Gallbladder Surgery

[Khaz]

Yeah, this one seems to be a cakewalk nowadays My dad (65) just has his gallbladder yoinked not too long ago. He was up and out the next day and feelin pretty good. Of course that didn't stop him from acting like a suck, sitting around all day playing video games and throwing peanuts at us if we were too slow getting him some more ginger-ale.
Gods be with you and hope ya have a swift recovery!

[Andrew]

Katie had hers out, some type of surgery with the small holes that quickly heal.  We stayed away from hot or fatty foods for a while and slowly worked them back into the diet.  There are a number of bean recipes you can go with to still get your protein.   She seems pretty good now, but says that really greasy foods can get her sick to her stomach (though one could argue that would make anyone sick to their stomach).

[trekgeezer]

My wife got her's out about 9 years ago.  She had the laproscopic sugery and they gave her a new belly button just above the old one.


I'm only going to give you Karma if you make it out alive Scott, but you shouldn't have any problems and will be back to work in a week or so.

[Dennis]

My sister and father-in-law both had this done, aside from a recovery period of about a week or so it had no big effect on them. You will come through this fine, and just to make sure I'll say a prayer for you each day till you have fully recovered my friend.

[Scott]

Thanks again Derf.

Would also like to thank Andrew, Trek Geezer, Dennis, and Khaz for their imput.

[raj]

Good luck.  I still have all my internal organs, including tonsils.

My grandfather had his stomach out in the 1950s? or earlier and lived until 1979 when he was 65.  Ate salty & hot foods, smoked and drank.  Took the second heart attack to kill him.

Amazing what the body can live without.

[Scott]

Anyone give me some actually info on recovery times related to lifting and running after this surgery? Doctor gave me 4 weeks off work and said it won't completely heal for a year.

Basically they are giving me 3 hernia's to take out these 2 polyps. They just take the whole gallbladder out when they find polyps in it because they might be cancerous at 1 cm and more. If they aren't cancerous they said they can morph into cancer. Other than that they could grow and block the gallbladder, but they also say that if they are over 1 cm then they are cancerous.

Thanks Raj...................It's a bit difficult for me because I'm not feeling sick. It's more of a preventative measure. I'm probably in the best physical shape since I was 19 and I'm 43 now, so this is a setback as far as being in shape goes. The idea for taking out the gallbladder I guess is for the long term health.

[Khaz]

For my dad (who was in the same boat as you) it was no lifting ANYTHING for 1 week. After that it was light lifting (no more than 25 lbs) and no strenuous activities (including sex) for a month. After those 5 weeks it really depends on how fast you heal, his doc had him come in for a physical and a test to see what he could do and where he was in recovery time. So I THINK basically its don't do anything for a week, take it easy for a month, and watch it for 6 months after. oh and as for running, the doc told my dad NO! for at least 2 months, but walking was good. Running bounces yer innards around too much i guess and can lead to swelling and pain.

[Derf]

The time frame Khaz listed sounds about like what I experienced. Basically, one week of rest and taking it really easy, one month of no strenuous activity, and start to slowly build back up from there. I had an office job at the time (no lifting, lots of sitting), so I was able to go back for half days after about three or four days of rest and then for full days the next week. If you are in pretty good shape now, you will likely heal fairly quickly, but don't push things too hard. As I said earlier, this surgery seems deceptively easy, but it is still a major operation, so give yourself the time you need to heal up properly. If you do, you probably won't feel any different at all without your gallbladder. If you push it, you are likely to cause further complications that will involve longer healing times. You can stay in shape with walking for a couple of months or so; it won't give you the cardio workout of running, but you won't get too flabby, either.

[Scott]

Thanks for the good advice. It sounds close to what I've been hearing here at home. My job involves ocassional running, climbing up stairs quickly, and in very rare moments the lifting of something heavy. For the most part it's nothing hard, but once in a blue moon you need to perform by moving quick and sometimes lifting things. I'll take at least two weeks off and check in with the doctor to see if I can get back to work early. Having said that I have no real idea what this is going to be like other than what people have been telling me.  I really want to heal properly, so I can get back to my routine.

Thanks again guys for your imput.

[Raffine]

Good luck, Scott. The hospital visit will make a good episode of your video series.



Is the gall bladder one of those organs they'll put in a pickle jar and let you take home?

Just asking...

[Scott]

You know I actually thought about doing a hospital vignette for the show, but have had second thoughts.

It's things like this that I suppose brings to mind our mortality and this is one of many ways God brings mankind back closer to Himself. Though mine is suppose to be an easier surgery I still don't like having holes poked in me and I want to show my respect towards God. Actually humor before and after would place the value of this world in it's true light. Meaning that it's not to be valued that much. Not to cling to the finite, but rather moving towards the infinite is the true goal.

Might have someone take a few pictures at the hospital, but that may be about it. If God allows me a few moments of laughter after the surgery maybe I'll do a short clip for you all. I don't believe God would disapprove.

It would make for some fun video Raffine. I've always been a very non traditional religious person, but I had an unusual religious experience about 3 months ago.  Let me see if I'm feeling inclined to make a video on that day.

I'm not worth much and when they take me home from the hospital I hope they don't decide to bring the gallbladder home instead of me.

Thanks Raffine. 

[Yaddo 42]

Scott, here's wishing you a safe surgery, a speedy recovery and a quick return to normal life (and these boards).

A girl I went out with had to have emergency gall bladder removal surgery over the July 4th holiday. It was inflamed, IIRC, and she had been have problems from it off and on. Fromwhat she described she had a surgery similar to the one you're having: insert tubes and burn away part of the organ.

She was out of work for just under a week, came back on half days for a few days, and was back on full days the next week. Not entirely her choice, she had used up a lot of time off she could have used with an unrelated surgery earlier in the year. Office job, no real heavy lifting involved. She said she was very sore and didn't want to laugh since it hurt, also some itching from the stitches. She did complain of some swelling in the abdomen afterwards (said she looked pregnant, but she was already a little heavy, just not pregnant looking). As far as I know the only regular exercise she did before hand was walking several miles a few times a week, not sure when she got back to it. The swelling did go down and she looks like before.

Can't say anything on the eating front with her since she's a very picky eater to begin with, very odd diet, few vegetables ever among other things.

Again, good luck and looking forward to your return with a report of a clean bill of health and feeling fine.

[Scott]

Thanks for the additional info Yaddo. The more I talk about it here in my area the more I realize it's a very common thing. I'm actually surprised at how many people have had surgery both on this forum and where I live.

I want to Thank Raffine again for his last post. Didn't mean to lay it on so heavy here on this forum. It's just what I've been thinking about. Most of us here are here to have some good fun, learn some things, and past some time. You have all been great to me for responding to this personal life event. Thanks to all and I mean that sincerely.

[Raffine]

My thoughts and prayers are with you tomorrow, and have a speedy recovery.

That Surburban Sasquatch roaming your neighborhood isn't going to find itself.