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Wife needs her gallbladder removed =/
Xaquin
Right behind you!Registered User regular
Right behind you!Registered User regular
It was discovered and confirmed via abdominal ultrasound that my wife has several gallstones and we believe that she will have to have her gallbladder removed. She is healthy otherwise 
Anyone know anyone who has had theirs removed? Have you had yours removed? Anything we should know or any life altering changes we should be aware of?
I've read the mayo clinic and a few other sites and most look positive. My wife however, has focused on all of the bad things that could happen. Also a site that describes all of the horrible things that can happen, but will sell you a kit for $155 to aid you in recovery.
We have a consultation with the surgeon (tomorrow) that I hope will alleviate a lot of her concerns, but we don't know many people who have had this procedure (despite it being fairly common).
I guess I'm just looking to get advice on what to expect from actual people as opposed to medical sites which may or may not be biased depending on what they're selling.
Anyone know anyone who has had theirs removed? Have you had yours removed? Anything we should know or any life altering changes we should be aware of?
I've read the mayo clinic and a few other sites and most look positive. My wife however, has focused on all of the bad things that could happen. Also a site that describes all of the horrible things that can happen, but will sell you a kit for $155 to aid you in recovery.
We have a consultation with the surgeon (tomorrow) that I hope will alleviate a lot of her concerns, but we don't know many people who have had this procedure (despite it being fairly common).
I guess I'm just looking to get advice on what to expect from actual people as opposed to medical sites which may or may not be biased depending on what they're selling.
Xaquin on
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Glad he's ok
My wife is a stay at home mom, and if she has the surgery this Wednesday (which is what we're thinking), I'll be able to stay home to help both Thursday and Friday as well as all weekend. We're hoping they will be able to go in with the camera as opposed to the big 6" cut, which would require a lengthy hospital stay.
It's still three cuts
one for the camera, one for the air hose, and one for the extraction. Funny thing is that we'll have matching scars now. My appendix and her gallbladder.
Caffeine (coffee and soda) and milk products can cause bouts of diarrhea too. Generally though, your body adapts and there's no change, especially if you're not eating like a pizza every other day. General surgery stuff of course, like mobility and wound care, and all that should be a concern still of course. They generally do it lathroscopically like you mention.
Good luck by the way.
I wouldn't worry about to too much, the internet will be scarier than the actual surgery. I hope everything goes well.
thanks. we both tend to worry (her more than I), so it's nice to get some real perspective on it. I'm glad your Mom is ok!
glad it went ok
don't have time right now to type something up but will try to remember later
My wife went through the removal of her gallbladder and appendix at the same time, the circumstances behind which were a bit more severe than your wife's but the recovery will be about the same.
-First off, don't get a kit unless your doctor specifically requests that you do so. Odds are that she won't need most of what is in there and will need other things.
-Prepare a recovery room/area before the surgery. While it is usually minimal on incisions (laproscopic or whatever, usually means three cuts, one on the belly button and two mid abdomen) your wife will be sore as hell in those places for a while and will not want to move. A comfortable couch with easy access to water, entertainment, and comfort is a must. Depending on the severity, she will not be very conscious for two days to a week after due to the pain killers, so having someone near to help her walk to the bathroom, etc might be necessary (again, depending upon severity this might not be a problem).
-No alcohol until your doctor says ok, and even then much much less than in the past. The same will be true of fatty and rich foods. She runs a very high likelihood of getting stomach pains after the surgery (from then on) from eating fatty foods and alcohol due losing one of her digestive organs.
-Ensure, and the other adult versions of Pedia-lite, will be her food of choice for a long while. Consult your doctor about their recommendations and do not serve solid foods until they say so.
Really, trust your doctor not the internet. We were led to all sorts of silly conclusions when she went into this a few years back, most of which were completely bogus. Your doctor knows whats best, trust his judgment.
thanks!
what was 'a long while' for your wife?
also, we weren't planning on a celebratory beer the day of surgery, but she was wondering if it will be a 'no more ever' thing. Same with fatty foods. She's concerned with never, not so much for a couple weeks or a month or something.
edit: also, does anyone have estimates on how long it took you (or whoever you know) to be able to eat normally again?
Same thing with the fatty foods, which is actually a more serious change in our diet. A slice or two of pizza is near the tipping point, more than that and she will probably be sick the following night, for instance. Every now and then its not a problem, but if she eats rich steadily for a week she gets pretty consistent stomach problems (from diarrhea to abdominal pain).
It took her about a week to eat things like applesauce and other well mealed foods. About two to eat normally, though still bland for a good bit longer (maybe a month before we had something particularly fatty or spicy). Her recovery period was pretty bad. Bedridden for over a week and limited mobility for about another week and half afterward. Her problems were pretty severe, though, so it might not be the case with your wife.
I'd also note my wife is very petite, so quantities of tolerance will likely be a bit more for yours if she is of average build. Probably not much more, though.
how long ago did your wife have hers out Enc?
For me it takes a LOT of fatty/greasy food to really cause me any problems. We're talking like an entire rack of ribs. I ate clear liquids for about a week after the procedure and then softer foods for another week. I was back to eating normal food before heading off to the wedding.
