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Who else has had their gallbladder out?

4K views 54 replies 33 participants last post by  Patty A 
#1 ·
Just curious...

Most of you know I had mine removed last February after a long battle.  Many of the problems in my pregnancy were related to my gallbladder, and then I spent some time in the ER last year at this time when the darn thing started acting up again.  When pregnant, my side hurt constantly (sharp pain that took my breath away at times), and I couldn't keep anything but broth and crackers down most of the time-- supposedly this was gallbladder related.  Last year, I had incredible pain right in the center of my ribcage that sent me to the ER, where the pain was eventually traced back  to my gallbladder.  That's when the docs decided it had to come out, and by then I was definitely ready.

I haven't had any problems since it was removed.  In fact, I felt so much better after it was gone that I wished I'd done it sooner.  It was completely dead, labeled as "non functioning" on my medical chart, so my theory is that my body doesn't really miss it at all. :)

What's your story?
 
#29 ·
Laproscopy (sp?) makes this a very simple procedure now. I had mine done 11 years ago, and was able to go home the same day. Very little pain, I was back to work in one week. Good luck!
 
#30 ·
Had mine done last Sept. done at 6am home by noon, slept the rest of the day. Next am alittle sore getting out of bed. Not much of an appettite for the next few days. Made up some tapioca puuding and jello before surgury and ate that. Tender tummy for a few days and groggy feeling from anisticia(sp).
Watch out for foods that may not agree with you anymore. I can no longer eat pizza it goes right through me also really greasy foods take the express route.

Laurie in Bradenton
 
#32 ·
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and letting me know how your surgeries went. I'm bumming out about the "no more fatty foods" thing. DH and I have a favorite, not too expensive hamburger place we like to meet at once a week for lunch and I guess it means no more Mexican food. :sigh: Oh, well, I guess that's what got me into this situation in the first place.:shame:


--Michelle
 
#47 · (Edited)
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and letting me know how your surgeries went. I'm bumming out about the "no more fatty foods" thing.
Don't worry too much yet.... I was eating pizza three or four days after my surgery! I know a friend of mine has trouble with fatty foods, too, but they've never been a problem for me, so I think it depends on the person. I haven't changed my diet since surgery three years ago.

I had the lapro procedure, went home a few hours later, and healed within days. It was the best thing I've ever done-- I had felt miserable for months before that. My gallbladder was completely dead, and in fact they couldn't even find it during the 45-minute-drink-dye scan thingy (like my technical terms?) that they did. But I tell you, once it was out, I felt better almost immediately!
 
#33 ·
I had mine out almost 25 years ago........I have a 10 inch scar across my belly. It was emergency surgery. I was 8 days in the hospital with nothing by mouth. Things sure have changed since I had mine done. As far as what you can and can't eat you have to experiment with the foods. Everybody is different
Fern
 
#34 ·
I had mine out 4 years ago. At first eating was a bit of a pain since things went straight through me. For me it got better over time. I must be one of the lucky ones because now I can eat anything without any trouble. Now and then something may cause a little tummy ache but nothing bad enough to make me not want to eat it anymore.

The surgery itself was a breeze. I had mine done on a Friday and the next day I was travelling 45 miles to watch DS's football game.
Good luck!!! It will all be just fine.
 
#35 ·
Fiance had his out also. Through the belly button. He eats anything he wants to now with no problem. He had his lunch brought in to him an hour after surgery and and hour later we came home.
Good Luck
 
#36 ·
Oh, you can still eat the fatty foods, just have a bathroom nearby. In other words, don't go out to eat Mexican food, then go straight to a movie. You will miss part of the movie!

I still eat something I shouldn't once in a while, but my tummy is happier when I stick with lower fat fare.
 
#37 ·
I had mine out 20 years ago and like Fern I have a 10 inch scar across my right ribs and tummy. The fatty food thing usually gets better for most people but just incase it doesn't ask your dr. for the pills that help with that ;). Also if you aren't going to get to have it done laproscopically ask for an epidural for the pain..... it helps a LOT.
 
