MIA Surgery

[Jahpan]

It’s been truely a sucky year for me except having my daughter…

The Tuesday night before thanksgiving day, I was having alot of burning pain in my chest and thought it was heartburn well this prolonged for more than 24 hrs and was feeling nauseous, had the chills and then vomited once thats when I called my doctor and they said to go to the ER! I had never been to the ER for myself so I was pretty worried. Thankfully it didn’t take them long to see me at the ER and there was no one in the waiting room. I got a small room to check on me alot. They did a sonogram on all my orgrans and found a ton of stones in my gallbladder and said it needed to come out. My moms side has a family history of gallbladder stones. Its so weird because my mom was just having a gallbladder attack a few times this year and she needed surgery but she delayed her because she just has one stone thats 1cm. So we finally got my own room and waited for surgery. They said yes Wednesday night okay. It’s Wednesday night havent heard. They said sorry Thursday morning/night (thanksgiving) okay great im missing thanksgiving. Thurs morning/night rolls around. Oh sorry its gonna be Friday morning. Also on all these days i was either on a liquid diet or do not eat/drink for half the day until they decide i had surgery or not. Friday morning comes oh sorry we are pushing this back to afternoon because we are understaffed…. Then also couldn’t eat or drink for the first half of the day and was wiping my mouth with wet sponges it was so dry! Finally they said surgery was at 1:30pm. I get everything ready and im SO nervous never had surgery before but this kind is done alot and i guess done to women who just had a baby. Im in preop room they are going over anesthesia stuff and signing papers and taking metal jewelry off me. My husband and I are both nervous. I had to pee at least 3 times before I go in was so nervous but had to give out my trust. I get wheeled into a bright room with weird lamps and stuff on the ceiling and lay on this hard thin board for surgery and knocked back with anesthesia. The procedure was 2 hrs but I was under for 3 hours because someone on the staff either had a emergency or they had to do emergency on someone else before they started on me. That was so weird. I finally wake up and feeling fine and they put a bedpan under me because I had to go again but it was slower because of the anestigia. I took some anti nausea drug because I was alittle nauseous after. I am laying there for a hour after and then I go back to my room. I am at relief and happy its all over. My surgeon had said my gallbladder was really inflamed and it was hard to get out. There was some blood but not enough to need a transfusion. I have a follow up appt in a few days. Walking was soo hard because the daily stuff I do with my body hurt so much like sneezing, coughing laughing literally anything. I needed a nurse to help me to the commode every time and plus the day i needed them most they were busy and waited like 15 min for help every time it was really sucky! They said i cant lift anything for 15-20 lbs for two weeks but i can remain my usual diet. But I just staying away from bad foods for a while until I feel comfortable. Now I have been overly anxious about getting sick or getting infection. Anything new I feel in my body I instantly think wtf is that or get overly worried. After a few days from surgery I felt fine and started to clean alot it was all so great. Then two days later I am nauseous, vomited once in morning then had diarrhea all day and the chills and that night had a high fever! I went back to ER because I was hoping the fever was not a infection but maybe a bug. Turns out it was Norovirus and just needs fluids and sleep to get it out of me. We waited in ER for 10 hrs total to be seen and helped it was so crazy and it was from 9pm to 7am that sucked alot! My husband had to miss alot of work for me to help me around the house at first and then me getting sick and now today he is sick with a fever!! I was so sad to miss thanksgiving because it was my babys first thanksgiving and more people could meet her . This upcoming Saturday we decided to do a friendsgiving so we are excited for that!!

the hardest thing about waiting for surgery also was i couldnt see my 7 week old for two days! She is breastfeeding only and we didn’t want to risk getting her sick in the hospital! She also had to learn to take formula which she didn’t like at first so that was stressful because she wouldn’t eat at first.

yep thats been my whole thanksgiving week and week after!

this whole year has sucked for me! In feb 2023 i hit a deer and totaled my car and had to find a new car with my husbands bonus when he was supposed to buy a new car for himself. He gave me crap for it for so long and made me feel bad. He was just frustrated with the situation and apologized but it sucked feeling like that.

 

[susanm9006]

So sorry to hear that! Better times ahead.

 

[Jahpan]

So sorry to hear that! Better times ahead.

Thank you

 

[Lari]

I'm sorry that was so stressful! I hope you're feeling better and ate able to get your breastfeeding journey back on track.

 

[neely]

I'm sorry you're going through this as a new mother. Fingers crossed you will be on the road to recovery and stay well.

