Gallbladder Surgery - what's your experience?

[Plaid Dad]

So after months of pain, pain, and more pain, I have been scheduled to have my gallbladder removed in mid-March. Has anyone had this done? Please tell me it helped!

[Andie]

So after months of pain, pain, and more pain, I have been scheduled to have my gallbladder removed in mid-March. Has anyone had this done? Please tell me it helped!


I had mine removed *gulp* 15 years ago. (Wow! I'm getting old.) The surgery was a simple one, and recovery was a breeze. Now, I've since had several long, unmedicated labors and three cesareans, so my pain-o-meter might be a bit off. I was young and had never experience pain before the surgery, so at the time I thought it was all quite awful. :) The relief after made all my "ordeal" worth it, though. Those attacks were horrible. You'll feel like a new man!

[HeatherH]

Although I had an atypical experience. I popped a gallstone into my pancreatic duct - talk about PAIN - so they took out my gallbladder b/c it was making stones. But I didn't have the recurring pain that others do. But my mom had hers out too, and the pain went away completely.

They did my procedure laparoscopically (SP?), and this was back in 1993, so the recovery time was minimal. I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same or even better now. But I still can't get used to the fact that my body can function without a gallbladder! Everytime I asked a Dr. what I could expect, he would say, "Nothing. No difference." Weird. . . .

HTH -

[Mom2GirlsTX]

out in 2000 and she was 85. It went very smoothly and her recovery time was very short. She was old, frail and had alzheimers and it still went well. A girlfriend of mine had hers done a few years back, hers was much more involved for other medical issues, and her recovery time was a couple of weeks. I hope yours goes very smoothly with a quick recovery! (PS..both my mother and my friend felt so much better after they had the surgery)

[sclisa]

It was done laprascopically, so I had 4 holes in my abdomen. I went in at 9:30 a.m., the surgery began at 11:00 a.m., and I was on my way back home at 1:20 p.m. From talking to others, I'm not sure this is the norm, but it worked fine for me.

I had a few days where I felt very tired afterward, and my doctor thinks it was my body's way of dealing with the anesthesia. It was the first time I had every had general anesthesia. Anyway, minimal pain, no other side effects.

Lisa

[nuthouse]

ten years of misdiagnosed gallbladder pain, led to advanced pancreantitis (sp?) with a pancreatic psueudocyst. Max morphine didn't touch the pain. 6 hours of touch and go surgery, 4 days in ICU, 6 days of severe vomiting, resection of bowels, reopening of wound, stopped breathing twice, blot clots, 18 days in the hospital in all 16 days without so much as a drop to drink or food to eat. I was a resonably healthy 5K runner and yoga fanatic before surgery. I'm alive thank god. But my experience is on the end of the spectrum that reads "you can't get any worse than this except for death". It's been a year, I'm not up yet to past exercise levels and I've surgury scheduled for Friday since my incision has herniated and wellllll it's not pretty.

Go and have it done. Waiting or in my case not knowing is worse. 99.9% of people have experiences more like the ladies who have posted above.

[Diana in OR]

It was a quick, day surgery. I had to lay low for a few days, but was mostly recovered within a week. I had pain for 7 YEARS before surgery (b/c they couldn't find any gallstones, and kept insisting it wasn't my gallbladder). Anyway, I have been pain-free ever since.

Go for it. You will feel better.

[Unicorn]

No Worries! I had mine out in 1999, the only "pain" from the surgery was the gas that they pump into your abdomen during surgery, it took a few days to get it out of my system. I wouldn't really call it pain though. I haven't had any problems since then. Just curious, but why are they waiting until Mid-march? When mine was discovered, it was out within the week. Mine was also done laproscopically, btw.

[Plaid Dad]

Thanks, everyone! I'm glad to hear that, for most, this was an easy and relatively painless surgery.

Unicorn, mid-March was the earliest they could get me in, unfortunately. However the surgeon has an excellent reputation and is a specialist in gallbladder surgeries, so I'm willing to wait the few weeks. My pain is not constant, so if I'm careful about what I eat, I should make it through okay.

[Unicorn]

I'm sorry you have to wait, but it's great that the surgeon specializes in gall bladders. I'll pray that the next few weeks are pain free.

[rockermom]

It was done laprascopically, so I had 4 holes in my abdomen. I went in at 9:30 a.m., the surgery began at 11:00 a.m., and I was on my way back home at 1:20 p.m. From talking to others, I'm not sure this is the norm, but it worked fine for me.

I had a few days where I felt very tired afterward, and my doctor thinks it was my body's way of dealing with the anesthesia. It was the first time I had every had general anesthesia. Anyway, minimal pain, no other side effects.

Lisa

Very similar experience here... mine was taken out right before Christmas and other than not being able to pick up my son for a few days I was fine. No pain since other than the recovery. You will be relieved.

[Faith]

I was in the ER several times when they finally did emergency removal for me. I had literally thousands of stones in mine. I had the most horrible pain ever from the gallbladder and I'm glad it is now out.

But, I will say that now I suffer from acid indegestion very frequently, almost nightly even after eating just a bowl of cereal. I think I'm going to have to see a dr about it. I never had this problem before the surgery. Go figure....

[dangermom]

I had mine out 7 years ago, and it was pretty simple. I've never had any problems since. The only thing I had was that after the surgery, I couldn't lie down in a prone position; for some reason it hurt a lot. The nurses said that sometimes happens and to sleep in a recliner for a day. That worked--we had to borrow a recliner!

[cricket1178]

I had the old surgery (before laser). I had emergency surgery. The pain was worse than labor by far, and I was never so happy to have it out. I have had no problems since. The only thing I noticed was for a time there were certain foods that bothered me. Now, I don't notice any problems whatsoever.