Increased pain after Gall Bladder surgery

Thanks Lynda 

My doc is on vacation for 2 weeks. I messaged him and told him about my condition and he said it will take time and no need to do anything. I’m still worried though. 

Once again thanks for your reply. 

Internal wound for 6 months? So no stretching, bending, twisting,etc for 6 months?

You're welcome.  You've got this one chance to heal.  So please treat your body with the thoughtfulness and respect it deserves. xx

Yes, for some people it does take that long to recover.  It's major surgery! It's not as though the wound exists for that long, but the fabric of the body has been traumatized by surgery and needs to knit together.  There's one chance to heal and being cautious is better.  

For instance, I just had a resection of my abdominal muscles and tissue.  My surgeon said 6-8 months or longer before I do anything involving my core.  I'm one and a half months out, and even the simplest  movement causes me significant pain. Am on pain pills and Tylenol.

Was having physical therapy, but the PT person kept trying to introduce exercises that "shouldn't" affect my core, but they did.  I can walk and do walk, but am mostly confined to bed and couch.  That's okay, because the medication leaves me unsteady on my feet. xx 

For keyhole it's 12 weeks. I was advised no lifting anything heavier than a 4 pint carton of milk for 12 weeks. I did forget and lift my cat a few times who weighs apparently more than that

Were you in pain in week 4 and 5 ?! I am now in my 4th week and still have pain in stomach and the back, which is being managed by pain killers .... I am also now getting the feeling of bloating, tightness and fullness.... Is this something to be worried or should i just be patient and wait for better days ? Feedback from anyone will be appreciated ...Thanks 

arshad - Did you had the feeling of bloating,tightness and fullness before gallbladder surgery?

Arshad go back to your doctor if you're concerned.

Everyone is different but I had nothing I would describe as pain after surgery and didn't need anything more than paracetamol and those only for a couple of days.

I had discomfort from the gas used to inflate during surgery for about 24 hours starting the day after surgery, the wounds felt sore if I pressed on them and honestly that was all.

Personally if I'd been in pain for 2 weeks let alone 4! I'd have been back to my GP.

Best Wishes

Thanks. I did go and got my ultrasound and CT scan done and it appears to be fine.  Thank God!

I was told by the doctor that the recovery time differs from person to person and this period of 4 weeks is certainly on the longer side ... I have been told that the pain should go in the next few days...  

Thanks again for your reply 👍

Yes I did and am still getting it 😩

Hi ashrad

I'm glad you went and were checked and I hope you quickly start to feel better.

It is true everyone is different both in how the body deals with surgery in general and in particular anything gallbladder related seems to vary from person to person.

Best wishes

if you had bloating,fullness  before surgery and still you have the issues after surgery and it seems its has been 4 weeks, i feel the gallbladder is not the root cause for bloating and fullness, however give it some more time, but for many folks i came across in this forum they are relieved with 2 to 4 weeks with the issues. Again, majority who got relief is where they had only gallbladder pain and not bloating and fullness problems. Did you got bloating ,fullness issues for a long time before surgery ?

I do have a non working gallbladder and then i also got gallstones.But i did not remove yet, bcoz my surgeon says even after gallbladder removal, i may still have digestion issues as i also have gastritis.

Did you rule out no gastrits,ulcer ,etc by doing endoscopy and colonoscopy before gallbladder removal ?

Oh God ! Wish I had spoken to you before ! I had stones in my gall bladder and bloating and fullness issues from time to time. I was told by my doc to have the gall bladder removed ( elective)  as there is a risk that a stone might get stuck in the bile duct and then I would have had to have the surgery in emergency. 

I was told by many that removal of gall bladder is not a big issue at all and my health will not be affected at all. 

4 weeks after the surgery I’m wondering whether I did the right thing as  there has not been a day so far that I’ve not felt some discomfort ! 

