Recovering from open cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal)

[fuckweasel]

So my nice, easy keyhole surgery didn't quite go to plan. I had read pretty much every thread on here about surgery recovery, but all seem to be keyhole. I have been told it will be 6-8 weeks. I am very, very sore but trying to keep mobile as much as I can now I'm out of hospital.

Any tips to aid my recovery? Feeling pretty sorry for myself at the moment!

Bad luck. I can't help, but I am awaiting surgery to remove mine, I currently have a drain in until the operation in March.

Did they say why they had to covert to open surgery?

It took me a few weeks to get over mine, but it was a long time ago, so can't really remember what I did. I had a small baby at the time, and I do remember not being able to carry her around for a while. I took it easy, as much as I could anyway.

What sort of dressing do you have? I had a sort of clear plaster over it, I had to get it seen to at the doctors. I have what is known as my zip right down my front now, but it did heal up pretty fast. Did they tell you why they did it that way? I was supposed to have keyhole surgery, but they said a stone had moved.

Not much advice, sorry, just look after yourself as much as you can, take painkillers when needed, no point in being a martyr about them. Hope you feel better soon.

Sorry I can't offer any advice OP,but just wondered if you know why your op was changed to open surgery? My DD has been told there is a strong possibility that she will need her gall bladder removed in the not too distant future. She has been told by one doctor that she is too fat heavy for keyhole surgery,that it can only be carried out on people with a BMI under 30. However,she knows 3 people who have had keyhole surgery (one of which was gall bladder removal) who were all definitely over a BMI of 30,one was over 40! Was this doctor being honest?

Sorry OP I meant to say hope you feel better soon.

The dressing is off now. Having staples removed soon. Looks like it will be quite a neat scar!

Not had a proper debrief with surgeon but from what I can gather it was particularly tricky due to a severely inflamed gallbladder and an enormous stone (think 4cm!). Surgery took a very long time and my innards are very battered.

My dp is 5 weeks post op. He had keyhole, but as it was 'exploratory' the surgeon had a proper rummage. He was incredibly sore for about 2 weeks, then just tender at the scar marks. Now healed he is like a new human, no more pain!

I imagine with a 4cm stone (wow), they couldn't have got it out of the keyhole cuts, the one the gallbladder came out of was 2cm in diameter. Hang in there, and take it so easy, I imagine sudden twisting or reaching will hurt like hell for sometime, but the light is at the end of the tunnel - dp was out on his bike this week.

janey I thought keyhole was safer for larger people. I have watched far too many of those 600lb people programmes, and they always do keyhole surgery for them (different op I know). Dp has a high bmi, he is 17.5st, built like a brick shit house and not tall, and open surgery wasn't mentioned (unless something unusual was found), so that info your dd has been given does sound odd - was this the actual surgeon?

That's why they insisted they wait so long to do my operation. They want to wait 8 weeks after inserting the drain to calm things down before removing it. I apparently have loads of stones, they look big to me every time I see them on the x-ray but have no sense of scale! I was begging them to remove it, but they kept refusing!

Don't think my boss could cope with me having open surgery!!!

IdStillRatherBeKnitting - I asked my DD who told her this and she said it was a surgeon. This same surgeon was rather rude to her (IMO anyway) when she went for an ultrasound scan. The sonographer said that she had not been able to get a very clear image of DD's gall bladder. On being told this,the surgeon snapped 'Well that's what happens when you're fat'. So my guess is that she had a bee in her bonnet about overweight people.

janey that is outrageous. The woman might have an opinion, and yes, might be frustrsted that larger people have gall bladders too, but, after talking to heaps of people who have had this op, they really do come in all shapes and sizes. Its not a 'fat' person problem I don't think.

The consultant said the same thing to dp about the ultrasound, dp asked was it because he's fat, and the guy said, well yes, it makes it harder to see clearly; but he was uncomfy saying it out loud. Bedside manner, or just plain manners and all that!

My BMI is about 40 and I had mine out a couple of months ago by keyhole