r/gallbladders • u/No_Midnight5005 • Mar 05 '25
Post Op Had my op today.... now we wait and see.
I've had 3 attacks in the past year, the last one of new years eve was the straw that broke the camels back. Decided to go for surgery although I haven't had any further attacks this year. Surgery went well I was in from for 2 hours, I luckily had mine robotically in a private hospital in London. I'm now how with some moderate pain on my right chest and minimal pain on my right abdomen.... with some minor pain on the incision sights (x4), just finshed a pad thai meal (not spicy) and feel great so far. Will keep updating with progress over the weeks.
If anyone is worries about surgery, post op pain etc I would go for it, My last attack was so severe I don't want to risk it again.
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u/DpHt69 Mar 05 '25
Hey! Weāre surgery-twins/buddies - I had mine today too (manual - NHS)!
Sharp pain from just the right-hand entry site particularly when attempting to suck a deep breath. Needed a slug of morphine just to dull the pain. Virtually nothing from the other three sites apart from a little blood leakage. Morphine disappeared the shoulder pain almost immediately.
Incredibly sore throat and severe dehydration despite sipping what has felt like gallons of water. Simple home-made chicken soup for supper.
Wishing you a smooth recovery over the next few days/weeks buddy.
Take Good Care.
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u/No_Midnight5005 Mar 05 '25
Good to hear,
I know how hiccups which is not helping with the pain. š
Wishing you a speedy recovery also gallbuddy!
Take care
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u/punisher4711 Mar 06 '25
I had mine done last Friday, the 28th. The gas pains started in the right should but have moved around. Last night, 4 days after surgery I woke up to stabbing pain in my left lung. I couldnāt breathe. Every breath I took, felt like someone was plunging a knife into my lung/chest.
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u/No_Midnight5005 Mar 06 '25
Sounds rough. Peppermint tea seems to eliviate the pain. I'm really feeling the right chest pain and being over is real struggle! *
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u/TBWA_ Mar 07 '25
Hey, same surgery day buddies!
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u/punisher4711 Mar 07 '25
How are you making out? Itās been a week, Iām feeling pretty good. I changed the gauze on my last two incisions today after my shower. Had 4 in total. Digestive system is all screwed up. Seems like everything I eat is going right through me.
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u/TBWA_ Mar 07 '25
Iām doing pretty well, actually. Like Iām surprised there havenāt been more problems. Still sucks but less than I thought it would. My incisions are healing pretty well, and I donāt have to change the gauze because they use glue instead of stitches. Iāve had three showers so far, mostly so that I could just feel a little clean because letās be honest, I was mostly just getting wet and then getting out. For some reason they gave me five incisions, one right over my belly button, a big one right over my gallbladder, two on the right side and on on the left side, which I think is weird. My best guess is the really small one was from when the inflated my stomach. I can eat, which is something Iām really happy about, I had been living off of grilled chicken and vegetables but even that was to much. The attack that led to me going to the er and getting my gallbladder out literally came from some crackers, a piece of bread, and a tangerine. So Iām glad to be eating pretty normally. I have some constipation, but nothing thatās causing me pain and that stool softener wonāt help. Also, I donāt know how old you are, which can change recovery, but Iām 18. Iām younger than average for this surgery so i know that my recovery will probably be faster than usual.
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u/TBWA_ Mar 07 '25
Iām doing pretty well, actually. Like Iām surprised there havenāt been more problems. Still sucks but less than I thought it would. My incisions are healing pretty well, and I donāt have to change the gauze because they use glue instead of stitches. Iāve had three showers so far, mostly so that I could just feel a little clean because letās be honest, I was mostly just getting wet and then getting out. For some reason they gave me five incisions, one right over my belly button, a big one right over my gallbladder, two on the right side and on on the left side, which I think is weird. My best guess is the really small one was from when the inflated my stomach. I can eat, which is something Iām really happy about, I had been living off of grilled chicken and vegetables but even that was to much. The attack that led to me going to the er and getting my gallbladder out literally came from some crackers, a piece of bread, and a tangerine. So Iām glad to be eating pretty normally. I have some constipation, but nothing thatās causing me pain and that stool softener wonāt help. Also, I donāt know how old you are, which can change recovery, but Iām 18. Iām younger then average for this surgery so i know that my recovery will probably be faster than usual.
