My Gallbladder Removal Recovery – Sharing my post-op story

It is now three days on from having my gallbladder removed and wanted to update you all on how it went and how I am feeling. If you are reading this and just about to go through the same thing I can give you some tips and advice about gallbladder removal recovery.

Please share with friends going through it. As I have now discovered it’s an incredibly common operation and unfortunately a result of our extravagant/over indulgent lifestyles. The common reason for gall stones and subsequent gall bladder removal are the 4 F’s, Female, Forty, Fertile and Fat. I have been over weight my entire life, I am 40 next year, and am definitely fertile and female.

My Gallbladder has been removed - my post op recovery story

Hospital Admission

I arrived at hospital at 7am Monday morning for the op. I was dropped off in the rain at the Lister hospital. The boys were not too happy at being woken up early to drop me off but they did at least give me a kiss and waved me off. I found the admissions ward, checked in and awaited my call through to the ward.

I was called through to a seated private area where I just had to sit and chill and wait. The nurse popped in to say hello and tell me what was happening. I was checked in, given my ID tags, had my observations taken. We checked out all my test results from the previous Friday and everything was good to go. My low platelets (I have a blood disorder called ITP) had risen slightly to 104, these should be 250 to 400, but they only really worry when they are less than 80.

The nurse confirmed that I was second on the list for Mr Gupta, my consultant, I was after a long 4-hour operation that had to go first.

I knew I was going to be there for a few hours. I did a little bit of work, watched some Netflix and listened to a podcast. Various people popped in whilst I waiting. I saw the anaesthetist, a student doctor, the registrar and Mr Gupta my consultant.

Everyone pretty much asked the same questions, my name, address, date of birth, any allergies, medical issues, metal in body, was I pregnant. I had a long chat to the student doctor about all things medical history/parents. That kept me amused for at least 20 minutes. And I made the anaesthetist promise to keep me alive.

Theatre time

8-9-16-gallbladder-stockings

At 11am I was rushed into the theatre waiting area, an hour early! I say rushed I had to wait a while once in there but I was now in my theatre robe and wearing my ultra-sexy anti blood-clot stockings. I was asked the same questions again 3 times And finally at 12 noon I was taken through to the anaesthetic room. The anaesthetist and his nurse assistant were lovely, they put me at ease just chatting about normal life stuff. We spoke about Mrs Mummypenny and my boys. They inserted the cannula with no pain and I went under for the general anaesthetic.

I woke up at 1:30pm in a complete state of confusion and feeling sick.  I know I stayed in recovery for a while but can’t remember much of the following three hours. My face was so itchy and I kept needing to wee. A nurse was looking after me 1:1 for this whole 3 hours. She was lovely and turns out her son also plays for Cambridge academy like my eldest, such a small world.

Recovery in the aftercare ward

At 4:30 I was transferred to the main ward, again really private and I was put right next to nurse station as I think they were a bit worried about why my recovery had taken so long. I just rested, drank water, attempted a few visits to the toilet to wee and tried to stay on top of the pain.

I was taking morphine for the pain and was having to take it every 2 hours. I tried so many times to wee but couldn’t. I wasn’t allowed to be discharged until I had no 1, weed and no 2, got the pain under control.

At 8pm, I was collected from hospital. Monday was the first day back at school and the boys had just been to football training, we had tried to keep the day as normal as possible for them. When they arrived I was allowed to go out into the waiting area with them which triggered me actually going for a wee. I felt better with the pain and they were very keen to discharge me (there were no beds available for the night anyways!) so I came home.

Home time

I was bruised and sore but at home. With holes in my stomach. I have one hole under my belly button, 1 at the top of stomach plus two to the right of my stomach. They are 0.5cm each in size. I got home laid on the sofa and didn’t move except for the toilet. I slept on the sofa with my legs propped up. 

Tuesday was a challenging day. I realised in the morning that my pain killers were not enough. I left the hospital with paracetemol and ibuprofen. Really not enough and I was in a lot of pain as the day progressed. I managed to get to speak to doctor in the afternoon who prescribed codeine.

On Tuesday I faced the painful task of changing the dressing. I was scared to see what was underneath, but it was fine.  All the wounds looked fine. I cried a bit as it did hurt at that point. But then fell asleep and slept well for hours.

Wednesday was a good day, regular taking of painkillers meant that I was comfortable all day and even had a couple of friends Cathy & Marianne bringing flowers, gifts, digestion friendly food, warming autumnal soup.

