What is life like without a gall bladder?

[TaazyTaz]

I am a 31 year old old female about to have my gall bladder removed after having several attacks from gall stones. I have concerns about how it will effect my life, but my surgeon wont answer my questions. I want to know what my life will be like without a gall bladder,

I fear things like gaining weight cause my body can't process fats properly and will hold on to the fat it has because it's not getting any the way it should,

I'm worried about my intestines getting damages from constant bile pouring into it.

I want to know if there are things i can take to help me process fat better like bile salt tablets.

I fear instant diarrhea after eating anything fatty, and i'm not sure what level of fat my body will be able to handle.

How does having your gall bladder removed effect you long term? I'm willing to reduce my fat intake, but i don't want to go the rest of my life giving all my favorite foods up.

I want to know if there are over the counter meds to help me deal with whatever digest issues I will or might have after this surgery. I want to know what those complications if any are.

Most doctors seem to have the same line about how GB removal is an easy surgery and how it's not an essential organ, but it does have a purpose and does a job, so how will my life be different without it. What should i expect?

[sugarcatmom]

I never had panic attacks until my gallbladder pain started, Taazy.  I understand and really empathize with what you are going through.  But you'll see. You'll be much better off without the uncertainty and pain of what you are going through now.

I know of many people, too, whose lives are exactly the same after surgery.. They are all doing just fine... myself included, digestively speaking. And I know any residual stuff I am feeling now will be gone. I am so much better off today than I was 3 months ago.

Good luck to you and keep us posted.  We're all hoping for a swift and speedy recovery for you!

[TaazyTaz]

WOW I can understand your fears, without the dcotor giving me the answer i needed, i went online and it was just horror story after horror story, It freaked me out, and then when you tell a doctor "Well i read online" they look at you like you're an idiot for believing any of it, but I know these are real people's stories and reactions to surgery, just need to remember it's not what the majority goes through.

I hear ya on the xanax though. I have a panic disorder and take xanax when ever i have an attack, but this GB issues has caused me to have many more panic attacks then i've had in a long time. I'm so fearful of pain, then when I get a GB attack, Panic sets in, I feel helpless and this fear washes over me that the pain will never go away and I'm gonna die. It's all very irrational but in the heat of a panic attack, all you know is your worst fears realized. The panic attacks do not help the GB attacks, it makes them worse which is probably why the last 3-4 GB attacks sent me to the hospital.

I'm glad though for posting here, you all have been really reassuring, no BS, like the doctors i've seen who gloss over any side effects, but just tell me "yes this can happen, so be prepared". That's a huge thing for me that most don't get, i need to be prepared for this change in my life and i need to be informed. Last thing i need is to come out of surgry and be surprised with all these horrible side effects and was never warned they were a possibility.

I have a pre-op appt this Thursday and hopefully a few days after that i'll be having my GB removed.
Thanks again everyone.

[sugarcatmom]

I was surprised at the long recovery period, too. But I know lots of people who have had the lap surgery and were fine within a week, probably many many more than those of us who have had these problems.  So don't let that be your guide.

As far as the pain meds, I was on Vicodin for one day, the day of the surgery. After that, a combination of two advils followed two hours later by two extra strength tylenol did the trick for the most part, to take care of the worst of the pain.  After a while, two advils were enough.  

The weight issue?  I haven't seen it. Like I said, 21 pounds gone and almost three months later, I almost have trouble keeping the weight on (for the first time in my life).  That's the one side benny of this whole affair that I am absolutely thrilled with. I do eat fat, I just don't go overboard.  I try to keep my fat intake to under 25 grams a day, and when I do eat fat, I try to eat the healthy kind, and the bad stuff in moderation. It's working for me just fine.  

Even though it's a lap surgery, there are plenty of things that get done inside. My surgeon (who's bedside manner was not much better than yours) explained it in living color and detail and believe me, I was ready to call the whole thing off. But I am so so glad I didn't, even going through the last couple of months and my post-surgery issues.

And if you want neurotic, you should have seen me before the surgery.  Xanax was my best friend. I was so paralyzed with fear over what I had read on line that my husband had to literally drag me out of the house the day of the surgery.  I'm glad he did. I really had no choice. Either I was going to suffer from malnutrition and  pain, or I was going to get the surgery done. I'm glad I did...

[Cheri70]

Just a note:
I've lost 40lbs since my GB was removed 7 months ago.  I'm still losing but it slowed way down finally.  I lost the first 20 within a couple weeks of removal.  Now I'm losing about 1-2lbs a week.  I'm not trying to lose weight - I don't exercise although I move around a lot as a sports photographer.  I did that prior to surgery though, so it's not like it's extra activity.  Of course I am not typical and believe I have other problems (like malabsorbtion).  Those with stones do seem to have great results post surgery.  I did not have stones but the EF was 0%.

Also, as far as the surgery went it was easy stuff.  I was only slightly sore for about a day then felt completely normal.  I was back at work at day 3 (desk part of my job). My scars are non existent with the exception of the one in the center of my chest - this is hidden by my bra and that's probably the reason it's still slightly red (from being rubbed by the bra all the time).

[TaazyTaz]

Thank you guys, I have been reading all kinds of horror stories online and i know that typically the ones who posts on online forms are ones who are ones who are looking for similar cases of their problems and a larger majority of the people who have had this are fine and are of course not posting online that they are just fine. I just have worries cause of my surgeon being such a jackass. He was so rude and mad that i had the nerve to ask him questions and doubt if i needed the surgery. I was like "I'm your patient and i'm scared and confused and you should be there to assure me and instill me in confident in you" My only consolation is that all the other doctors i've talked to say he's a great surgeon, one of the best but his bedside manner *****. Even his own Nursing staff..lol.

