Who's had their gallbladder removed?

To cram the last 2 weeks of pain into one short sentence: Gastroenterologist has recommended I have my gallbladder removed due to gallstones.

So I want to know, if you've had yours removed and don't mind sharing... how was the surgery? How was recovery? How long were you out of work? (And how strenuous was your work? I imagine returning to an office job may be quicker than returning to a physically demanding job.)

I went through that a couple of years ago. The surgery wasn't nearly as scary as it sounded. Modern technology means just a couple of very small (less than an inch) incisions that heal very quickly. In and out on the same day, no overnight stay needed. Was very tender and sore for a few days, but within a day I was up and puttering around the house. You can't do any heavy lifting for a few weeks after the surgery, but if you work at a desk, I imagine you'd only miss a few days of work at most. Probably depends a lot on your own pain tolerance and drive to work. For me, the pain was not a big deal and I have a very strong drive to work, so it would have taken a lot more than a little gallbladder removal to keep me away from my desk. All in all, I felt fully recovered within two weeks, but felt capable and able to take care of myself and do my own thing within 2-3 days.

My wife had her's out last month, they did it laparoscopic so the total time from start to finish was about 2 hours. Her pain was minual and she returned to work three days later.

Recovery time will depend on your overall health. I had my gall bladder out when I was in my early 20's and had no other underlying health issues. I was out of work for a week but probably could have returned a day or two earlier (desk job). OTOH a coworker recently had his out, but he's in his mid-50's and diabetic so he was gone for two weeks. Both of our procedures were laproscopic.

The previous posters have explained it perfectly. It's a pretty simple procedure, with some mild discomfort during recovery. You'll be so happy to have that gallstone pain gone, that the procedure and recovery will be easy! :)

Thanks for the input! I'm younger (28 going on 29), and in good health, other than these recent issues. I'm a biologist, so also physically active, but this time of year it is *mostly* desk work (data input and analysis, reports, etc). So sounds like I should be able to return within a week. My biggest concern with getting back to work is the paycheck... don't have any sick/vacation time available to take off (due to being out sick so often these last couple of weeks), so I simply won't have income. (Fortunately my husband is working, so we'll have income, just will make things tight for the interim.) My biggest concern with recovery is taking care of my toddler. I don't expect being able to carry her (she's 23-24 pounds now), so I'll need to get someone to help me get her to/from daycare, and while my husband is at work. I'll figure it out, but I'm encouraged to hear how quickly recovery could be!

I know somebody that had it done and it wasn't at all bad from what I was told. I wish you luck and a speedy recovery though.

My first post on a herp forum and it has nothing to do with reptiles, hah!

I actually had quite the opposite experience than most people noted. Mine was about to burst, though, and had an emergency surgery the day of. I stayed in the hospital for two days and was off of work for almost a month. Pain was tolerable, but pretty bad the first week, I also had a pretty hefty painkiller prescription so it helped out a lot.

I know I'm the minority here, but I had mine taken out a bit over a year ago and still deal with problems caused by it. :(

I know a couple people who have had their's taken out. Pretty minor surgery that went fine and recovery was pretty easy. Really small scars.

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Originally Posted by Samantha.

My first post on a herp forum and it has nothing to do with reptiles, hah!

I actually had quite the opposite experience than most people noted. Mine was about to burst, though, and had an emergency surgery the day of. I stayed in the hospital for two days and was off of work for almost a month. Pain was tolerable, but pretty bad the first week, I also had a pretty hefty painkiller prescription so it helped out a lot.

I know I'm the minority here, but I had mine taken out a bit over a year ago and still deal with problems caused by it. :(

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Thanks for this! Although you are the minority I appreciate hearing it. Turns out my initial consultation isn't even for 2 more weeks, and then surgery can be scheduled after that. After having experienced 3 attacks in 2 weeks, this makes me very nervous for the next 2 weeks. I'm not only worried about more attacks, but also worried about something like what happened to you. Even if during the ultrasound 2 weeks ago they did not see any inflammation or infection, that doesn't mean something hasn't changed, and especially after my last attack which was the most painful. And besides all of that... my diet is now extremely limited to try to prevent another attack, which is leaving me extremely hungry and without much energy or strength at all. I've also felt some level of pain almost constantly, just not always a higher level of pain. Today I'm feeling better than I have for the last 2 weeks, but I'm still able to feel twinges of pain now and again in my right side.

So again, thank you for sharing your experience too! :)

And welcome to the forum!

There's a good distance between gall stones and an actual gall bladder infection. An infection is serious and scary, but having stones doesn't mean you're doomed to get an infection....they're just horribly painful. (And that coming from someone with a very high tolerance for pain.)

You don't have to starve yourself, just don't eat high fat, greasy, or spicy foods, and you should be fine. Well, and don't stuff your stomach too full either. But you should be able to eat healthy fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats without a problem. Maybe not quite as tasty as the greasy stuff, but nothing to get all weak and wobbly about. :P

I was nervous between diagnosis and surgery as well, but being careful kept the attacks away, and the one or two I had in the meantime were mild compared to the ones I had when I wasn't being careful about what I ate.

Only 2% of people have complications from gallbladder surgery. 98% are removed laprascopically with no problems and you could be back to office work after 2-3 days or less if you really need to work.

I didnt think to add this but one of the people i know who had theirs removed was my grandpa. He had it done when he was in his late 70s and within the week he was back to his normal daily routine. No issues whatsoever. :gj:

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Originally Posted by JLC

You don't have to starve yourself, just don't eat high fat, greasy, or spicy foods, and you should be fine. Well, and don't stuff your stomach too full either. But you should be able to eat healthy fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats without a problem. Maybe not quite as tasty as the greasy stuff, but nothing to get all weak and wobbly about. :P

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So far that's pretty much been my diet this week, but I'm finding any kind of meat (even lean, skinless, boiled chicken, haven't tried fish though - I'm afraid!) is giving me pains. Not a full blown attack, but enough pain to worry me and have me swearing off all meat for the time being. My metabolism is high enough that fruits, veggies, and grains just don't seem to be enough, unless I'm sitting around literally doing nothing all day except snacking. If I'm up moving about and using energy though, or at the office where I can't eat all day, I need something more substantial. I'm experimenting to see what I can get away with, but so far I am left feeling weak and wobbly, despite what I'm eating. :(

I did manage to find low-fat and nonfat Greek yogurt at the store though! So I'm going to snack on that to see if my body is ok with it. If so, that's a little extra protein that can help me out. ;)

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Originally Posted by sorraia

Thanks for this! Although you are the minority I appreciate hearing it. Turns out my initial consultation isn't even for 2 more weeks, and then surgery can be scheduled after that. After having experienced 3 attacks in 2 weeks, this makes me very nervous for the next 2 weeks. I'm not only worried about more attacks, but also worried about something like what happened to you. Even if during the ultrasound 2 weeks ago they did not see any inflammation or infection, that doesn't mean something hasn't changed, and especially after my last attack which was the most painful. And besides all of that... my diet is now extremely limited to try to prevent another attack, which is leaving me extremely hungry and without much energy or strength at all. I've also felt some level of pain almost constantly, just not always a higher level of pain. Today I'm feeling better than I have for the last 2 weeks, but I'm still able to feel twinges of pain now and again in my right side.

So again, thank you for sharing your experience too! :)

And welcome to the forum!

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The big issue I've had after is that I have a really hard time eating anything at all haha. Whether it be healthy or not, I have good days and bad days, but I still get sick just the same. I like live at my gastro now.

Good luck and I hope that you have a normal experience with yours! Haha.