Gallbladder experience and questions?

I just had my gallbladder removed on Monday night.

Was a bit of a surprise really, I woke up on Monday morning with a stomach ache and thought I had food poisoning, basically throwing up and not able to sleep it off. So DH took our girl to daycare and I stayed in bed for the day. DH worked at home so he could pick up our wee girl in the afternoon. By the afternoon things hadn't really improved and I could keep anything down for long, even water would come straight back up so decided at about 3pm I wouldn't be able to look after our girl tomorrow if I was like this so asked DH to take me to the doctors and maybe they could give me something.

Of course couldn't get through when I tried to call the doctor's office so DH said we should just go and maybe he could fit us in. Our doctor is new to the area so he often has space available and he did. Anyway he checked me over and said it looked more like a gallbladder problem rather than food poisoning but needed to do some tests to confirm it. He suggested we head over to the A&E across the road and if they're not busy they'd be able to do the tests and scan to confirm it and if they were too busy he prescribed a variety of antibiotics and painkillers that might help. He said they normally just send you home but it would mean you'd know if it was or not.

So off to the A&E and luckily it was quiet afternoon so got seen reasonably quickly only four people in the queue before me but still enough time for me to throw up in the waiting area (I was carrying a plastic bag with me as I knew if I was going to throw up I wouldn't have time to get to the toilets). So got seen by the nurse and sent into a cubicle to see a doctor. DH went off to pick up our girl from daycare with the plan of taking her home giving her tea and I'd get a taxi home as the A&E is only a 5 minute drive from home. They did the blood work and set up an IV and some painkillers. By the time I had the scan I was starting to feel better (still sore but bearable). After the scan I was sure they'd send me home and they'd tell me there was nothing wrong with me, just some random pain, not that I'd mind as at least I didn't feel so lousy but I'd just feel a bit embarrassed for wasting the A&Es time.

Got the scan back and it turned out I had a small gallstone stuck in one of the ducts and it wasn't going to move so they had called the local hospital and were setting up a transfer so I could be operated on that night. I called DH to ask him to come and take me to the other hospital. Our neighbour had just got home with her daughter and they came over and looked after our girl as she was already in bed by now. So off we went after they had unhooked me from the IV.

We got to the hospital and came in the wrong entrance as we'd never been to the hospital before so got a bit lost but found our way to their A&E with the surgeon waiting on the other side of the nurse's desk. Got changed into my gown DH took all my clothes and belongings home. DH was asking if I could do without the surgery or just taking the gallstone out but the surgeon said we could go home with painkillers and antibiotics but it would just get worse and I would end up on a waiting list and they remove the gallbladder now as it would be likely I would just end up with another and need surgery again. By this time I wasn't worried at all, I know it sounds crazy but I figured I had to do it as I couldn't live with that sort of pain on a regular basis and I don't have time to muck around with waiting lists and being sick I have a 19 month old and I live in a foreign country with no family and have just barely started to make friends so don't have the support to be sick.

So off I was wheeled, it could have been the drugs but I was feeling quite happy to know I was getting it over and done with. As the nurses met me outside the surgery area I told them I felt like I should be cheering or something (jazz hands). Signed my life way and into the operating theatre and on the table, hooked up the IV again (I still had the one from A&E still in so that was fast). Things started getting fuzzy and I was out to it.

Woke up in recovery around 10pm, trying to take the mask off I was sure I was wearing as Elmo mask. DH was telling me about our girl was watching Elmo while eating her dinner in the car on the drive to the hospital so I think that's what that was about. Hopefully I didn't say or do anything too embarrassing when coming to or being put to sleep but what can you do. Had the shivers for a while so they put something in my IV. I knew I was warm but my teeth were chattering away. Then got transferred to the ward for the night around 11pm.

I ended up beside an elderly lady and she wasn't well at all, poor thing. Got some sleep, well as much as you can when they check on you in the night and lady beside you is quite ill, she needed to be changed about 3 or 4 times in the night. So was glad to hear I could go home once the doctor checked on me and if everything was going well. My only problem was I couldn't pee at first but I think it was stage fright as the nurse said I needed to pee otherwise I wouldn't be allowed home. So when I went I was relieved it was all normal looking.

So home and been on liquids for the past couple of days but all seems well. My throat is a bit icky but that will come right and all my incisions seem fine at the moment. The painkillers they gave make me feel worse than the actual pain so haven't been taking them. My belly button incision bleed in the shower on Tuesday but hasn't bleed since. DH has booked our girl in daycare for the rest of week so I can recover. She normally only goes twice a week.

So far I've been good a bit tired and a little sore but way better than I was on Monday. I do seem to be able to eat but I'm not keen on eating to much just in case I start feeling sick again.

So questions...

Anyone ever had their gallbladder out and do they have to watch their diet now?

Are there food you need to avoid?

Does having your gallbladder cause you any problems if you get pregnant again. It sort of puts our TTC plans on hold for a couple of months I think.

Can you eat the same amounts and types of food as before?

I know everyone is different but I'd just be interested in hearing about other people's experiences.

Thanks, a bit of a novel but nice to get it off my chest.


Edited by blueberry

I started getting gall stone attacks with my first pregnancy which intensified after bubs was born. I spent a couple of days in hospital when he was 6 weeks old with a stuck stone and then went on a waiting list to have my gall bladder removed. 4 1/2 months later I decided enough was enough and had it removed privately as the attacks were just getting worse and worse, even when I hadn't eaten.

I had it out a week before Christmas and was able to eat what I normally would by Christmas day. I need to avoid too much fatty food in one sitting, e.g fish and chips followed by ice cream, but for the most part I can eat anything (we generally have lower fat meals anyway though).

I do know someone who has to avoid lettuce so I think it can differ for evereyone.

I have since had DS2 ( pregnant 6 months after surgery). I did find that fatty foods were more likely to trouble me during pregnancy and also sugary foods - hot chocolate for example. With these I would get upper gastro pains, but not as bad as the gallbladder ones and these would go if I lay down unlike the gallbladder ones.

Recovery seemed pretty quick for me, although my bubs was a lot younger. My husband had a couple of weeks off after the surgery to help out but it was only really a couple of days that I really struggled.

Life is SO much better without my gallbladder!! So no regrets from me.

I had my gallbladder out when my son was 6 weeks old. I then got pregnant when he was 12 months. I didn't have any problems due to not having a gallbladder.

The only foods that I have trouble with are KFC and bacon and eggs. So generally I avoid them or eat only a little.

All the best with your recovery. Being without the gallstone pain in the best!