Gallbladder removal - recovery after surgery?

spiritus

sorry, I know this is an old thread but my g/f is having her gall bladder removed in a week and I just wanted to get some views from people who've had a similar experience.

She hasn't suffered severe pains due to the gallstones but often has unpleasant digestive problems such as acid. she also sometimes gets pain in her side.

The consultant had no hesitation in recommending the gallbladder be removed but she is very hesitant as we've both read that there are some side effects such as long term intolerance to certain foods that can lead to chronic diorreaha.

marrowgirl

I had my gallbladder out by keyhole surgery about 2 years ago and I am SO glad I did. Before I had sporadic bad attacks and in between I just felt tired and rubbish all the time. I was very reluctant to have the surgery but since then I have had no problems with food/digestion. I do tend to eat a healthy diet now but even when I don't its still fine.
I did have a reaction to the anaethetic (I was the vomit queen for a few hours) which meant I took a little longer to heal but even with this I am so much healthier now.
There is always the chance of some side effects with any treatment/operation but these are very slim. All the best! X

sillyvixen

i had my gallbladder out 5 years ago - i had complications and had 'the big op' but all has been fine since! i am pain free and can eat what i want .

my recovery was longer due to my surgery - but i went through so much and am still here to tell the story.

all the best spiritus's gf!

Waterfalls

i had my gallbladder out about 2 months ago via keyhole
im still getting the occ soreness, but it doesnt put me off my normal workload. and the only foods i having trouble adjusting to are foods with high sat fat content-which can only be a good thing.

WellChuffed

Hi all, found this when trwling for gallbladder stuff as I was diagnosed by my GP pressing on my gut and bringing me to tears lol
Prior to that I had started to get worried after attacks about pancreatitis etc due to the 'punched in the stomach' feeling and nausea etc.
Anyway, just waiting on my ultrasound and then the dreaded surgery appointment.
I'm poo-scraed of surgery but it's for the best in the long run.
For the last few weeks now I've been following a virtually fat-free diet to avoid stimulating the bile reflex when fat is ate.
I noticed a few people asking why attacks happen in the early eveing.
Well, my observation on that is this; they don;t always.
I've had them around midday and even one in the early morning around 10 am.
Basically, I noticed that after eating a fatty meal (even whole milk and margarine (yes-even flora!) for breakfast) it takes 2-3 hours for the food to reach the point in the lower gut where bile is required/stimulated and only then does the pain start if the duct is blocked/narrowed.
So, if you think that the average person leads a 9-5 lifestyle, they have a fatty dinner around 12-1 pm and by, say, 4-5 pm the trouble starts.
I work shifts, and that is why my attacks were starting at weird hours of the day; I have an 'opposite' lifestyle I guess lol
Anyway, I was a competitive bodybuilder in my early years and so am quite used to keeping mental notes on what I have ate over the preceeding few days or even weeks.
What I would suggest to anyone in the gallbladder club recently diagnosed is these few simple but somtimes hard-to-follow guidlelines to stay pain free.

1) KNOW what fat content is in your food; anything processed (packaged) WILL have a degree of fat, so read the label, firstly for the %'a on the little table, and THEN read the actual ingredients. Anything hydrolised etc has had an effect on me. As I said earlier, even flora margarine sets me off if I have even more than a scrape on my toast, so I tend to avoid it completely. Toast with just jam on it is really nice when you get used to it.

2) After a few days of being TOTALLY fat free, you can have a smidgen of maragarine or whatever your trigger food is, but keep in mind that protion of food has uped the 'attackometer' reading and if yo have anymore fat that day you're more likely to have an attack.

3) Try a simple day's menu like this (the one I'm having to follow until I get the nasty alien out of me lol)

Breakfast-Skimmed milk in low quantity is ok, it really IS safe!
Cereal (I avoid mueslil as they have nuts and so....fat!! etc) like cornflakes, frosties, rice krispies etc with skimmed milk.
Cup of tea (skimmed milk) and two rounds of toast with jam or mashed up banana. Sugar does not seem to trigger me, it's just fat, so I do eat very large bowls of cereal lol and put some sugar on them and in my tea or coffee.

