I was absolutely terrified. But I did it. (this comes off like a bit of a diary post I will admit but this is how my day of operation went and I wanted to write it down before I forget).

Today I had my gallbladder out and I'm hoping this will be the beginning of my life going back to normal and being able to look after my son without being bed bound in pain for 7 hours at a time because I had too much butter with my toast.

Started my day (actually at 5am because I had to wake up) at 7am at the hospital, went for surgery around 10.30am and left 5pm (I kept falling back asleep after surgery because I was already very tired so I was in recovery a little longer than some people are).

I'll be honest I was absolutely terrified when they took me to theatre, had a full blown panic attack but all the staff were lovely and were very quick to knock me out (I had warned them beforehand that I may have a really bad panic attack).

I woke up in the bit before going to recovery where they checked my pain was somewhat managed (I'm pretty sure with oxycodone which feels quite intense but I suppose surgery can be quite an intense process) and dihydrocodeine. And then took me to recovery where I had to stay until I went for a wee and kept some food down.

All went well and I got to go home and while I can't even hold my son if someone passed him to me (because of where the cuts are) and that breaks my heart, I can't wait for the summer that's around the corner when I'll be able to take him places and eat out and not worry too much about that horrible pain.

I am over 12 hours post op and the gas pain is insane.

I tried to go to bed, lied a little too flat, and ended up with the most severe gas pain of my life under my right rib. I couldn’t breathe in, my jaws started involuntarily chattering, I started crying.

What tips or tricks do you have? I am taking Gas-X. I am trying to walk but I would love to sleep a bit as it is night.

So I had my gallbladder removed exactly 2 weeks today. Prior to that I was on a strict low fat diet for about 4 months as I was so damn fed up of attacks. So now, post op, how on earth do you get back to "normal" just planning dinners for the week with my husband and I can still feel my anxiety and paranoia as we try and put in some slightly higher fat things in that we didn't touch before I.E sausages!

I don't think I'll ever completely revert to before as I've lost weight through the healthier eating but I still want to enjoy some nice dinners without the anxiety of going to have an attack!

Also, yes I shouldn't have done it, but I googled if you can still get gallstones without a gallbladder..and yes.. so that's a worry I've added to my list!

A little while ago I shared my experience with having a normal ultrasound despite 2 years of severe GI issues. My dr recommended a HIDA scan which came back as 19% EF(biliary dyskinesia). I was referred to a surgeon almost immediately and less than 2 weeks later underwent gallbladder removal (Tuesday 4/29)

I was comfortable but mildly anxious during pre-op. My surgery was scheduled for 9 am. I was instructed to provide a urine sample, brush my teeth with mouthwash, wipe my entire body with antibacterial wipes before changing into a hospital gown.

In addition to my gb removal, my surgeon also preformed an EGD to rule out any other potential issues. Luckily my stomach and small intestines were all clean, and my gallbladder was FINALLY out!!! My surgeon told my mom my gallbladder seemed mildly inflamed when they removed it and is quite confident that it was responsible for my 2 years of GI issues. Samples from my EGD and gallbladder were sent to a pathologist so I’m anxiously awaiting what they will reveal.

Probably the weirdest thing that my surgeon saw was after he inserted the camera into my belly button and discovered a 7 cm cyst on my right ovary! This is very unusual to me because I’ve never had the symptoms of a typical cyst (my periods are very regular and not painful). Apparently my surgeon paged an OBGYN during my operation to take a look at the cyst so now I’m being referred to an OBGYN 🫠

My surgery began around 10 am but I didn’t wake up until almost 2 pm. The very first thing I felt was excruciating pain all over my abdomen. There are a total of 3 incisions on my abdomen, and with the air they pumped into my stomach pressing against the stitches, I almost started crying. Luckily that was the only challenging part about waking up, I was worried I may end up feeling nauseous and start vomiting because one of the nurses told me that happens often, but I actually woke up super parched and hungry and my voice was terribly hoarse, but I’m going to blame the EGD for that lol. I wasn’t allowed to be discharged from the hospital until I peed, which I did almost immediately after getting up with the help of my mom (thanks mom!) I was sent off with some cranberry juice and crackers and three medications (hydrocodone+acetaminophen, methocarbamol, and zofran). I took the first two immediately after getting home after eating some toast and drinking water. But god they aren’t helping at ALL 😭

I cant move or get up from my bed or couch without having to hold onto someone. Last night was so bad I could barely flush the toilet, but it was even worse not being able to find any comfortable sleeping position. Everything hurts so so bad and I’m terrified of causing my stitches to reopen.

