Gallbladder removed - Gallbladder Message Board

Lizzy83 · 02-07-2007, 09:21 AM

Hello all-

I had my gallbladder out last weds.

Prior to the surgery I was having serious pain; atleast 1 a month. I got so nervous about not wanting to have the pain that I stopped eating. I was too afraid. Usually the pain would last 4 hours, but going into the ER I had the pain straight for 16 hours. It was horrible.

They did cat scans, and put me in another machine im not quite sure what it was- but i saw my liver, and other organs on the screen. They then injected me with 4 mg of morphine because the gall bladder was not showing up. It never did- so they said they had to remove it. I was in the hospital for 5 days.

The surgeon said that my gall bladder was so full of stones, and inflamed and infected it wasnt even functioning.

Im doing great now, I was a little sore the 1st 2 days, there was pain in my shoulder from air i guess, but they gave me a breathing machine that helped, and regular diet The doctor just sent me home with a RX for Percocet and Prilocet OC.

Also they used staples to shut the incisions. I have 12. They also used thread and glue but stapled it

Do you think that the surgery will make me feel betteR? Im hearing conflicted reports that people still feel pain and honestly im scared because Ive never been in so much pain. Giving birth wasnt even that painful.

Also i have noticed that my stools have changed. They look normal before the surgery they were soft and light colored now they are intact and brown like they were before I started having these problems. Sorry for the graphic detail but I was wondering if the surgery could have helped in that regard?

Thanks in advance for any replies

Linda1629 · 02-07-2007, 03:09 PM

Hi,

I had my gallbladder out last wed also (1/31). Yes, I do think it will help you. If your gallbladder was that much of a mess then it certainly would be causing you lots and lots of problems. Don't doubt that you did the right thing.

I wasn't having the problems that you were having but I was instead having intermittent attacks. I could eat whatever I wanted but every so often I'd get hit with an attack, I wasn't having pain non stop like a lot of people do. Still, I opted for the surgery...get it out and over with and now I know I'll never have pain like that again.

Some people do still have problems after surgery but considering all the problems you had before....you definitely did the right thing.

Titchou · 02-07-2007, 04:38 PM

Lizzy - sounds like you did not have it out laproscopic? 12 staples is a lot if you only have 3 holes...you may take a while longer to recover. Most of us have it out and go home the same day....a few dissolving stitches and that's it.

Lizzy83 · 02-07-2007, 06:05 PM

No it was laporscopic i have an incision under my belly button 5 staples, 3 in the middle of the rib cage, and 2 each on the 2 in the right .
He did have a problem removing it i guess because it was inflamed- i have to go back next weds to have them removed. Oh and h e did close sthem with the dissolving stitches too. I hope it wasnt my doctor because he didnt want to do the surgery bc of insurance reasons but my physician said it was very important so he reluctantly agreed

DO STAPLES come out therselves? mine are loose and itch so bad the incision marks are closed i can see it closing kind of looks like a cut with a knife that closes up

i lost some weight recently from working out and not really eating because of being afraid of the gall pain- and i had a baby a year ago so i have a little loose skin

Titchou · 02-07-2007, 07:28 PM

As far as I know they have to remove the staples. All of mine but one were dissolving. I only had 3 holes but it seems that people in other parts of the country have 4. Very odd....everyone here in B'ham seem to have only 3.
Oh well...