Gallbladder removal

[Peachi82]

I am on the waiting list to get my gallbladder removed as I have been having frequent attacks since giving birth earlier this year.
Last week I have spent 3 days in A&E as I had jaundice and they did an ultrasound and MRI to check that my bile ducts are not blocked (I must have passed a stone as the bile duct was wider than normal and had a different shape).

Anyway, I'm bricking it with regards to the surgery. You read so often that people suffer from diarrhoea no matter what they eat, that it makes them unable to leave the house. I am only just 40 and I have two young kids, I lead an active life style, I can't have this.

I really don't know what to do. I can't live with the risk of having an attack every now and then (I cannot pinpoint to what exactly is causing them), but I also cannot spend the rest of my life on the loo.
I understand that in the weeks following the surgery it is quite normal and is supposed to get better over time. But what do I do if it doesn't get better?

I was referred to gastro end of April for my gallstones and haven't had an appointment with the consultant as of yet. So I assume if I need to see gastro for diarrhoea following surgery, it'll be also months and months waiting. The thought alone gives me anxiety and depression.

I had my gallbladder out in July. I had crippling attacks from Christmas last year.

I have been absolutely fine since. You may find there are certain foods that don't agree with you afterwards. I docsometimes struggle with pizza. My Mum can't seem to eat eggs. But on the whole it's a million times better than having gallstone attacks. Also been there with the jaundice.

I have the op in March 2020 just before everything stopped for covid! I was lucky, I waited a year for the op.
If I eat very rich or greasy food I will have a bout. Sorted by an Imodium. I had no post op problems at all and am so glad I had the operation, the attacks beforehand were horrific.
good luck, think positive!

**had the op - sorry I’m on my phone!

Every one reacts differently.
I had mine out three years ago. I didn't have diarrhoea at all, or any real pain.
But I did struggle with bending so couldn't dress properly for a week or so and couldn't walk very far for several days.
My overall recovery was quite slow compared to some people, but I waited over 9 months for my surgery and had been unwell for a long time.
I was getting about ok after 10 days or so and fit for work after 3 weeks.
It was much better to have it done than deal with the pain which was having a significant impact on my life.

I had the op five years ago. I had a couple of weeks of abdominal ache from the surgery, but aside from the odd bit of indigestion I've been fine.

I had my gallbladder removed 4 years ago. My life was completely dominated by my fear of another attack. I lost a lot of weight because of my restricted diet and was as miserable as you sound.
I read lots of stuff on line from people who had apparently suffered dreadfully with diarrhoea and I convinced myself it would happen to me. It didn't, I have had zero issues since my surgery. I ate a fat free diet for the first few days after surgery and then thought "sod it" and had a lasagne and chips followed by ice cream. I waited with some apprehension and I was totally fine and have been to this day.
I was very nervous about the surgery but by the time my appointment came I almost skipped down to the operating theatre.
Good luck and try and stop reading the online forums!

I had mine removed in 2016. Best decision ever.
I've had no digestive problems since.
Just ate normally again straight after surgery.

Had mine removed a year ago, no issues since

I know quite a few people as well as me who have had the op, plus there are absolutely loads of threads on here about it. I know nobody who has had at all significant problems afterwards. The surgery (if it's keyhole, as it usually is) is pretty straightforward. I recovered very quickly. I very occasionally get slight diarrhoea if I've eaten a large meal that's really, really oily/fatty. That's it. My mum had the open surgery about 30 years ago and even then she had no problems afterwards.

I had my gallbladder removed, best thing ever to be without that pain, my surgery was fine, done laparoscopically. I can eat anything now, I don’t have a bad tummy. Try not to worry, it will be ok, it’s such a relief to know you aren’t going to have to suffer those attacks anymore.

@Ted27 my recovery was similar to yours. I expected it to be easier and quicker. My surgeon said I'd be almost normal after a week and fully recovered after 10 days. I was shuffling around until 10 days and took a good 2.5 weeks to be properly better. Perhaps because I was pretty ill before too.

11 years since I had my gallbladder out, and not had any issues since. Haven't seen any kind of doctor at all since then, for anything.
Just do it! It was just such a relief to have the op - I begged the surgeon to whip out the offending organ!