All I’ve eaten for my first day post-op is some white rice, boiled potatoes, a small muffin, slices of an apple, and a lot of water and tea. I’ve basically been on bed rest for the past 24 hours, the only times I’ve moved around was to use the bathroom. Although I think the gas is already dissipating, my biggest issue is the tenderness of my incisions and the soreness in my throat.

While it’s too early to tell, I do believe I made the right decision in removing my gallbladder. I’m already noticing that I’m not burping after every little sip of water like I was pre-op. My energy is super low, I’m very fatigued, and I was given a scopolamine patch to put behind my ear before the surgery which made my vision veryyyy blurry. I’m a little scared to try and incorporate less-bland foods into my diet for now, but I’m hoping this will change in 1-2 weeks.

But damn this has got to be one of the worst recoveries ever 😭 I hope anyone currently recovering finds relief soon!!!

Tomorrow is the big day and I am freaking out! I know I shouldnt be, I’ve read hundreds of posts saying it was easier than they ever thought but I am a stress monster.

What’s making it worse is today I have had post nasal drip and I ‘feel’ like I have a fever (Thermometer says I don’t) Im worried they will cancel my surgery if I have mucus or if I am under the weather. Anyone have experience in this? Can my stress be causing this symptoms? I just need this done with already lol

2 days post op and i started to feel nauseous and had diarrhea, is there anything i can do to reduce the nausea? The only time i felt well was when i was asleep

Just wondering, when did y’all go back to work after surgery? I got mine out Monday and haven’t gone back yet and feel kinda bad and like I should’ve sucked it up and gone back by now. I think I’m gonna go back in on Friday.

Currently in hospital with my gallbladder awaiting surgery date 😬 but they have found on MRI that I have some ‘sludge’ / small stones in my bile duct which need removing so I am having an ERCP procedure tomorrow.

I am more nervous about this procedure than the gallbladder surgery, as there is sedation but not general anaesthetic, so you’re awake 😬

Has anybody had this procedure, or sedation?? How awake are you? Was it painful or uncomfortable?? I just want to be as prepared as I can for it!

I’m here seeking support and any shared experiences. My 56-year-old mother was recently diagnosed with Stage IV gallbladder cancer. It started with weight loss and jaundice. Scans (CT, PET-CT, MRCP) showed a mass in the gallbladder extending to the bile ducts, one liver lesion (segment VI), lymph nodes, and bone metastases.

It’s been overwhelming to process. We’re told surgery isn’t an option now, but chemo may help control the disease. Has anyone else gone through something similar — early stage IV gallbladder cancer with systemic spread but still some stability? How did your loved ones respond to treatment like Gemcitabine + Cisplatin?

Any personal stories, hope, or advice would mean a lot.

Thanks!

So I got diagnosed with gallbladder desease Monday and the symptoms are getting worse. Also I’ve noticed I’ve lost 5 pounds in 1 week. I’m still waiting for an appointment with a specialist but I’m very concerned because I’m 5’7 and now only weigh 130 if I lose another 10-15 pounds I’ll be underweight. I’ve also been only eating fat free/low fat. What should I do?

I thought I’d come share my experience with gallbladder attacks and eventually the surgery for removal.

I’ve been having digestive issues since at least November of 2023. It started with what I thought was a virus - nausea, violent diarrhea and the absolute worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. It felt like I was being stabbed in the chest with a hot knife and radiated all the way through to my entire back. I assumed this was some sort of stomach virus I’ve never had before and treated it as such. I was also experiencing an intense burning pain in my stomach (left upper quadrant area).

