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I may need to have my gallbladder removed, & I am really worried!

Posted , 6 users are following.

Blogan3
Blogan3

In June, I found out that I have a few gallstones. I’ve been dealing with them for 4-5 years now & was always told it was GERD. I never once thought my gallbladder was to blame because my symptoms weren’t as severe as others. Over that course of time, I probably have had a handful of attacks. I really only experienced the abdominal pain in the upper right quadrant. I eat relatively healthy most of the time, but greasy/fatty/fried foods are what brings on the attacks. I no longer eat them & have not had any issues thus far. I’ve been thinking of having it removed to avoid future issues, but I’ve read plenty of terrifying stores online. I’ve read that some people do not feel any better afterwards, & I’ve read that many do. I’ve read about bile reflux & many other complications. Also, I have never had any type of surgery before, so I am freaking out about being put under. Can you tell me about your experiences? I’m just so stressed out. 😩

2 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Hiker88
    Hiker88 Blogan3

    Posted

    I had mine out in January for biliary diskenesia which is a malfunctioning gallbladder but no stones. Hida scan revealed EF of 0. The surgery is much more successful for people in your position compared to mine. My symptoms are much better and I can eat most things. However I am having issues with bloating and constipation since the surgery. Not fun but better than it was.

    Surgery isn't bad, I was just really uncomfortable from the gas they pump you full of and it's hard to eat for a few days. Once that goes away things get better. I noticed that my body took a few months to be able to handle really greasy stuff like NY pizza after the surgery.

    • Blogan3
      Blogan3 Hiker88

      Posted

      Thank you for sharing, Hiker88. How long does the hida scan take?
  • margaret60653
    margaret60653 Blogan3

    Posted

    Hi Brittx3,

    I had my gallbladder out in late September of 2014.   I remember having a pain in the upper right side of my stomach that radiated around to my back, and a high fever.  In my case, I went to urgent care at my local clinic where they gave me a CAT scan, ultrasound and blood tests.  My doctor sent me directly to the hospital, as it must have been very serious.  As soon as I arrived in my hospital room, the nurses came in and hooked me up to an IV, gave me pain meds and antibiotic drip.  Then I had an EEG, and all the preliminary tests for surgery. A blood technician came in every 20 minutes or so to take a blood sample. 

    The next morning I was taken into surgery to have the bile duct cleared.  I have a feeling they found it wasn't that good, because the following day, I was back in surgery to have my gallbladder removed.  That was my experience.

    Normally gallbladder surgery takes about 1-1 and 1/2 hours.  It's done laparoscopic or Key hole surgery.  Which means they make a small two inch incision near the naval and remove your gallbladder.  Sometimes they have to put in a drain that stays in for a week or two.  In my case, it was three weeks.  Anyway, you are taken into pre-op to be prepared for surgery.   There they give you an IV if you do not already have one.  The IV has a extra outlet for administering the anesthetic while you are in surgery.  When they are ready for you, you are wheeled into surgery and transferred to the surgical table.  Everything happens very quickly, and once they start the anesthetic, you are soon asleep.  

    After surgery, you will wake up in post-op where nurses will be taking care of you until you are fully awake. If you have pain, they will administer some pain medication.  From there you are taken back to your hospital room or if it is day surgery, you will stay until you are able to sit up.  Then you can get dressed and go home with your designated driver/family member.  

    Recovery depends on the person, but it usually takes five weeks until you are feeling back to normal.  The first few weeks after surgery you may have some pain, so your surgeon will prescribe pain meds for this.  Just remember that your body needs time to heal.  Do not try to go back to work any sooner than five weeks.  You will need to be on a fat free diet for as long as your doctor prescribes.  Drink plenty of water, take walks, and get extra rest.  I was back to myself after five weeks, but still needed a lot of rest for at least another three months. Everyone is different in this case, but as long as you do what your doctor tells you to do, you will be fine.  It takes up to a year and a half to fully heal inside.  but you will feel so much better after the surgery.  Take care. smile 

    • Blogan3
      Blogan3 margaret60653

      Posted

      Thank you for sharing, Margaret. My CT scan didn’t show any of the stones in the bile ducts & was told to eat a low fat diet. I haven’t had any attacks since, but it still does bother me a lot mentally. I have anxiety, so I’m constantly worried that something will trigger it. I can’t remember what it is like to have a meal & not wonder if I will pay for it later. It’s all so frustrating. Did you experience a lot of acid reflux before having yours taken out? 

    • margaret60653
      margaret60653 Blogan3

      Posted

      Brittx3,

      As a matter of fact, I did experience acid reflux prior to my surgery and still do if I eat too much or anything that has a lot of fat, spice or acid in it.  So, to make things easier on myself, I eat several small meals a day.  If I have a problem with the acid, I take a tsp. of baking soda in a cup of water and drink it.   Within a few minutes I'm feeling much better.  What I have since discovered is it is better to use apple cider vinegar in place of baking soda to bring the pH of your stomach back to normal.  Baking soda can make your stomach more alkaline.  Whereas, apple cider vinegar will keep the pH level normal. You need stomach acid to help digest your food.

