having surgery next week ..advice

mummyof2boys_2

hi , i didnt know where to post this!

i am due to have my gallbladder taken out on thursday and i am really nervous about it

i was just looking to see if anyone else had gone through it and what their experiences was like ? and afterwards too , I have looked on google but all i can seem to find is stories of how bad it is afterwards.

My mum is having my 3 boys from wed night till the sunday , hopefully i will be up and about by sunday

ktb

Hi mummyof2boys..

I haven't had the exact operation you mention, but in the last couple of years I've had to have quite a few of a similar nature and I completely understand why you feel nervous! Do you know if you are having open surgery or keyhole? Have you had a general before?

Mine were keyhole & so I can vouch that method is fairly unobtrusive considering & recovery is very quick. The longest I was under was 6 hours but obviously it felt like seconds to me! I also had a catheter after a couple of my ops & that really wasn't as bad as I feared when I heard about it. I even got to take one home with me for a week & managed pretty well, although, I can't say much about having 3 boys to look after too!! Can you batch cook some meals in advance to make things easier etc? Is there anyone to help with school runs etc if you do feel rough after that first weekend?

I can say that after my keyhole, I was up & about fairly fast though - even if not on full speed. You will still need to rest up as much as poss, but stitches etc are minimum. I had laporoscopies, so the most uncomfortable bit, was the shoulder pain you get, as the air they use to expand the abdomen tries to escape for a few days after they stitch you up - but I don't know if this method is the same for gallbladder removal and if you've had 3 babies I can't imagine this being much of an issue anyway

Really hope it all goes smoothly for you.. Good luck!

pinkfizz77

I had this done a month ago! Was done via keyhole and I am so glad I had it done!
I was operated on at about 3pm and they said I could go home at about 9pm (but had to stay as noone could collect me!). When I first woke up I felt amazing and was wandering round the hospital room itching to get home! Next day was no problem either except for some abdominal pain (must have looked pregnant walking round clutching my tum lol). No problems eating or anything. However.....I pushed myself too far too soon (walking a mile to the shop three days after surgery) and almost collapsed (was driven home by a stranger who took pity on me). Even though I felt ok, my body obviously wasn't ready for the walk! I ended up taking three weeks off work but could have gone back after two if my job wasn't so physical.
I am a single parent so had to do the school runs twice a day too but I would really suggest staying home and doing as little as possible for at least a week! I got given a bag full of meds when I left (two lots of painkillers, anti inflammatories, peppermint capsules, anti nausea tabs and a few others I've forgotten)
Pain in shoulders was uncomfortable but not too bad, was painful when I coughed or sneezed tho! Bending over was almost impossible and try not to twist too much or strain yourself.
I have four little scars now, one on bellybutton is the largest at about two inches across, one under middle of bra strap and two little ones on side of stomach. They have all healed nicely except the one under my bra...I'd really suggest going braless where you can as my bra kept rubbing! As an added bonus the bloating has gone and I'm down a dress size :j
I made the mistake of googling before surgery and ended up terrified!!! Can honestly say it was very uneventful (apart from when I pushed myself too far!) and I have not had a single problem eating since. Have eaten all of the foods that previously triggered attacks....and NOTHING :j
Really glad I had the op tbh....hope yours goes well

eta a few tips, get some dry shampoo...you can't shower for a few days with the dressings and impossible to bend over to wash hair over bath!!!
we lived on pre prepared meals for a few days as I really didn't feel like cooking
sleeping is a pain as you need to lie flat on your back or it hurts!
helped me to sit cocooned with cushions for the first few days (hugging them to my stomach helped)
make sure you won't need to leave the house for a few days or can get people to get you bits if needed
be aware that your first bowel movement could be painful I took stool softeners and they really helped

torbrex

I had mine taken out by keyhole surgery back in August, I was told i would be kept in overnight as I am type 2 diabetic and they wanted to moniter me but there were complications during the surgery that kept me in an extra 3 nights.

The other people that were getting the same op as me were home the same day though.

Aftercare is important, you really need someone to be there for you to do the simplest of tasks and as has been said, don't think that because you feel OK that you actually are, give yourself at least a month to get back to anywhere near normal.

dottydee854

Hiyer. I had this done in 2009, had keyhole surgery. And could go home after. Felt fine straight after but once the morphine wears off, i felt uncomfortable but not in extreme pain. It was more psychological being afraid to cough, sneeze and mhmm Poop :embarasse:embarasse
But if you hold a pillow to your tummy when you do such things that really helps. Also gassy, trapped wind in shoulders, so maybe have someone gently massage your shoulder after or drink some peppermint tea if not given any capsules like poster above.

