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Gall bladder/hernia surgery

Posted , 4 users are following.

robin1968
robin1968

I am 8 days after gall bladder/hernia surgery. I was also told this would be a breeze and it most definately is not! When I'm siting and laying down I don't hurt much but when I stand and walk for any length of time I have bad pain around belly button across my right side to my lower back till I have to sit down or lay down. I want to know if this is normal and how much longer till it eases up? Do I need to lay down more or walk more? I also have a heavy pulling feeling below my belly button when I stand and walk. Is this normal? Do I just need to take more time resting?

I am overweight and know that makes a difference. I also have neoroapathay. I also have a bit of itching around some of my stitches, is that normal? I want to heal right and not do anything wrong. Has anyone else had this? Can anyone give me advise and help me understand the next week of what should be happening. I appreciate any help. Thank you!

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • sally_14743
    sally_14743 robin1968

    Posted

    Hi Robin

    were you given instructions regarding not lifting not driving etc after your operation. 

    6 weeks was my length of time for not using any abdominal muscles .. and walking is ok but gently you are recovering from a operation which although to the outside is just 3 keyholes inside you have major surgery stitches healing. So listen to your body ..if it hurts stop it’s healing and telling you to. 

    The itching is normal my incision in the middle below my breast bone itched ridiculously as I reacted slightly to the glue they use to close the incision. 

    I asked my surgeon how they remove the large gallstones .

    he said we inflate your abdomen, take a little plastic bag in remove the gallbladder place it in the bag ..then place a blender like instrument in the bag totally blend the gallbladder and stones into mush then remove it by sucking it out when the bag is empty we remove the bag.. amazing . When you think your abdomen has had a lot of instruments tubes etc in it and when you have a layer of fat this all bruises pulls muscles etc ..

    just give it time it took me 6 weeks to stop having aches and pains ..

    then 3 months to get my energy back .. 

    but when I did I felt great .

    remember keyhole still has to heal internally and being careful means you recover quicker in the long run..

     

    • sally_14743
      sally_14743 biliarydyskines

      Posted

      Hi 

      my symptoms were constant gnawing pain like a mouse nibbling under my right rib.. a bilious slightly nauseous feeling when I ate .. and every few months a terrible colic attack where I couldn’t stop vomiting the pain was as if my ribs had been broken and my intestines on fire ( this I later discovered was a gall stone getting stuck) 

      i ate a very very low fat diet existing on weetabix , toast and boiled potatoes and veg .. this stopped the colic attacks but the gnawing pain was inflammation of the gallbladder by all the stones I had rubbing together and making the gallbladder sore.

      yes the operation for me worked like magic .. I felt instantly better the nausea lifted . No pain and I was left with a liver that produces less bile than I need .. so I struggle to digest wheat now , but thankfully I haven’t been left with constant diahreah because of too much bile dripping into my stomach. 

      I was misdiagnosed for 15 years .. and mine was straightforward gallbladder packed with giant gallstones .. 

      for me my quality of life was great after my operation .. so glad I did it ..

      hope that helps 

      sally 

    • biliarydyskines
      biliarydyskines sally_14743

      Posted

      did you had any bloating while you had the gallstones ?  

      also, how was your energy before and after surgery ?

    • sally_14743
      sally_14743 biliarydyskines

      Posted

      Hi 

      no bloating mainly as I lived for years on very bland no fat no meat diet..

      but 6 weeks after operation I got my energy back and realised how having a gallbladder full of stones not functioning had made me feel really weak. I also noticed that my nerves really settled after my operation . My anxiety levels were so high living in constant fear of my colic attacks ..

       

    • biliarydyskines
      biliarydyskines sally_14743

      Posted

      good that you got your energy levels back. .since i got in to digestion issues my Vitamin B12 gets low. i took series of  B12 shots to up it , but after few months it goes down.
  • karen_35577
    karen_35577 robin1968

    Posted

    After any operation you need a lot of rest & it can be more then a week as it was a good 2 weeks when I had my appendix out & I rested most of the time!  Pulling is normal, itching around stitches is normal as this means they are healing as long as there's no major red inflamed areas.  Some walking is ok but only slowly around the house for the bathroom, make some food unless you have help & shower.  That's what I did & all good.  I covered my incisions with a plastic bag over top (not using medical tape near any incisions) to shower so they stayed dry.  If you don't improve after another week get checked out at the hospital.  If you walk too long I found I felt awful as I'd over done it!  Listen to your body, it's healing.  

    • robin1968
      robin1968 karen_35577

      Posted

      Thank you for answering me. Its nice to know that I'm not doing anything wrong. Unfortunately I wasn't told much of anything when I was released. I was told not to drive for a few days and that I couldn't go back to work for 2 to 3 weeks. I don't think that will happen then either. This really scared me and you have made me feel better about it. Thanks! 💜

    • karen_35577
      karen_35577 robin1968

      Posted

      It's great when you get helpful advice, feel better soon!!!  👍

  • robin1968
    robin1968

    Posted

    Today is 12 days since surgery. I made a mistake yesterday, I over did on the being up and moving around and ate a bit to much. Its just I was so hungry for the first time in a long time. I will definitely watch that and I felt good yesterday till last night and today. I was able to finally get panties back on (sorry if that's to much info) . I will take it easier today. I also had a bout with constipation on Sunday. That was horrible

    Thank the lord that passed. I'm still worried about doing something wrong but hopefully everyday will get better. This most definitely is not easy to go through or get through, or atleast its not for me. Hang in there everyone! Its helping me to have others who have and are going through this to. Take care and keep talking that way none of us are alone. 😇

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