      Another thing you can do is to think green when you are eating vegetables.  Spinach, broccoli, green lettuce salad, green beans, brussel sprouts, kale, anything that is green.  It helps so much.  Try and stay away from acid type fruit juices, as they contribute to the acid reflux.  Don't drink soda pop, as it has acid in and can make your acid reflux worse. Instead, have a glass of water with a slice of lemon or lime in it.    Here's the strange thing, I can eat a fresh orange and be fine, but orange juice may give me problems.  Then I follow up with eating something green, and I feel fine.  As you eat a low fat diet, you will feel so much better. The benefits outweigh everything.  

      I'm glad your CT scan didn't show any stones.  That's a good sign.  I understand about the anxiety about surgery, but it's normal to be a little anxious.   I can tell you that when I got to the hospital, all I wanted was for my pain to go away.  I was so relieved to be heading into surgery to have the gallbladder removed.  I've had surgery more than a few times, so I was not afraid.  I had an excellent surgeon who was like Superman to me. My surgery was unusual because once my surgeon opened me up, he discovered the gallbladder was gangrenous and necrotic.(Note: this is very rare.)  So, it took almost four hours of surgery, versus the usual 1-1 1/2 hours, and he did it all laporascopically.    Nevertheless, after surgery I recovered just like any other gallbladder patient.  I was in the hospital for six days.  They just needed to make sure I did not have any more infection.  It effected my kidney and my liver.  So here I am four years later and I feel great!  biggrin  

    • Blogan3
      Blogan3 margaret60653

      Posted

      Thank you for the tips, Margaret! I’ll definitely give those a try. I have read before that acid reflux can be in correlation with the gallbladder, so that has me wondering. I noticed that my acid reflux started around the same time I first began having gallbladder attacks. I am glad that you’re doing much better! I hope I feel as great as you do once mine is removed & I am healed. It’s always easier to chat with people who have been there before. Your advice has really lifted some stress & worries off of my shoulders. 🙂

  • iris58334
    iris58334 Blogan3

    Posted

    Hi, I freaked about the surgery too. It was an easy procedure. You can watch it on you tube..Gallbladder surgery. They put you under and if your having larascopic surgery,. They make 4 little incisions in your adbomen . One to pump up your abdomen with some kind of gas to separate the organs so the surgeon can see what he's doing. The other incisions are for the surgical instruments and for the camera and for him to pull the gallbladder out. Then they stitch you up with dissolvable stitches. It's day surgery. I started eating right away when I got home and drank my normal tea and coffee. But I do recommend when you come home after surgery, don't eat anything heavy. Eat light. Like soup or something. But you will be layed up for 4 to 6 weeks. You will be soar for awhile. You won't be able to do much. And right now if you get the attacks have a cold glass of water or a cup of warm tea, that usually calmed mine down before I got the date for surgery. Take care. And good luck

    • Blogan3
      Blogan3 iris58334

      Posted

      Thank you, Iris. I will keep that in mind. 🙂

  • Guest
    Guest Blogan3

    Posted

    Hi Britt,

    One thing I think about looking for answers on the internet about anything is the bad experience outweighs the good experience simply because when things are fine or working people get on with life and don't post or review as much.

    I had my gallbladder removed approx 11 months ago. I did a lot of internet searching and you tube watching and freaked myself out for nothing. I'd do it again tomorrow.

    I went into hospital at 7.30am went down for the operation at 8.30 it took 45 minutes. I had a chicken salad sandwich, 4 cups of coffee and 2 glasses of juice at the hospital and was at home and having lunch by 12.30.

    I took the prescribed painkillers for 24 hours after that I tried not taking the medication just to see if I had pain and I didn't so no more pills. The only thing I had was discomfort from the gas used to inflate for the op dispersing which lasted about 24 hours. I was active from day one the only restriction was no lifting anything heavier than a 4 pint carton of milk for 12 weeks.

    I started a normal diet from day one but eating little and often first few weeks I was eating small amounts 6-8 times a day no big meals.

    I increased my intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, switched to only brown seeded bread. The only issue I've found food wise is high sugar content foods.

    Stress,anxiety and worry are not good for general health and it's wasted energy no amount of worrying will change a situation. Easy to say I know! smile But true.

    Best Wishes

    • Blogan3
      Blogan3 Guest

      Posted

      Thank you, Snowred. Your comment helped ease my mind a bit. I guess I’ve just been hesitant because I so badly want to feel normal again & reading some of the not so positive stories made me push off my appointment. 

  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 Blogan3

    Posted

    I had my gallbladder removed 3 years ago. It was only day surgery, not too bad at all. You will b fine.

    I'm OK with cheese but I do stay off any fried food including roast potatoes.

    You may have to be a bit careful of fatty foods for the rest of your life, but there are plenty of other foods you can have.

    Take care and  keep in touch

    Sarah xx

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