Gallbladder Surgery - Richmond,VA

the recovery time is minimal. i had my surgery and went home that same day and did minor house cleaning (dishes,laundry,picking up toys etc..) no heavy lifting for the first 2 to 3 days but after that i was fine. I felt SOOOOOO much better..... The pain associated with mine had me passing out during an attack because mine were so many and big and my attacks were severe. If you are having attacks that are sending you to the ER i recommend getting the surgery, gallstone can get lodge in the bile duct and casue even more problems like infections, they also can cause the gall bladder to become diseased and affect more organs. Have the surgery. Miine was laproscopic and i have 3 very small scares. Hope you fair well and recover fast.

Definitely worth it. I had my first gall stone attack in October of 1997. I tried to treat it over the phone with my dr. and he thought it was a reflux problem so soon after my first child. When I finally went in for an appointment, he told me how surprised he was that I was having gall stones and so young, but the ultrasound recommended immediate surgery. It was my first surgery and I was nervous. My family asked me to get a second opinion, so I got one; with an upper GI test - which only offset my careful eating habits that seemed to halt the stones from moving. The next surgery available was in February, 1998 (it was early January by this time). My digestive system had been through so much torture, it took over 6 months to get comfortable with most dairy foods. but NO MORE ATTACKS!!! Very worth it, I wish I'd seen my doctor right away and had the surgery right away. I'd never felt any discomfort after surgery before then, So I would never want to take surgery lightly. I was feeling good after 3 days - although, DO NOT lift or carry BEFORE the doctor's recommendation, it'll triple the time to really heal; before you can lift and carry children or diaper bags or purses, without knowing you've over-done it...

I had mine in 2005, 6 months after having my son. My surgery was at noon and I was home at 3:30! I had my check exactly one week later and I had zero pain by then. I needed pain meds for about 2-3 days. the belly button incision was the only painful one to me. The first two days my hubby had to pull me out of bed because I could not sit up on my own. the pain left quickly and I have had zero pain since. The attacks were aweful, you will love having it over with. I went home with just bandaids on the incisions.

I had my gallbladder removed 2 years ago and it's the best thing that I did. The attacks for me only got worse and came more frequently. The surgery was relatively quick and did not require a hospital stay but it did take a few days to recover. I personally was in pain afterwards and did a lot of sleeping but the couple of days of pain is much better than unpredictable, unbearable pain. I do still have some issues with greasy food. I recently had a colonoscopy to find if bile was spilling into my liver causing some issues with diarrhea but adding more fiber to my diet is suppose to help with some of that.

I had my gallbladder removed, and I'm really surprised they're waiting so long. It took 5 attacks for them to diagnose me, because I was younger and didn't have children yet, but once they saw the stones, they told me I needed immediate surgery, and I was in there 2 days later.

that being said, the surgery was fast and easy, it was ABSOLUTELY worth it. You will be very sore for 2-3 days, and a bit sore for the rest of the week. I was pretty much back to normal by day 3. You will not be able to do much for about 2 days, though. Make sure someone is around to help with the kids (you absolutely will not be able to bend over and change a diaper). I had 4 little cuts, and 5 years later they are barely visible, more as little dots.
The only thing I would caution you on is that it may take awhile for your body to adjust to normal eating, and some people are forever sensitive to greasier foods. I was eating pizza by the end of the week, but that's just me.

You should try tums as an aid to the prilosec in the meantime. Also, I know you said you changed your diet, but I wanted to mention my triggers, in case you want to re-examine what you're eating. I had to cut out meat, chocolate, acidics (oranges, onions, tomatoes), and most fatty foods - fast food, fried foods, donuts, those sorts of things.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll feel much better after surgery.

Hi there - I haven't had this surgery - but I have several close friends who have. Each time it was after a reasonable amount of healthy weight loss (done slowly through healthy changes in eating habits). The good news is in every case the operations have had short recovery times and completely solved any problems that were going on. One of my friends had very painful attacks like you - they didn't really give her an option - they told her she had to have it removed. Its seems like relatively minor surgery. I hope you are feeling better.

I had my gallbladder removed when my oldest was 3 wks old. They did it laproscopically and my surgeon made me stay overnight in the hospital for pain control (I took 2 tylenol all night). Of course 3wks eqarlier I went through 44 1/2hr of back labor (39 without medication)so I have a pretty high pain tolerance.If you are in good health otherwise recovery should not be a problem. I was back to my normal routine as a SAHM with a newborn the next day. You do have to take it easy with heavy lifting, etc. but otherwise mine was uneventful. Everyone IS different. If you've had procedures before recall your recovery was it as expected by the doctor or did you have problems? I think mine was totally worth it, I did not like the idea that I may be alone with my children and have another attack like I did before surgery. Good luck!