Lunch-Microwaved rice or pasta-I avoid the wholewheat range as it's bulky and slower to digest and IF I have an attack it prolongs the digestion and so the suffering I find.
With the rice, lean chicken (you can actually boil chicken breasts/portion to take almost ALL the fat out of them although it does go a wee bit bland, but at least you're getting protein and no attacks.)
The above in a bowl with some soup to make it moister and maybe a small amount of steamed broccolli or cauliflower.
Rivita is ok, but avoid the butters and margarine spreads.
I've yet to try tomatoes and citrus fruits, they're next on my improvement list but I guess in theory they'll be ok as they're fat free.

Supper-more cereal!!!!

Here's an AVOID list rather than a SAFE list; if you know what to avoid it's easier I think.
Red meat of ANY kind, even the 'lean's stuff- just 'cos you can't SEE the fat, doesn't mean it's not in there, lurking, waiting to cause you misery.
Fatty Dairy Products-whole milk, yougurts, cheese of ANY kind sets me off.
Oily pulses, garlic and onion and any type of cooking oil as well as Olive Oil are a definite no-no!
Why? Chop up garlic and onion, put them both into separate glasses of warm water and leave them. See that oil that rises to the surface? It triggers the bile reaction in the gut.
Check out the contents of crips and other savoury snacks like Chedders, and especially all those stir-fry sauces- they all use garlic, onion and ginger or a combination. THAT's whay you've found it hard to nail down the danger foods. Now you know the secret yayy!!!!!
JUNK FOOD-that's ANYTHING you know is unhealthy; they'll mostly have those dangerous Trans Fatty acids in them; they'll guarantee you a night of sobbing and crying, believe me lol
Alcohol-Well, here's a weird one. Not an exact science lol All I'll say is that coloured or dark beers/ales, especially that cherry beer Kriek, they set me off. But I had a bottle of Stella last night and was fine.
The one type of alco that has NEVER, 100% not triggered me, is good old cheap sparkly Cava. At £5 or so a bottle, it gives you a pleasant evening and no fear of misery, ever. Try it but please DO bear in mind, this is the case with me, it may not be the same for you and I don't want anyone to have an attack due to what I have said.

So that's that in a nutshell.
-Eat lean, white meats in small quantities, white carbohydrates like pasta and rice, maybe a small amount of UNBUTTERED potato wihout the skins, loose all those dressings and oils, and just use 0.1% milk and small amounts of very low fat yougurt or cottage cheese.

-Avoid stress, it trigggers the bile thing too I found.

-Eat at least 4 hours BEFORE lying down, either on the sette or going to bed. You don't want food-stuffed intestines pressing down on your poorly gallbladder do you?

What do you do when the attack warnings start?

-If you do have an attack- get naked at home if possible or at least remove all pressure causing clothing from the waist.
-Sit in a classic yoga position if you can; this allows the intestines to sag downwards in their most natural position and so helps releive pressure on the bladder.
-Try a glass of warm water, sip it, it does sometimes help me but not gallons!! Just sip it.
My attacks (depending on what fat has triggered them) vary in length from a short 60 mins up to a full 7-8 hours at worst, sheer hell.
My GP gave me pethidine tabs but to be honest I haven't used them as I'm not too keen

I'll try some salad stuff next week as well as tomatoes and cucumber, but I know that avocado is a no-no as my GP told me that straight away when I asked.

I'd suggest to any sufferers that are in the dark; try the simple diet above for a few days to prove to yourself you can at least eat square meals without fear. Then when you're feeling better, add ONE single food type to the day and keep a dairy as to whether it's good or bad.
After a few weeks you'll see things aren't so bad, eh??

Good luck, I'll try to keep the thread updated if I find any new bad foods lol

Best regards

Bernie

Vedder2008

Reluctant_spender wrote: »

My wife had her gall bladder removed via keyhole - she said she felt almost instantly better. After feeling crap for so long she was surprised by the almost instant feeling of well being.

