Posted , 11 users are following.
I recently spent a week in hospital with acute pancreatitis, which the doctors said was caused by gallstones blocking my bile ducts. I am having surgery in early January to remove my gallbladder. I have never had surgery before. I've had other invasive procedures (endoscopy and ERCP) but I've never had anything that required me to have a general anaesthetic. I am having a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. I have read that it is a straightforward and very common surgery but I am still nervous about it. I wanted to ask if anyone here has had their gallbladder removed? How long was your recovery period after the surgery? Is it true that you can usually go home the same day that you have the surgery? Also what drug do they usually use for the general anaesthetic?
1 like, 13 replies
maureen01335 sergregor868
Posted
Hello! Yes you do go home the same day and the recovery period for me was about a week to 2 weeks to really feel like normal. I'm not sure on the a an aesthetic though.
debra1711 sergregor868
Posted
I am not the right person to answer your question becuase My gallbladder exploded and I was really ill..My surgery had started out as a lap..but became an open surgery. I can tell you what my friends or loved ones have experienced.All had laparoscopic surgery all recovered very well..Make sure that you make a list of any questions you may have about your surgery,recovery..etc..etc.. to take with you to ask.
Best wishes
debra1711
mercydrc debra1711
Posted
Hello Debra. How are you? Hope you fine now. I want to know more about your story. How long you were diagnonsed a gb desease till you know its exploded? In mid 2015 i got 2 attacks. I still remeber the pain. Pain that i never felt before. But when your gb exploded i can not imagine the pain. I've got worried with mine too. Seems like it is sleeping. I know the stones still in there. But, it is bizarre for me, the trigger food i used to avoid now no longer triggered it. Might be my gb is numb now.
hope4cure sergregor868
Posted
Happy holidays and sending heeling blessing your way!
caroline48836 hope4cure
Posted
hope4cure caroline48836
Posted
sadtum sergregor868
Posted
Hi there, I just had my gallbladder removed 3 weeks ago so I can tell you my experience! It took me 1 week to feel up to doing normal things (driving, grocery shopping, sitting in an office) and 2 weeks before the discomfort was completely gone and I could excercise and lift weights and stuff like that. They still tell you to take it easy as you get back into that kind of stuff.
My surgery was at 10am and I left the hospital by 2pm, which is normal if you wake up well from the anesthesia and don't have side effects. I was worried about getting sick from the anesthesia so I requested total intravenous anesthesia, which is less nauseating and uses propofol and something else intravenous. If you don't request this they usually use propofol and a gas like nitrous oxide. I also asked for anti-emetics (anti-nausea medicine) and took one called Emend, one called Reglan, and they gave me one or 2 more while I was under. I felt great when I woke up! So if you're worried about that just tell them, as nausea is a common side effect of anesthesia.
I did not need any pain medicine besides Tylenol because the pain was not very bad, just really uncomfortable. I had to sleep in a recliner for 2 nights because I couldn't sit up well. I had gas pains, which are really common from the gas they use to inflate your abdomen. These are mostly in your shoulders and I had them for about 3 days.
My appetitie is still coming back but I can eat a range of foods without any problem, although I haven't tried anything really heavy like McDonalds or Chinese food yet.
I hope this helps, please feel free to ask any more questions if you have them!
sadtum
Posted
Oh, and I'm an otherwise healthy 31 year old woman, in case that helps.
hope4cure sadtum
Posted
Great positive experience to hear!
Happy Holodays.🎄🎄??
sadtum hope4cure
Posted
Marketa sergregor868
Posted
psmpage sergregor868
Posted
I had mine removed just over 2 years ago but it's almost 3 years to the day that I was admitted to A&E due to the chest pain I was in due to my gallbladder being infected and the liver infection it caused, I had 11 days in hospital on that occasion, I was then scheduled for gallbladder removal in March 2014, this was unsuccessful due to an incompetent anaesthetist who didn't know what to do to regulate my irregular heartbeat (only found out I had this when admitted to A&E), I was then referred to cardiology with a 3 month wait to be told I was fit for surgery and that the anaesthetist could have given me numerous drugs to regulate my heart rate but from my notes nothing was tried.
I then ended up at the bottom of the waiting list for gallbladder removal again (you would think I would have been on a priority list after the wait and cock ups I had already had), gallbladder removed in mid November but surgeon had complications as found my GB had attached itself to my liver and that it was 75% necrotic, so spent 4 days in hospital with chest drain to monitor liver bleeding, surgeon said he couldn't believe I hadn't had other problems due to the necrotic GB and they would have removed it earlier if known, you would have thought 11 days in hospital on morphine in January would have given them some incling that I had problems. Had 2 month recovery after surgery and had 6 months off work in 2014 due to all the problems.
Been on tablets for 2 years to reduce the amount of acid my stomach produces as I was getting bile reflux everyday (nausea feeling) but this is the only complication since surgery, I seem to be able to eat what I want (in moderation) without problems although a few foods go through me like a rocket.
brian7008 sergregor868
Posted
Join this discussion or start a new one?
New discussion Reply