known earlier as this may have been the cause for preterm labor with my first pregnancy as well as many nights of unexplained "heartburn". The surgery was laproscopic, so I was up and moving fairly quickly. I took it easy for a week or so as I kept walking each day to help with recovery. The only food that bothers me now is Kentucky Fried Chicken!

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My mother and me daughter have had their gall bladder removed. Neither one of them have had lasting negative affects. They did have some difficulties the first year after but their bodies adjusted.

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I had mine removed about 6 months ago and it was fine. Laproscopic, non evasive and very little recovery time (if any really). The only side effect I have is that if I eat certain foods (seems like greasy stuff, a lot of dairy, etc.) that I have to go to the restroom pretty soon after eating (about 15-30 minutes after) but I don't have diarrhea or any other issues. It was way better than continuous gall bladder attacks. It was easy pease, I say go for it.

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I had mine removed last June. It was simple and without incident. However, afterward I did need to have a follow up ERCP procedure done due to the gallstones still left in the duct. Neither procedure has caused me any more turmoil than I was previously experiencing and I can actually now consume foods that I could not previously. I too, was worried about the diarrhea after but thankfully never had that problem.

At this point, almost a year later, I'm still figuring out what foods cause me issues seeing as your body now digests foods a bit differently than before. If you are being recommended for this surgery I highly recommend it.

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I had it when I was 30, went in on a Friday, stayed overnight because anesthesia made me sick and they didn't want me to leave until it passed. I was back at work Tuesday, only because Monday was Labor Day and I was off. No chronic diarrhea and I eat whatever I want.

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What Erica W said. I highly recommend getting it out if it is causing any problems.

Mine was removed probably 15 years ago or so.

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The surgery itself is nothing these days, but I wouldn't rush into it nevertheless. Studies are coming out indicating that other problems surface once the gall bladder is removed. Try going on a gluten-free diet to see if the symptoms improve. Gluten intolerance/celiac disease have the same symptoms as you describe. If you are gluten intolerant, removing your gall bladder won't help, and you'll have gone through that needlessly. I considered gall bladder surgery, too, before finding out it was the gluten. I'm fine now that I adhere strictly to the gf diet. And I might add, it isn't hard to do now that grocery stores and restaurants are getting on the gf bandwagon.

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The first year or so I did have problems with certain foods ( lettuce, corn, high fats), but after that I've been fine. I know others who have had no problems at all after the removal. The misery of the sick gallbladder was much worse than the temporary side effects of the surgery.

Also, there seems to be a link between thyroid disease and gallbladder issues, I highly suggest getting your thyroid levels checked.

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If your gallbladder is that bad off now, you are essentially living without one anyway. I had mine taken out almost 5 years ago and my stomach issues have greatly improved. I never had the full on attacks either, but I didn't realize until after the surgery how much daily pain my stomach actually gave me. I even had back pain that actually ended up being my gallbladder. It was liberating not to be hurting every day!

The only food that I've found that causes me to go now is Chick-fil-a for some reason. I'm sure it has to do with the oil they use. I've always had stomach issues, but they have been better (not perfect) since the surgery.

Good luck!

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I had it done, spent one night in the hospital, and was back to my old self in a couple of days.
The doctors told me that I would no longer be able to eat spicy or greasy food, but I had Popeye's chicken less than a week after the surgery and had no problems.

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The surgery itself for me was tolerable within 5-7 days I felt back to normal for the most part. The difficult part for me is the chronic diarrhea after the surgery. I found a wonderful GI Doctor in Dallas who prescribed me a medication that actually controls that though which has been wonderful. I can't imagine having to put up with that for the rest of your life. The medication I take is Welchol which is to soak up the extra acid in my stomach from not having a gall bladder. Anyways, the surgery isn't bad and if you can manage the diarrhea it is worth it to have the surgery. Those attacks are terrible....worse than having a baby!

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I, too, have some weird digestive issues and suspected gall bladder dysfunction.

That said, I'm trying to hang on to my gall bladder as long as possible via alternative methods.

If I had severe pain or stones I might feel differently.

Mine gets better when I'm lighter and leaner, and when I watch what I eat. I also take digestive enzymes. On the other hand, many years ago I had a bone-thin mom friend who had terrible gall stones and *had* to have hers removed.

My personal, non-medical opinion is that our gall bladder serves an important purpose in our body, and needs to stay there unless it is severely diseased or interfering with the life of the body itself (which was what was happening to my friend).

Good luck and I hope you can reach the best answer for you.

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Personally, I don't think i'd wait for the attacks. I saw my mom-in-law go through the attacks and they are awful. Talk about pain, nausea, vomiting, etc. She also developed a blocked bile duct. Her skin became very itchy and her lab values were all screwed up. I know that this doesn't happen to everyone, but watching her go through it was terrible.

Her surgery went SO well. The surgeon was fantastic and my mom bounced back beautifully (she's in her 60s). I have heard that people can have diarrhea after the surgery, but she didn't. In fact, she's never felt better.

Take care...

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You will feel much better after get through the post surgery healing. There will be a transition time and you will have to learn what you can eat, but it will be worth it!

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I am going through the exact same thing almost. I had my first attack on Sunday and will be getting mine out on Tuesday. I am not in any pain at all which is scary because the ultrasound showed that my gall bladder is 3 times its size.
Good luck.

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dont wait until you have full blown attacks! They are the most painful things ever! ( I had 4 natural births and the attacks were so much worse!)

With mine I went in for the laparoscopy and with the last stone it fell and landed right next to the main blood vessel to all of my organs. They had to cut me open to remove the stone. I was in the hospital for a week and had to take it easy for a month after. Now I sport a nice 7 inch scar across my stomach. Blends nicely with the stretch marks ;) But I would do it all over again so I never have to feel a full blown attack! When they handed me a jar with the stones, I had 48 stones that they had removed from my gull bladder. I have now IBS but you learn how to avoid serious attacks with your diet.

I know 4 other people who have had it removed laparoscopically and didn't have any problems. They were uncomfortable for about a week but nothing major. None of them have IBS either.

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I had mine removed about 5 years ago after suffering daily attacks. I was in and out in one day- sore for a couple. I did have some stomach issues that lasted for about a year, but it was so much better than the pain I had been in. After that first year, I was back to normal. Hope it goes well for you!

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I loved how mine went. I went in to the ER on Friday evening with severe pain. The doc came in and said the surgeon was on his way. The surgeon had family plans that night so he told me to deal until Monday. I did and went in, had it out, recovered very quickly and was back at work on Thursday.

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The symptoms are only going to get worse! My was functioning at 12% and I would have weekly attacks - severe pain that wrapped around my ribs/back and felt like someone dropped kicked me in the stomach. It they are going to do the surgery via Laproscopic then your recovery time will be a day or two but no heavy lifting for 2-3 weeks. The only long term side affect I have had is occasional mild indigestion but Tums or Rolaids fixed that up right away. Had mine done 5-6 years ago and so glad that I did. Have several friends that also had theirs out and they too are glad they did and no long term side effects.

Wish you the best of luck and good health!

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