Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

gallbladder removal

35 replies

nona2706 · 03/10/2013 14:07

Hey all just wondering if anyone could give me any advise. IM due to get the gallbladder out next Tues after months of waiting and i was wanting to kno how long the operation takes and what the recovery time is?TIA

OP posts:

AngelsLieToKeepControl · 03/10/2013 14:21

Everyone is different really.

I had mine taken out through keyhole surgery. I have a one inch scar in the middle of the bottom of my ribcage, a one cm scar on my right and a small scar in my belly button.

I was out the next day, felt a bit rough for a couple of days due to the anesthetic , but I was on a night out by the weekend, I felt better than I had in months. I could eat pretty normally right away after it too. The op itself didn't take too long, I think all in all I was out of the ward for 2 or 3 hours, that was including being in the recovery ward.

I had my op probably about 8 or 9 years ago now and I still have to watch what I eat to some degree but nothing like I had to when I had gallstones. If I have a few days of eating utter crap I get a bit of a niggly pain, and I felt nautious when I breastfed after the op, and I have noticed I have to be more careful with what I eat around the time of my period, but I must stress it is absolutely nothing like gallbladder pain at all, usually I don't even need painkillers.

I know some people who have had this done and it has no impact on what they eat at all now and they didn't have any side effects at all.

Good luck with your op

uggmum · 03/10/2013 14:36

Hi. I had mine out 2 years ago following a short illness. I developed septaecemia and my liver started failing. I'd had gallstones for year without knowing.

For years I had felt really tired all the time, I had no energy and severe pain in the middle of my chest. I was overweight at the time and put it down to being really unfit.

Anyway, once I had recovered from my illness I had my gallbladder out. My op took just over 4 hours. I had 143 stones. I was surprised that I didn't rattle.

The best advice I can give is once you've had the operation that you move around as much as possible. I would wait until 24 hours after. I was told not to take to my bed and stay as active as possible. I did this (it was hard) but as a result I healed really quickly. When you stand up, try to stand as tall as possible as if you bend when you stand then it takes longer to heal.

Also have good pain relief. I was able to walk to school after a week and I was driving after two. My dh works away so I had no choice really.

Do be careful when lifting as I was over enthusiastic with the vacuum cleaner after 8 weeks and it felt like I was being pulled inside. It bloody hurt.

The only after effects I have are that certain foods give me an upset stomach, ie too much ice cream, mayonnaise or anything thats too oily/fatty.

shewhowines · 03/10/2013 18:35

I was 100% back to normal after 10 days of keyhole surgery. It was fine. Good luck.

shewhowines · 03/10/2013 18:36

Not that I was actually in surgery for 10 days.

InLoveWithDavidTennant · 03/10/2013 18:44

shew

im having mine out on the 30th of this month after waiting 5 years for it! im scared but so so glad to be finally booked in.

op... please update after you've had it to reassure me let us know how you got on

dietstartstmoz · 03/10/2013 20:45

I had mine out in Feb this yr, keyhole surgery. I was perhaps a little naive about how poorly I would be afterwards I was thinking I would be fine afterwards but I was shocked at how painful it was. I felt like I had had a cs (not that I have had one), I couldn't stand up straight and couldn't sit down, and then couldn't stand back up again afterwards. It was very painful for about 10 days, but I was so poorly from the painkillers (co-codamol evil things) that I ended up having 3 weeks off work. All good now though, good luck. It will be worth it as you will never have that gallstone pain again.

CharlieAlphaKiloEcho · 03/10/2013 20:56

I had mine out last year.

It was a bit of a shock afterwards pain wise. I think I'd convinced myself keyhole+day surgery = easy peasy. I had 3-4 days of real pain but once past that I healed very quickly. I agree with the moving about thing too.

My biggest problem post op was (tmi) bright yellow acidy diarrhea . It was painful and constant for a couple of weeks but apparently does happen in some cases. It was just a surprise as they'd not mentioned it.

I find if I eat badly for a few days I also get niggly colicky type pain so t's not as easy as being able to eat whatever you like.

having said that, I'd do all that annually if it meant no more gallbladder! When I think back to the last few months before the op I can't believe how much it affected my life. I barely slept, I had a very restricted diet, I had a low level of pain all day that caused me to be quite grumpy and I have no idea how I got out of it with no codeine addiction!

Original poster

nona2706 · 04/10/2013 02:38

Thank you all for sharing with me . Shew you made me laugh so much it hurt. I had an image of a woman lying on a table for 10 days with the doctor standing over her saying its day 10 now lets wake her up.lol.
Inlove of course ill come back when its done and reassure you that it all went perfect and i was up pole dancing the evening of the removal.lol Iv only been waiting since January but have spent 4 weeks in total in hospital as it keeps getting infected. So they are rushing mine through a bit quicker than normal. If i had it for 5 years i think i would have went mad with the pain. Its so soul destroying.
Im on morphine for the pain as i have high level pain all day and all night and had worked my way up the pain killer ladder.Been on it for 3 weeks now so hopefully i wont be too addicted if at all.
Im more scared now as mine was infected which put me in hospital a few weeks ago so im hoping that i can still have keyhole.

OP posts:

PassAFist · 04/10/2013 02:47

I had mine out last November. I had a bad attack and the doctor moved me up the list, I had orignally been scheduled to have it out this July.

