Tomorrow, I will go back to the hospital for yet another scan on my gall stones as these were quite large a few years ago, the size of a UK 10p sterling, I have had the stones for quite some time and now and then they just gave me the odd sharp pain just to let me know they are still around.
But last month they decided enough was enough,I ended up on the floor curled up in a ball in agony!
I am getting the gall bladder removed next month, the appointment was origionally 18th July, but I just recieved a letter to cancel that one and a new one made for the end of the month, 25th July.
The pain is getting worse and worse as the days pass by and being tired more often than normal and feeling or being sick.
I'm just wondering if anyone here knows what they do and the recovery of it post op?
The doctor never gave me any kind of info what-so-ever!
I am scared! Please help.

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Great minds discuss ideas,average minds discuss events,small minds discuss people.Admiral Hyman Rickover.USN.

"Make the most of every day like it could be your last, enjoy each others companyas this will make good memories for when we pass". chrissy

chrissy
My wife is a nurse and she says that here in Georgia, US, the patient would go in at 7AM for preparation, have laparoscopic surgery around 10AM lasting about an hour. They would be in the recovery room until about 2PM, stay over night and be discharged the next morning.

Following would be months of horribly painful rehabilitation on a rack like device whilst being forced to listen to "Disco Duck" at full volume as Don Rumsfeld places panties on your head and hooks jumper cables to your toes.

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Bill Slugg
Albany, GA

so the rehab is more painful than the op ?
*must buy a blind fold and ear defenders!* now I'm dreading it more, thanks Billslugg!
heart rate has just gone up, darn disco duck!

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Great minds discuss ideas,average minds discuss events,small minds discuss people.Admiral Hyman Rickover.USN.

"Make the most of every day like it could be your last, enjoy each others companyas this will make good memories for when we pass". chrissy

***Alternative medicine alert***
10 years ago when I was going into the hospital (for a non-gallstone issue), I decided, after reading up on things, in order to clear-the-decks for whatever was to come, to do a gallstone flush ahead of time. Since that was not a particular issue for me, what I ended up 'passing' were a bunch of tiny---about 1/8" dia. bead-like globules.
Here's a link to the steps I followed:

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I can't flush these lil buggers out as they are 1 inch in diameter (x2) I have tried all kinds of methods, lemon juice included.
I eat a high fiber diet and have plenty of vegetables and fruit inclusive.
My grandmother suffered with them something chronic.
I used to run nearly every day 2 1/2 miles ,and was fit!
I think this is a the last option, the thing is I was just told I had stones not gall stones I made the assumption it was kidney stones and thought I pass them!

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Great minds discuss ideas,average minds discuss events,small minds discuss people.Admiral Hyman Rickover.USN.

"Make the most of every day like it could be your last, enjoy each others companyas this will make good memories for when we pass". chrissy

...with the olive oil?

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no, I can't stand the smell of the stuff!

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Great minds discuss ideas,average minds discuss events,small minds discuss people.Admiral Hyman Rickover.USN.

"Make the most of every day like it could be your last, enjoy each others companyas this will make good memories for when we pass". chrissy

Yes, and it does feel very weird to be drinking it in that volume, but I think it's key to that particular protocol---sure acts quickly once downed, tho!

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I can imagine it does! the lemon juice breaks them down I know that and I'm hoping that they have reduced in size!
But the pain is so bad it hurts when I breath!

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Great minds discuss ideas,average minds discuss events,small minds discuss people.Admiral Hyman Rickover.USN.

"Make the most of every day like it could be your last, enjoy each others companyas this will make good memories for when we pass". chrissy

Hi Chrissy,

The cholecystectomy (removal of the gall bladder) is one of the most commonly performed operations, with an extremely high success rate. It is done laparascopically, so recovery time is generally fast indeed. It's much like an appendicectomy, but higher up!

Any surgery is nerve wracking I know, but be comforted that this is not a complex procedure.

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"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day." - Douglas Adams

"Certainly, in the topsy-turvy world of heavy rock, having a good solid piece of wood in your hand is often useful." - Ian Faith

Never had that particular problem so no advice to offer.

