What is life like after gallbladder removal?

I had my GB removed on friday 10-02-09 i feel good just taking tylenol not the vicodin they prescribed me! I did have an episode the day i got released because the dumb nurse gave me a vicodin in an empty stomach the ER, dr told me it was normal to throw up because the medicine is very strong and i had nothing in my stomach. i been active since after the day i had the surgery. the incision on my side is itching a bit and the one from my belly button but besides that i feel great. I been eating light food, broth toast apple juice.

I had my gallbladder removed Thursday 10/1/09. I had only had my first attack about a month and a half before the day of my surgery but realized how painful it was. I had to go to the dr. and had an ultra sound and it showed that i had multiple gall stones with shatering? I'm 21, I weigh 135lbs, I eat generally really healthy and I've never had kids, so my referred surgeon was pretty surprised when he met me and read my chart. However, gallstones is extremely hereditary in my family (which I found out after all the attacks). I've been really worried because of all the terrible post surgery stories I've been hearing on here, everyones pain and suffering and weight gain and what not, but it's been about 2 1/2 days for me, I feel much better than I did when I actually had my gallbladder. I've been eating smaller meals as I haven't been as hungry as before. My dr. also told me to take Colace because the narcotic's for pain cause constipation, which I've been taking with every meal and I haven't been having that much of problems. The first day I ate ginger-ale an crackers, the 2nd day I ate ginger-ale, crackers, and organic fruit salad. Today I had some organic vegetable soup, a glutten free vegie burger on toasted organic flax & grain bread, with a small amount of low-fat ranch dressing and some organic baby greens (really yummy) along with some snacks of fruit, and some vitamin water. I've also been taking flax-seed oil supplements and I haven't taken the narcotics today because I don't feel I need them because the pain isn't really that bad. The only problem I'm having right now is sitting up for long periods of time because when I stand up after that the pain in the wounds hurt, other than that so far, so good. I'm still taking my anti-inflamatories because I can see when they run out when my tummy starts to swell around the cuts a bit but that's normal. Just wanted to share my experience because i've only seen everyone's bad experiences and that really freaked me out, hopefully this helps some people out in not being too fearful of the surgery.

I had my gallbladder removed on 10/6/09. For 2 years I had been suffering from indigestion, acid reflux and an intolerance to fatty and rich, creamy foods. In September, I started to feel nauseas constantly. I got to where I could not eat at all. I'm a heavy set woman and lost 30 pounds in a month. I didn't know what was wrong with me and I all I could think that it would be was the gastroparesis I had recently been diagnosed with. This diagnosis confused me because I was not suffering any of the symptoms that I read about on the internet. No nausea (up until this point), no vomitting...only a heavy feeling in the middle of the night if I ate too much. My doctor performed a gastric emptying study on said that I had "severe" gastroparesis and that I needed to take Reglan. Reglan is a very controversial medicine and I was horrified. I thought "if I only have this heavy feeling when I overeat, why do I have to take this life-altering medication?" So, I didn't take it. Back to September....I'm figuring that the nausea is probably the gastroparesis worsening and I get extremely depressed at the thought of starting Reglan. Then the diarrhea comes. Everything I ate made me have it and there was lots of mucous and oil in it. I was horrified. I thought for sure that at 34 years old I was growing to have a horrible illness or worse yet, some form of cancer. Finally, after I started getting on these forums I found information on gallbladder disease. I went to the Emergency Room after a horrible bout of nausea. They did an ultrasound and found that I had stones as well as a fatty liver. They said I didn't have any blockage and to follow up with a surgeon in 2 weeks. I was devestated as I desperately needed to get back to work and my life. The nausea was interfering with both and I am highly tolerant of pain. The next day I went back to the ER determined that I was going to get help. Again...they said no blockage...go home. 3 days later I went to my Gastroenterologist who requested my ER records. When she read the results she said that I needed to go to surgery right away because my common bile duct was dialated 2 cm. She said that I would have to have an ERCP first to clear out the stone that was dialating the duct. I was scared to death. That night I was admitted in the hospital and the next day ERCP was performed. This was a very awkward procedure and despite anesthesia I woke up 3 times in the middle of it. When I was returned to my room after the ERCP I started to have a slight stomach ache that within 5 minuted turned into the worst pain I have ever felt. My Dr. had dug around in my pancreatic duct because they couldn't find the stone in my gallbladder and I had developed pancreatitis. Knowing that this could be fatal I had a full on anxiety attack. All food was taken away from me for 3 days and I was given pain medicine. Within 3 days my enzymes were back to normal and I was ready for gallbladder surgery. I had an excellent surgeon and my gallbladder was removed with no surgery complications. I stayed in the hospital 2 more days and then went home. From the day I was home I was still just as nauseas as I was before surgery and was still foggy headed and extremely exhausted. I thought for sure that the surgery was a mistake and that this was not a gallbladder problem to begin with. I cried all the time and swore once again that I was dying of some horrible disease. Unfortunately, I tend to think the worst. I read everywhere how people were all better after 2 days. Well, I wasn't and I was worried. After a week and 2 days, the nausea went away...but I was still exhausted. I went back to work and worried everyday that I would just collapse. My legs shook if I stood too long and I was just sick of it. After 2 weeks the legs stopped shaking and I was able to do small chores and my head began to clear. I still have diarrhea but ONLY when I eat unhealthy foods. Despite what your doctor says, you can't return to a normal diet and shouldn't. You should NOT eat fast food or anything greasy or fatty. Also, avoid chocolate and caffeine. Remember that you will have bile constantly dripping into your intestines now. You will want that bile to be as clean as possible. If I eat right...lots of fiber and vegetables and fruit I don't have diarrhea. Also, some more good news...I don't have that heavy feeling when I eat anymore that was attributed to gastroparesis. I think all of my problems were related to gallbladder to begin with! I went to a new GI doctor and found that I had been misdiagnosed.

