Trip to er...gallbladder

I had mine removed - sever pain, had gall stone - was not a big deal, and I don't really have any effects 4 years later...

I have not had this surgery but my best friend did. She said it helped her to eat very low fat food until she had the surgery and this kept her from having any more painful attacks after the diagnosis. She complained she ate nothing but skinless chicken, rice and veggies every day. She was struggling with other medical issues at the time so she had a slower than average recovery. She did have a full recovery though and now is fine and has been for several years.

I had my gallbladder removed laproscopically about 3 years ago. I stayed in the hospital over night. the pain was not too bad and recovery was quick. I have not had any problems since it was removed.

I had my gallbladder removed laproscopically about 10 years ago. I was in the hospital for over a week as they were convinced that something other than the gallbladder was causing me so much violent pain. I could not even drink water.The surgery was a breeze and the recovery from the actual surgery was very smooth. It took my body about 6 months to a year to get back on track digestively speaking. My sister-in-law had to have her gallbladder removed within a week of having a c-section. She recovered just fine with no digestive kinks. Hope all goes well for you.

I just found out on Friday that I have to get mine removed too. I have a consult with the surgeon on the 15th and will be eating low-fat everything until then. I have a newborn and a 2 year old and my DH works 24hour shifts, so I can't risk having another attack. So you're not alone, the pain and uncertainty really suck. I did hear that you really need to find a good surgeon, some people say to go with a surgeon who is a little younger because they will be trained to do it laproscopically. I ended up going with a different surgeon than the one referred by the ER because he had bad reviews online and the one I'm meeting with was referred by my OB who I trust. Take care and good luck!

Just one more reassuring note. You will be so, so happy that you have it out. Eat a low fat diet before (and after) the surgery. Work back into fatty foods slowly. It will take a while for your body to adjust to fat.

And, even 15 years later, I still have to "prime" my system some mornings for fatty foods if I want to avoid a small amount of digestive distress. But, it's so worth it. Gallbladder attacks are awful.

Oh. For me, at least, recovery from surgery was soooo easy. I hope it is for you, as well.

My husband started having major gall bladder attacks a few years ago. We ended up in the ER at one point wondering what horrible thing was wrong. It turned out to be his gall bladder and he had a surgical consult. He was going to do the surgery, but we had to save up for the co-insurance that we had to pay. In the mean time, he watched his diet, being careful not to eat a lot of fatty food (red meat was his main trigger) or really large meals. In this way he's been able to avoid the gall bladder attacks and also the complications of surgery and the digestive problems of having no gall bladder. It's been a couple of years and I think if things stay as they are, he won't ever do the surgery. Just something to think about. There are other options. He got a prescription for Vicodin so he had something to take while it was really flaring up. These days if he starts to feel one coming on he'll take ibuprofen as a precaution, but he really hasn't had a major attack in years.

I've had my gallbladder out because of gall stones, and I will agree with anyone that says laprascopic surgery to remove the GB was a walk in the park compared to the pain of having gall stones getting passed. I was home the same day and took a week off from work. But when I was having an attack - WOW! It was like I was being stabbed in the abdomen and the pain was so bad I couldn't even breathe - I just wanted to die!

Gall stones can cause blockages of the bile duct, which can lead to jaundice and liver issues. Also, the gall bladder itself can be so badly damaged that the tissue becomes necrotic or it can rupture, and then you need emergency surgery immediately. So my advice would be to have the surgery done ASAP. When my problem was diagnosed, and I was told surgery was my best option, I didn't even hesitate - I was getting married in 2 months and the last thing I needed was to be doubled-over in the bathroom, in pain and vomiting, or worse. That was 7 years ago and I've been fine ever since.

In the meanwhile, avoid fatty or greasy foods - fast food, fried stuff, pizza, creamy sauces, etc. Those types of foods are what get your gall bladder kicked into high gear producing bile to help digest the fat and therefore will likely cause issues if you already have gall bladder problems.

My co-worker just had her gall bladder removed two weeks ago. She is back at work and feeling great. She was so sick that she could barely eat anything and she missed tons of work. She hasn't missed a single minute and feels so much better.
My aunt is afraid of hospitals and procedures and she put things off for years. Her surgery and recovery went so well she literally said, "What the heck did I hold off for so long for?"
It was life changing for her, in the best possible way.
Get yourself strong. They will likely give you a diet to follow until you can have the procedure. Do it and don't look back.
Gall bladders don't really do anything. They are kind of like an appendix. You can definitely live without one, but they they can make you really sick.
Get strong enough and get it out.
You'll feel so much better after you do.

