Having to have an operation and terrified of GA

[brislereg]

I have to have my gallbladder removed. I had the preop and they have said as my bmi is 31, I have to go on a diet to reduce the size of my liver as they have to prop it up out of the way and if it is too heavy it might cause the medical instruments to pierce it and cause a haemorrhage.

I'm terrified now that I'm going to die and I'm so ashamed of my weight and that I'll be to blame.

Can anyone offer any words of advice?

GA is amazing because you genuinely won't know anything about it! One minute you're trying to count backwards and the next thing you're being woken up in recovery.

Take the advice and lose weight before the op. It's boring, but a sensible thing to do. I also was told to lose weight before op, and the only way I could do it was to live on hard boiled eggs and ryvita, no luxuries or treats at all. I dropped a stone before the op.

Ultimately we are all responsible for our own choices, and I wanted to give myself the best chances of a full and speedy recovery which is why I lost the weight and went on a health kick.

I've put the weight back on now and am enjoying being unhealthy and a bit fat!!!!! (In moderation of course.)

In 17 yrs anaesthetising for gall bags I've don't think I've ever had to give a blood transfusion and can't remember the last time the surgeons had to convert from keyhole to open (which is what they'd do if it was really difficult). The advice is pretty standard for anyone overweight and it is definitely sensible (because it will reduce risk generally as well as specifically for that problem), but a BMI of 31 is really nothing that exciting on a gall bladder list these days.

Do you know when your surgery is going to be?

By the time I had my surgery I'd lost a lot of weight just by desperately trying to avoid more gallstone attacks and having a fat free diet.

So you may find that your BMI has come down by then anyway.

Yeah, i haven't got a date yet and they have said that the liver diet is pretty extreme so i should only do it for two weeks beforehand as it is unsustainable so i will try and do it myself in the meantime but i feel a bit in limbo waiting.

But im also quite unnerved by the prospect of GA. I had two as a child, one for tonsillectomy and one when I had 4 teeth removed (think nowadays I'd have got braces!) and I remember coming round and being totally confused and out of it and it freaked me out a bit.

This is reassuring thank you

I had a GA when my gallbladder came out and I loved it. I genuinely can't see any reason to be scared. Plus, you'll feel so much better after the op is done.

Well yes a few people have said to me to enjoy it as it's like a really good sleep. But I feel so worried.

Don't worry I had to go on a 600 calorie a day fluid diet for 2 weeks before I had my gastric band fitted. For the same reason to shrink the liver. I went on slimfast 3 shakes a day. It shrinks the liver pretty quick.
They are making me have my hip replacement under epidural....I am NOT happy. I don't want to be awake, all that drilling and banging.
I've had GA before free drugs and a long dreamless sleep. Lovely.

I’m in an identical position. Had surgery cancelled on the day as too unsafe. I’m fat. They asked me to lose weight and will review me in October. I’ve put on 2kg
i comfort eat. It’s an addiction

Me too. I’m terrified. But I had one earlier this year and I was ok.

My mate is awaiting a date for her gall bladder surgery, so she's put herself on a very low fat diet in part to prepare but mostly because she's terrified of more attacks and they tend to coincide with a few meals where fat was higher.

She's lost absolutely loads of weight, however she's struggling to eat regularly - psychologically - because of the fear of attacks.

She's trying to have easy and tasty snacks like high protein fat free yoghurts (have a look in Lidl at the high protein sections) to help her eat more frequently and I've now introduced her to some awesome Indian recipes which are all but fat free (any fat is solely if you fry off onions/spices, so she's sticking to spraying oil to control the quantity!) - daal, tomato based curries, chickpea curries, potato side dishes, cardamom rice and even fat free flat breads! https://thebigmansworld.com/2-ingredient-flatbread/

I was in the same position as you and then had to have it out as an emergency so no time to do the diet. I was about 7 stones ovwrweight at the time.
I cried over the anaesthetist who came to talk to me before, cried all over the 2 nurses who took me down to theatre, you really won't know anything about it.
I didn't get to number 5 counting and the next thing I knew was a lovely young man smiling and saying 'I am Daniel, I have told you 3 times already'.
I stayed in overnight and then had 5 weeks off work to recover.
I am just so thankful never to have thw pain again.

@Hippywannabe thanks that is reassuring.

To be honest, the attacks have settled as I have been trying to avoid the triggers, and when I had the consultation I was to the surgeon do I really need the op, as it has settled down. She was adamant it would come back and said better to have it done as an elective procedure when things are settled than to wait for it to flare up as the op will be more complex.

It’s been many decades but I used to assist in surgery for people having procedures when they had a full GA. You wont know about it and recovery varies, some people are hilarious when they come round and some are a bit feisty and some like me tend to be groggy for ages.

Try and lose weight, I know it’s easier said than done but it’s needs to be as safe as possible when you have your GA and that’s why they have asked you. Amounts eaten have become so completely skewed since I was young plus the amount of calories people drink has changed hugely. Had a hot chocolate with cream out yesterday it was delicious, had the medium size which was still big, the large size ones were like buckets. Body positivity has done a number on people, life expectancy is falling.

Buy a smaller dinner plate, there is research backing up how the mind fools us a little if the plate looks full. Good luck.

I'm terrified of having a GA ever since an unpleasant experience as a child. I'd be fine with a local, had fractured ankle set with one, but think I'd need hypnotherapy for a GA. It's the feeling of someone being in control when I'm not "there" I think.

Yes @Freysimo I know what you mean.

I had mine removed with high BMI.
Two years ago.
I was awake and up and about soon after....my surgeon said he had operated on people much bigger than me with no complications..
It's day surgery and laparoscopy.. so only 4 small cuts.
I'm wanting a new hip now.. so I'm on mounjaro to loose the weight.. 12 weeks in and two and half stone down.