Gallbladder

[Shannonjayy]

Has anyone had their gallbladder removed? If so what’s the process like and healing process?

[bantam12]

Yes 8 weeks ago. I had lots of pain afterwards due to the air they pump in, took about a week to subside. Post cholescystectomy diarrhoea kicked in on day 4 and it was awful, I do have ulcerative colitis so possibly made worse, if you do have bile acid diarrhoea afterwards ask your GP for a bile acid binder to take.

Best to stick to a low fat liquid diet for a week or so to give your digestion a chance to get used to the new normal, eat small portions and often then if ok gradually experiment with foods to see if anything upsets you. I'm still very limited with what I can eat and it's soooo boring.

Good luck

[Chapita]

Had mine removed by keyhole surgery a number of years ago. Very little pain and back to normal really quickly.

[Aubmtz]

I am waiting to have mine done this November, but also concerned about being admitted in hospital

[katieoxo60]

Well Shannonjayy, I had my gallbladder removed with open surgery in the 80s. But I beleive it is much less invasive surgery these days. I spent four days in hospital afterwards as mentioned there is like a post operative period of ill effect on digestion & bowel. It took me nearly a year to recover my strength but no problems since. So every best wish for a speedy recovery when it comes round.

[Runti]

Had keyhole surgery 6 years ago and spent only one day in the hospital. I also had pain across my chest from the gas that lasted a few days and was back at work after spending a week at home. I found that I had to watch what I ate for about a year after the operation, small amounts and no greasy or fatty foods. The one thing I find now is if I get sick from eating something and have to vomit that there is a lot of bile which is unpleasant. Also some time after surgery I did feel some pain from the scar tissue healing.

[Batty1]

My mother had her gallbladder removed over 5 years ago and everything she eats goes right through her fast and furious. She has gotten better but to keep the diarrhea at bay you has to eat oatmeal everyday.

[bantam12 in reply to Batty1]

Has your Mum tried taking a bile acid sequestrant like Questran ? Many people find they improve/stop diarrhoea within days, my Gastro Consultant prescribed them for me.

[Batty1 in reply to bantam12]

No she hasn’t been given anything and its been a nightmare just to get her GP to acknowledge the horrible diarrhea is a problem. She did take a probiotic for a while but it didn’t help.

She also is 80 and takes a ton of medication for other stuff and Im sure this hasn’t helped any.

[bantam12 in reply to Batty1]

Look up bile acid malabsorption and bile acid diarrhoea then talk to her GP again, it's a well recognised medical consequence after gallbladder surgery and is easily treated with bile acid sequestrants which bind the bile in the gut and stop it causing the diarrhoea.

They usually come in powder form which is mixed with water and taken before meals, although they taste ok some people do struggle with the slightly gritty consistency and the other issue is other meds must be taken either 1 hour before or 4 hours after so can be a juggling act but it's got to be worth a try, your poor mum has been left to struggle on for to long.

[Batty1 in reply to bantam12]

Yeah it is a shame and we think this is the reason behind her magnesium and potassium deficiency. I will pass it along to my sister thats the person who deals with my mom.

[angelm54]

Hiya , had mine done in the 80's, was keyhole but they had to go in a little bigger as the stone was massive, bit groggy and not pleasant when they took the drain out, 3 days in i had a reaction to the post drug, Dr went mad as they hadnt read my notes and i am allergic to penicillen, which they gave me, other than that i was out in a week and fine after two. Gallbladder pain is horrendous so better to get it done.

[NLH92]

Hi! I had mine removed in 2015 by key hole surgery, they had to keep me in over night as I couldn’t go to the toilet 😢 and after getting that removed it’s caused pancreatitis so now I’ve lived with that since 😔 x