Anyone have a gallbladder removed?

[lintscreen]

Want to share your experience? It's looking like mines going to have to go.

How was the surgery? What is recovery like? How have your eating habits had to change?

[themysteriouswife]

I had mine out one month ago. I did change my eating habits. Only because I need to lose weight and my surgeon was very concerned.

Recovery was rough for me. I had minor complications. My belly button incision would not close. I had a seroma. Once they drained it, I was fine. Pain was minimal. Typical recovery time is under two weeks.

[hisno1girl]

I had mine taken out in an emergency situation because I had a severe attack that landed me in the ER.  I knew it had to come out and I was going to schedule an appointment for the surgery but oh well.

I had the laparoscopic surgery and ended up with a scar about 1 inch long on my abdomen and two small round scars on the side that look like burns.  The scars are fading.

I was admitted into the hospital and my surgery was scheduled for late in the afternoon the next day so I spent two nights in the hospital.

I was back to work about a week after the surgery and I went back for a few hours a day until I was at full strength.

As far as eating habits, I didn't change anything. I still eat the way I used to.  However (TMI warning) I now poop several times a day at random times.  I used to have a very strict pooping schedule and now I just go all the time.

Strangely enough, I can no longer take codeine medicine.  I got really sick this winter and had excruciating throat pain and my doctor gave my codeine cough syrup. The codeine caused abdominal pain that was as bad as my gall bladder attacks and I discovered that if you've had GB removal, abdominal pain can be a side effect.

im glad I had the surgery because I had two or three attacks and I seriously thought I was going to die because the pain was so bad.

Good luck with your surgery! when is it scheduled?

[cinderbella]

I had mine out in November of 2012. My situation was a little different because I wasn't having attacks and had no gallbladder symptoms - but I had Mono earlier that year and it was so severe that it attacked my liver and gallbladder and left me with scarring and a thickened wall. My liver was double its size for most of that summer and it trickled down and also messed up my gallbladder.

The surgery was a a piece of cake. I was the first on the schedule for a Monday morning, home by noon, slept the rest of the day. I was off the rest of the week but could have definitely gone back that Thursday. I took pain meds for the first three days but didn't really need them after that. I haven't had any problems or side effects from the surgery.

Good luck!

[cinderbella]

Forgot....... I havent had to change my eating habits at all. I have been trying to eat better for other reasons but it has nothing to do with the surgery.

[2boys2danes]

I had mine out about 12 years ago laproscopically… it was NBD at all and really was up and doing stuff after a few days. I do remember the belly button incision being hard to heal and was kind of painful. At least for me, everything you wear touches your belly button so it has no "reprieve" if that makes any sense….yes I'm old and wear granny panties and mom jeans…you probably don't have that problem

[Booze Raccoon]

Outpatient surgery was easy.
I had no problems after ... I got a script for pain killers, didn't even take all of them.
I did not have to change my diet.
I have had no problems at all.

I had laparoscopic surgery and I only have 2 tiny dot scars.  They aren't noticeable.  

[Booze Raccoon]

Apr 24, 2014 20:24:19 GMT -5 2boys2danes said:

I had mine out about 12 years ago laproscopically… it was NBD at all and really was up and doing stuff after a few days. I do remember the belly button incision being hard to heal and was kind of painful. At least for me, everything you wear touches your belly button so it has no "reprieve" if that makes any sense….yes I'm old and wear granny panties and mom jeans…you probably don't have that problem

OMG!  I had mine out 2 weeks postpartum.  I also had an umbilical hernia and it was repaired at the same time.  I had NO IDEA that my gallbladder surgery would have otherwise involved my belly button.  "derp"

[skib]

I had mine out in November. I had the laparoscopic surgery and I have four little scars -- one in the middle of my stomach right under my sternum, one in my belly button, and two on the right side of my stomach. The surgery was super easy. I think I was home an hour after they rolled me out of the operating room. I rested in bed for two full days and then was so bored I had to get up and start doing stuff. I probably took six pain pills, but mostly to help me sleep since I'm a side sleeper and couldn't do that because of the incisions.

Since the surgery, I have random bouts of bad diarrhea. It's absolutely impossible to track them -- there's no real trigger. They happen at different times of the day, after eating different things, different days of the week, etc. It's not nearly as bad as the gallbladder attacks. I do still have pains under my right ribcage after I eat sometimes, and I assume that's just the scar tissue from the bile duct.

Overall, it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be.

[lintscreen]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I've had several attacks over the last few years, they are getting more frequent. The last one was Monday night and it was by far the worst one yet. I really should have done something sooner, but I'm stubborn. Nothing's been scheduled yet, I saw a gastroenterologist today who confirmed my symptoms are textbook, but I still need to go through the testing to confirm it.

I'm a worrier, so I like to know as much as possible about what to expect. It's a tried that the recover time is not super long considering this is an awful time at work to have to take time off.

[8675309]

I had mine removed 2 yrs ago adter having severe attacks months after my 2nd child. They do say that gallbladder disease is common in women that have had more than 1 pregnancy back to back. The weight fluctuation is said to cause the stones.

Anyway mine was laparoscopic and recovery was pretty breezy. I haven't had to change my eating habits however the week my surgery was scheduled it was imperative that I kept a very very low fat diet or I'd have another attack.

[game blouses]

I had mine out about a year and a half ago, when my son was about a month old. The attacks were much, much worse than any part of the recovery. I changed my diet to exclude high fat foods, especially butter, but in the last six months or so I've been able to eat whatever I want.

Get it out soon! Seriously, one more attack is one too many and I've heard emergency removals have tougher recoveries.

[lintscreen]

Im totally kicking myself for waiting this long, especially after the last attack was so bad.

[WOT?*]

I had mine out laparoscopically in 2003 as a result of pancreatitis so the situation is probably a bit different. I had to be stabilized for the surgery and other unrelated complications afterward but the surgery itself and the recovery from the surgery was pretty standard. No pain except some throbbing and an occasional twinge, ache or shooting pain if I moved wrong where very small incisions were made at my rib and lower abdomen and my navel had no complications whatsoever.

Get it out now because ignoring it was what led to my pancreatitis. Don't be ignorant (in every way) like I was.

[pugz]

Don't wait any longer. I had a severe attack when a stone blocked my bile duct. It passed and i felt fine so i scheduled surgery 6 weeks out. I only made it 3 weeks til things went all to hell. It got infected and I ended up with a drain after surgery which suuuuucked. Surgery was fine but i should have had it done ASAP instead of waiting.

i have 3 small scars, one is inside my belly button so not visible.

Surgery was last fall and just in the last 2 months I've had GI issues.

[sweetiesparkles]

I had mine out in 2004 at age 23. Almost 10 years later, all I can recall is the pain in my upper shoulders from the gas they use in surgery to inflate the abdomen. My dad had to massage my shoulders at my apt. because I was in so much pain and boyfriend (now dh) was at work. My scars are so tiny now after 10 years.

Yes to the random poop. But now I eat gluten free and lactose free and that has helped the middle of nowhere diarrhra episodes. I am a once a day girl provided I eat a low fat, healthy daily diet. Some ppl don't mind but I hate pooping in public.