Gallbladder surgery

[brslk]

I had been having stomach pains shortly after eating for about a week. The pain would last about an hour and then go away on its own. It started to get so the pain lasted longer each time before going away.
It felt like stomach cramps and eventually radiated into the chest and back.
I woke up last Sunday at 6:00am with really bad pain. I went down and sat in my recliner so I wouldn't disturb my wife with my tossing and turning trying to ease the pain.
It just got worse and worse until around noon when my wife noticed that I was turning pretty yellow.
I kept putting it off but at around 3:00pm I told her that I needed to go to the hospital.
Sat in the waiting room for what seemed like forever but was really only a couple of hours before they got me a bed and gave me some morphine (one sign of how serious it was is that she allowed me morphine every hour as needed). The nurse asked what level my pain was at, I replied honestly that it was at 11. I've never felt such pain in all my life. I've broken bones, had wisdom teeth removed, been stabbed and have pretty severe arthritis. None of those even came close to the pain I was in.
I'm not a drama queen and I thought I was seriously gonna die.
After the morphine kicked in and they did an ultra sound they found it was gallstones blocking something or other and pancreatitis.
They did the thing through the throat to remove the stones and the pain was gone almost right away. I felt ready to go home.
Unfortunately that wasn't to be, they had me wait in the hospital for a week with no food or water (none, zero, zip, zilch. Just IV fluids) till the inflammation went down and then removed my gallbladder.
The surgery went off without a hitch and left me with four small wounds and a shaved belly and chest (I feel like a European pornstar!(not that i watch that stuff)).
Everything is good and I'm home for a couple of weeks before I can go back to work and I'm not allowed to lift anything over five pounds.

My question is, has anyone been through this and if so, have you had to modify what you eat?
I'm told I have to lower my fat intake and avoid certain foods.
The only thing I've really noticed is I'm very gassy, both ends.
I'm also very hungry and eating everything in sight but I attribute that to starving in the hospital for a week.

That was the worst part of the whole ordeal (other than the stabbing pain), was not being able to eat or drink while having to be around people eating and drinking. And smelling the food three times a day.

The nurses, Doctors and all the staff at the U of A hospital were awesome.
Other then the lack of food, I'd stay there if it was a hotel!
Even the TV's are free now!

[fishtank]

My dad had that done last year , everything is as you said those patches can be removed after a couple of week just watch out for inflammation in the 4 holes , as for eating he now have smaller meals more veggies and less fat . Also the stone in the gall bladder was close the 0.5 cm , my dad was in lots of pain for a while until he finally can’t take it and went to to the hospital the doctor set up the surgery at the St. Albert hospital . down the road I might be in the same boat as him be cause I have bad heart burns. And acid reflux ...

[Jamie]

It will take your body close to a year to develop its own "New" system. I would suggest that when you go out for dinner.. Sit close to the bathroom. If you have the urge to go, don't think you can wait.......

Good luck. All will straighten out.
I can relate to that pain. OMG...

[TreeGuy]

Glad to hear you’re on the mend Brad.

We went through this with Mrs Tree about five years ago. Recovery was quick and of course there were slight dietary changes. Overall, a decent experience considering.

However, the same symptoms reoccurred just previous to this past Christmas. The effects this time were significantly more drastic than the gall bladder problems (if you can imagine!).

As it turned out a gall stone had lodged in her pancreas causing severe pancreatitis and another 5 days in the hospital. Apparently, the ducts can still produce stones even with the gall bladder being absent. She had the same procedure as you initially did and the relief was almost immediate.

That was just her experience and ymmv but it’s something you should be aware of going forward.

Tree


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[dmac]

I went through the surgery sometime in the nineties. I recall the pain.

I am not familiar with the through the throat method. They simply pulled the stones through the belly button incision. Lots of gas yea, I recall getting up after the surgery to walk the hospital corridors and thinking yikes.

Certain foods can be problematic. Eggs as well as corned beef just blew through me. My body eventually adjusted to the eggs. I love corned beef and it still makes my belly roil. I do not eat it very often.

[Red Bullets]

Aside from less fat intake some foods are high in oxalate. Oxalate can be the culprit that forms stones in the kidneys and gall bladder. When I had to educate myself because of my gall bladder removal I was amazed at which foods might contribute to stone formation. Lots of the foods that are supposed to be good for you might contribute to the suffering. Look up the list.

[NCC]

When I was about 38 I would wake up with horrible stomach cramps that usually came on at 2 in the morning and would last for 2 or 3 hours. Over the next couple of years the attacks became more frequent until I finally went to emergency in the middle of the night, where I was given some Pepto and was told there was nothing wrong with me. After I laid on the couch for a couple of days, my wife forced me to go back to the ER. They once again told me that nothing was wrong with me (gave me some laxatives this time) but my wife and I finally convinced the doctor that something was really wrong, so the doctor performed an ultrasound and discovered several golf ball size stones in my gall bladder. Less than 24 hours later my gall bladder was removed and I felt well for the first time in months.

Even now, 5 years later, I still get the ocassional case of the scoots, and it comes on fast with almost no warning. I avoid fatty, greasy food if I'm not going to have immediate access to a bathroom

[huntinstuff]

I had that done in 2016

As for diet, I had nothing to change but i dont eat fast or fat foods

If you eat pastas and sauces and pizza you might wanna keep it to a minimum.

As for the shaving, just shave it all off, oil up , and show her how to use the slide. Hair is for monkeys anyway........lol

[Jamie]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

I had that done in 2016

As for diet, I had nothing to change but i dont eat fast or fat foods

If you eat pastas and sauces and pizza you might wanna keep it to a minimum.

As for the shaving, just shave it all off, oil up , and show her how to use the slide. Hair is for monkeys anyway........lol

Very Metro Sexual of you......

[huntinstuff]

Originally Posted by Jamie

Very Metro Sexual of you......

True
Im about 80% metro sexual for sure. Ive cut it down from 90% in the past 5 years or so

[getatmewolf]

Had the same thing happen to me in 2016, i eat a high fat low carb diet now without any "consequences". Didn't take my body long to adapt at all, maybe a few months. I was packing out my mule deer buck four weeks later (50# pack instead of the normal 80+) just taking it slow and steady. For fat metabolising purposes i would prefer to have my gall bladder but I'm glad i never have to feel that pain again.

[huntinstuff]

Originally Posted by getatmewolf

Had the same thing happen to me in 2016, i eat a high fat low carb diet now without any "consequences". Didn't take my body long to adapt at all, maybe a few months. I was packing out my mule deer buck four weeks later (50# pack instead of the normal 80+) just taking it slow and steady. For fat metabolising purposes i would prefer to have my gall bladder but I'm glad i never have to feel that pain again.

High fat? Why

[getatmewolf]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

High fat? Why

I eat paleo and am thriving on it, lost a pile of weight and fixed a few other nagging issues. Paleo is essentially zero grains and sugar, lots of vegetables and clean protein and lots of natural fats. There is a lot of info out there about it but i read "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson and it changed my life.