So, after all of this I am ok. I felt the obligation to tell my story to help people who are just like me. Health anxiety is gripping and can make you feel very lonely. Reading stories in these forums does not help because they are usually negative. But remember, the success stories are rarely on here because those people are out living life. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since gallbladder surgery and I have my life back. No more nausea, no more foggy head, no more shaky legs. It's scary to think of surgery but sometimes ya have to bite the bullet and go for it to feel better. This surgery has been a positive thing for me. I have gone from 363 pounds to 288 and still counting. Food is the enemy and I have learned to conquer it. Please watch what you eat. I have learned to because I will not let food kill me. Thank you for reading. I hope this helps at least one person.

Had gallbladder removed 29th Oct......now 4 days later acidy and sore and have an infection but nothing compared to the pain and sleepless nights before was worse than labour .......spent a couple of nights doubled up on the floor. Recovery is different for everyone !!! But even after this short time i will never look back.

Had my Gallbladder removed 3 months ago, it was one of the best things I have ever done. I suffered with stomach problems for years, even lost 18" of my large intestine due to perferated Diverticulitus a few years back. I was always suffering from acid reflux, sour stomach, diarreah, gas pains and the worst abdominal pains one can imagine. Spent many hours in the ER thinking I was having heart attacks. It's been 3 months since i had the Gallbladder removed. The first month; admittedly was hard... Suffered with "Phantom pains", lack of appetite and lose bowels. Now, at 3 months things are great! No more discomfort or pain. I am back to eating a normal diet and my bowels are solid. I have read alot of the posts on this topic and it's just depressing. I feel so fortunate that things have worked out for me the way they have. I hopefully, can offer someone a little bit of hope! Read this message and know that there can be good to come out of this. And you do have a chance at a new beginning! Oh and by the way, I feel great and have lost weight!

Hi everybody!
thank you to everyone for sharing your story.

i am a 38 yo female who had been having what turned out to be gallbladder attacks for about 10 years. Since the attacks usually happened at night, i guess i would forget the agony in the morning....

The HydaScans that they ran on my gallbladder came back "marginally normal" with an ejection fraction about 41%....My surgeon told me to go out and get a cheesbeburger and fries to see how i reacted (NOT GOOD).....so when my surgeon finally took out the gallbladder, i was very relieved to hear that it was, in fact - 'bad' and needed to come out since they couldnt give me a straight answer at first. They pulled the thing out 9/25/09. I felt instantly better after the surgery; that part was amazing. I had suffered VERY BAD back pain for years and had NO idea it was my GB until they pulled the thing out....

anyway i'm suffering pretty intently from Gas these days. more so then ever in my life before. I'm surprised to read that it might still be operational gas, after all this is November 19th....can it still be surgical gas?

All i know is that i'm pretty sure i'm keeping the fine people at GasX in business these days

Is anyone else having these issues?

Hello all!

I had my gallbladder removed January 14th, 2010 just under a week ago. Before having the removal I read tons and tons of blogs searching for answers to my questions, others going through a similar situation and just some reassurance. At the time of my surgery I was 21weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. I had been experiencing gallbladder attacks for over a year but had just written them off as hearburn or indigestion. Once I became pregnant this time around, the attacks came on more frequently and became more painful. My last attack occured on January 9th and sent me to the ER.

Throughout this pregnancy I've tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating low fat foods, taking my vitamins and exercising. All of which are things I didn't do with my first as I was young and just didn't know the importance of staying fit during pregnancy. That night we splurged on pizza and watched a movie with some family. Around 11 the attack came on out of nowhere and with full force. After wandering around for about an hr the pain wasn't letting up at all.. I was actually so out of it that I couldn't focus, I started becoming nauseated and sweating. A little after midnight I told my husband that we had to go to the hospital. For anyone who has ever had gallbladder pain and given birth, I think would agree the pain is just as terrible if not worse! At least with labor pains you get a break between contractions! Upon our arrival to the ER I vomited several times. Because the pregnanct y was immediately seen. I was hooked up to an iv for fluids, and a fetal moniter to make sure our baby boy was ok. They admitted me for the night. Early the next morning I was taken down for an ultrasound of my gallbladder and surrounding organs. The attending nurse mentioned my gallbladder as soon as I had been admitted. I thought I don't even know what that does, but if that is it, it sure is painful! I was released later that day.