I must agree with this as that is exactly how I felt when mine was removed via keyhole six years ago now.
The thing that I found strange was that I never eat cheese before my operation as I didn't like it, however a few weeks before I knew I was having my gall bladder out I started craving cheese, and now I eat it in chunks, all very strange.
I was told I couldn't have my gallstones as they contain salmonella and ecoli.

grunnie

Thanks for all the help and info here. I was waiting for a prolapse op when I took ill on holiday last week. I was given a scan and it showed loads of gallstones and I would need my gallbladder removed. I had a scan last September and was told it was clear ( the lady who did the latest scan said I had these gallstones for several years). Now my prolapse op has been postponed ( the pre op blood tests showed liver problems caused by my gallbladder)and I am now not patiently waiting for a gallbladder scan at my local hospital. I am told this will take several weeks. In the meantime losing loads of weight and living on bananas and lucosade.I am sore tired and generally feeling yuk.

torbrex

Sorry to bring up an old thread but it has given me a lot of answers already.

I have had a scan and the have found 'multiple gallstones' in my gallbladder and the surgeon thinks it will be prudent to have my gallbladder removed.
I have had plenty of minor attacks when I have felt rotten for a day or so but only one really bad attack where I was being sick so much I had to get an injection to stop it. Since that attack a couple of months ago, I have actually felt quite well.

I was wondering about after the operation and how much care might be required. I am a rather large gentleman and I live alone with very little contact with anyone. I am quite adept at looking after myself but would the doctors view my home situation as a possible risk to my heath and keep me in hospital longer than they would normally?
I should add that I am diabetic as well (type 2) and currently take 7 tablets a day to keep a check on this.

I will raise this with the surgeon when I eventually get to see him but any information (not medical) that I could get would be helpfull.

I should also add that I hate hospitals with a vengance and have discharged myself early in the past.

spiritus

torbrex wrote: »

Sorry to bring up an old thread but it has given me a lot of answers already.

I have had a scan and the have found 'multiple gallstones' in my gallbladder and the surgeon thinks it will be prudent to have my gallbladder removed.
I have had plenty of minor attacks when I have felt rotten for a day or so but only one really bad attack where I was being sick so much I had to get an injection to stop it. Since that attack a couple of months ago, I have actually felt quite well.

I was wondering about after the operation and how much care might be required. I am a rather large gentleman and I live alone with very little contact with anyone. I am quite adept at looking after myself but would the doctors view my home situation as a possible risk to my heath and keep me in hospital longer than they would normally?
I should add that I am diabetic as well (type 2) and currently take 7 tablets a day to keep a check on this.

I will raise this with the surgeon when I eventually get to see him but any information (not medical) that I could get would be helpfull.

I should also add that I hate hospitals with a vengance and have discharged myself early in the past.

My fiancee had the operation around two years ago and it went great.

The only discomfort was a little soreness from the actual operation but after that there have been no problems whatsoever

Batmansgirl24

I had keyhole surgery on Monday 21st may to remove my gallbladder due to gallstones. It's now Friday and I feel like I've turned the corner. The operation itself took longer than expected, I was knocked out at 10.30 and didn't get back on the ward until 3pm but I was still allowed home at 7pm after a cup of tea and toast.
I was discharged with paracetamol, codeine and diclofenac. I only needed the codeine for the first 24hrs then I have been ok on paracetamol every 4 hrs since. Today is the 1st day I have gone longer than 4 hrs.
The pain is mainly located in the belly button incision but I haven't found it to be terrible just sore and the occasional burning sensation when being sat for a while.
I have kept to a low fat diet since the op and will take baby steps in introducing food. I find after I have eaten my stomach is gassy and gurgly but actimel seems to be helping this.
I'm so glad I had the operation, I read alot of horror stories and was very nervous having the op but apart from the surgery pain which will subside I have felt no gallbladder pain which is marvellous!!!