8-9-16-gallbladder-flowers

It’s now Thursday and I have had another good night sleep. I am in much less pain and am going to reduce the painkillers a bit today. The new problem today is that I am constipated. Codeine and Morphine are known to cause constipation. So far no amount of aloe vera, movicol or prune juice has been successful in getting things moving.

The Overall Picture – My Gallbladder Removal Recovery

Overall I am feeling okay. The first two days were tough but I have had a piece of my body removed! I’m looking forward to life without the gallbladder pain and not worrying about any new type of food I try through fear of what it may do to my stomach.

I am off to the UK personal finance bloggers SHOMO awards on Saturday. I’m on the shortlist for three awards so I am absolutely 100%  attending. This was me, looking incredibly thin, but feeling great after the operation. Today I feel fine, life just gets back to normal. Next week will be okay to start walking around and I am to go see my GP. I want to check everything is okay before exercising again, I’ll start with light Pilates.

I’ll report back again in a few weeks. I’ll let you know if there’s been any further pain. As well as sharing how I cope with food, what’s happening to things like my weight and when I can exercise again! If you’re about to go through the operation, I’d like to wish you all the best with your gallbladder removal recovery.

Update after the operation

Since the operation I have never experienced the pain again that I felt when I still had a gall bladder. There are certain foods that I can’t eat without feeling cramped, anything very fatty is a definite no. But overall the operation was a success and life has gone back to normal without any trips to A&E in extreme pain. So far, I’m happy with how my gallbladder removal recovery is going. To find out more about how the process can work, check out the NHS’s handy guide.

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Lynn Beattie

Aka Mrs MummyPenny

Personal Finance Expert

I write about personal finance made simple, lifestyle choices that will save you time and money, as well as products and services that offer great value.

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47 Responses

  1. Hello,
    Curious about how you’re doing?

    Love to know all the details, I am fighting getting it removed but im having a ton of other issues right now with rapid weightloss, malnutrition, depleted muscles and a digestive system that doesn’t want to work.

    I don’t know what the cause is but wanting to make sure that the surgery would be a good idea.

    Hope you’re well!

    1. Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. Surgery was really the best solution for me. No more pain and I am able to eat now much more than I could. Red meat & high fat & eggs are still a no as it wine, but generally I am much happier. So I would say go for it. The gall bladder pain is so awful, but not now its gone.

      1. Just reading your post with great interest. I had my GB removed 3 weeks ago. Recovery has been slow(ish) but I’m definitely now healing from the surgery. The only negative is that I feel nauseous most days now. Noticing you don’t eat eggs and wondering about that. I love eggs and eat them most days. Maybe I’ll give them a miss. The nausea is definitely unpleasant. Thanks for your post.

  2. Thank you for this article. I’m looking at potentially having my gall bladder out very soon and was curious to know from an actual patient how long the recovery was. I currently have no pain at all and no problems with foods but have had incredible itching for 7 weeks starting with hands and feet and then going to my whole body. With natural therapies I’ve controlled that except for the burning itching feet at night keeping me awake, but my liver function tests are very abnormal so their best guess now is that there are stones in my bile duct causing infection. Waiting on MRCP test to confirm before surgery. Ideally I didn’t want an organ taken out but if it allows me to sleep by getting rid of the burning, itchy feet it’ll be well worth it. I share this all here partly to help anyone else out who is going through similar. It’s quite an atypical presentation of gallstones/gall bladder disease if that’s what it ends up being. If it’s not the doctors have no idea what it is!

    Once again thanks for the great article and I hope you are very well now!

    Louise, Australia

    1. Thank you for this. I did not know about this symptom. But omg I know how awful itching can be and how it keeps you awake. The gallbladder is pretty useless and you can do without it. As long as you have keyhole the recovery is pretty quick. I hope that all is okay with you and that you are happy with test results and decision to be made.

  3. Love to know how to cope after gallbladder surgery as my sister in law told me she would kindly send sum pizza around after, she said homemade DOESN’T SHE UNDERSTAND pizza worst thing homemade or not
    what can I say
    to me this us no help why don’t people ask what u can eat & do sumthimg u can eat not WHAT THEY THINK U CAN EAT
    LUV TO hear back with anyone about thus problem to me that’s no support at all
    Think I will buy & make myself sum foods before hand I can freeze
    we are the one who will end up back in hospital not her

    she

    1. Yes you need food that is very low in fat, so avoid meat and dairy products and anything cooking in oil. Go easy on your body, fish, vegetables, brown rice are your friends for a few days/ weeks afterwards.