I had mine out in March 2021 as I was admitted with cholecystitis and was on a drip for a week. Had only had 1 attack previously and didn't know what it was until I went to A&E and could barely stand. I was lucky they fitted me in that week, good a couple of weeks to recover but like another poster, I'd been ill beforehand. Very few issues since, so please don't worry, you will be fine

I had mine removed ( keyhole) in November last year, 7 months after one severe attack. I had one single stone that measured 4cm across and it was deemed urgent to be removed. I was transferred from the NHS list to a private hospital.
The operation was very straight forward, I felt well enough to work in an office after a couple of days and have had no problems with anything that I eat .
I do have a healthy pescatarian diet though.

I had mine taken out a year ago via keyhole. I recovered really quickly and I’ve had no ongoing digestive/bowel issues.

Had mine done quite a few years ago now. Apart from a couple of days straight after the op, I have had no digestive issues!

I do get pain if I eat too many fatty foods, but only if I really overindulge.

You're all so kind!

My mum had hers out a few years ago and she is still struggling. I don't know whether it is maybe because it was infected (she stayed in hospital 14 days after surgery despite it being done by keyhole) or if it is because of other health problems.
The difference is that she is over 70 and can adjust her daily activities to her needs. I have a few more years of kids having to be in school on time, I want to return to work once our youngest is a bit older and so on.

But having the attacks is also not a solution as I understand they can be life threatening and the last one knocked me out for a week where I wasn't able to properly look after my family.

I probably really should stop reading.

My diet is relatively healthy, I do cook fresh every day for us mostly from scratch, not a lot of meat. The surgeons assume I developed the gallstones as I have lost quite a lot of weight in a short amount of time (I am 3 stone lighter compared to the start of the pregnancy), thanks to HG and gestational diabetes.

Had mine out earlier this year and have had no digestive issues. If I eat more than one fatty meal on the trot my stool might get a bit floaty in the pan and my guts gurgle a bit but that's the limit of it. I find if I take digestive enzymes (you can get them from Holland & Barrett) it helps with that. I used them in the lead up to the op, too, with every meal, to try to reduce the chance of an attack.

I had mine out over 15 years ago.and it's the best thing I ever did i had eight years of pain, misdiagnosis and eventually a nasty case of pancreatitis. I have had no issues at all since.
Pancreatitis can be extremely serious and personally I wouldn't want to risk keeping a problematic gall blader. Good luck with everything x

I had my gallbladder out 10 years ago. Mine became infected and I had sepsis and my liver started failing.

The operation was ok. I had 143 stones.

My recovery was good. With regards to side effects, i do tend to have very loose stools if I eat too much fatty food. But it is manageable.

My DH had his out 2 weeks ago. His was infected. He is recovering well. He is in pain/discomfort. He is up and about. At times he is doing a bit too much and he's is bored.

His wounds are healing well.

He aims to be back at work in around 3 weeks.

I had another attack last night and I'm so done with it all... Baby was very clingy so I couldn't get to A&E, but the pain was beyond anything I have ever experienced.

Have you been told to take buscopan for the attacks OP? It's more effective than any painkiller. I ended up in hospital with serious complications for mine and was on buscopan there, it really helps and you can buy in the supermarket for IBS.

No :-( when I was in hospital 3 weeks ago, I was only given Paracetamol.
I am breastfeeding, I don't think I can take Buscopan. Unfortunately.

I just had a look on breastfeeding network and it says Buscopan is safe. The NHS website says it's not safe and should also not be used when you're over 40?

I paid to have mine done last year. I was in a terrible state. I had real food straight away and have had no issues at all apart from a stomach ache after a boiled egg once, and something weird after eating a lamb kebab.

Do what you can to get bumped up the list or get finance. I would still be waiting now. My attacks were so bad I couldn't even call or phone for help... I just had to lie still and breathe. I realised once it had been 4 hours curled up in a ball. Nobody bloody checked on me either.

Weirdly, hot water bottles help a bit, but keep asking what you can take. Once 111 offered me pethidine injections, but it had taken so long to call me back that I was OK by then.