My OB called monday the 11th with my results. I had many gallstones just as we suspected. He immediately referred me to a general surgeon to see it would be possible to have it removed. By this time I had done my homework and read up on the in's and out's of the operation, the risks during pregnancy and pretty much any opinions I could find online. I knew it was preferred to wait until after delivery of possible but that if it was to be done during, the 2nd trimester was a "safe window". Of course we all know any operation has it's risks, even if it's outpatient and seamingly simple! However I knew the risks for keeping a sick gallbladder for 20 more weeks of pregnancy... My dr warned that I would most likely end up in the ER several more times.. the attacks would become more frequent and more painful.. with the risk of affecting my pancreas. With the support of my family and my Dr's judgement I decided to have the removal that week.

I didn't sleep a wink the night before the operation.. I kept wondering if this was the right decision.. maybe if I ate like a bird I could avoid another attack.. I worried about my baby. I worried about the attacks becoming debilitating.. I am a full time student and have a 4yr to care for.. That morning we arrived at the hospital and things moved along quickly. Within an hour or so of checking in I was in the OR. And about 30 minutes later I was waking up in recovery. A little nauseated from the anethesia and some mild pain in my upper abodmen were the first things I noticed. Once all my signs were checked and the fetal tones were oked, I was moved to another recovery room where my family was waiting. I left the hospital by lunchtime.

As the day went on the anethesia wore off and the pain started to settle in. It wasn't terrible though. I just felt a little sore. What was worse was the discomfort from the trapped air in my right shoulder. I knew this was to be expected and should wear off by the next day. I had 4 tiny incisions, 1 right below my breat bone, 1 just below my belly button and two close together on the upper right side of my abdomen. While in the OR the surgeon even took a photo of my uterus for us and wrote Landon on it. Everyone was very warm and comforting during my time in pre-op and post. As for recovery I would say friday was the most uncomfortable day. I felt like I had done some crazy killer ab workout. I never did fill my percocet the Dr prescribed. I figured poor Landon had been through enough with the anethesia and if I absolutely needed some relief tylenol should do. My appetite was a little off for the first couple days after the removal. I ate small meals and didn't go crazy with the bad stuff. I have had some itching at the incision sites as well. Of course with a growing belly this is to be expected. So far I will say I am glad we decided to go ahead and take out my gallbladder. I won't have to worry about any more painful attacks. Baby Landon tolerated the surgery well and wasn't under any stress. Only time will tell of course if we deliver a healthy baby. But I am confident that everything will be just fine. Coming from someone who has experienced labor pain, recovery from a c-section and now a gallbladder removal and I can say that this was cake compared to the others! I hope my story helps anyone who may be in a similar situation looking for guidance on what to do.

I had my gall bladder removed last week.

For about 4 months I have had abdominal pain, but as I suffer from IBS I just figured it was a worsening. Then for three nights straight I couldn't sleep. No matter how I lay I couldn't get comfortable as it hurt so badly. On the final night I started to vomit and begged my partner to take me to the ER at 5 in the morning.

I was taken in fairly quickly but they refused to let my partner in with me. I was alone for about 2 hours before she was allowed in. Pumped full of drugs I had no idea what was going on. I vaguely remember going to be given an ultrasound. As soon as the doctor ran the device over my ribs I went through the roof and couldn't control my screaming. She was looking at the screen at this black area that was full of white dots. Best image I can give is looking through a telescope at a star constellation or two.

She went all quiet and told me the doctor would explain everything in the ER. I was in the ER for another two hours before a nurse came and told me I had gall stones and they would admit me until they had passed. Within 20 minutes a surgeon was there telling me that I was having surgery in an hour and they needed to get me ready. A bit of a shock as no one had mentioned surgery before and now I was being rushed to it.

Once again my girlfriend was shuttled away, freaking me out. I had to beg and cry to make them let her in the post op room just before they wheeled me off.

I woke up 12 hours later. I had 5 holes in my belly and the surgery had taken 2 hours. My girlfriend wasn't allowed in to see me until I was in my room. No one would tell her anything.

I didn't have a doctor check me over after and it was the nurse that discharged me. I didn't have time to ask any questions, or read up on any of this. Part of me is glad for that as I would have been terrified even more after reading some of these stories.

I am still in the recovery phase of the procedure. My medistrips still havent fallen off. But my appetite is next to nothing. I have a craving for Jello, but other than that I don't really want food. All of last week I lay on the sofa, in too much pain to move. It hurts to yawn, burp or sneeze. Man when any of those things happen it feels like my side is splitting open.

But this week things are better. I am moving around no problem, aside from speed bumps or pot-holes. Food is a problem right now though. I don't really want it. And when I do eat, I can time between 10 and 15 minutes before I need the bathroom. Even then its just loose and acidy. I am used to it from the IBS so its not causing me too much trouble. Just wish I was hungry. I see foods that I used to love and I am now like "Meh."

I am glad I had it, at the moment. The bathroom runs I am used to. The pain I had before, I wasn't. So in my case I have good and bad parts to this whole thing.

Does anyone else find that they are burping all the time though?