just had my gallbladder out - a bit in shock! Any advice

[Institches]

I've just got back from hospital after having my gallbladder out. It's all happened a bit fast - went to the GP in agony, got sent straight to hospital, felt better, was about to be sent home & referred for an outpatients laproscopy then all of a sudden they decided to do right away & an hour later I was in theatre.

Stil a bit in shock! Anyway, anyone got any advice? Can I eat normally now? Is there any thing I shouldn't eat? The consultant said I might get "soft stools" from now on - is he hinting I'm going to need a nappy?!

Also I had the keyhole operation and my neck has been agogny - feel like I've got whiplash. Apparently this is something to do with them infating you abdomen with air. Has anyone else had this & how long did it last?

Thanks everyone & BTW - please, no horror stories, I only need to hear good stuff!

Sorry about the spelling above - still feeling a bit light headed.

Off to sleep for a bit - will look in again later....

Wow no hanging about there then! You'll be better off without it, the pain from gallbladder stones and biliary colic can be worse than labour apparently.

You may get diarrhoea as bile salts can irritate the bowel. You won't need a nappy! It usually settles down after a week or two. This link tells you about diet post-cholecystectomy.

The pain from the sufflation of air can take some days to go away - peppermint can help, so try peppermint tea or make a mix of peppermint oil (you can get it in pharmacies and health food shops) and hot water which you can sip.

wow - lucky you!! seriously, i had to wait months for my op!

You should feel fine within a couple of days. Back to normal after a week.

You can eat normally although some people do find they get a bit uncomfortable following a high fat meal.

I didn't get soft stools, neither was i advised that i might.

The pain you describe is normal,i was in agony after my op, they did spill a bit of bile when they removed my GB and i had to have some strong pain killers but it went off after a day.

Good to rest - hope you feel better soon x

Wow - that was quick. It took me a year to get diagnosed and I was in agony like that a lot.

They tell you that you can eat properly but in reality take it easy and keep off thing that are fatty, not too much alcohol and eat light meals with not too much meat. I had mine out about 18 months ago. It took 6 weeks to get over it. You need lost of rest. They told me I could not drive for a month.

Also keep an eye on your weight. I put on a stone afterwards. I also find I get a lot of acid indigestion so have to take Gaviscon quite regularly.

The pain in the neck is trapped gas - it should go after 24 hours. Sometimes it happens in the point at the top of the shoulder too.

Your gallbladder is apparently as much use to you as a chooclate teapot, so you shouldnt miss it
The neck pain might have been poor positioning during surgery, do you know how long you were on the table for, or if the anaesthetic took longer than expected.

Wishing you a full recovery

Had mine out last year, sore for about 2 weeks but then fine.

Still not able to eat much fatty food (good thing).

Thanks for all your replies.

I think my OP made it sound a bit faster than it actually was - It was just the decision to operate that seemed to happen suddenly, the rest was loads of boring waiting around.

Yes, you're right I was lucky to get the op done right away. I think it was because the US scan had shown a stone was blocking the tube, so I would have been in agony again as soon as I ate something & also the blood tests from my liver showed something wrong.

Also the surgical consultant on call happened to be the gallbaldder expert - perhaps he was on a bonus for meeting some target!!

My husband's just come in with a chocolate pud for me - but I've got no appetite (not like me) and maybe I'd better watch the fat.