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Gallbladder removal POST OP

132 replies

PopcornBits · 01/02/2017 22:33

Hi, I posted up a few days ago about having gallbladder removed and catching a cold! (Which almost cancelled my op today)
Have had the op after begging, pleading, mostly because I have no family, my husband just got back from overseas and will be starting a new contract 6th Feb. So I really needed to get this surgery done.
Anaesthetist checked chest redid temp, all came back ok he was happy to proceed but told me I was at risk for chest infection/pneumonia.

I just want to ask a few questions to those who've had it done now:
How bad was your pain after op? I woke up with bilary colic type pain, (probably from gas) and had to have in total, morphine injection, 2 lots of oramorphs and have just had a codeine. Basically I'm in a lot of pain, not just slight discomfort like the pre op nurse made it sound like!

Secondly, my chest and throat are as dry as sand, and coughing is hurting!
How long is the grogginess dryness going to last?

Also, my wounds have been glued back together, is that usual? I apparently have stitches on the inside though.

Thanks in advance :)

OP posts:
TinyTear · 10/03/2017 09:52

i didn't have staples. only the drain wound had stitches and the others were just stuck together... good luck

weller7104 · 12/03/2017 15:50

I had my gallbladder removed a couple of weeks ago and feel so much better. For anyone about to have theirs removed by keyhole surgery here are a few things I wish I'd known which may help you feel more comfortable after-obviously we're all different though-

I was surprised to be sent home the same night after the op, having just been sick- I think it's the anesthetic that makes you sick and this lasted for a day with me.

The hospital gave me co codimol for the pain, but I think this makes you constipated so personally I'd stop taking this as soon as you can as your body will have enough to cope with , without constipation as well

After a day or so I felt able to eat anything again BUT for me it had to be small meals. I was sick a week after my operation after eating a big meal.

Don't rush back to work too soon- your body is healing inside. I went back after two weeks but think this was too soon and really I needed another week off. Don't be worried about asking for this from your doctor.

Proping up pillows around my stomach at night helped me feel much more comfortable for the first week.

Good luck to anyone who is about to undergo this op.

trinity0097 · 12/03/2017 19:19

I'm doing so much better now, it's 2 weeks and 1 day since my op. i can now walk 1.6 miles at a time, yesterday I did two walks like that to build up my strength, one in the morning and one in the evening - I'm getting to know my local area loads!!!! I started driving on Thursday, although I could have done it earlier I think.

My incision on my lower right hurts the most, it has ouzed a bit, e.g. This morning I didn't have any dressings on when I showered, I then put one back just on the lower bigger one, but after a Sainsbury's trip my white vest was a bit stained around it, it looks fine, but I have bunged a plaster on it for good measure! The lower one I am keeping a dressing on because it it is right where my waist band is, and quite vulnerable given my lovely previous fat belly overhang under my belly button (I'm about 6 stone lighter than I was 2 years ago!). The small cuts the surgeon made are nice and neat, the drain one is a bit more weird shaped, definitely a round hole shaped scar there, the lower one I think I will have a knobbly raised bit, unless that settles with time, but it's not quite flat. That was a bit yuck today, there was a blob of dried blood hanging off, I had to cut it off, as I think a bit of the stuff they sew you up with inside was sticking out and the blood had congealed around it - but I snipped it off and I hope that now I'm exposing it to water when I shower it will dissolve!

Last night I started lying on my front and right side for periods of the night, was a bit sore, but felt so nice as that's how I usually sleep!

Today I went into work for 2.5 hours, with a 30min drive each way. That was fine, back tomorrow, will be at School by 6.30am and I'll see how long I manage to stay for. In my mind I'm not doing any teaching this week, my head wants me to not teach for the rest of the term, but she has an ulterior motive as there is tonnes of stuff she needs me to do! Tomorrow's focus will be doing lots of mini lesson observations around school.

On Friday I went and hit the shops for 4 hours (including driving between the 4 locations!) to buy new clothes for work, as I tried mine on and most of my dresses and jackets did not fit, I've lost 1.5 stone since the attack started on Xmas Day!!!

I'm now eating at normal times and have had no ill effects, I am slowly introducing more fat each meal time, e.g. Today it was chicken wrapped in streaky bacon with cheese on the menu for our supper. I really want to get back to proper low carb high fat if I can, as it was so successful for me in keeping my weight stable/down and killing the type two diabetes! Mind you I am enjoying the things I didn't get to have, as I started LCHF very suddenly and kept to it very religiously. So it's kind of like a last supper thing where I am eating things I craved - weirdly my biggest craving was for crunchy nut cornflakes with milk - all far too carb heavy for LCHF!

I do get tired more easily at the moment though, but I'm sure that will continue to improve. My head commented today that I looked so well, and that I had always looked white as a sheet when I had the drain in (and that was me with drain and no pain, compared to the had to stay at home tramadol induced haze painful drain leaking stage!)

Here's hoping for a continued positive recovery!

trinity0097 · 18/03/2017 07:17

How is everyone doing? I went back to work this week and have been eating a normal diet. 3 weeks post op today.

fuckweasel · 18/03/2017 18:24

Back to work on a phased return as still not 100%. GP says 3-6 months before I'm back to normal! Ultrasound this week shows I still have a blood clot where my gallbladder once was. Seven weeks post surgery so really should be gone. Sonographer wants me to see consultant again as she thinks it's unusual. Liver function still very abnormal, but considerably less so than it was. Bored of all this now!

trinity0097 · 18/03/2017 19:18

Oh dear 😖

Hope they get you sorted soon

TinyTear · 20/03/2017 08:29

i feel ok, don't have any follow up until the end of May so I really hope I'm ok

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