 

[Margret]

The first time I had a gall bladder attack I thought it was a heart attack. I was only 33 years old so the doctor told me it couldn't be my heart; must be gastroesophageal reflux disease, abbreviated GERD. That didn't seem right because there was no heartburn - I wasn't tasting or feeling acid in my throat, just this incredibly painful pressure, but I was having trouble explaining it so the GERD diagnosis stuck. Until I had an attack that lasted two weeks and the doctor was finally able to see an attack in progress. That's when I was sent straight to the hospital for emergency surgery.

I lucked out. If the doctor hadn't caught it it would have killed me.

The symptoms you report sound very familiar to me - that's exactly what it felt like. That's also an excellent description of the symptoms of a heart attack, so bear it in mind - if it ever feels like you're having another gall bladder attack get to the E.R. immediately.

Regarding the need to avoid lifting heavy things, remember that this includes pushing and pulling - if you're going shopping use the handicapped entrance for safety's sake, and get someone else to open the car door for you. Once out of the car you can close the door with your hip; that won't strain anything.

I'm very glad that you're back home with your baby and can get back to normal breastfeeding; that's very important, for both of you. Take it easy and give yourself time to heal.

 

[Binxie]

I had my gallbladder out years ago, I remember that after the surgery it was hard to do much that required the use of any muscle that was effected from the surgery, one thing that helped me was to hold a pillow over the abdominal area with light pressure, it made it easier to stand up and lessened the feeling that everything was going to fall out of me.
Feel better and be careful lifting your baby.

 

[kashmir64]

I have 3 large gallstones that the surgeon refuses to take out. He says they're large and unless I have problems I should just leave them be.
I have heard from every single person I've talked to that has had the operation that they wish they had just put up with the pain. I may eventually have no choice, but keep posting, I'm wondering if it's the operation itself and how it affects your digestion or if it's just the morons up here. (doctors, not the people)
I really would like to know how it affects you (other than the pain...I know that's going to happen)
Right now the only problem I have is with eggs, this includes eggnog. So basically, I'm in pain for the season because I'm not giving up eggnog.
So please update this in a couple of months if you would.

I hope you have a swift recovery and please don't strain yourself picking up your baby.

 

[Margret]

I have 3 large gallstones that the surgeon refuses to take out. He says they're large and unless I have problems I should just leave them be.
I have heard from every single person I've talked to that has had the operation that they wish they had just put up with the pain. I may eventually have no choice, but keep posting, I'm wondering if it's the operation itself and how it affects your digestion or if it's just the morons up here. (doctors, not the people)

If you're in pain you have problems.

When I was just dealing with the pain, on one occasion I was in a pizzeria having supper with a group of friends, while attending a conference in a town I'd never been to before. Suddenly the "reflux" hit (actually a gall bladder attack). People saw my face and asked if I was okay; I explained that I had a bad case of esophageal reflux and excused myself. I managed to make it back to my motel safely (not easy driving with that kind of pain), took all my clothes off (any pressure around my waist or chest increased the pain), put on a robe for warmth but didn't tie the belt because of pressure, and proceeded to induce vomiting, also to reduce pressure. Then I spent two or three hours in agony before the pain eased enough that I could sleep.

My final gall bladder attack, the one that got an accurate diagnosis, lasted two weeks, during which time I was unable to keep anything in my stomach, including water. I was severely dehydrated when I went into the hospital and the nurse tried to find the vein in my elbow for five minutes before giving up on inserting an IV and calling the charge nurse to take care of it. I'm not exaggerating even a tiny bit when I say that it would have killed me if it hadn't been taken care of when it was.

Was it worth it to put up with the pain as long as I did? No, and I wouldn't have done it if I'd had any choice. I very much wish that I'd had the gall bladder out years before I actually did.

After surgery the surgeon visited me in my hospital room to find out how I was doing and prescribe pain medication. He asked me whether I was in any pain, and I truthfully told him that I hadn't had any pain at all since he'd taken the d***ed thing out. He prescribed pain meds anyway. I never used them, because I never needed them.

I had two problems after the surgery:

1. The incision itched while it was healing. Vitamin E oil took care of that.
2. More seriously, a small gall stone had been "hiding" in my liver during surgery. After I went home from the hospital it dislodged and traveled down the bile duct to the intestine, where it got itself wedged in just before entering the intestine, blocking the bile duct. It felt like another gall bladder attack, because that's basically what it was. Fortunately, the T-tube was still in place, so I had a few weeks of needing to periodically empty bile from a bag attached to the side of my belly before the stone passed and the T-tube could be removed.

