Anyone have gallbladder surgery? How was it? Tried med treatment?

[redacted]

Did it help? How long did you wait to have it done? Did you have alot of symptoms? Time off work? Were you as scared out of your mind to have surgery as I am?

I've lost 35 pounds fighting with my pancreas and I don't really want to gain it back -- but a doc friend of mine told me alot of people gain weight after gallbladder surgery cuz they can eat anything they want.

Side effects from the surgery?

Anyone tried the medical treatment for gallstones? Did they come back?

Anyone get gallstones from rapid weight loss?

[Systematic Chaos]

1. I wish I could say I knew anything at all about this

but I haven't a clue. Sorry I can't offer any advice or information, but you have my :hug:s and good {{{{{{vibes}}}}}}! Please keep us posted, okay?

It sounds like your surgery is already scheduled. When will it be?

[redacted]

2. The surgeon is encouraging me to sched in Sept. his next avail. BUT . . .

I am self employed and abt to go into my busiest time of the year. So I am pushing for late Dec./early Jan.

[Systematic Chaos]

3. Good idea waiting then, provided you can hold out.

That's gotta be a tough call. My only advice is to follow any accepted dietary guidelines to the letter. It could make a huge difference between now and your surgery. Good luck to you in any case. :)

[redacted]

5. Yeah well I had pancreatitis in April and have done well with the

dietary guidelines -- these are more strict, however. But you know when your health is at risk (and immediately so) the incentive is great.

Good news is I've lost 35 pounds. WIll be at goal weight before this is all over, maybe a bit more.

I wish they had take the GB in April , but with all their scans etc...over my 18 day stay they couldn't find anything wrong with the GB. Now it's a mess. And I've been eating so well. Go figure.

I did some reading that rapid weight loss can lead to stones though, so maybe thats what did it.

[auntAgonist]

4. redacted, I had

weight loss surgery in March, typically the surgeon will remove the gall bladder while he's in there. At least with the Biliopancreatic Diversion with a Duodenal Switch, because of the chance of stones due to rapid weight loss. Mine was already gone though.

[patricia92243]

6. I had my gallbladder surgery a few years ago. They did that surgery

where they did three little incisions of about an inch long. They have faded, and I can't even find them anymore. Zero side effects. I think I missed about a weeks work, but at that time I worked part-time in an office. So, your work situation will determine how much time you will miss.

Due to my surgery history, I thought it was a snap. I've had some MAJOR surgery. Based on these, a gallbladder removal was a piece of cake.

After surgery, do not drink any ice water and do not drink from a straw. And now the big one - WALK, WALK, WALK - and I mean IMMEDIATELY. I had a pulley in my bed and as soon as I woke up, I used it to move around a little, teeny tiny bit in my bed.

When they remove your catheter, walk half way around your bed. Hold your stomach and hold on to the bed, but shuffle along those 5 feet. Next, as soon as possible, walk to your hospital door and back. Do this several times in the next few hours (not all at one time.) Later, walk a few steps in the hallway. Then a few more, so forth and so on.

When I was shuffling along the hallway, I remember the nurses saying admiringly "She had surgery YESTERDAY!"

Good luck to you, and post again after the surgery letting us know how much better you feel!

[redacted]

8. Thanks for the advice. I've only had my wisdom teeth removed before.

So surgery is a mystery to me. When I was in for the pancreatitis I was always walking around -- the nurses says it helps alot, but that was not my real reason for doing it -- my real reason was that I can't sit still for that long.

I'll keep you guys posted.

[AlCzervik]

i had mine out about 16 years ago and it was from weight loss

and that thing about eating whatever you want? Not true, at least not in my case. You liver has to work harder to digest things when you have no gallbladder so when you eat certain types of food in my case i dont feel so well, fried for instance, fried food kills me, i feel overfull and gross for a whole day instead of a few hours.

My gallbladder was too far along for treatment so they removed it the old way, meaning no lasproscopic surgery, i had regular surgery and the recovery time was about 3 weeks until i felt better.

[AlCzervik]

7. dupe

[MissMillie]

9. I had it a few years back

They do it laproscopically now. It's same-day surgery and you're back to work in a few days (as long as you don't have to lift for your job).

I had one attack--ONE and my doctor wouldn't let me have another (thank goodness).