Finally on waiting list to have gallbladder removed.

[Dailystuck71]

It's taken 12 weeks to see the surgeon and the appointment took less than 5 minutes! Now on waiting list and hopefully in before Christmas.

Can I ask how your surgery went? Any side effects and recovery time/time off work? Thanks.

I had it about 3 years ago. Surgery was uneventful, home next morning. I didn't really have much pain afterwards- they gave me tramadol leaving hospital but I just took difene for the first 24 hrs I was home and after that I didn't need anything. (I have a reasonably high pain threshold but at the sane time if I need pain relief I take something, I don't believe in being a martyr and putting up with pain unnecessarily)

I had fleeting darts of pain around the incision sites if I moved quickly for a few days, they were very fleeting.

Didn't have any GI symptoms- had read about potential diarrhoea and bowel urgency but didn't experience that at all.

The one thing I hadn't anticipated was tiredness, which I attributed to the anaesthetic. After about 10 days (by which time I felt back to myself)I undertook a drive which wouldnt normally cost me a thought and I was shattered after it.

I was back at work after two weeks and that was enough time off.

Best of luck with your surgery.

I was one of the unlucky 5% whose keyhole surgery had to be converted to open. No indication beforehand that this would be the case. Just something to be aware of as recovery is a lot longer than for keyhole. Six week off work then a few weeks phased return. Couldn't drive for over a month. It was my first general anaesthetic and as the pp said, it was exhausting and my brain was definitely fuzzy for weeks afterwards! I could eat afterwards without any effects but had zero appetite for a while after surgery anyway. Hope all goes well.

I had to have mine done privately, which meant a night in hospital. To be honest I'm not sure I would have really coped at home that first night without someone very good at caring (like my Mum, not my husband!) to look after me!

I was back at work 2 weeks later, I drove after 10 days.

You need some comfy clothes to go home in, nothing with a tight waist band as you will have a scar just below you belly button.