Galbladder removed.

[Enfys93]

Hi! After some advice/ people who have been in the same boat as me please!

I had my galbladder removed two days ago due to suffering with really bad pain throughout my pregnancy. (Little one is now 10 MO)

When I was released from hospital I didn't see a doctor and the nurses weren't really sure how to answer my questions. (I understand they are so busy with everything going on, and I was eager to get home the same day!)

I questioned how bad my galbladder was and no one could tell me the answer.

• when do I need to change my dressing? Is it ok to get it wet now? Would love a bath.

• what diet should I follow? The nurse said eat anything. I tried a little bit of ice cream yesterday and felt so sick for hours 🤢

• when should I be able to pick up my little one? Finding it so helpless not seeing to him. Luckily my partner has some time off work to help.

• returning to work.. did it take you long to recover?

After some reassurance that I'll be able to eat 'normal' eventually 🤦‍♀️ 🙈

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to answer me! Xx

Hi
I had mine removed in November. Th dressings they told me i could take off after a couple of days. I was told not to bath for 10 day after and to have strip washes or a shower and let the water run down off you. Do not soak or get the wounds wet.

Food wise I was told I could eat normally but I know some people have issues. Perhaps its the milk or fat in the ice cream. Try and stick to fairly bland easy to digest foods which are low in fat for the moment and gradually re introduce things.

Picking up anything heavier than a bag of sugar they said not for 6 weeks or you could risk a hernia. You will need to sit down and get your partner to pass baby to you to change nappy cuddle feed etc

I was signed off for 2 weeks

It's many years ago now but I had my gallbladder out in similar circumstances - was ill through pregnancy then had it removed when my baby was a few months old.

I was back to work inside 10 days. I had mild pain for about a week and wasn't able to lift my baby for about a week, but I recovered really really quickly.

I have been able to eat normally ever since. However, I am prone to occasional bouts of diarrhoea and IBS symptoms which I understand some people say can be related to having no gall bladder. But it's a minor inconvenience compared with how ill my gallbladder made me.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

Hi.
Did you have keyhole surgery? That’s what I had and I was able to Hoover within about 5 days and was back to work after a week (no dc to pick up).

I can’t remember about dressings (my op was several years ago).

I had my op due to gallstones which had resulted in pancreatitis so my diet was low fat already.
I was told to spend at least a few months doing low fat and low dairy - I seem to remember anything greasy caused pain and dairy made me bloat uncomfortably.

You will be able to eat normally (I can eat pretty much anything now) but if I eat high fat foods for a few days in a row I end up in pain (learned after a holiday).

Hope you feel better soon.

Thank you for your replies!

Yeah it was done via keyhole surgery.

My partner has 2 weeks off work but I'll have to be able to pick up my little one then so hoping I'll feel able to by then!

I've asked for a call back from my Gp for some advice x

Ice cream probably wasn't the best choice. I can eat pretty normally but not high fat foods like ice cream, for those I miss my gall bladder.

I could go back to work in 2 weeks, some people it will take longer.

Thanks you, yeah I instantly regretted the ice cream!

What about things like alcohol? I haven't drank for 18 months but was hoping to try a gin for my birthday the end of March 🙈 not a top priority I know.

Thanks x

Take it easy. No getting wounds wet for 2 weeks.

Do not go too fast: I popped stitches on one of my wounds and it got infected and I now have a sound sized scar. My fault as after 7 days I was hoovering the house and being busy. Be very careful lifting anything for the first 2 weeks.

I think I drove after about 7 days but I got tired quite fast.

Food wise keep it simple. Again, I went too fast and had something fatty and it made me feel awful. Haven't had a Chinese takeaway since 🤢

You'll get to eating rubbish and drinking some booze but give your body chance to heal

I was back at work within 2 weeks too. Try and resist picking at your stitches, I did and it made my scar much worse! Hope you feel better soon

Unless it's alcohol that contains fat like Baileys, it doesn't need a gallbladder so you'll be fine.

Of the people I know who have had their gallbladders out, some can eat a totally normal diet and some have to avoid high fat food. I find that if it's something with a lot of double cream, the Gaviscon comes out.

Yeah I'm too scared to try anything like a Chinese so will be a long while off!
But hope I'll be able to have the odd treat in the future!

My partners off work until I'm 2 weeks post op so trying to get as much bed rest as possible. But when he's back in ill have to pick up my 10 month old etc so hopefully I'll be up to it then! x

I had mine out as emergency keyhole surgery. I was really ill post op, was kept in for a couple of days on antibiotics and kept being sick. I recovered slowly and wasn’t back to work for 6 weeks (manual job) and even then I had to go very carefully.
I would shower (my sites were sutured and glued on the surface) but not bath for a couple of weeks. Had a posh hotel with spa booked 2 weeks later for my birthday and couldn’t use any of it as still had one of the keyhole sites that was open and a bit yucky.
I was really good with my diet for a few weeks and then everyone in the house was having an Indian takeaway and I threw caution to the wind and was fine, but other people I know (who had problem free day cases) can’t eat anything fatty at all. A couple of years down the line I have developed IBS, but I don’t think it’s related (it can be due to something called bile dumping as you don’t have a gall bladder to regulate release).
I hope you’re on the mend soon OP

I was sore for a couple of days, didn’t bath or shower for those 2 days, then was pretty much back to normal, i did lose my appetite for a while, it was the anaesthetic that made me feel nauseas, but my recovery was very quick. I Took the 2 weeks off work offered but didn’t really need it. That was a year ago, I now eat what ever I want. There shouldn’t be any issues with picking your baby up.

Hi, I had mine out years ago and can eat anything I want now.
Be careful about picking up your little one though. I started picking up my baby 3 weeks post-op (no choice DH back at work) and obviously tore something internally. Had to go to A&E in agony. Anyway, you will have to take care of your little one, but just be careful for a few weeks and pick them up slowly and carefully and as little as possible. Hopefully you'll be able to eat and drink what you want again soon though!

Thank you for your replies. Gives me some hope for normal eating 🤞🤞

Yep, I had mine out 6 years ago and eat whatever I want. Before having it removed I can't say I noticed the attacks were linked to any particular foods though, they just seemed random. Not sure if that makes a difference going forward?

Ah I'm not sure.
I got to the point that I had a limited diet before having the op because I was in sooo much pain when I had a attack 🤦‍♀️