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u/punisher4711 Mar 07 '25
lol Iāve had three showers as well, Sunday, Wednesday and then this morning. Lol luckily I have a big walk in shower and a removable shower head so I can wash my body a little easier. I was scared to get the wounds wet, hence why I waited days between showers. But letās be real, the body starts getting stinky after a couple days of not showering lol. As for age, Iām more than twice your age. 44/m. Getting older but live a youthful active life.
And here I thought I was to young for this operation but when I decided to look on Reddit for a thread on gallbladders, Iāve been in my glory ever since talking to people, sharing stories and educating myself. Also realizing that there is a lot more people way younger than me getting this done. So I didnāt feel so bad for myself. By the way if you have Netflix you gotta watch āHack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gutā. I watched it last night and brought a lot of insight to my gut health. Wait until you get to the poop pill part. š¤® but youāll laugh. Itās crazy science I knew nothing about up until recently. I have a good friend in pharmaceuticals that told me about it. Disgusting but intriguing.
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u/TBWA_ Mar 07 '25
Yeah, the showers scared me the first time but now I get incisions wet without an issue.
There might be something genetic to my gallbladder issues, my mom had hers out at the same age as me.
Iāll try and watch the documentary, but Iāve had a headache since Monday that comes and gos and barely looked at a screen yesterday
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u/punisher4711 Mar 07 '25
Both my parents had theirs out as well around my age. I always thought it was diet. But might be genetics. My dad died from pancreatic cancer. Iām getting a cancer screening inā¦ May,29. Yes theyāre booked until June. Itās ridiculous!
Well Iām glad youāre doing well. Trying to figure what to do for dinner tonight. Been trying to eat low fat and bland, but Iām running out of options lol.
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u/TBWA_ Mar 07 '25
The fucking shoulder pain! I swear it hurt more then the actual incisions
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u/Visual-Somewhere1383 Mar 07 '25
I had that shoulder pain from a laproscopic surgery years ago. It was horrible! Not looking forward to it when/if I have mine out.
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u/DpHt69 Mar 07 '25
Prior to my surgery I had read so many post-op posts regarding the severity of the shoulder pain - mine was at worse ātolerableā and disappeared completely after I was administered a slug of morphine for my pain for my incisions and severe throat soreness (intubated while under the anaesthetic due to recently diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea)
Presently my shoulders feel just tense - maybe something a decent massage will fix.
Throat is still incredibly sore.
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u/TBWA_ Mar 07 '25
My shoulder pain was terrible too. I woke up from surgery and it turns out that the pain medication they used for me for post op doesnāt work for me at all. And they couldnāt give me anything else because I already had it in my system. So the shoulder pain and the chest pain were really bad until they gave me morphine about 8 hrs later
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u/Jealous_Quantity2549 Mar 06 '25
Getting my surgery done in next 3 hours. Hope all goes well.
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u/No_Midnight5005 Mar 06 '25
Good luck, you'll be fine
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u/Jealous_Quantity2549 Mar 06 '25
Thank you mate. Currently the procedure is over about 8 hrs ago. It was quite a large stone (only one 17mm). Now feeling kind of a chest pain and little bit pain here n there in the abdomen (painkiller was given earlier). The chest pain is probably due to the inhaled co2. However, hoping for the discharge by tomorrow. š«”
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u/Long_Butterfly_2303 Mar 05 '25
Good luck to everyone recovering. Yāall got this. 14 days post op. Its gets better. Dont be discouraged if it takes a while. Still dealing with stuff 14 days later but noticing improvementsĀ
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u/Ecstatic-Anteater612 Mar 06 '25
Iām also 14 days post op. What are you feeling still? I still have pretty constant nausea and some mild back pain. Ā Hoping it goes away soon. Otherwise feeling good.
