gallbladder op for 27th Oct and I'm terrified of post op problems :-(

[ZingOfSeven]

I had biliary colic in August. I had pain in my liver, stomach & back infection and got jaundiced, so after I was admitted to hospital on the 29th August and given lots of painkillers I had a scan which confirmed gallstones.
had an MRI as well which showed no obstructions, so I must have passed the stone, but they said I need gallbladder out urgently.
I had two previous attacks. the one in March, when still pg with DC7 was considered indigestion, the one in July, when BabyZing was just 10 days old, was explained away as gastritis.

I was discharged on 1st Sept and on a low fat & non-dairy diet (well I have some low fat dairy as I bf) and been absolutely fine since, so I question if I should even have this surgery.

I'm terrified of having it out then ending up with constant pain, indigestion, recurring D&V and having to be on a very strict diet for the rest of my life. I really worry what I will do if that happens. we have 7 children, baby's only 2.5 months and I can't face a life of being obsessed about food and having diarrhoea every day.
because I spoke to relatives and friends and the reality is that these things could easily happen to me.

I can't stop crying. I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't.
I'm painfree now and have no toilet issues - which other have before op. I might never have any problems again. or is it likely that I will because I've already had biliary colic& jaundice?
what the hell should I do? I think I will go ahead with op because potential risk of pancreatitis and other complications frighten me to but I so worry that "my quality of life" will be ruined, everything will be worse than it is now and that I will regret having op done.

This is driving me nuts and makes me very upset

I found the scar under my belly button was the worst of all of them. My GP told me it's because it's where everything goes in! I had one in the centre just under my boobs and 3 on my right side just under my rib cage. One of those has almost disappeared but a couple of the others are keloid and still raised. Luckily I have no intention of wearing a bikini!

Zing!
So glad the op went well :)
Yes, the navel scar is def the worst....it's 11 months since my op and mine is still tender.
BUT out of the other 3 scars 2 are almost invisible now :)
The sooner you can get off opiates the better for your system (but I'm sure you know this!)
Be very wary of co codamol. It can trigger pain in some after GB removal x

zing thinking of you as I sit in the doctor's waiting room with suspected gall stones!! Need to have an ultrasound to confirm. Ugh.

Sounds like you're making good progress. How has your evening been?

I think your body can read your mind wanting to get back to full steam ahead

Stop being so Zingy!

Om... Om... Om...

Just to say there's new NICE guidelines on gallstones, published this week.

Might be worth a read, Nancy

Thank you lotsofcheese - I'm in the US but worth me reading anyway :)

Nancy

do let me know how you get on.

Badvoc

I had C-section with DS4 and that scar was tender for at least 9 months - so I'm not surprised your belly button one is still not 100%. Thanks for mentioning it, I will know to expect the same.

completely off codydramol now, not taking co-codeine either.
just ibuprofen and paracetamol.

yesterday was really rubbish, I slept most of the day.
plan to do the same today - I'm feeling really sick again so I don't know what to eat
Am I feeling sick because of meds, last bit of GA, bile flow is different or digestion hasn't caught up yet? or a mix of these?
or simply hasn't eaten enough food daily so far?

TMI or not I have to mention that we finally have touch down - early morning bathroom success!
was a bit constipated to start with but ok.
another loo break since - softer result, I'm worrying now that it will turn into diarrhoea

I feel exhausted.

Thanks for keeping me company,

Oh Zing, sorry you're feeling rubbish, and I'm sorry I was flippant and so wide of the mark in my last post

Could you manage some soup and Ryvita?

Good news about bathroom success, hope it just stays the same now.

Lots of sleep would be good today and as much liquid as you can manage.

Hope you feel better soon love.

Zing...sleep is good.
I hD no recovery time at all due to Dh having to go away with work and my ds2 being ill (mine was an emergency op, not a planned one, sadly)
Sleep and do what your body tells you x

Thanks zing I've got an ultrasound booked for 2 weeks time.

Bee

don't be silly, your post was fine! you are lovely so don't worry about anything!

I felt much better this afternoon. bit nauseous still, but the dizzy drunken feeling is almost gone. must be because I stopped strong painkillers.

HV came to weigh BabyZing - great news is that despite everything he still put on weight! I was really happy about that.
he is just over 6 kg /13 lbs, and following his curve nicely.

I was very naughty and filled top rack of dishwasher after lunch (got DS1 to do the bottom rack). I even put a few clothes in washing machine, got a telling off from MrZing.

Poor thing fell asleep in front of TV at 8pm - I was thinking "oh he should just sleep I'll go to Tesco... ummm but I can't. dammit"
I find it hard to not do anything.

