Did Anyone Have Experience with Laparoscopy?

Alejandra,
Don't worry one bit! It's a breeze! You may be a little sore for a few days, but not anything worse than cramps every month! Just rest the a few days afterward & maybe even take it easy for about a week. But really it's not a big deal at all. Your diet will be light for a week or so, you may need a laxative, stay on top of that. The worse thing for me was the pain in my shoulders. I guess they fill your stomach with a gas of sorts & then afterward it rises to your shoulders. also may give you a headache. But, it's not bad at all. Don't worry!
Good Luck & God Bless you!
T.

I had my gallbladder removed using laparoscopy. It did hurt but was tolerable, I think the worst thing was the gas pain. The air that gets in your belly and since you're just laying around for a few days it doesn't seem to go anywhere. I would ask upfront what you could do about that just in case because that was uncomfortable. I honestly don't remember how my diet was after surgery, they should tell you about all that either before or after your surgery. I do remember it was difficult to try and sit up for a few days. Once I was in a certain position that's pretty much where I wanted to stay for awhile. If you have any specific questions feel free to email me, I'll try to answer whatever I can.
Good luck & take care!!

T.
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Hey there! I have had my gall bladder removed laproscopically and I was about 22 weeks pregnant with my first baby at the time.

I have 3 small scars; one in my belly button and two more about the size of a staple on my right side. I was home within a couple of days after the procedure and I felt absolutely GREAT afterwards. I was a little sore, but only had to take pain meds for a couple of days. The relief was instantanious!!

Best wishes to you!! Let me know if I can help more!!!

I was 5 weeks post partum when I had my galbladder removed. For me, there was not a lot of simptoms that lead up to it and it kind of ended up being an emergency procedure so I can't really tell you that I felt different afterward but I have known several people who have had to have theirs removed that said they felt so much better afterward. The procedure is nothing to be afraid of. They do put you under during the procedure. The incessions are very small and they usually just use glue on them now so no stitches. I went home from the hospital a couple hours after the surgery but that was because I had a little one at home to take care of. Most people stay overnight I think but it is not necessary if you are not comfortable with hospitals. I don't remember having any major pain or side effects. They told me not to eat high fat foods for a little while afterward while the body adjusts but it was not a permenant diet restriction. They said just stay away from burgers and fries for a couple weeks. The high fat foods will go through you faster is all. The liver will take over the job of the galbladder after a while. Be prepared to take it easy for a few days but for the most part, you can just keep on doing your normal everyday stuff.

I had a total of 4 laparoscopic surgeries under general anesthetic for endometriosis before I finally had to have a hysterectomy. I had no complications at all and they were all D. in our local hospital on outpatient basis. I realize your surgery is for a gall stone but the overall recovery time should still be minimal. I think laparoscopy is a wonderful alternative to major surgery. You will have very small incisions so recovery is not a lenghthy process and I never had anything I could classify as pain - just a bit of discomfort. You will probably need a bland diet for the first 48 hrs and I would suggest not picking up your children so as not to strain.
I Hope this puts you at ease. You are going to feel so much better after the stone is removed and you can get back to day to day activities without your gallbladder pain.

T.

I have my gall bladder removed like this and it was not bad at all. They make 3 small incesions. The spot that hurt the most was where they took the gall bladder out. Doesn't take as long to heal either. faster than if they cut u open top to bottom. I just started eating slow on soft stuff and gradually worked my way back up to my nomal diet. You want to get it D. now. I didn't know anything was wrong with mine til it almost burst. Dr said it would of been bad if it did. Hope all goes well for you. Hope this helps.

I had a laproscopic hysterectomy and it was really easy to recover from. I had 3 small incisions that they "glued" together. I stayed in the hospital overnight, but went home the next morning. That night I was walking the halls in the hopsital. I never took anything for pain more than motrin-very little pain from the incisions at all. I had a lot of gas!! They had to pump my belly full of gas to see what they were doing, so that was really the worst part of the recovery. I was tired for a couple of weeks, but I imagine the recovery from a gall bladder would be easier that a hysterectomy?? I did have lifting restrictions for 2 weeks, couldn't drive until I was off of pain meds (I never was on them). I had to wear lots of elastic pants, because my belly was swollen and sore (not painful, just sore). With little ones at home, you'll need some help with them for a few days--maybe hubby or grandma can help. My mom took my kids for a few days right after my surgery, so I could recover, but in a week, I felt good enough to take care of them on my own (they were 3, 5, and 7).
Good luck!! Laproscopy is the way to go. I had a friend who had a full abdominal incision for her surgery and it was 3-4 weeks of pain meds and at least 6-8 before she was back on her feet.