Best wishes and let us know how you're doing.

The best way I can describe my surgery was that the recovery pain was NOTHING compared to the pain and discomfort of my gall bladder attacks. It was a relief to have it done and I was up and moving around pretty good 3 or 4 days after surgery (I had it done lap with the small incisions). It really isn't a huge deal once it's over with, and not having the horrible attacks anymore is worth it.

I had mine removed 2+ years ago. I took three trips to the er and finally they got it right. It took anothech cavityr 3 days before thye could get the surgery done. I had it done laproscopically. I had 4 entry sites, one through my belly button, one about 3 inches above the belly button, another on my side, and thrn another jsut below the start of your ribs. THe one in my belly button and under my ribs are about an inch long and the two on my side are less than a half inch more like a quarter inch. I found the thing most irritating after the surgery was my shoulder hurting which is from the air they use to expand you stomach cavity. They have no idea why the shoulder hurts but mine did. I stayed in the hospital for 5 days since I had 4 month old twins and i knew I needed as much recouping at the hospital as I could get. When i went home it wasn't that bad, it took me a while to get back the endurance I had for picking up my kids but within 2 months I was back to normal and could eat what I wanted. I hope this helps.

S.

I had mine out about 12 years ago now. I was so sick by the time they figured out what was wrong that I had to be in the hospital for a week so that they could get me hydrated enough to have the surgery. I did not have a "normal" presentation so they did not think that it was my gallbladder for a long time. Mine was completely blocked and I was passing stones through scar tissue--oh yeah, that was a good time. Anyway, once they finally did the surgery, it took me about a week to recover and I have had no problems at all since then. The surgery left minimal scarring on my belly and the pain was manageable with Ibuprofen--I don't do well with any kind of narcotics.

I hope this helps and just know that you are going to feel a whole lot better when its all done!

I had my gallbladder removed January 4, 2011. Sometimes after I eat I need to hurry to the restroom and I suffer a bit of diarrhea but I've been told that's normal and will go away in time. It's a lot better than being doubled over in nauseating pain, that's for sure.

Unfortunately for me, my gallbladder up and quit on me four months after my husband lost his job and we lost our health insurance. I hope you have health insurance because if you don't, the bill for an uncomplicated laparoscopic surgery could run you a little over $60,000.00. I've been in negotiations with the hospital, the ER doctor, the surgeon, radiology and anesthesiologist to fall upon their mercy to help me out of this financial nightmare.

So far, every single one of them has agreed to work with me in some way or another, except for the ER doctor's billing department. I submitted all the paperwork they sent me and wrote personal letters detailing my situation, but they will not lower their bill, so I'm stuck.

Recovering from the surgery was pretty easy. Took me about a week and a half not to feel twinges when sitting up or rolling over. Recovering from the sticker shock of not having insurance due to job loss is devastatingly insurmountable. The ER doctor actually told me, in all seriousness, that I would be much better off flying to Australia or Canada to have my surgery. When I burst into tears and said I didn't have a passport and my family has lived in California for multiple generations, he just shook his head like there was nothing more he could do for me.

I actually put off my surgery for a whole month because the nurses in the ER told me that an emergency surgery would inflate the bill almost three fold and if I could hold off and deal with the pain until I could get a consult with the surgeon and schedule the surgery, I would be much better off.

So I left the ER clutching my side, with tears running down my face. I had a pain medication prescription in one hand, and the surgeons phone number in the other. I called the surgeons office to scheduled an appointment that day, and lived on rice, wheat bread and bananas until my surgery date. I went to the ER on 12.11.2010 and my surgery date wasn't until 01.04.2011. Merry Christmas to me and a happy new year.

My gallbladder experience was painful, in more ways than one. The scars from the surgery are still raw and purple but they are healing, however the wounds on my heart and my bank account are still open and bleeding.

My husband had his out laproscopically 4 years ago and it was same day surgery for him. He had it out on a Friday and was up and about almost like normal by the next morning. He took it easy over the weekend though. I can't remember if he went to work on Monday or Tuesday though. He does not have the side effects of problems with grease or having diarrhea though of having to "go" as soon as he feels the sensation, everything seems pretty normal. His scars are still there but are kind of hard to see anymore. I hope your surgery goes well.