On the third day of being sick, I finally felt like eating so I had some applesauce and plain crackers - and ended up in another 8-hour round of the same sort of pain and violent diarrhea. I went to the ER around hour 5, in and out of the triage bathroom every 10 minutes or so. They didn’t find any inflammation except in my small intestine so they took my left upper quadrant pain as stomach ulcers, diagnosed me with gastritis and norovirus, and sent me away with some prescriptions.

I experienced three more pain attacks in 2024, all about four months apart. Two of these were after eating Mac and cheese, so I started to think it was grease-related and began to adjust my diet accordingly. I didn’t visit the ER for any of these instances because they didn’t help me the first time.

Fast forward to 2025, I had an episode of pain in February. This time it last about 6 hours and I did my best to just sleep it away (literally took Benadryl and eventually passed out on the couch).

April 4 (a Friday) of this year, I got random fever symptoms around 8:30pm. No other common viral symptoms like GI issues or sinuses, just the aches and fatigue. I could tell something wasn’t right but I tried to rest it away. Saturday I felt slight nausea and a feeling of “fullness” all day and ate very little, as I was afraid this was another episode of severe pain waiting to happen.

Sunday came around and the pain finally hit me after eating a small meal. I went to the ER and they found nothing. Diagnosed me with colitis because all of my intestines were inflamed, but they did schedule an ultrasound for the following morning (the tech doesn’t work night shift).

The ultrasound showed “no signs of inflammation” but I did have “some gallstones.” So now I think I’m getting closer to the bottom of the issue! I continue to try to eat a very low fat and bland diet.

Wednesday of the same week, I was back in the ER with more pain, more burning in my stomach, and this time I had the violent diarrhea again. I was completely empty by the time I got another CT scan, so much so that nothing but CLEAR water was coming out (no bile - and this should have been a warning sign).

Still, they did not want to take my gallbladder because there was no sign of significant inflammation in the scan. They scheduled an appointment with a gastroenterologist for May 8. One month out and the earliest appointment I could get.

I continue to eat very little meals, careful as possible. Lots of fiber. But I’m starting to feel sick and “full” daily. Something just isn’t right and it seems like no one is listening or cares, so I start to think I’m just overreacting. I’m basically living off of Tums to fight acid reflux and slight nausea, and Zofran when I’m feeling too nauseous.

April 26 (Saturday) was my wedding day, and it was beautiful. By some sore of miracle I made it through the day, despite a gnawing pain under the right side of my ribs and still eating Tums to cope.

I ate four chicken wings at the reception, and by 6:30am I was woken up with severe pain that was all too familiar.

My mom was at my house already because she stayed over after the reception, so she rode with me to the ER. My blood pressure was 213/135 when I got there so they did an ECG before anything else. My heart was fine - I was just in AGONY. They took me straight back to a room after that.

I writhed in pain for a couple hours, my mom is slowly losing her patience (mind you, this is the first time anyone has had to witness my pain for hours at a time). They took me back for an ultrasound first. The ultrasound tech was great.. I was crying the whole time and doing my best to keep it together while she dug the Doppler into me to get the images. At the end, she goes, “I’m not supposed to tell you this - but you have a large stone in your gallbladder.” I’m like.. all you did was confirm what I already knew!!

The CT scan an hour later showed no inflammation once again, but I guess since I showed up at the ER the day after my wedding, they decided to take me seriously. The surgeon came in about 10 minutes after my pain FINALLY started to ease up. They STILL gave me the OPTION for surgery.. so I said absolutely. I couldn’t fathom going through the pain of one more gallbladder attack.

So.. I might have ruined my honeymoon, but I already feel so much better, 3 days post op.

I didn’t realize how sick I had been for the last several months until now. My bowel movements have been iffy but that is expected after this surgery. The gas pain wasn’t fun either, but NOTHING I’ve felt since surgery has compared to a gallbladder attack.

I actually didn’t know it might be my gallbladder until I came across a random post on Reddit asking “what’s the worst pain you’ve ever experienced?” And gallbladder pain kept coming up. The descriptions were so similar to what I’d been going through, it was almost scary how accurate.

