Learn Me: Life post-Gallbladder removal

Last Thursday night SWMBO and I spent the night in the ER after she was hit with debilitating pain in her back/sides. After an initial diagnosis of a kidney infection we learned earlier today that in reality she has multiple gallstones and the doctor has recommended that she have her gallbladder removed to eliminate the problem and any future episodes.

However, she's more than a bit apprehensive about it- not only for the time she will be unable to work but more for the potential lifelong effects of it. She's done a lot of googling and of course there's plenty of dire warnings about the side effects and problems that you can have by not having a gallbladder.

I want to know a bit more first-hand from people who have had this done- and I know from a previous thread that there's a least a modest number here who either have had theirs removed or are close to someone who has. Yes, I know, the plural of anecdote is not data- but at least knowing what other people have gone through vs. just reading the 'worst case' might help in her decision.

I'm more interested in diet & digestive issues/changes and things not pain-related- both because that's kind of a given it won't (or shouldn't) hurt any more and because she's only had one episode and isn't presently in much of any pain from it (and she's also got a stupid pain tolerance- she's a dancer and will keep dancing on a broken/spained foot...).

Thanks!

I'm 47 and had mine removed about 20 years ago. Same thing, lots of gall stones. I have a nice scar from my navel around to my side to show for it.

I've put on weight since then. Quite a bit. But I don't know how much of that was because of the gall bladder v. how much was getting married, getting behind a desk more and getting older. I've actually been on a diet since the begging of the year (just watching calories) and have shaved off a tick over 25 pounds.

Other than that, I haven't really noticed any issues. I'm curious, now, what the "dire" warnings are......

-Rob

Would she rather have the gall stones and their potential consequences? Everything from just pain to death.

When I developed gall stones 6 years ago I thought I was gonna die it hurt so bad every time I ate food other than tomato soup. Then a week before I was to have it out, I passed it/them and haven't had a problem since.

Something that I was just reminded up from a message from her- I'm also curious how your recovery was, especially those of you who work more physical jobs. She's a dance teacher, and going 'back to work' for her means being able to demonstrate moves vs. just being AT the workplace.

KyAllroad wrote: When I developed gall stones 6 years ago I thought I was gonna die it hurt so bad every time I ate food other than tomato soup. Then a week before I was to have it out, I passed it/them and haven't had a problem since.

So you didn't end up having the surgery to remove it?

My FIL had his removed about 20 years ago. No adverse results.

My wife had hers removed last year. She had no clue that she had any issue with her gallbladder until intense pain woke her up in the middle of the night, and she woke up on the kitchen floor after passing out from the pain.

After it was removed, she was surprised to learn that a lot of pain and discomfort that she had been expiriencing for years had been due to her gallbladder. She avoided foods she had thought were giving her heartburn, but it was the gallbladder. She can eat those foods now. As I understand it, there can be side effects depending on your diet, but so far none have affected her. She had been watching her diet previously, so she didn't need to make any changes. As a side note... She had lost a lot of weight prior to the gallbladder problem. After the fact, she learned that is is very common after dramatic weight loss, so much so that gallbladder removal is often performed preventively during weight loss related procedures.

My dad has his removed a few years (so not my direct experience) he was out of the hospital later that day, and hasn't experienced any of the associated diet issues. Still drinks a bottle of chocolate milk everyday for breakfast.

And he's also had a small portion of his colon removed before that (not enough to need a colostomy bag or anything) for a carcinoid tumor in his appendix, even with both of those he doesn't have any problems related to that.

But he also doesn't really eat junk food, isn't overweight, etc. He's 65.

Ashyukun wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: When I developed gall stones 6 years ago I thought I was gonna die it hurt so bad every time I ate food other than tomato soup. Then a week before I was to have it out, I passed it/them and haven't had a problem since.

So you didn't end up having the surgery to remove it?

Correct, no surgery. I felt the stone(s) pass while trying to get some groceries and hanging onto the shopping cart and panting like I was in labor. Literally went from debilitating to fine in seconds.

I am 63 and had my GB removed a few years ago. I did not have stones, but it was inflamed and wasn't functioning as intended. The pain I had felt was like someone sticking a knife under my sternum. It had happened before, but never as long or as severe. For a week afterward, I felt absolutely like E36 M3. I left work a couple of days, which I never do. Once I was diagnosed, it wasn't much of a decision.

The surgery was piece of cake. At the hospital at 6am, surgery at 8 and walking out the door at 10;30. Then the pain started about 6pm. I figured out they had pumped me full of pain meds at the hsital before I left. The pain of recovery only took maybe 2 days. I took vicodin at night to go to sleep only those 2 days. I ended up taking 2 weeks off work to recover, because some of our work is rather physical. A co-worker that had his removed only took 3 days off. A third guy has had his removed and none of us have any real problems.

My life it about as normal as before. I eat anything I want to, which I shouldn't. Some foods will go straight through me. Like leaving the table in the middle of eating my wife's spaghetti. One BBQ place we eat at, I have to be sure to get back to work quickly. The other BBQ joints I east at, no problem.

I have Crohn's disease, which has been under control since I started meds in 1999. I was pretty normal until the GB was removed. Its kind of like the Crohn's has returned, but not as bad. If I ate better, I probably wouldn't have any problems.

I have put on weight, but can't say for sure it is because of not having my GB.

KyAllroad wrote:

Ashyukun wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: When I developed gall stones 6 years ago I thought I was gonna die it hurt so bad every time I ate food other than tomato soup. Then a week before I was to have it out, I passed it/them and haven't had a problem since.