It was great to be honest! The really bad attack part not so much, but they pumped me full of morphine and then I was OK. They got me from my room just before 6pm and I was back by about 8:30. They had me up and moving that night, I went home the next morning and in the afternoon I went to a play (previously bought tickets) and we went out to dinner. I was a bit nervous about eating but no problems at all. I was just a bit tired the next day but no pain. To be honest, I had had so much pain before that I felt on top of the world after the op. Completely back to normal by Monday (op was on Friday).

I have not had any trouble eating since the op.

I had waited about 5 years for them to take it out.

afromom · 04/10/2013 03:00

I had mine out 9 years ago, when DS was 2 months old, it would have been sooner but I found out I was pregnant the day I went for my appointment with the consultant. I can remember the doctor congratulated me on managing to get pregnant whilst suffering with the pain lol!

The op was over in 2 hours and I was out the next morning. I was up and driving a week later, when I drove us on a weekend trip to London. The only pain that I really suffered afterwards was because I was breast feeding DS and I was tender around the scars, but other than that u was fine within a couple of days.

I do still after 9 years get an upset stomach if I eat anything fatty now, like McDonalds for example. I'm always surprised how quickly it comes on too (within the hour of eating it.)

Good luck!

shewhowines · 04/10/2013 09:39

I always have really really loose stools and occassional labour type pains and diarrhoea. I had that before the op too. Perhaps gall stones were the reason before and after? I have noticed that the only time I had normal stools was when I was on a strict diet so fat is obviously a factor somewhere. ignores the fact that I have constipation now due to recent abdominal surgery

Original poster

nona2706 · 04/10/2013 09:39

Thank you passafist and afromom for sharing.
Afromom I haven't been able to eat kfc, macdonalds, burger king for years now as it always gave me an upset tummy.literally within minutes of eating it starts.lol.
That's kinda what's happening with me passafist 3 weeks in hospital on morphine they have rushed me forward slightly.

OP posts:

shewhowines · 04/10/2013 09:41

x posts

Half an hour exactly for things like bacon.

MarjorieAntrobus · 04/10/2013 09:57

I think everyone is a bit different regarding recovery. My lovely BIL was up and about decorating and climbing ladders within days. I, on the other hand, found I was really exhausted for two weeks and went back to work too quickly, after two weeks signed off. Should've asked for another week or two. Play it by ear, OP.

Original poster

nona2706 · 07/10/2013 18:22

That's me in hospital and waiting now. IM last on the list for tomorrow.gonna be a long day.lol

OP posts:

afromom · 07/10/2013 18:46

Good luck!

KatyPutTheCuttleOn · 07/10/2013 18:50

A friend of mine had hers taken out and she found that she piled on masses of weight afterwards, about 3 stone. Not sure why.

Original poster

nona2706 · 07/10/2013 20:05

Gee Kathy really helpful.thanks lol

OP posts:

KatyPutTheCuttleOn · 07/10/2013 20:42

Well just worth being aware I guess! I mean most people presumably don't put lots of weight on afterwards but it might mean you need to watch your diet afterwards, just trying to help you know.

shewhowines · 07/10/2013 20:49

Good luck. I'm sure you will be fine and so relieved you've done it.

DottyDot · 07/10/2013 20:55

Good luck! I'm a total wuss when it comes to pain but I was amazed how quickly I recovered and how well I felt by the next day. I had 2 weeks off work but felt I didn't really need them.

And yes, I've put on weight since (this was last year) because it's so lovely to be able to eat what I want... Was back at Slimming World today though - it'll come off with a bit of effort..!

Hope all goes well

PoppyWearer · 07/10/2013 20:57

Katy the reason for weight gain is because pre-operation you can't eat anything fatty because it sets off a gallstone attack (unbelievably painful pain, worse than labour/birth, hands down).

So you don't eat anything fatty, and lose weight.

After the operation, you can start to eat that stuff again. Hence weight gain.

(Also IIRC it's more common for women in late-30s/40s to have gallstones, which let's face it is when we start piling on weight anyway after childbirth etc, body can't lose weight so easily.)

OP, you'll be fine. I can't add anything, just reassurance. Mine was fine.

shewhowines · 07/10/2013 21:06

What is it they say - fat, fair and 40.

In my case all true.

IsabellaPasta · 07/10/2013 21:12

I had mine taken out over a year ago with the added bonus of a stone stuck in the bile duct, which had to be removed prior to surgery. The op itself was keyhole and over quickly. I woke up feeling quite sickly from the anaesthetic and the pain wasn't as bearable as I'd been led to believe but take the pain relief and you will be fine. Little tip, if you are of larger boob, invest in a non wired cotton bra as normal wire bras tend to sit on where the scar is. Also, try to get up and moving as soon as you can as it helps move any gas left from the op and is good to get the circulation going again. I was also signed off for 2 weeks but only really needed one.

One snag. I was told that I could resume a normal diet which hasn't been the case for me. Certain foods trigger pain where my gallbladder used to be so I have to watch what I eat and now know which foods are a definite no-go. I really pay if I fall off the wagon. Having said that, managing my diet is better than the restricted diet I endured before the op. My consultant said that once a gallbladder starts to show physical symptoms of distress, it is diseased and will need to come out at some point. Good luck.

shewhowines · 07/10/2013 21:39

Which foods are a definite no go isabella ?

Flip

1 2