Gallbladder Surgery?

Emma - posted on 01/31/2011

i had horrible attack while pregnant causeing pancreatitis ended up hospitalised for 7 days towards the end of my pregnancy then continued to have attacks after she was born so had it removed when she was three weeks was very hard as i was breastfeeding so i spent a week in hospital again waiting for the surgery during this time i pumped as much as i could n got enough for 3 feeds for while i was in surgery (she stayed in hospital with me the whole time n her daddy stayed with her while i wwas in theatres) as soon as i came back frim recovery my mum help me sit up n hook up to the pump cause my boobs were gunna explode 6 hrs without feeding plus being pumped with fluids in the operation they looked like i had had a boob job ne way so i pumped every 4 hours after n my mum styayed in hospital for the night to help with my daughter n fed n changed her cuase hubby had used all his sick leave cause of the birth n me being unwell the next morning i got outta bed n fed her so i didnt really ever get to recover n i think this cause me more pain as i had excruciating pain in my neck shoulder and chest for about 2 weeks post op and had to keep taking pain meds sometimes it was so bad i couldnt breath in properly i had a follow up with the surgeon n xrays to make sure everything was ok turns out it must have just been trapped gas or blood from the surgery n eventually went away but i blame it on sitting up waaaayyy to soon post op just make sure u get good pain meds n dont let ne one tell u u cant have them cause your breast feeding (if u r) cause u definately can n they wont harm the baby they give them for post c section patients n they r fine

Jessica - posted on 01/31/2011

I just had mine taken out 2 kids and 6 years after it first acted up. I am 27. they took mine out via 4 little holes. The worst part was the gas they inflated my stomach with it took 3 days for my shoulders to stop hurting.

Rachael - posted on 01/31/2011

I had my gall bladder removed it was all keyhole same day surgery about a 3-4 days, all routine no complications, the pain killers were strong felt like sitting with a cloud on your head, it was so worth the trip to hospital and wearing one of those gowns the pain from the gall stones is something you will never forget and the worst part of it

Aimee - posted on 01/31/2011

I just had mine out in october and my son will be two in two days.. It took me about a week to recover and lost weight with the diet they put you on.... I got out of the hospital and went straight for mcdonalds..., DONT DO THAT!!!!! lol. I was back in the hospital that night... that was the worst part...

Stephanie - posted on 01/31/2011

I started having stone attacks 4 months into my last pregnancy and the pain was so bad that I'd vomit on the spot. After a few times, I went to the hospital and they told me that I'd pulled my diaphragm so take it easy. I went on believing this through continued attacks until 2 months after my daughter was born. One day, the pain came and never went away so after 2 days I finally went to the hospital (I waited, not thinking it was bad because my doctor on call refused to see me). At this point, my skin was the colour of mustard. A stone had blocked my liver so I had bad jaundice and because I'd waited so long, my pancreas was badly damaged so they did the endoscopy right away and put a stint in until they could do the surgery (but not until my pancreas healed). I was told that the smaller the stones, the more painful they are and I had "a bag of sand" and that I would've died if I'd waited any longer. I was out in a week due to infection. A month later they did another endoscopy to empty it again and I was in for another week because my pancreas was still in bad shape and had been irritated from the procedure. Three months later, I FINALLY had my surgery. :)

The surgery itself wasn't a big deal, I was in and out of the hospital in 5 hours. My mom helped me out for the first day with my daughter but I was on my own after that. Have to take it easy and keep lifting to a minimum, and they gave me oxycontins for the pain which I weaned myself off right away because I know how addictive they are. I still have the scars a year later but they're pretty small, the stitches were the dissolving kind too. The only problem I've had since is that if I eat too much bad stuff (ie. too much steak or an overly greasy burger), I will still have the occasional stone attack and I'm back on the floor in brutal pain till it passes.

Aimee - posted on 01/31/2011

i had to have mine removed and it took me 3 weeks to be back on my feet. the worst part of it was that it did not get infected and when u sneezed it did not pull

Breanna - posted on 01/30/2011

my gall bladder bursted a month and a half after my second kid. and it was the worst pain i had ever felt. i would much rather have another kid without pain relief then to have to go through that again. my recovery was 5 days in the hospital since infection was everywhere. so if you can get it out now... i would recommend it instead of being in the hospital plus the recovery at home after words. good luck!

Amanda - posted on 01/29/2011

I had my first baby in April of 07 and I had my gallbladder removed in October of that same year. My recovery was probably about a week. The worst part was the pain prior to my surgery. (that same year about a week if that long after i had my first baby i was put into the hospital for seizure activity...it was terrible but i think i have it under control now with meds.) Good luck with ur surgery.

Amy - posted on 01/28/2011

I had my gallbladder removed 9 weeks after having my son via c-section. I had awful gallbladder attacks the whole time I was pregnant and it was full of stones. The actual pain was fine after about 3 days. I was taking care of my 9 week old fully the day after. Of course, I took it easy..but after a c-section that was a breeze. As far as the rest of recovery I no longer have attacks, but now I have IBS which SUCKS!! Since your gallbladder produces bile that helps digest fatty foods, it really messed my stomach up not having it. Just giving you a warning. Most people I know (not all) have had the exact same problem. I wish you luck!!

Laura - posted on 01/28/2011

I actually had to have mine out when I was 18 in college. My recovery was also about a week because I had a stone stuck in my common duct and had to have emergency surgery. Usually if it is preplanned and there are no complications you can go home the day of the surgery and just have a couple days of recovery.

My worst part was the pain before I had surgery. In my situation it was worse than childbirth. But if you can catch it early it really shouldn't be that bad.

Lacye - posted on 01/28/2011

I had my gallbladder taken out when my daughter was 2 weeks old. My recovery was 1 week, which is longer than what it was supposed to be because the surgeon had left a gall stone in my bile duct, it connects to the liver, and it caused me to become jaundice and I was dehydrated and couldn't eat. I had my surgery on a Monday and was back in the hospital that Friday night. They were about to do another surgery on me but luckily enough, I had a bowel movement and I passed the stone naturally. I will say this, it is very rare that something like this happens, most of the surgeons are more competent than the guy I had.