Good morning,

I had gallbladder surgery (laparoscopic - incision through the bellybutton) 10 months after having my son. I went home the next day with very little discomfort and it was definitely worth it! I would rather go through labor than experience gallstone pain. The main advice I have is to remember that it is still surgery. You will barely see the incision(s) but you are still healing on the inside so take it easy for as long as your doctor recommends. My surgery was 16 years ago, but I think I was restricted from lifting/major movement for about 3 weeks.

I pray that your surgery and recovery go well.

Sincerely,
A.

I had my gallbladder removed this past July. I had my surgery at AAMC and was in and out the same day. I never really had any discomfort or pain after the surgery. I have not had any problems eating since having it out, it was so worth it. My twins were about 4 months old when I had my surgery and I didn't have any problems picking them up. Good luck!!

H.

I had the surgery done laproscopically in 1994 and was back to aerobics within two weeks. No symptoms since, and haven't had trouble eating anything either. The only thing they didn't warn me about was the shoulder pain from the gas they inject in your abdomen to see what they're doing during the surgery. As the gas dissipates, it collects up, and the only way to make it go away was to walk. Thought I was having a heart attack! But it was just the gas... God bless and you'll be glad you did it! BTW fats will make you have an attack.

Get the surgery. No doubt.

I had my first (and only) gall stone attack almost 3 years ago, when my son was 3 months old. It was mothers day and I got a strong pain in my belly about 10pm, was in the bathroom literally all night vomiting and diarreah, went to the ER and had surgery the next day after staying all night in the ER. Eventually, the pain subsided as the gall stone passed, but the Dr. said the attacks will just keep coming. I could have the surgery now or wait until the next time, and there will be a next time.

The surgery? No problem. They make three little incisions that leave very minimal scars, extract the gall bladder and you go on your way. I stayed in the hospital a total of 3 days, and I have been fine since... no problem eating whatever I want - and I have an admittedly terrible diet... that's on my list - and the recovery was quick and easy.

Go get better. :) Good luck.

D.-
I had gallbladder surgery about 20 years ago. I had the attacks for 8 years before they figured out what it was. My surgery was a bit complicated as it was emergency and I had a stone stuck in the bile duct of my liver. I have a big scar and a couple small ones, but now I know that the surgery is very simple and they make a tiny incision. Honestly, after a couple of days I felt great. It just hurt to laugh.
Hope the surgery goes well,
S.

I had gall bladder surgery about 5 1/2 years ago. I'm assuming your's will be laproscopically??? If so, it's really not bad at all. The doc will make 4 little incisions and it is done fairly quickly. Usually it is day surgery, but mine was done so late in the day, I stayed one night in the hospital. I think I was pretty much recovered in a week, maybe less. Though, that being said, I did not have a 2 month old baby then to hold/carry/comfort. But if all goes normal, it shouldn't be too bad.

I had the surgery two years ago. I had had one minor attack about a year before (just pain), then I had a bad attack. I somehow knew what it was. I went to the dr. He sent me for an ultrasound, they saw stones, and sent me to the surgeon. This was in October. I wanted to wait until after the holidays, the doctor said why. So I scheduled it for Nov 7th. Then I started having a dull ache everyday. The night before surgery I slept about an hour and got up and was sick all night. I would have gone to the E.R. if I didn't have the surgery scheduled for the morning. So, I went to the hospital in a full attack. The stone was stuck. They did the surgery, and I was home within 5 hours. The first two days were painful, then I was better. I didn't feel "normal" for about 10 days. I think since I was in a full attack, it took me longer. I was eating pizza within a week with no problems.

The surgery is definetly easier than the attacks.

Gallstones after pregnancy are very common. I had my surgery in 2003 as outpatient. It was worth it. I was on bed rest for 3 days because I had a reaction to the pain meds. Due to my husbands work schedule, I stayed at my parents house where I would have someone there 24/7, and my toddler stayed with his other grandparents. (we all live in the same neighborhood). I was on lift restriction for 1 - 2 weeks. After that I was fine.

I had to adjust my diet a bit. I can't eat lettuce, and have to be careful about the fat in take or I have severe bathroom issues. That's just become part of life...

M.