#38 ·
As for the reaction to food after, it apparently does vary a lot. When I had mine out several years ago, the hospital dietitian, when she found out that I had been having problems with it off and on for some years, told me I would most likelyhave no problems at all -- my body would have already adjusted to getting by without a properly functioning gall bladder. She's was right, and I never any problem with any food. Fried chicken? Pizza? No problem! Pity -- I shouldn't eat them anyway and the straight through route would discourage me!

I had more pain apparently than some. I didn't actively hurt, but I could not tolerate the bed for several days -- the mattress let me bend too much in the middle and that got my attention. So I just camped out on the recliner and got through it. There too, people are different.
 
#39 ·
i would avoid fatty food before the surgery. dh wasn't told to avoid it but should have been and the surgery ended up being a bit difficult. his gallbladder ended up embedding itself and it was hard for the doc to get to it. after a few weeks his body has adjusted and he can eat pretty much anything he did before. he ended up with a good bit of pain but that was probably from it embedding itself.
 
#40 ·
I am going for an ultrasound soon (waiting for my dr. to call me back)...I think I have gall stones and need to have my gall bladder out. The pain is unbearable when I have "attacks", and I can be in pain for several hours. :sigh:
 
#43 ·
Michelle, I had my surgery a little over a week ago (July 31st) and am actually doing great now. I, too, had one attack like you described. It's pretty unbearable. The surgery took maybe about an hour. I had it done laparascopically, although the doctor did have to make a little bit of a larger incision just to get the dang thing out. She said that I had so many embedded stones and it was so inflamed and in such bad shape that she didn't know how I worked the entire week before having surgery. Strangely enough, besides the one time I had to go to the ER with my attack I only had some discomfort after eating. Basically my gallbladder was no longer functional anyway.

The hardest part was the first and second days after the surgery. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach really hard. The anesthesia really did a number on me also. For the first few days my stomach felt kind of messed up and I had a lot of gas cramping which my doctor told me to take Maalox for and that pretty much resolved it. Also, the first night I had these incredible pains in my right shoulder which is attributed to the air they pump into your abdominal area during the surgery. To solve that problem, I propped a pillow under my side so that I wasn't laying directly on that shoulder and that seemed to alleviate the pain which only bothered me that first night.

As the days have gone by, I have had less and less pain and today the wound areas are just kind of itchy. I actually was sent home on Vicodin for pain, but I hate the way that stuff makes me feel and it's also very constipating, so I only took a total of 3 pills in the first 24 hours and then I switched to extra strength Tylenol which I only had to use for a day or so after that.

As of now, I'm pretty much back to normal. I haven't had the problems with diarrhea that others have talked about, but maybe it's because my gallbladder wasn't functional anyway and my body already had adjusted to working without it. I really feel for you because I know how bad the pain can be. Let us know what happens with the ultrasound and PM me if you have any questions or need to know anything. Try to stay away from fatty or spicy foods and take care of yourself.


--Michelle
 
#46 ·
Glad to hear your report of doing well! Almost everyone I know who has had that seems to feel like life is MUCH better after the surgery. Happy healing!
 
#50 · (Edited)
:bump: for forHisglory

I just lost a really long reply here (my error not the site's). Anyway, I had mine out and feel much better. No bathroom issues, and I can eat fatty foods in moderation.

I bumped a couple of threads about this for you, and I think there are a few more too.
 
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#52 ·
My husband had a number of attacks before it was actually diagnosed, Drs kept thinking it was indigestion. Then he waited too long to have surgery. Ended up with a severe form of pancreatitis and did not survive.

While the surgery these days is practically an out paitent procedure this is a very serious problem that needs to be addressed as soon as it can be. Don't wait and don't mess around trying to decide to have surgery.
 
#53 ·
I had mine done on my bday 2 years ago.I go through spurts when it comes to what i can eat.For some reason anything with ground beef, i can't eat. I will be fine for 2 weeks and boom ,the bathroom is my BF for a few days. My incisions are still very sensitive.
 
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