I had my gallbladder removed about 4 years ago. They did it liproscopic. I had an ultrasound Wednesday morning, my gallbladder was removed at 6 p.m. that night and I went home Thursday morning at 10 a.m. At that time I had a 11 month old. I didn't have any side effects. I was picking her up the day I went home. I stayed home from work that Friday just to make sure I wasn't going to have any delayed pain or anything, but nothing. I went back to work on Monday. They put 3 or 4 incisions in your belly button area. Like I said, it's been 4 years and you can barely tell I had anything D.. If you have a good doctor you'll be fine.

Everything about my surgery went great, except one thing. When they took my gallbladder out, there was still some bile left in the tube that goes into the pancreas. I think I explained that right. Anyway, after a few months after my gallbladder was out, a new stone formed in that tube. So H. I am with my gallbladder gone, and I have gallstones again! I had to end up going to 2 specailists, with one of them performing a surgery to get out the stone, and she could not get it. I had to go to another specialist and he finally retrieved it. So I had 2 additional surgeries to get it resolved. So my advice to you is to tell them to make sure they get all the bile so that does not happen. Also, regarding everything else, I know some people have a lot of trouble with what they eat, and also in the bathroom after they have their gallbladder removed, but I have had none. I would say my body is back to normal in every way. Good luck to you.

I just had this D. this last summer! It really wasn't bad at all. I went to the hospital at about 11 and was out by 6. And, I walked out with 4 bandaids on my abdomen. I was stunned. Bandaids. No stitches, no staples, just bandaids. I had it D. on a Monday and Tuesday evening I went to my son's t-ball practice. That's NOT to say that I was feeling awesome! I ended up getting sick and puking before my husband could even pull all the way into the driveway (he had to stop at the end of the driveway and I barely made it as I opened the door!). BUT...I think I was sick because I wasn't eating enough with my pain pills. My doctor gave me 40 pain pills and I still had about 1/2 left over after I quit taking them. And I'm a total wimp so it obviously wasn't too bad! I think I took the pain pills for a week, but I only took them every 4-6 hours for the first few days, and then I quit taking them so often. Seriously, I think I could have milked it a little bit more, but of course like most moms, I felt like my house was going to fall apart if I didn't get up on the 3rd day and do some laundry. I just felt like I was missing out. Why can't we just RELAX??? I know they told me that if they couldn't do it through laparoscopy, they'd have to slit me clear open and it would take 6-8 weeks to recover. I thought that sounded like a long time, but a student in my class (I'm a teacher) told me that his dad had just had it D. and he was off of work for going on 6 weeks at the time!

Considering it's surgery, I promise you it's not too bad. You may walk kind of slow for awhile, but it's really not bad. If you've ever had a c-section (I had to have one) it's WAY WAY WAY better than that! And as for my diet? Absolutely nothing has changed. I'm still able to eat the same greasy foods I ate before. I just know that now I'm not going to get that horrible stomachache again! I'd rather go through labor again than go through one of those stomachaches again! I've had no long term side effects, except for not ever wanting to wear a bikini again because of my scars (even though they are very small). If you have any more quetsions or concerns, feel free to contact me!
A.

I have had this D. twice for endometriosis (sp). Both times were not bad at all - I had the procedures on fridays and went back to work on that following monday - I was still a little sore but it was just fine. I never even took the pain meds perscribed. I did not have to change my diet and had no side effects - it was not bad at all. I had my first one 3 1/2 years ago and the 2nd one in September of 07 - both experinces were not bad at all and even today I would not be nervous about getting it D. again. Good luck to you...and I know you will be fine.