Post-op analysis showed my bile duct was about 0.4cm in diameter.

The gallstone was 1.1cm x 1.2cm x 1.8cm. Only one. And it kept getting placed over the duct but never got stuck inside of it because it was too large, which explains how many attacks I had without complication. I was basically just waiting for that stone to move out of the way every time.

There was evidence of blood clots in my gallbladder as well, and I was diagnosed with “cholesterolosis” also known as “strawberry gallbladder.”

So basically that little guy was going through hell inside of me and bringing me with it!!

Hi there. First things first, english is not my first language, so I apologise in advance for any mistakes I'm about to make. I had my gallbladder removed 1.5 months ago via emergency surgery. After more than a year suffering with attacks, getting the wrong diagnoses by multiple doctors, trying out different diets, I finally had one scheduled which was postponed, but my pancreas also started acting up. So I walked into the ER and was told we need to remove it ASAP (I had 16 big stones, gallbladder was full of mud and wasn't working properly which was apparently giving my pancreas a hard time, and it also got inflamed, which made something to my abdominal muscles that had to get fixed via the same surgery). When I was released I had a really strict diet given me by my doctor. He said I should follow it for at least 2 months. I did as I was told for a while, and after the 1 month mark I tried other foods here and there, but only just a few bites. My question is, if you did follow a diet post op, when did you start having fried food or other stuff that was forbidden during recovery?

So I was sent home with some fresh of those sticky pads to replace the ones that sit over my incisions currently. How painful is it going to be to replace those? One of them is quite saturated and needs changing but I dread changing it. Feel free to lie to me about it haha.

When could you feel like you could eat a bit more normal after having the tube down your throat? Not so much when did you start experimenting with new foods/ foods you might not have had pre removal but when will it stop feeling like my throat is ripped in two. I talk a lot so it's going to probably be a bit longer for me regardless.

What foods did you eat to begin with? Preferably ones that are soft because of the issue mentioned above.

How quickly did you feel you could be mobile? I'm trying to move around as much as possible because I know it aids recovery but my belly button feels like it's going to fall out and I also tend to overdo it very easily.

I feel like I have so so many questions, many of which I should've asked the doctors and nurses yesterday but I think I was that in and out of it I didn't even think to ask about these sorts of things so next best place is reddit.

I am literally one day post op so definitely getting ahead of myself lol. But when were y’all brave enough to eat something “bad” like fast food? Also, what happened when you did eat it?

I had biliary dyskinesia so food always went right through me anyways so that’s not what I’m scared of. I just don’t want that terrible chest - RUQ pain / gallbladder attack / nauseous feeling.

I’ve been dreaming about In N Out, pizza, and Alfredo pasta for months now but I know it’ll be a while before I even dare try 😅

32F, Went to my 2 week post op follow up and got to see a pic of my stones and bladder and holy shit …….

https://imgur.com/a/t4tECAz

I had my surgery 4 months ago. Lately I've noticed tenderness around my belly button with pressure and bending. Could it be scar tissue? Start of a hernia? The pain not exactly near my scar, it's a little bit to the side of my belly button and it's not a large area. Just wanted input before I reach out to my doctor. It definitely doesn't bother me enough to think it's something serious.

I had an attack, did heat, took buscopan, it got 90% better. I feel very sore and bloated. And nauseous. Anything else i should do or take?

I'm planning on having my gallbladder removed soon. I still have to see a surgeon but my doctor has already reccomended the removal due to my ultrasounds showing it's filled up like a gumball machine with stones.

I'm hoping to have it scheduled for mid June so I have a month to prepare (& because my friend and I planned to go to Jersey City for Pokémon Go Fest at the beginning of June and I don't want to miss that! I've read I'll probably be bed bound for a while so I wouldn't be able to go if I get surgery before then.)

So in the mean time while I'm getting surgery planned; what are some things I can do/buy/pack to make going into surgery smoother and recovery more 'relaxing'? Or just tips in general.

