Hi, well, as you may have read, I have been pretty sick, for well over a month now.
I went in for some bloodwork today, (I also have RH factor5) so I went in for routine bloodwork. I just got home, and they said that my bloodwork indicated that my gallbladder is getting worse by the day, so they scheduled my surgery for tommorow afternoon at 230.
Will I be able to go home, or should I plan on an overnight stay? Any help would be appriceated. I will let you all know how it goes.


S. :angel:

Hey there - thinking of you. Depending on how you come out of anesthesia and with no post-op complications, you may be able to go home tomorrow night. Lap GB surgery is considered day surgery meaning you can stay up to 23 hours in the hospital if needed. My surgery was at 4:30 p.m. so I ended up staying overnight and was discharged the next morning by 9:00 a.m., so it was still considered a day surgery since I left the hospital within 23 hours. It all depends on how you feel after you wake up. The procedure takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes, and then you'll be in recovery for up to an hour afterwards to monitor your vitals, then you may be allowed to just rest for a few more hours to monitor your situation before you're discharged.

Keep us posted,
Katie G

Another one bites the dust. You would think gallbladder is an epidemic or something. There has to be a better way. I hope someone is working on a better way. If I were a millionaire I would fund the research myself.

Please write back with details afterwards. Mine is tuesday next week.

Hi Farscape --

I know you are not keen on having this done, but how sick do you want to get? Where do you want to be when the big attack hits? Wouldn't you prefer to pick your own surgeon/facility? How old do you want to be when you have surgery? The younger you are, the easier this will be. Wouldn't you prefer not to be terribly ill and have to possibly have the long version of this surgery as a result of that? There are a lot of questions to ask yourself. Only you can make the ultimate decision, of course.

I understand your fear of surgery, believe me, and your dislike for needles, etc. But it's not bad, really! And you will feel SO much better, and all this angst will be gone and you can move on with your life. Being consumed by something like this is unhealthy in itself.

If I were you, I would really ask for some Valium to get you through the long days before the surgery. The waiting is the WORST, truly. If you have any other questions or concerns, ask away.

FYI, gall bladder surgery IS popular. In fact, it is the MOST commonly done abdominal surgery in this (and many other) countries. Before lap surgery was perfected, the old style open surgery was very common, but more people lived longer suffering with the attacks and discomfort because recovery from open surgery was so long and painful. Now it's quicker and easier to just get it done.

Best wishes to you as you struggle with this decision.

They gave me xanax to help get me through. I have decided to go through with it. The thing is I have pain and discomfort but never nausea or anything like that. Mostly a feeling of pressure under the ribs, with small twinges of pain on and off. Icould live with it if it didnt get any worse. But it has slowly been getting worse over the last 2 years. Only recently has the accupuncture helped. I guess I just loose out on this one. I still firmly believe it is an important organ and doctors are taking the easy way out by rippiing them out. They should be finding a cure.

But most people take the easy way out.

I thought it was an organ wort tryiing to save and I gave it my best.

I felt exactly like you did and agonized for over a year about the surgery. I had little twinges here and there and couldn't tolerate certain foods. I just felt plain old lousy at various times and before the first attack, I had no idea why. I experienced short bouts of nausea off and on but zero vomiting, etc., thank goodness.

But the one classic, several hours' long big pain attack from obvious stone passage/blockage last year, and then, just a couple of months ago, two very weird and debilitating right-sided 5 hour "stomachaches" like I'd never experienced before, convinced me that the time had come to finally remove the GB. I just gave up and went for it.

I fought with every doctor along the way -- arguing that it is an important organ. It IS, but we CAN do well without it and it's not good to keep a diseased organ in there when we can live without it.

I even wanted to try the Actigall method, which works, sort of, on breaking up smaller stones. However, it has many of the same side effects as the surgery in many instances and repeated use of the stuff is usually necessary. It is also extremely expensive from a prescription cost standpoint. It is only recommended for people who absolutely cannot withstand surgery. It doesn't sound like you fit into that category.

Believe me, I understand all of your emotions about this event. I tried to keep very busy every day prior to surgery, and that definitely helped. I summoned up every ounce of humor I possess and tried to look at it as an interesting learning experience as well. It WAS! If you like your surgeon, that helps a great deal, too. It's always important to feel good about your doctor(s).

Keep on writing, it's no doubt therapeutic for you -- and we'll all keep on answering until you have no further need for dialogue...

I feel good about the doctor, he has the best reputation in the area and a spotless record on these surgeries. I just have to be prepared for the unexpected.
After my kidney stone operation in janurary, I could not urinate and had to wear a catheter for 4 days. Those were excruciating days of pain. No one warned me of this potential complication. Later the surgeon said it very rarely happens and when it does its with older patients with enlarged prostates. So I was the exception to the rule that time.

I am just worried that my bad luck will continue and I will develope one of those "rare" complications that they allways fail to mention and leave off of there consent forms.

My church is praying for me. And as I may have mentioned my father ended up bedridden and in a nursing home from a routine hernia operation which led to a stroke on the table. Another one of those "rare" events.

My family does not do well with surgery. Every time any of us has a surgery something unexpected happens. The only surgery that went well that I know of was tonsils when I was 5.

So I'ts hard to keep a positive outlook, this is why I chose to live with the pain the last 2 years.