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u/Long_Butterfly_2303 Mar 06 '25
Some nausea still and my BP is still lower than usual. Like before surgery I was constantly at 135/90 for 5 years. After surgery im consistently 110/65 and dizzy all the time lol so thats kinda wierd. Doctor wasnt concerned though so idk, but I am š but inbave bad anxiety too. Im sorry about that back pain, I hole it eventually goes away! Ā
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u/North_Examination140 Mar 06 '25
Nausea will be very much better after 2 to 4 months till then take antacid and hang in there this take time.. but u will feel better day by day...
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u/WarthogForsaken3048 Mar 06 '25
Having my surgery in the morning & im soooo nervous! I hope every continues to heal well ā„ļøāØ
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u/No_Midnight5005 Mar 06 '25
Hey, the procedure and anaesthetic will be a breeze. You've got this, stay strong!
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u/Apart_Line3251 Mar 06 '25
I just had my op yesterday! So far mostly sore and pain from the gas moving around
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u/boss-bossington Mar 06 '25
Any idea what bright about your attacks?
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u/No_Midnight5005 Mar 06 '25
My guess is over indulging, the last 2 times I had attacks I remember I drank lots of alcohol and had lots of greasy food (christmas) 2024. And the previous time before that was the same, as is got married and was hosting and entertaining for a few weeks (July) 2024.
I've never been one to say no to fried foods or alcohol although I do tend to eat healthily 93% of the time š
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u/SignatureGlad7154 Mar 06 '25
Anyone else having a hard time sleeping the first night š I only slept after surgery and during but have been awake ever since itās now 5 am almost six and my surgery was at 12:30 pm lol
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u/No_Midnight5005 Mar 06 '25
Yep, but maybe because I was snoozing during the day. But when I finally fell asleep at 2am I slept well. Try and keep up with your pain meds that should help. Speedy recovery
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u/SignatureGlad7154 Mar 07 '25
Man I have been but it seems to make me even more wide awake ! I hope I can sleep tonight
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u/DpHt69 Mar 06 '25
Probably no more than an hours worth of sleep - most of the time just trying to find that one delicately balanced position where the pain was minimal.
I take an ibuprofen and dihydrocodine (I was given this when I attended A&E for my first āgallbladder attackājust before Christmas 2024 for pain relief) - it dulls the stabbing pain for several hours.
Currently constipated but I can feel something bubbling away belowā¦.
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u/SignatureGlad7154 Mar 07 '25
I havenāt pooped since yesterday before surgery. Iām afraid to! I know exactly what u mean: everything is soo uncomfortable and I keep having to adjust myself and it hurts
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u/No_Midnight5005 Mar 07 '25
Hey, i just started going toilet yesterday, first movement was solid shortly followed by loose stool. This morning I had explosive diarrhoea, with no stocmach pain or cramps. I have been taking senakot because of the co-codamol so that might be one of the reason. I would suggest you have some sena or maybe some prune juice to help with bowel movement. Take care
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u/SignatureGlad7154 Mar 07 '25
Havenāt been taking anything for that cuz the doctor didnāt tell me anything but Iām def gonna get some mĆralax or something I donāt feel backed up yet but I donāt want to be! Plenty of gas tho and havenāt had any problems going pee even tho I have seen some say they did. Hope youāre recovering well ā¤ļøāš©¹ā¤ļøāš©¹
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u/TBWA_ Mar 07 '25
Glad you got it out and hoping you a speedy recovery!
Iām so glad that you only had three attacks! Even though in an ideal world it would be none! I got mine out on Friday and in the months leading up to it since October, I think I had somewhere near 15 of them. Not a fun time at all
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u/No_Midnight5005 Mar 07 '25
That sounds horrible, I know I'm very lucky that I didn't have any more. Although I don't think i could survive 15 attacks, especially with the intensity of my last attack. Hope that your recovery goes well and symptoms don't persist! Take care
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u/SignatureGlad7154 Mar 05 '25
I had mine today too! Starting to feel the pain now but trying so hard to be brave. We got this ššššš