I just had an appendectomy last Sept and i still do have some residual pain in the incision site, but that surgery was more invasive cause my appendix had burst and was infected.So I understand that part of some mild pain, but my understanding was that the new Gall Baldder proceder, a laparoscopic cholecystectomy is what i will be having, i believe and wont that have less post op issues and pain then the traditional surgery were the gallbladder is removed through a 5- to 8-inch long incision (cut) in your abdomen.

As for Diet, yeah i know i'll need to change it, but even though it's not my regular diet i don't want to give up fries or pizza once in a while for fear of instant diarrhea (another horror story i read) People kept saying they couldn't go out to eat anymore cause they would need to be close to a bathroom after they ate. That's scares me.

The other boards i read, people said that they couldn't lose weight no matter how  much they dieted and changed their food intake cause your metabolism gets messed up when you can't process fast properly. They said your body needs some fats and without your body absorbing it, it will hold on to what you have, making it hard to shed it.

My Pain meds, i'm in the same boat, Vicodin makes me throw up, but i can take tylonal with codiene, but it's hasn't bee strong enough to handle my gall bladder attacks, only the morphine at the hospital has stopped the pain. I wonder if the Doctor has prescribe a low does of that for post op.

I am actually pretty surprised as the long recover times you guys mention, i kinda thought I would be up and around within that week cause the surgery is not so invasive.

I may seem neurotic but I wasn't convinced it was my only and best option to have surgery

[MissingParts]

You are going to feel much better than being in agonizing pain from the gallstones.  I'm the same age as you and I had mine out 10 months ago.  Best decision I ever made.  My recovery was a full 6 weeks, but I didn't take the pain meds, so I probably made it worse for myself.  I don't like Vicodin, but if you can take it....do it!   The surgeon will cut through some muscle tissue to get to your gallbladder, the healing from that can be painful.  Use heat pads and ibuprofen.  Don't lift anything.  Take it really easy until you are certain that you are completely healed.

Going forward, eat things in moderation for the first couple of months.  Don't overdo it on the cheese and ranch dressing, etc.  Watch your fats.  You'll be back in no time.  I'm still in the one year mark and I occasionally have a little ache where my gallbladder was, but nothing like a gallbladder attack.  I think its just scar tissue from the clips or something.  NO big deal.  You'll be really happy you made the decision.  You will never be up all night again doubled over in pain.  

[sugarcatmom]

Don't be afraid of after the surgery, Tazy.  Like I said, my recovery is atypical.  I no longer have any pain when I eat, and I did have it before the surgery.  I also had diarrhea and general digestive upset. I was miserable, believe me.  It is much much better now.  And again, I didn't have stones, so sometimes that opens another can of worms....  although like I said, my pains seem a bit more positional in nature, so my docs are pretty sure they will go away in time. It is not debilitating in any way, just a tad annoying.

On the bright side, I can eat whatever I want, although I am keeping it low fat to keep my new weight and to let my body adjust to the constant flow of bile. I have no digestive problems at all... I didn't mean to worry you or scare you!  And don't forget, people who post on this board typically have some sort of problem. The tons of people who have no problems after this surgery are out there, busy and NOT reading this board.  Good luck and feel better.

[TaazyTaz]

Well now i'm a bit scared of residual pain. The only pain i have now is if i eat something and my gall bladder reacts to it, very sharp intense pain in my upper abdomen and sometimes i can't breathe it's so bad. I'm hoping this goes away after i get my GB out and i can eat whatever. But now i might have weeks or months of other pain, is it brought on by anything like eating or is it constant soreness from the surgery, or maybe form the constant flow of bile?

[sugarcatmom]

I had my gallbladder removed on May 12 of this year. There were no stones. It just wasn't functioning and was full of adhesions upon removal.  To be honest, the recovery from surgery was pretty painful at times, especially the first 6 weeks, and to this day, there is still some daily residual pain left, primarily positional (and some not, but none of it is the same as what I had before the surgery-greatly improved on that score), which I gather is probably not typical of recovery. I was told by my gastro doc that it may take 3-6 months for that to disappear. The jury is out on that one for now.

The good news is that I no longer have any of the gastrointestinal issues that I had before surgery. My appetite is normal.  There is no diarrhea, nor constipation. Everything is normal on that end as well!  I have not gained any weight (and I lost 21 pounds in the run up to the surgery).  The  suggestions I am going to make to you is to keep your diet low in fat for a good long while, take it easy after the surgery and give yourself plenty of time before you go back to work. I only took a week, and it was not enough time.

Good luck. You'll do fine.

[elakit]

I had my gall bladder out about 14 months ago.  There was very little pain after the first day of surgery.  It seemed odd to me, but I had a really strong urge to just walk and I also craved carbs for about a week.  For the first 6 weeks I couldn't drink coffee because it went right through me.  Since then, I am so happy!  I haven't gained or lost any weight.  I'm not constantly nauseated anymore.  My IBS is gone!  Until a few weeks ago, I didn't have any pain any more either.  For the past few weeks I have been having similar pains, but I don't know that it is related to having my gall bladder out, so I don't want to scare you with that.  My experience has been a very positive one.