Since then I've had no gall bladder related trouble at all. I digest food just fine. The liver still makes bile (AKA gall), and I have enough to do the job; I don't need a gall bladder to hold it in reserve. And BTW, my surgery was just over 34 years ago; if any problems were going to show up they would have done so by now.

 

[Binxie]

I have 3 large gallstones that the surgeon refuses to take out. He says they're large and unless I have problems I should just leave them be.
I have heard from every single person I've talked to that has had the operation that they wish they had just put up with the pain. I may eventually have no choice, but keep posting, I'm wondering if it's the operation itself and how it affects your digestion or if it's just the morons up here. (doctors, not the people)
I really would like to know how it affects you (other than the pain...I know that's going to happen)
Right now the only problem I have is with eggs, this includes eggnog. So basically, I'm in pain for the season because I'm not giving up eggnog.
So please update this in a couple of months if you would.

I hope you have a swift recovery and please don't strain yourself picking up your baby.

The pain from the gallstones was far worse than the surgery, I just had some discomfort for several days from the surgery and that goes away, the pain from the gallstones will not go away , even if it is intermittent it still is always a possibility and the stones will not go away but will get bigger. I have not had any digestive issues since the surgery but I don't eat meat and the thing I eat that has the most fat is pizza. I was also concerned about the horror stories I heard about digestive issues after removal but I have not experienced any.

 

[Winchester]

I'm sorry that you had to go through that. Just think....2024 is on its way, so all bad things will be in your (dented!!) rear view mirror!

 

[Jahpan]

If you're in pain you have problems.

When I was just dealing with the pain, on one occasion I was in a pizzeria having supper with a group of friends, while attending a conference in a town I'd never been to before. Suddenly the "reflux" hit (actually a gall bladder attack). People saw my face and asked if I was okay; I explained that I had a bad case of esophageal reflux and excused myself. I managed to make it back to my motel safely (not easy driving with that kind of pain), took all my clothes off (any pressure around my waist or chest increased the pain), put on a robe for warmth but didn't tie the belt because of pressure, and proceeded to induce vomiting, also to reduce pressure. Then I spent two or three hours in agony before the pain eased enough that I could sleep.

My final gall bladder attack, the one that got an accurate diagnosis, lasted two weeks, during which time I was unable to keep anything in my stomach, including water. I was severely dehydrated when I went into the hospital and the nurse tried to find the vein in my elbow for five minutes before giving up on inserting an IV and calling the charge nurse to take care of it. I'm not exaggerating even a tiny bit when I say that it would have killed me if it hadn't been taken care of when it was.

Was it worth it to put up with the pain as long as I did? No, and I wouldn't have done it if I'd had any choice. I very much wish that I'd had the gall bladder out years before I actually did.

After surgery the surgeon visited me in my hospital room to find out how I was doing and prescribe pain medication. He asked me whether I was in any pain, and I truthfully told him that I hadn't had any pain at all since he'd taken the d***ed thing out. He prescribed pain meds anyway. I never used them, because I never needed them.

I had two problems after the surgery:

1. The incision itched while it was healing. Vitamin E oil took care of that.
2. More seriously, a small gall stone had been "hiding" in my liver during surgery. After I went home from the hospital it dislodged and traveled down the bile duct to the intestine, where it got itself wedged in just before entering the intestine, blocking the bile duct. It felt like another gall bladder attack, because that's basically what it was. Fortunately, the T-tube was still in place, so I had a few weeks of needing to periodically empty bile from a bag attached to the side of my belly before the stone passed and the T-tube could be removed.

Since then I've had no gall bladder related trouble at all. I digest food just fine. The liver still makes bile (AKA gall), and I have enough to do the job; I don't need a gall bladder to hold it in reserve. And BTW, my surgery was just over 34 years ago; if any problems were going to show up they would have done so by now.

Wow thats crazy!

Why did you wait so long to go to the hospital when you had pain for two weeks?

Are you able to eat any food or staying away from foods? Im trying to eat healthy for a bit while my stitches heal but they said I could go back to normal diet. Ive been too nervous to eat anything greasy. I miss pizza lol

My stitches are starting to itch too! Its been 10 days now since surgery and I have a follow up tomorrow!