Nancy

if in the meantime you get worse get seen again. GP or out of hours doctors or A & E in hospital. call an ambulance if must - you might get admitted and the whole process speeding up.
Don't suffer in silence, remember 'squeaky wheel gets the grease'!

So glad you're feeling better, recovery is bound to be frustrating and slow, especially at first. If you do too much, too soon, it will slow down.

Very well done growing that baby so well too

I felt well enough to go to church this (well, yesterday) morning and only took Nurofen beforehand as a precaution.
Sneezing, coughing etc is not fun still, but I didn't even have a nap today and felt good.

then I had a 2-hour+ chat with my sister on the phone and was slowly pacing up and down...I must have walked a mile and a half, unaware.
my tummy was not happy afterwards

had a wonderful shower and washed my hair, but despite covering my belly with clingfilm to keep wounds as dry as possible the glue was starting to come off so I decided to just get rid of it all.
I found the skin hasn't completely sealed up yet so I used steri-strip to close them up again, plasters on top.
I think I'd better wait a few days before next shower.

I was told to have very low fat diet for a week then eat anything I like - I did really well until lunch time. DH made delicious roast pork and I couldn't resist a bit crackling and some roast potatoes.
nothing what I feared happened so far. yay!

But I think I will try and stick to low fat diet with an occasional treat anyway. I'd rather not indulge, then suddenly trigger unpleasant consequences.
My BMI is over 25, so loosing a bit of weight as a "side effect" appeals to me.

Nancy
how did scan go?

I don't know if these updates are helpful or not, but they are very useful to me.

I decided I will not attempt to drive this coming week. I would probably be ok, but school runs are fairly sorted therefore I don't need to risk anything.

Hi Zing - glad it went well

I'm not booked in for ultrasound until mid-nov, the earliest I could get although I might call to see if there are any cancellations.

Good to hear you're doing well!

Great to read your update Zing - yes the belly button scar is the worst one (I was eeuurgh when I had to change the dressings - actually I got DH to do them so I didn't have to look )

It does take a while for your body to recover so don't push yourself.
I used a pair of huge kitchen tongs (they were too unweildy to cook with, some 6th Sense must've made me keep them) to lift things off the floor and the washing machine.

Keep resting where you can.

Good plan to put off the driving.

Do keep resting though, it's so important for your energy to be available for healing.

Don't blame you for succumbing to roast potatoes and crackling

Bee

I decided to have a duvet morning. I felt a bit sore after getting kids ready for school (DH normally does most of it but is away ).

I discovered I can either stand or shout. not both

and just realised it's already afternoon and I'm still in bed...bliss

I too am recovering from gall bladder removal I can relate to everything you have said.Its so important to listen to what your body is saying I too have had times stretching into pm in bed its essential to recovery. I have been the same regarding diet afterwards so little is written the advice is trial and error it seems.I have however noted Heinz big soup and also bagels suit me really well.I have lost weight (every cloud lol).I hope to be back at work next week hope you recover well.

Stick with the shouting, no-one will obey you just because you're upright!

Bee

have you seen the thread about faffers. someone came up with the phrase "Faffghanistan" yup. that's us. I went sonic this morning because DS1 was still in the shower 10 mins before he had to leave to catch the bus. it hurt to shout, but they can never hear me if I talk normally. ..

cloud

when was your op? glad you are doing well.
I'm now 10 days post op and feeling ok.
not only I don't have diarrhoea, I went this morning for the second time only since the op. not constipated what so ever but only seem to go every 5 days. It's bizarre

surely effects of painkillers must've worn off by now. I do wonder if it will take a few more weeks for everything to work regularly in this department.

back in bed as I have a migraine, hoping for a long nap/rest session.
feels a bit lazy but I need to lie down, sitting is just not comfortable.

I went sonic this morning because DS1 was still in the shower 10 mins before he had to leave to catch the bus

I'd call that a result, having a DS in the shower willingly! Pick yer battles

Glad recovery is going well.

My op was on 20\10 so far all is going well aside from a couple of stitches that haven't dissolved.The night is worst everything itches getting comfy is an issue. Today I felt a bit sorry for myself (just tiredness still) so I bundled myself up and went for a walk-nothing exiting just to the post box lol.Feeling better now for fresh air and being useful.
I was scheduled for my op despite having no pain my gall bladder was chocka with stones.Now I'm aware a lot of niggles and not feeling right were part of it not just being a bit of an old bag!When i had my op my consultant visited me after he said it was on the point of rupturing so I am very lucky.
The toilet thing I go daily now but only in last week they did pack me off with lactulose but I only took it a few times.I try to give myself a new aim each day to keep me motivated today I made parkiin for my sisters bonfire party.