I feel that you have nothing to worry about. I just had my gallbladder removed using laparoscopy. It was 1 week ago today, and I feel good. I have 4 small incisions that are healing well. The only restrictions I have are no driving for a week and no lifting over 15lb for 2 weeks. I will only be off work for 3 weeks. I have had no diet restrictions. I was told regular diet as tolerated and so far no problems with that. I do have a full time job and I am also a full time nursing student ( at 48 years old! ) I live in Kansas City and used Dr. Tripses at Heartland Surgical and the procedure was D. at North Kansas City Hospital. I did stay 1 night, but went home Sat. afternoon. Good luck.

I have had 2 for GYN reasons...endometriosis and ovarian cysts. They are not bad. I have two small incision scars, one by my belly button and one right above my pubic bone where they inserted the scopes. Both times my surgery was D. and I was home in about 4-5 hours. Recovery was not too bad. You will be sore, but it will only be for a few days. As far as diet, I did not have restrictions it was just as tolerated, but I ate high fiber foods until after my first bowel movement. That is one of the worst parts. They also generally have to put "gas" in your stomach to make room to work so when you are D. it takes time for it to work its way out and can be a bit painful. It can even make your shoulder hurt believe it or not! I did have lifting restrictions and if I remember correctly could not drive for 24 hours and intercourse was limited for I think a week. My best friend is having it tomorrow so if you want to email me I will give you her post surgery details and instructions so you have better information. All in all though, it is not bad. Far better than having to be cut open!

K.

I had mine taken out on jan 7th outpatient came home that night didn't have any problem the worst thing was going to the bathroom had to use a laxative a few times to get reg again but all the stories i had heard was not anything i had with me . i have no scars. the 3rd day i was really sore but after that it was fine. It does take the full time off to get your energy level back though. My diet has changed some but not alot. I hope this has helped. Good Luck.

I know you've gotten several responses already and I didn't go through them all. Forgive me if I'm restating things. I had a laproscopy for a ruptured ovarian cyst about 2 years ago. I was given the option to do an inpatient or outpatient procedure. Fortunately for me due to emergency circumstances it ended up happening earlier than scheduled and was inpatient. The surgery is "minimally invasive" I have 3 small scars. One is in my belly button and really undetectable. The next is on my lower tummy and would be visible in a bikini or low rise pants. The third is just above my pubic bone so is really only visible in my birthday suit. Part of my procedure was to fill my body cavity with gas so that it would bloat me up and they wuld have easier access to my organs. After the procedure I was encouraged to "walk, walk, walk" This i supposed to help you work the gas out of my system (this means I was very burpy and farty - gross I know.) My procedure was D. around 6PM and it was closer to 10PM when I was in my room and off the anestisia. I sent my fiance home and prepared to sleep in the hospital. I woke up in the middle of the night with horrible pain in my shoulders. (it helped releave the pain if I raised my arms above my head) what was happening is that the gas was trying to escape and was going to the highest place. The nurse was great and helped me walk, walk, walk around the hopsital. That night was the worst of it and I was discharged the next day with promise that i would walk a ton once I left. I was awfully gassy for the next 2 or 3 days and that was embarrasing b/c I had to be in public. My advice - remember to walk and if you get the shoulder pain, get some morphine, raise your arms and go on a walk. As surgeries go this one is not a huge deal.

I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago, and honestly, the pain after the surgery bothered me a lot less than the attacks I had had leading up to the surgery. So if you have experienced any of those, surgery will probably be a relief! I stayed overnight in the hospital, and it definitely hurt to get up out of bed in the morning for a few days, but it really wasn't that bad. I remember for the first couple of days I pretty much just sat around and took it easy (don't know how well you'll be able to do that with kids!), but after a week, I was dying to go back to the gym, so it didn't take long to recover. However, I will warn you that some people have a harder time with digestion after the surgery than others do. For about a year afterwards, I had problem with food just going right through me. I didn't feel sick or anything, so it wasn't that bad--it was just inconvenient when I would be somewhere, such as outside a park, and have a very sudden and urgent need to go to the bathroom! From my understanding, it is very rare for people to have that much of a problem for so long, so it probably won't be an issue for you. If it is, don't worry--it will pass! I don't have those problems anymore at all.