So you didn't end up having the surgery to remove it?

Correct, no surgery. I felt the stone(s) pass while trying to get some groceries and hanging onto the shopping cart and panting like I was in labor. Literally went from debilitating to fine in seconds.

Interesting- I'm sure she'll be interested in that, since she really doesn't want to do it since a friend who had it done told her that it was 2-3 weeks before she was cleared for 'light exercise'. Of course, I know she'd ignore the heck out of any suggestion like that and would be back to doing things as soon as it didn't hurt too bad, but that does lend some weight to holding off and seeing what happens.

A few family members have had theirs out including my mom and brother, neither have any bad effects from the surgery. Brother's was done a few years ago, mom's was a few decades ago. Mine gives me some trouble but not too bad, so I might eventually have mine out too. I'm not worried.

Ashyukun wrote:

KyAllroad wrote:

Ashyukun wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: When I developed gall stones 6 years ago I thought I was gonna die it hurt so bad every time I ate food other than tomato soup. Then a week before I was to have it out, I passed it/them and haven't had a problem since.

So you didn't end up having the surgery to remove it?

Correct, no surgery. I felt the stone(s) pass while trying to get some groceries and hanging onto the shopping cart and panting like I was in labor. Literally went from debilitating to fine in seconds.

Interesting- I'm sure she'll be interested in that, since she really doesn't want to do it since a friend who had it done told her that it was 2-3 weeks before she was cleared for 'light exercise'. Of course, I know she'd ignore the heck out of any suggestion like that and would be back to doing things as soon as it didn't hurt too bad, but that does lend some weight to holding off and seeing what happens.

That'll also depend on the surgery. Supposedly, there's a way to do it where it comes out of the navel that has a much shorter recovery time (I'm sure the good Dr. Hess can remind me of the medical term that escapes me). That's what they were going to do on mine, but I ignored it for too long and the stoned obliterated my gall bladder and all the connecting tubes and such, which required a bunch of extra work so I have a 14" scar now.

It's been a while, but I was down for about two weeks.

I don't recommend her "hoping it passes". It's really, really, really dangerous.

-Rob

In reply to rob_lewis:

I believe laparoscopic surgery is what you're thinking of with the multiple small incisions. I imagine that's what the friend my wife talked with had, since most of her friends are too young for the more invasive surgery to have been common when they had it done (unless there were complications, of course).

She's not really been in any pain since getting back from the ER so she doesn't think it's an issue, but I'm sure that if she says she doesn't want to do the surgery they're going to make very well sure that she knows the risks- and hopefully they know enough from the ultrasound to be able to tell her how much danger she's in if she puts it off.

Mrs. T.J. had her gall bladder removed about 2 years ago. No after affects, no special dietary changes.

The incision was surprising small.

Not sure how long until a dance instructor would be back at full strength, but I'd bet 6-8 weeks.

rob_lewis wrote: That'll also depend on the surgery. Supposedly, there's a way to do it where it comes out of the navel that has a much shorter recovery time (I'm sure the good Dr. Hess can remind me of the medical term that escapes me). That's what they were going to do on mine, but I ignored it for too long and the stoned obliterated my gall bladder and all the connecting tubes and such, which required a bunch of extra work so I have a 14" scar now. It's been a while, but I was down for about two weeks. I don't recommend her "hoping it passes". It's really, really, really dangerous. -Rob

"Lap Coli", in the trade. Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. Uh, no dancing for 6 weeks.

Ya'll know the 5 F's of cholecystitis? 5 F's that point to gall bladder problems: Fat, Female, Fertile, Forty, Flatulent.

I had mine out about a year and half ago. The surgery itself was a non-issue, but it took about a year to be able to eat normally again. Mine is different than others here however, in that it had stopped functioning entirely. I feel a ton better than before and can now eat almost anything I want, unlike before the surgery. I've gained a bit too, but not sure if it is related to the GB removal or the installation of a snack machine at work.

I had my gall bladder removed in 2009. For a few months afterwards I had issues with eggs and red meat. It seemed like those foods would go right through the system pretty quick. Anyway, for some reason those issues slowly went away. Out of habit, I tend to avoid trigger foods if proper restrooms are not available.

I had mine removed when I was 19. I"m 53 now. As mentioned, some foods are trigger foods and I should probably avoid them, but it's not been bad.

I had mine removed after it became disfunctional.

three small incisions and home the same day. No heavy lifting for awhile was the only restriction.

I did get jaundice after awhile. a few days in the hospital on restricted diet to let my liver make up for the loss of the gall bladder.

All is well now.

My kids mom had hers out this time last year at 25. Just a cut above the belly button. I was stuck with the kid for about 6 weeks before she could lift her again.

Just woke up one night screaming in pain, went to the hospital, and took care of it the next day. She didn't really have any lead up symptoms or anything like that, but she does have a weird blood problem unrelated. No weightloss before or after, and as far as I know there hasn't even been a dietary change.

About eight years ago I had mine removed. Overall things have been much better since it was removed, I have learned over time what I can and cannot eat. Other than that no issues related to the removal of the gall bladder.

And yes the pain is real and I understand.

Paul B

My mother had hers out about 40 years ago and aside from the scar that appears to have been done on a Civil War battlefield she has been fine.

Daughter had hers out a few years ago. Initially there was some foods that bothered her but that went away and has no issues or dietary restrictions. In fact, she eats a lot of spicy Korean food with her mom now.