Gall Bladder Removal

[Sprockermum22]

Hi All

I am due to go into hospital to have my gall bladder out on Monday. Can anyone tell me what to expect pain and recovery wise? Is there anything I should take with me? Anything you wish you'd know before, hints and tips etc.

I've been told I'll have to stay overnight but they didn't say why. I had a gastric sleeve in April and have lost 6 stone but as a result I have a gall bladder full of gall stones right in the bile duct and some are quite big apparently. I know this limits things like medication because of the risk of stomach ulcers.

Just looking for a hand hold as I'm quite nervous and don't know anyone who has also had their gall bladder out.

I've had mine out, didn't have to stay in but I don't have a gastric sleeve, they should really tell you why they're keeping you in. They couldn't get the crap in my bile duct out though so still can't eat a lot of fat. Much better than before though.

Recovery was injecting shit into my stomach a few times a day, using pillows pressed against my middle to get up and down and walking about, having to sleep on my back for a bit and lots of Netflix and sitting down stuff.

Good luck.

My dad had his gall bladder out and he was up and walking about normally pretty much straight after the op. He came home same day too. He said the pain was very manageable and that of all the ops he's had (he's had a few!) it was the easiest recovery. He was really relieved to get it done and said it's nothing like as bad as the initial gallstones attacks which knocked him for six. He's had no side effects since (only a tiny scar on his stomach) and can eat pretty much what he likes now again too which is a bonus. Good luck. I really hate anything medical too and always start imagining worst case scenarios. I found listening to 'the mindfulness app' on my phone really helped to calm me down recently when I was freaking out about something. It's got loads of guided meditations so it might be worth trying something like that? Xx 💐

I went home next day - only stayed overnight as also had pancreatitis & jaundice.
Had to take it easy for a few days, & also told not to drive for 2 weeks. Stitches popped once, so tiny bit of blood, but they gave me steri strips so that was sorted. Honestly, it was a v straightforward process, no problems at all and I'm so glad I had the op.

I had mine out in July. In terms of recovery, I think it changes for different people. My surgeon told me I should be mostly back to normal after 7 days and fully recovered after 10. For me it was more like 10 days to feel a bit better and 2 weeks to be fully recovered. I work from home and couldn't go back to work after 7 days, even in my house. But my gall bladder was very inflamed and blocked, so maybe that made it worse.

I also hated taking the codeine tablets as they spaced me out, so was probably a little more sore than I could have been.

I had keyhole surgery and they said it would be a day case unless they found stones in the bile duct. In that case they would need a drain overnight so I would have to stay. Since they already know you have stones in the bile duct I expect that is the reason for the stay. If you have to have open surgery then you'd have to stay in at least one night, I think.

I had very little pain after my removal. Was given 5 days worth of codeine plus anti inflammatories but I only took codeine the day after and the others for a couple of days after that.

Have laxatives on hand. I didn't poo for 3 days but took fybogel every day and when the poo came it was not too awful. You don't want to be straining.

Have cough sweets on hand. The anaesthetic tubes can irritate your throat and coughing hurts like heck for a few days. Also if you need to cough or sneeze brace a cushion against your abdomen (or use your arm if no cushion handy) as this helps a lot.

Walk as often as you can once you have had the surgery. I found it helpful to use a treadmill in the gym. Walking around outside is not as easy as you think in the early days because if you have to stop suddenly (person in front stops to look in shop window or whatever) or tread on uneven ground it is really unpleasant on the core.

Take slip on shoes with you to the hospital. You do not want to be bending over fastening shoes when you go home. And loose clothing. Don't bother with a bra unless you must, because if you have keyhole surgery one of the incisions is typically in the centre of your chest right where the bra strap goes. A stretchy bralette would be fine if you have one.

I imagine a lot of these things would have applied after your gastric band surgery.

Day after 1 was sore but shuffling about. Two days later I walked about a mile and back for coffee.
Take pain relief

For the car journey home- Take a pillow or have it in the car, to put between you and the lap part of the seatbelt. Had an agonising trip home thanks to my drivers abrupt braking!

I had keyhole and I actually was in a lot more pain after than I'd expected. For the first 4-5 days I could barely get out of bed unassisted.

Definitely get a good amount of codeine ready. And laxatives, because lying in bed taking codeine for several days will make you ridiculously constipated.

I'd also put a box of bottled water/snack bars/fruit next to your bed so you don't have to keep getting up for things. I didn't really fancy meals for a few days so it was good to have healthy snacks to hand.

I had mine removed by keyhole surgery last November and was walking around the room a couple of hours afterwards. Had an unscheduled overnight stay because I couldn’t pass water which is quite common apparently.
Minimal pain, just took a few paracetamol.

As pp say, loose clothes, slip on shoes and a soft bra to wear going home.
No driving for 2 weeks and heavy lifting for 4 weeks.

Apart from constipation for best part of a week I recovered quickly and was back WFH 4 days later.

Good luck OP.