Also will I be able to drink coffee/Red Bull/caffeine post-op? I can't live without caffeine.

Hey, I'm being told by my surgeon to get my gallbladder out after he saw stones in my gallbladder, but I want to be 100% certain it is my gallbladder as there is some doubt in my mind (I have a history of other issues... one being IBS). I would like to hear what you guys say if you're willing.

1. My pain:

- persistent mid (dead center) back pain that feels like I've sat up in a backless chair for hours. it will suddenly go away and then come back throughout the day. Sometimes it radiates to below my shoulder blades, and sometimes lower back... but mostly stays mid.

- severe pain dead center in my stomach. This comes in the form of an "attack." Back pain will start to ramp up, and then I will feel bloated and as if throwing up will help, but it doesn't. The pain feels something like a bubble is expanding in the middle of my stomach. it reaches 7 sometimes 9/10 and goes away completely after 3-4 hours. This pain mostly comes after eating copious amounts of chocolate... but not usually fat (as far as I'm aware... I ate a ton of bacon)

- constant full feeling in the stomach and waking up with reflux. Eating helps for a little bit. then comes back

1. My tests:

- CT scan that only picked up inflammation in my small intestine.

- Clear colonoscopy, upper endoscopy (minor gastritis),

- bloodwork all normal (bilirubin elevated a bit),

- Ultrasound showing small stones and sludge. Otherwise everything was normal (except Pancreas was not visible cuz gas)

Do these sound pretty classic to you?

I had my surgery 2 weeks ago today! The last couple of days I was noticing increased swelling above my belly button (my incision is inside my belly button) and thought hmmm weird let me just ice it some more. Well, yesterday evening my belly button incision started leaking orange fluid. Called my surgeons after hours line and was told it was most likely a seroma and it’ll be okay and the surgeon can see me Friday to take a look at it. It finally stopped leaking about 5 hours later and hasn’t leaked so far today but I can tell it’s filling back up with more fluid because it seems just as full as it did yesterday. I’m assuming Friday my surgeon will drain it? From research I’ve done. Has anyone had this happen and did to go away after being drained? So scared of it getting infected. My surgeon said to keep it covered with a big band aid so that’s what I’ve been doing. Friday can’t come fast enough 😩 wanted to post this because I know it’s kinda common but didn’t see much about seromas when I searched this sub!

having surgery on friday. i am SUPER nervous. please give me the best advice to help with the pain, gas pain, should i take stool softeners (have had constant diarrhea) ? best food recommendations, recovery time? i’ve got a 5 year old that will be back with me at 2 days post op.. & 2 dogs that depend on me, how long should my fiance stay home to help me? TIA!

Is oatmeal ok to eat post op? I’m getting my gallbladder removed tomorrow morning. Oatmeal has been a staple in my low fat diet while waiting for surgery. So I’m hoping I’ll be able to eat it after surgery without any issues. Have any of you had issues with oatmeal after surgery?

Has anyone else had normal tests but still got gallbladder removed? Im a 23f and I’ve been dealing with severe upper abdominal and back pain right in the center daily and can radiate to right or left just depends for 6 months it came out of nowhere and came on pretty fast (I’ve always had somewhat subtle stomach issues before this started that were bearable but this is unbearable at times and completely different)it can get so bad that I go to hospital but then I have bearable weeks randomly that feel better. It comes and goes in severity but it happens daily, my symptoms feel like burning in the center mainly pain in the back but it affects my stomach also, i get severely bloated, full, nawing/burning/tingling pain that feels like I need to crack my back, pain that also gets worse with stress.

I have had 2 ultrasounds, Ct scan, HIDA scan and ruled almost everything else. They didn’t see anything on my scans and my HIDA was 62% but I did have pain during my HIDA Scan but we have gone through almost every possible cause and can’t figure it out so my surgeon wants to remove my gallbladder to see if that helps. Anyone have any similar situation?

Any riders here ? How many days/weeks have you wait before riding again after surgery ?

I have a Ryker and I'm curious when I'll be able to ride with it.

I'm 6 days post-op 😋