Hoping for better days to come and  wanted to get some tips on my diet also if anyone can help 

I was misdiagnosed for 2+ years as stones were missed on the first ultrasound. The consultant at the time then had tunnel vision and stubbornly treated me for ulcerated stomach, ulcerative colitis and IBS and pretty much ignored anything I said. (To be fair symptoms for those conditions can be similar). I changed consultant when I was reduced to just 5 foods I could eat. The new one immediately identified gallbladder and it was confirmed by tests.

The last 2 months before surgery I had biliary colic and agonising pain, in addition to the long term bloating, discomfort in side, shoulder, back and ribs, heartburn and nausea, I'd lived with for 2 years. I was admitted to hospital twice for IV antibiotics for an infected gallbladder. So well worth removal.

I know it's often said you must have a fat free/low fat diet with a whole lot of don'ts included however I chose to follow the advice of my consultant which was to eat normally from day one and keep a food diary so I could identify if particular foods were a problem.

That has worked for me I finally can eat a totally normal diet which includes fat. The only adjustment I've made is to increase the amount of fibre and fruit and vegetables and reduced sugar consumption. High sugar gives me issues. I take time release peppermint capsules daily but nothing else no additives or medication.

Best Wishes

Don't regret for removing GB.How old are you ? I personally met around 5 person who removed their gallbladder  and talked to them in detail and they are doing really great.No issues. They are in their late twenties.They can eat normal food. But all those folks dont have history of Bloating and fullness before removing gb.Their problem is more gallbladder pain compared to bloating and fullness symptoms when they removed their Gallbladder.

Even my GP and surgeon is suggesting to remove my GB since year 2011 and i also feel sometimes removing my GB will help , but again there is no guarantee that it will work the same for every one.So only removing/loosing my GB will tell if bloating and fullness are from GB or from stomach.Thats the reason i'm still not decided on the surgery.

so i would suggest to do endoscopy and rule out any gastritis,ulcer ,etc.

if you look at me, my diet is very limited.I dont eat/cannot eat any spicy/fatty/oily/protein foods.I eat rice,carrots,beets,yogurt,eggs,papaya,banana,okra, and very less quantity of food during night and eat sooner to avoid acid reflux.It is really horrible life dealing with bloating and what food to eat  accompained with fatigue at age of 37.I  also going to try eating only Vegetables and animal meat without grains to see how i feel with bloating and fullness.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

How many weeks or months it took to have a normal food after surgery without having any of those heartburn and bloating?

DId your bloating issues completely resolved after surgery?

Arshad, this is major surgery.  Your body has to adjust to not having a gallbladder.  Your body is not a machine. Please have some patience with the process.  Keeping a food diary is a good idea.  Give your body a chance to heal, and help it heal by making good choices. xx

I'm well out if my 20s lol 20 is a distant memory No nausea or heartburn since the day of the surgery. Bloating issues mostly resolved I would call what I get now normal bloating I'm female and we bloat sometimes

I think the problem also is gallbladder is not a one size fits all. In my opinion if you're looking for someone with exactly the same symptoms as you you'll likely not find anyone.

I will say when/if you (and I hope you don't get any if these BTW!) get a stone stuck in a duct, biliary colic or an infection that spreads to the pancreas I think you'll be begging them to remove it (I certainly would have let them do anything to stop the pain) whether it resolves all of your problems or not.

Good Luck

I fully agree with your opinion.

Agreed. Let me do the “right” things for the next few weeks and I will definitely update you on the progress 

Thanks once again. The feedback has really helped me de stress a little. 

Just one question ... I have met so many who have had their gall bladder removed but seems like I’m the only Man  as everyone else is a woman 😬

Please do let me know how you're doing.  There have been men who've written into this site--but once their concerns are solved they seem not to contribute further.  Take care. xx

True..if I'm feeling good...I generally don't visit this forum. So if after surgery if some one doing great.. many may not care or not even return to this forum.there are lot of things to do when you feel good.