To be totally honest, not having a gall bladder hasn't really altered my diet much in the 5 and a half years since then.
I would like to go ahead and warn her that the first few times she has a bowel movement afterwards it's quite likely to be green as it'll have excess bile in it. My mother is a Nurse Practitioner who has also had her gall bladder removed and neglected to mention that until after I was freaking out.
glad you're ok
good to know about green #2 as well .... I would have never thought of that in a million years.
The big change is the mentality. When your stomach feels like its being punched by eating too much fried chicken, you really learn to live by the "sometimes foods" ideas.
Same thing with alcohol, it was something of a blessing in disguise because rather than have lots of alcohol each week/month, we focused our old budget to afford less, but much better quality, alcohol for the times we do drink. It's all about perspective.
There is a worry of a complication more so with women who have smaller stones than men, who tend to just form one large one. If during the course of the surgery a stone gets loose they have to do a normal cut the muscle surgery and that puts recovery time from weeks to months.
Hope your insurance is good, mine is decent and I still ended up eating about 3500 dollars in costs.
pleasepaypreacher.net
she does have several stones from what we were able to discern from the report, but according to online reviews as well as his office, the surgeon does several gallbladder removals a week and looks to be pretty good at it
My doctor recommended a fiber supplement after surgery since the pain medication can back you up. I did notice after surgery that I'm less ... regular ... than I was before so I still take a daily fiber supplement.
Yeah its the most common surgery in the US at least. My surgeon had thousands done and never ever had a complication. But its a possibility just warning you its there.
I will say that if she's never been put out before its hella disorienting and I guess the knock out drugs have a bit of a roofie effect to them, meaning she'll be awake during moments she does not remember. For me I woke up after the surgery a second after they told me I'd have to move from one bed to the next (so one minute wondering about modesty, the next waking up with a mask over my face). I spent more time in prep for the actual surgery than I did in recovery after.
They will probably also perform a biopsy on the stones, its pretty much standard procedure and doesn't indicate an actual cancer worry.
pleasepaypreacher.net
though i didn't have any stones, but the end result is still teh same.
she will defintely want to start on a low-fat diet at first and then slowly reintroduce things. I had the hardest trouble with cheese/dairy but also surprisingly with salads. something about the lettuce just blew right through me.
i actually had quite a lot of sudden diarhea type reactionsafter eating. up until recently, i could prtty much set my watch to an hour after eating lunch when i would need ot be int he restroom. the fiber and probiotic definitely keep that down though.
Yeah its not a big deal. I mean I had mine out in july and was able to attend pax prime in late august and drink and eat no problem. If anything if she had gall attacks for a while it'll be a relief to never have that damn pain ever again.
pleasepaypreacher.net
she's been under a couple of times before, but she's wary (understandably (long story)) about it. Also, when she had the ultrasound, they did her other organs too (liver, pancreas, etc.) and found no other abnormalities, so hopefully it will be as routine as possible.
her attacks are (we think) fairly mild. They only last a few minutes and come maybe twice a week. It's the dizzyness and back pain that irritates her more than anything.
That's par for the course with gall attacks, they at most are normally supposed to last like thirty minutes give or take. That was my experience until I had one that lasted 9 hours and included me throwing up bile, be glad that wasn't your wifes fate.
pleasepaypreacher.net
Something to consider, my story here is going to be one of the worst case scenarios caused by numerous problems happening all at once, compounded by a very small frame (she is slim and four foot eleven). It's certainly not going to be the end of all things that are green and good in this world, by any means.
What I would convey here, above all else, is that you should listen to your doctor and be sure to take all the time she needs to recover. Even in the more serious cases, like ours, life is still pretty damn good and a nice juicy steak and wine dinner is something we still have. Just, perhaps, not with the frequency or quantity we might have done so otherwise.
Buy your wife a tablet, if she doesn't have one, and get her a ton of games for it. Recovery times in bed can be frustrating as hell without something to do.
I really appreciate your telling me that. We're both worriers to some extent, and after a few days of reading horror stories from various sites that all seem to have an agenda, it's good to read about what happens to most people.
I'm glad you two can still enjoy some red meat and wine too
(also, our xbox360 is hooked up and ready to go. I have to find some good movies to DL for her or maybe a few seasons of a good show or two)
EDIT: also, my wife is awesome ....
she just told me to buy her a new one
http://iheartguts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=238
I have Zero side effects, I can eat or drink everything I could before.. if anything the gallbladder was holding me back!
Seriously though, right after surgery there is some recovery time. Couple weeks on a low fat diet to see if there are any issues, then you can add foods back slowly to see if there is a threshold where you begin experiencing issues.
From what I heard, and what the doc told me, those "issues" are generally ...the runs.
This seems to be the most common surgery that you never heard of until you have to have it.. then you find out that everyone has had it already.
One more thing, almost everyone has galstones, they are normal. If you start ejecting them into the billury tree, and having attacks... that's when you need to have it out.
I'll let you know how the consultation goes tomorrow
pleasepaypreacher.net