I had my gallbladder removed 3 1/2 weeks ago, and like others here had a hellish recovery. i was constipated for 7 days. belly looked pregnant and swollen. cramping, pain, i could even hear a ruckus going on internally, like all my organs were really pissed off and rebelling. and the sharp stabbing pain and soreness on my right side lasted 2 weeks, then for about 3 days it was just an ache, now its almost gone. i did situps and have been dancing alot this week to make up for 2 weeks of inertia and in hopes of losing the gut. it has helped but also caused alot of soreness. the belly is deflating. i think excercise and diet helped alot. also my BMs are more regular than ever before now, usually right after every meal. I have had 3 instances now of the phantom gallbladder pains, one brought me to the ER (1 week after surgery). tests showed liver enzymes were elevated and intestines were full of stools. they assumed it was typical post op stuff and sent me home to see if it got worse. it didnt, it went away in 3 hours or so. 2nd one was 3 weeks after surgery, after a night of dancing, as i was walking out of the club it came on suddenly and brought me to the ground. i couldnt get up. all i could do is clutch my stomach and cry. i tried deep breathing, as i was embarrassed because people were gawking at me and i really wanted to get up. it actually worked! take slow, deep breaths (it will hurt a bit but trust me, it works!) hold it in a bit, let it out slowly. the pain was gone within 10 minutes. 3rd time i immediately tried the breathing techniques and pain only lasted 5 minutes. im hoping this will just go away. the surgeon seems to think its abdominal muscle pain, which i find really hard to believe. sure doesnt feel that superficial. other than that, i must say i feel great! after that much pain, i am enjoying every second of life and health like never before. life truly is a gift. every minute is precious. :-)