 

[Jahpan]

The pain from the gallstones was far worse than the surgery, I just had some discomfort for several days from the surgery and that goes away, the pain from the gallstones will not go away , even if it is intermittent it still is always a possibility and the stones will not go away but will get bigger. I have not had any digestive issues since the surgery but I don't eat meat and the thing I eat that has the most fat is pizza. I was also concerned about the horror stories I heard about digestive issues after removal but I have not experienced any.

Same! But it sounds like it has changed years later that you can go back to your regular diet. I always thought you had to cut greasy and fatty foods from your life?

 

[Margret]

Wow thats crazy!

Why did you wait so long to go to the hospital when you had pain for two weeks?

I wasn't "waiting" to go to the hospital; I was trying to get an appointment with my doctor, the one who had already misdiagnosed me (though I was unaware that it was a misdiagnosis). And I'd already been shamed (by two different doctors) for thinking my first gall bladder attack was a heart attack when it was "really" reflux disease (except it wasn't). I didn't go to the hospital because I didn't know that's where I needed to be.

Are you able to eat any food or staying away from foods? Im trying to eat healthy for a bit while my stitches heal but they said I could go back to normal diet. Ive been too nervous to eat anything greasy. I miss pizza lol

I can eat any food, though there are some that I avoid for different health reasons. Fat doesn't seem to make any difference. YMMV

My stitches are starting to itch too! Its been 10 days now since surgery and I have a follow up tomorrow!

Vitamin E should help the itching; use it topically. I used to get small bottles of pure vitamin E at Kroger or CVS; neither one carries them any more. You can buy it from Amazon, in a larger bottle, but for immediate use you can just stick a pin in a gel cap of vitamin E and squeeze it out to apply directly to the stitches (just to be safe, check with your doctor first). If you find a bottle of something that says it's vitamin E, try tipping the bottle. Pure vitamin E oil is very viscous; it moves more like honey than like cooking oil. If the contents of the bottle move like vegetable oil it isn't pure vitamin E; the vitamin E is mixed with some kind of vegetable oil. This is NOT always reflected on the label.

(Note: This isn't just for stitches after gall bladder surgery. I use it any time I have a wound that's itching as it heals. Also, any time I change my earrings I put a drop of vitamin E on the tip of the post; it goes through the piercing more easily and reduces the chance that I'll damage the ear. And on the rare occasions when I haven't been wearing earrings for a while and the piercing is starting to close, a bit of vitamin E on the post helps immensely.)

 

[Lari]

My FIL had his gallbladder out about four years ago and hasn't really had to change his diet.

But I feel like I met someone who did, so it may vary from person to person.

 

[catapault]

I'm surprised to read you had stitches, Jahpan When my daughter had her gall bladder out - and it was a number of years ago - it was keyhole surgery, done laparoscopy. Which was a very easy recovery for her.

My gall bladder surgery was done several decades ago and that was when they really opened you up. In fact, when I was complaining to the nurse (you stayed in hospital for a few days) that the sheet felt like a lead weight. Her answer was "You have to remember you had two pair of hands inside you." Gives you an idea of the size of the incision.

Larger stones are less of an issue than mine, which were rice grain size. One would start to pass, get stuck in the duct and it was very painful until it worked its way out. I think I have the stones that the doctor took out in a small test tube somewhere.

And to get to the end of the story I have no difficulty eating / digesting fatty foods.

 

[susanm9006]

I have had a few laparoscopic surgeries and had stitches with two and either bandages or glue for the third. I think it depends on the kind of surgery. I found I have two quite large gallstones when I did an ER visit a few years ago for a blocked kidney. But the gallstones will stay until they begin to cause problems.

 

[Jahpan]

I'm surprised to read you had stitches, Jahpan When my daughter had her gall bladder out - and it was a number of years ago - it was keyhole surgery, done laparoscopy. Which was a very easy recovery for her.

My gall bladder surgery was done several decades ago and that was when they really opened you up. In fact, when I was complaining to the nurse (you stayed in hospital for a few days) that the sheet felt like a lead weight. Her answer was "You have to remember you had two pair of hands inside you." Gives you an idea of the size of the incision.

Larger stones are less of an issue than mine, which were rice grain size. One would start to pass, get stuck in the duct and it was very painful until it worked its way out. I think I have the stones that the doctor took out in a small test tube somewhere.

And to get to the end of the story I have no difficulty eating / digesting fatty foods.

Oh sorry I must have worded that wrong! I was trying to type fast because my daughter was down for a nap haha. It was infact “ it was keyhole surgery, done laparoscopy” and they glued it shut and no stitches.