I had my hysterectomy by laparoscopy. It's not bad at all. The main thing I remember is pain in my upper chest and shoulders a day or two afterwards due to gas being released through there. They inflate your stomach with gas for more room to work and they can't get it all back out - it has to work its way back out. Since gas rises, it generally leaves through your shoulders.
Laparoscopy has a much shorter recovery time too. You'll feel better in no time!

I had my gall bladder removed in 1997 via laparoscopic sugery. I was having severe attachs and my gall bladder was completely crystalized. The doctor could not even get it out the port that he put in. He had to pull it through the insision no the port. I do not remember them telling me how my life would be with out this organ. I tried modifying my diet prior to surgery and even boiled chicken breast gave me an attach. These attaches were horrible. As for the pain from laparoscopy there really was none other than the itching from the insisions healing. I was back to babysitting the next day.
Now as for life after the removal of a gall bladder.....still to this day I have issues with most food going straight through me. Salad is one of the worst things, even if I use no salad dressing. It can just be lettuce on a sandwich and less than 30 minutes I'm in restroom. It has improved over the last 3 years, but I still have days. I have determined what gas stations are clean enough to make emergency stops at.
I have found some meats and salad at the area buffets are worse than those in a resturant. Im sure part of it is all the preservitives that are on them.
I would say do plenty of research and determine if this is a necessary life change.

I had my gallbladder removed a year ago December. To be with out the pain is all I wanted. The recovery wasn't bad. My Dr. also repaired a hernia and I think that was the tougher recovery. Get a recommendation to a great Dr. and Hospital.

I had one in 2002 for exploratory reasons... There were no side affects after the procedure and I felt great!

I agree with everyone else. I had the procedure on 1995 (for endo), and had no issues. The only thing I remember that was bad about it was that I had horrible gas for a couple days following the surgery. But that is normal.

Hi Alejandra!
I'm sorry that you have to have your gallbladder out.
I had mine out 3 years ago. I have had 3 c-sections & if you have ever had a c-section laparoscopy is nothing!! There is some pain as with any surgery, but my recovery time was 1-2 weeks (but I had just had a c-section 3 months before my laparoscopy gallbladder surgery).
My dr. never told me about any special diets, but I have found that too much fast food/greasy food gives me a bit of diarea.
Other wise the only other side effect is feeling soooo much better & 4 little scars (2 on my right side that are about 1/4" - 1/2", 1 above my bellybutton that is about 1" (but barely noticeable) & 1 about 6" above my bellybutton that is about 3/4" long).

God bless!

I had laproscopy to have my fallopian tubes cleaned out.I took off work on Friday. Went to the clinic at 8:00. I think my husband dropped me off and then he went to work. They wheeled me in to the operating room awake. It was REALLY cold. They covered me with warm blankets. I layed on the table with my arms out to the side on little extensions of the table. It felt like I was laying on a cold cross. Very weird. I fell asleep. Woke up with a bandaid on my belly button and two small places below that with a couple of stitches.

From this experience and subsequent epidurals for delivery of kids, I have learned that I do not respond to anesthesia well. I threw up in the car on the way home (my husband came to pick me up). I went home, slept most of the day. I did feel shoulder pain like I was told I would. They put air in your abdomen to see for the surgery and the air works it's way up to your shoulder. I didn't feel horrible or sore, just tired.

I know someone else who had the same surgery and she went out to dinner that night with her husband. So, I think any problems I had were from the anesthesia not the actual surgery.

feel free to write any specific questions
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I felt better after having it D.. You do have issues with some greasy/spicy foods afterwords but you learn quickly what to eat and what not to eat.
No problems with the surgery.

Hello! Do you have to get your gall bladder removed? I had mine removed in my early 20's. I had no warning or information given to me from the doctors about what life might be like after. I had at least a year where everything I ate (unless it was absolutely zero fat) gave me diarrhea. I had a lot of trouble from it and in retrospect would have dealt with the actual gall bladder pain instead. When they removed it, they found a few small stones. As far as the laparoscopy surgery, I have had 3 of them (2 for endometriosis). It leaves you a little sore, but recovery from that in itself isn't too terrible. Some of the things that were most uncomfortable for me included: pain in my shoulder from the gas that escapes from your belly when they expand it, incision point tenderness and itchiness, feeling very tired. I hope this helps...good luck!