Those who have had gall bladder removed

[jenves]

I am having mine out on Wednesday by lap choly...I would like to hear others experience.  Tell me exactly what to expect while at hospital, afterwards, at home?  I am nervous.  Very nervous.  Never had surgery before.

Thanks, Jen

[Glo726]

I had my Gall Bladder out 3years ago.  I did not have any major problems.  I showed up in the ER at 11pm, because I had a pain that would not go away.  The only problem I had was I had to wait 5 days to have it removed because a gall stone irriatated by pancreus(lousy at spelling) and had to wait for it to calm down.  Had a great doctor, I followed his directions and I was ok.  When you leave the hospital, do not push it, listen to your body and your doctor.  Take your medicine as directed and you will do fine.

[jenves]

Thanks!!  Mine has been undiagnosed for about 7 years...well at least undiagnosed as gall bladder attacks.  First it was diagnosed as ovarian cysts and then Crohn's Disease.  Both of which I do really have, but not what was causing me all the pain.  Thankfully a wonderful family MD sent me for a CT scan thinking I had an abcess and low and behold the first I had heard of anything remotely wrong with my gall bladder.
The odd thing (and scary) is that my attacks don't seem to revolve around food.  My surgeon thinks that if I did have a higher fat diet that I may have had more severe problems.  My weight is normal-I had lost some weight last year during a rough Crohn's spell.  So I am not planning on eating anything crazy-but thanks for the heads-up!  

I hope you continue to heal and feel well!

Jen

[Fuzzz]

For me the worst problem was continuing to lose weight after surgery.  Mine was undiagnosed for quite a while because symptoms were so vague, but there was nausea and vomiting.  How is your weight now?  

What ever you do, do not eat cheesecake or cream cheese of any kind.  Two bites of cheesecake set off my one and only full-fledged gallbladder attack that lasted 30 hours.  After surgery I was desperate to put on weight, and bought a bag of bagels and whipped cream cheese spread for the calories.  I spread it on thinly and was miserably sick later in the day.  You don't want setbacks like that!  Take in nutrient-rich food or just bland food and vitamin/minerals if that's all you can handle, but avoid foods with super-high fat before and after surgery.  I still can't handle the smell of stinky fish like salmon and tuna, and the occasional weird Indian or cajun spice causes nausea.  Other than that and the fact my weight is slow to come back even while I seem to be eating plenty, I'm doing well after surgery.  Don't expect the incisions to look close to flat for 6 or 8 weeks.