But, wishing you the best of luck tomorrow, chrissy! I will be sending good thoughts your way.

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A person's name, or a mark representing it, as signed personally or by deputy, as in subscribing a letter or other document.

Besides, the Soup Dragon has assured me everything will be fine.
You can trust the Soup Dragon.

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The Devil offered me power. I told him I preferred aperture.

My wife has been through that recently. Sudden severe pain.. scary stuff, made us think of heart attack, even called (our version of) 911 and had ambulance at the house. Some months later, the laparascopic op itself was no biggie, but she did have some issues afterwards to do with the anesthesia, which was due to some pre-existing conditions that I won't go in to. Gall bladder removed, stone in a plastic cup, done. We thought.

Except the symptoms remained... fast forward to second lap. op, also not a biggie. In that op, as I understand it, the surgeon looked for remaining stones in the gall ducts, found none, but he did widen (one of?) the gall ducts, and that seems to have cured the symptoms now. I understand that this situation is an exception, and that the gall bladder removal normally cures the symptoms quickly and with few after effects.

You should be fine. Good luck!

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"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge" -- Charles Darwin
"Ignorance convinces" -- slang's dad
"Your right to hold an opinion is not being contested. Your expectation that it be taken seriously is." -- Jason Thompson

...and on the brighter brighter side---you'll get to spend more time with us!

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My father have his gall stone removed back in 2003 , it's more of like appendectomy . The cut isn't that long on the upper right side of your stomach. My father's operations before lasted only for 5 hours (2 hours surgery / 3 hours in the recovery room). After the operation , he stayed in the hospital for a week then he went home . He is fully recovered after a month. Of course you have to take good care of the wound , regular cleaning and it will heal fast.

Don't worry Girl.

I just wondered, why is the operation moved to a latter date. Can you make appeal to your doctor that you cannot wait that long because of the pain? Maybe he can do something about it.

Wow, this is just odd. Last night on another board I frequent, someone posted about a "near death experience during finals". Sensing more to the story we began to dig. She posted the whole story, which can be read here, but the main point is that she's a very intelligent woman, who just had second worse possible case scenario involving gall bladder surgery.

Her story is kind of long, but I think she may be willing to talk with you about the specifics of recovery via e-mail. I can ask her if you like.

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I'm not evil.
An evil person would do the things I think up.

Chrissy - I had my spleen removed laproscopically a few years ago. Not sure if removing the gall bladder is easier or harder, but for me, the surgery wasn't too bad. One night in the hospital and several weeks glaring at so-called friends who thought it amusing to make me laugh.

You'll be fine and the pain will end.

Chrissy,
The female members of my wife's family seem to all have this problem. My wife, her mom, and a bunch of her female cousins have all had their gall bladders removed, either as emergency surgeries or as scheduled events. They all ended up healthy and happy.

It makes a big difference as to whether you are having it done laproscopically or not, as far as the recovery period. If you are unsure as to how they are doing it, you should talk with your doctor. The laproscopic surgery has a much, much faster and easier recovery. But even still, you should figure on at least a couple of weeks till you are completely back to 100%. There is something about abdominal surgery that really seems to drain the energy out of people. Again, talk to your doctor in advance about the details.

As best as I can tell, none of them have any significant long term effects from gall bladder removal.

I wish you the best of luck with this and get well very soon.

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009

Chrissy, it's called cholecystitis, which means inflammation of the gall bladder.

While there are some preventative steps one can take, in many cases, removal of the gall bladder is the only long-term option.

The link I provided provides excellent background information, diagnostic information (helps you ensure the doctors are making a correct diagnosis), therapy. If they'll do it via a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, it improves your chances of success, and shortens your recovery (overnight hospital stay/one week total for the laparoscopy vs five days hospital stay/2 months total for open surgery). In the UK, it's called a Keyhole operation.

Googling "cholecystectomy" will turn up a host of additional information.

This link, from the UK's "Surgery Door" website, contains very good pre-op and post-op do's and don'ts.

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I am Mugs, of the Alien clan of Usa, Nordamerica, a Terran, of Sol. Human.

Whoever says "perception is reality" is daft. It's merely an abstraction, and often not a very good one.

thanks mak.