Pixie dust needed please

[Lindsey310]

Hello all,
So I have to get my gallbladder removed on 9/18 and I'm terrified!!! I routinely start crying in anticipation of the surgery which will be done laproscopically. Has anyone else had this done? How was the recovery? Do you have any problems digesting foods now? (must be better than GB attacks!!) I'm terrified of going under too.
I was in Disney 8/30-9/4 and was so upset when we had to come home anticipating "facing the music" of this surgery. Pixie dust please!!!!!

[brownie]

I hope everything goes well for you. I'm going to send this over to the Water Cooler.

[faline]

Best of luck to you! I suspect all will go well. It's a fairly routine surgery for most people. I know a number of people who have had this surgery. Recovery is fairly quick.

There can be some changes in your digestion following the surgery which seems to vary from person to person. I know my husband was so sick for so long before the surgery that any changes in how foods affected him after the surgery are truly minor!!

[wilcat]

I had this surgery and it was nothing like I thought it would be. Very simple, out patient and was home mid afternoon. Slept a lot the first day and went back to work in a week. No restrictions on food and was pain free from day one. Here's sending pixie dust your way for a fast recovery.

[Claudielou]

I had it done and it wasn't bad. The only problem I had was the nasty stuff they gave me to prevent heartburn (acid reflux). Once I woke up, I upchucked (or tried to on an empty stomach) for quite a while, so I didn't get to go home as soon as I woke up. It was still same day surgery. I had the surgery done on Friday, went to work on Tuesday. Felt better, but definitely can't eat a meal that is all fried food! You'll be fine!

[TinkerbellT421]

I have no advice or experience but wanted to tell you good luck and I will sending pixie dust for an easy and speedy recovery!

[retiredfigment]

I had it done. Was not bad at all. Went to a party five days later. No problems and it has been six years!

[Christine]

I had this done about 10 years ago...NO problems and I felt better the day after surgery than I did the day before!It made my life a LOT easier!! Good luck and I bet you'll do GREAT!

[ChipDale2708]

Good luck on the surgery - I had mine out six years ago and everything went fine. The only surgical discomfort I experienced was extreme back pain from the gas/air they put in you during the surgery. That only lasted until the next morning and then everything was fine. The surgery was on Friday and I was eating pizza on Monday. Becareful not to over eat (like buffets) for a few months. The only foods I have a problem with now are peanuts/peanut butter and movie popcorn. It's the oil. Not that I can't eat it, just not very much of it. Otherwise, piece of cake!! Take care!

[Disneymom4ever]

I had mine out as well, 6 yrs. ago. I was absolutely terrified, and not a brave patient! I remember checking in around 6am, and my sister taking me home at 9:30! Really quick, really easy, and I felt so much better than the pain I'd had before. My main issue was they gave me strong pain meds to take at home, and I didnt eat at all. So I did get sick, but after I realized just to make sure and at least snack throughout the day, I was good to go. Not as big of a deal as I thought it would be. I was back to work in just a few days. And now, I can eat anything and I'm just fine! My mom had it done as well, and now the only thing that bothers her is green pepper. Other than that, she's glad she had it done as well. So good luck, I'm sure you'll do just fine, and you'll be glad to not have that pain any longer!

[Disney4us2]

I had mine out 12 years ago. The surgry was late afternoon and I stayed the night and went home in the morning. It did feel like I was hit by a Mac truck but felt so much better.

The surgery was on a Friday and I went back to work on Monday. During that weekend I was also taking care of my 7 month DD.

The total healing where I could move at my normal pace was at about a week. I think going back to work/caring for DD helped that a lot. You should do just fine.

I have had no problems with what I eat since the surgery.

Good luck with your surgery.

[MNNHFLTX]

I can totally understand your apprehension, Lindsey, but it will be okay. I have taken care of many gall bladder patients and they typically do very well with the endoscopic surgery.

[BrerGnat]

Try not to be too anxious about it, or it will seem much worse than it really is.

The truth is, it's a very simple procedure with minimal discomfort afterwards and a quick healing time.

I had my gallbladder removed a little over a year ago. I had not had problems before, but suffered a very bad gallstone attack and my gallbladder was found to be very inflamed and full of stones. The whole situation came out of nowhere. I had surgery 3 weeks after the initial attack.

I had quite a bit of discomfort immediately after the surgery, but it was mostly due to a bad migraine I got from the anesthesia. The surgical sites were a tad sore, but not bad at all. I also had a lot of discomfort from trapped gas. I did not sleep well that first night at all because I could not lie down flat. Once the gas went away, things were much better. I felt pretty good at about a week post op, and almost back to normal 2 weeks post op. I did have a minor wound healing complication in one of the incision sites, but it wasn't too bad (just a hematoma). No infections or anything.

Everyone's digestion will be different following this procedure. You should not think of this surgery as carte blanche to eat anything you want. You need to allow your liver some time to work out bile production on its own. Try to be moderate about fat content at each meal (stay under 20g per meal at first). Otherwise, you will find yourself really familiar with the toilet for awhile. It will work itself out in a few months, and then you will probably find that you feel much better.

[Tick-Tock]

I've heard that gall bladder removal is the most common surgery in the US.

I was in such pain that I welcomed the surgery (actually, I was in the ER on the weekend, then at a surgeon's office on Tuesday, and in surgery the next day, it was so bad). I'm sure it'll be over before you know it.

I had the surgery on a Wednesday and was back at work on Monday. I was a somewhat sore for awhile, but not too bad.

I haven't noticed any problems digesting foods, except that I don't eat meals totally consisting of fried foods anymore (but then again, neither do any of my friends as they've passed 40).

By the way, while I was waiting to go under, they let me play my iPod -- which was set to Spectromagic.

[Jeri Lynn]

I had this surgery many years ago. The surgery itself went well. I didn't bounce back as fast as they said I would, however, I came home and had four kids 6 and under running around. It was a few weeks before I felt 100%.

Funny Story: I remember when they wheeled me into surgery and the doctor was quite handsome! (really really handsome) and the nurse said to the doctor, can you believe she has four children...and all I could think of was "I can't believe he's going to see me naked!!"

[BrerGnat]

I haven't noticed any problems digesting foods, except that I don't eat meals totally consisting of fried foods anymore (but then again, neither do any of my friends as they've passed 40).

OP, this is what you really need to be careful about. Foods high in oil content will likely cause a problem, even if its not evident right away. Most of the time, you will pay for it the next day.

I can no longer eat a meal consisting of "everything deep fried" either. Or, if I want to, I have to eat about 1/3 of what I used to be able to eat. It's a moderation thing. Just don't overload your body with too much fat at once, and you will be okay.

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

I had mine taken out 15 yrs ago.
And with the exception of fried foods, I can eat most things with out issues. And the Fried Foods issue (think family reunions where fried chicken is the main staple) - it is taken care of with a some immodium AD.

It is one of the most common Lap. surgeries. Very few complications, and easy to bounce back from.

[minnie04]

wishing you a speedy recovery. From what everyone is posting you should be up and around in no time.

[SBETigg]

Sending some good thoughts, pixie dust, and hugs your way! It's normal to be apprehensive, I think. Wishing you an easy time of it and fast healing.

[Wolf]

One of my best friends had this done a few years ago, she said the heal time wasn't bad at all and she's totally fine now. I know its scary but I'm wishing you all the best!