Take the meds as they really help! And please please PLEASE take it easy. Don't over exert yourself. It's not huge major drastic surgery, but it's surgery none the less and you and your body need to recover to get the best results from the operation, not have one hetic day to set you back 3 weeks recovery.

I found sleeping worst as i sleep on the side they did the two incisions and it was hard to roll and twist (again not advised till you feel comfortable).

Hope thats some help and you have a speedy recovery. Best thing ever having my gall bladder removed after countless hospitalisations of Pancreatitus thanks to the gall stones.

Also beware eating really fatty enriched foods after can make your tummy a bit funny. I still get the occasional pain in my stomach area if i have too much fat but nothing compared to what i went through before......That was just horrible.

xx

sulkisu

I had this done last October by keyhole surgery at day surgery. I went home that night and was up and about the next day. It was relatively painless, especially compared to the gallbladder pain that I had endured for 8 months. I had four incisions and the only real tough thing for me was not being able to bath or shower until the wounds had healed. My son was nine months old at the time, and not being able to lift him up was hard but apart from that, it was fine. I would advise getting any housework, shopping etc out of the way before the operation and cook/freeze enough food for at least a week.
I am sure you will be fine.

elisebutt65

I had this by keyhole a few years ago as well and i was back to doing the school run a few days later. I was in over night and that was ok apart from throwing up everytime they gave me morphine.

meritaten

known a couple of people who had gallbladder surgery and hun, they recovered really quickly and felt so much better afterwards! I would say be positive and realise that this surgery will free you from so much pain!

Kirri

I had a bad and slow recovery from laparoscopy but maybe that is not the norm. I didn't have my gallbladder out even, just investigative lap.

Bigger sized clothes are really useful including underwear, you don't want anything that clings or goes near the body, something large and very loose.
I was badly sick post op for hours, I was too dizzy to stand, I couldn't pee properly for days from the catheter used only during the op.
The pain from the gas and the bloating was very painful, caused lack of sleep for first few days, it moves around the body, very unusual pain.
You will need looking after the first night - I thought I could cope alone, big mistake.
Get extra pillows ready on the bed, something to read within reaching distance, water etc.
I couldn't shower for a week, too much pain to get in it. Would get some Batiste in next time! Get some flannels on hand for a sink wash! Get it all in place, ie towels etc by the sink, it's too painful to bend, reach, stretch etc.
Ditto the housework in advance, change the bed etc, I am a clean freak but didn't do anything for ages after.
Get some spare dressings in beforehand (Wilkos have some good ones reasonably priced) - they sent me home from hospital with blood soaked dressings over the wounds which I changed the next day. I had a lot of bruising around the wounds which I hadn't expected.
Hospital gave me pain killers which helped a lot but these can cause constipation - I ate lots of fruit/salads to avoid this. Get all your food in for a week beforehand - easy to eat stuff ready prepped was so useful.
Couldn't do anything around the house, too much pain, couldn't bend, didn't feel like cooking for days. Was also very tired.
Didn't drive for 2 weeks and was then still in extreme pain, my stitches still hadn't fully dissolved by then.
Felt almost back to normal after 6 weeks. Didn't get back in the gym though for maybe 3 months.
Took weeks and weeks for the bloating to subside, couldn't do my coat up for weeks, was so swollen I looked pregnant for weeks and gained an instant 9lbs around my middle purely from the op. I walked really slow..

Not everyone is the same though but I had prepared myself that it wouldn't be that bad and had expected to be over it within a week so was more of a shock how it affected me given I was a fairly healthy, gym going person pre op reduced to sitting around in huge clothes for weeks after!

Don't let this put you off, the op itself wasn't as scary as I'd imagined it to be at all, I just had a bad recovery and all I'd read beforehand was everyone saying it was easy didn't prepare me!

Corelli

I had my gall bladder removed by keyhole surgery about two years ago and the relief was immense. I stayed in overnight and felt pretty bad the next day. The anaesthetist said that although the overall recovery time fir keyhole is much shorter, the next day as you recover from the shock of surgery and anasthaetic is usually pretty bad for both sorts. I don't remember any particular healing difficulties but did wish I had stayed in another day when all the family responsibilities were dumped on me. Good luck OP, and remember, almost anything is better than the pain of gall stones!

RazWaz

I had mine taken out early June this year. I was in hospital for 2 days (you don't care, the painkillers stop you). I had a drain in, but it wasn't that bad and most people don't need one.

If you are in pain, just let the nurse know and they will sort it. Mine was all healed up within 10 days and I never felt any of it. Just make sure you take it easy. I'd also suggest stocking up on some laxatives, as the surgery/painkillers tends to block you up.