  4. Thanks for sharing your story with this – I’m due to have my gallbladder out but concerned about long term digestion issues. I’ve suffered with (mainly bloating and constipation) digestion problems for years and worried about it becoming worse after surgery and regretting the decision. Just wondering if you’ve had any problems with your digestion apart from the initial month or so while your body adjusts? Sounds like you often avoid fatty meals anyway, but I’m wondering if this also means healthy fats such as avocados?

  5. Hi..
    I stumbled across your blog. I had my gallbladder removed today. I generally wasn’t prepared for the pain. I’m in agony. Feel ok when I lay still but moving is torture. I have 5 incisions (one in belly button, on at top of the tummy area and 3 down my right side). I was only discharged with paracetamol and imbrufeon. I’m going to ask for something stronger.
    Every other blog I’ve read people seemed pain free so I was curious as to why I seemed in so much pain. Your blog has put my mind at rest so thank you

    1. So glad my blog has helped! Good luck with the recovery, it will be worth it to get rid of any gall stones related pain that I assume you had before.

      1. Just reading your post with great interest. I had my GB removed 3 weeks ago. Recovery has been slow(ish) but I’m definitely now healing from the surgery. The only negative is that I feel nauseous most days now. Noticing you don’t eat eggs and wondering about that. I love eggs and eat them most days. Maybe I’ll give them a miss. The nausea is definitely unpleasant. Thanks for your post.

  6. hey! i’m 15 and have severe anxiety and gerd(severe acid reflux). i have tests to be done monday for my gallbladder. i’ve had severe constipation and pain for the longest. i don’t do well when it comes to vomit and nausea(anxiety related) honestly and my doc said it’s very likely surgery is the option. i have a few questions: could i choose regional anesthesia for this surgery? what foods would you recommend after surgery with someone who has gerd? any tips to avoid pain as much as possible?

  7. Hi,
    I am 1 day post op, I have. 4 incisions , I feel ok except for when I cough or need to move to go to the toilet and then my abdomen is very painful but nothing compared to the pain of passing gall stones .
    I was in and out on the same day , NHS staff were wonderful and I attended a green light hospital which has No covid cases .
    Dressings to be changed tomorrow , as a nurse I will remove my own clips, I’d suggest anyone to have gall bladder removed if offered , my mum died of an infected gall stone that caused sepsis, so I’m now relieved that mine has gone along with the stones and pain was expected as a post op negative , good luck to you all who suffer this agonising condition xxxx

  8. So glad I found this blog. Have been in constant pain from April. Finally have a date for my op in 3 wks. But constantly thinking is it the way to go , I’ve done to much research and scared myself silly. Having read some of the messages on here now feel so much better.

  9. Had my gallbladder removed 3 weeks ago. Was in a lot of pain before it was removed. Felt a burning pain on the upper right side of the stomach and the pain would be at the back aswell. After the op i had four very small holes on my stomach. The first 2 days i felt a lot if pain and the painkillers helped me a lot. Um sticking to low fat foods and i have never had any problems so far. Its not even a scary experience at all. I feel thankful that i have managed to get it removed. Now um a free lady.

  10. Hi

    I had my gallbladder removed in March 2018 I had started to lose weight for my better health and started to get the pain of passing gallstones the doctor told me this was a effect caused by losing weight, I had lost over 2 stone by this point. Had my surgery and 3 weeks later was rushed to A&E by ambulance to what was told “phantom pain” when a removal of an organ is taking away and can be common. Since then I continued to lose weight and lost a total of 4 stone. But I have still suffered on and off with the pain ever since. My GP sent me back for a scan but everything was fine. I avoid fatty foods as much as I can and from losing weight always eat heatlhy. But wondered if anyone else still suffers with this? GP now blames it on Acid Reflux and prescribes Lapranzole (acid tablets) but it doesn’t even work. Was such a great thing at the time getting removed but I’ve suffered more now than ever! 🙁

    1. Charlene, I had my gallbladder removed a week ago and I already regret it with the pain I’m in now, I’ve had 3 attacks since removal and I just don’t know what to do, feel so deflated as thought it would all be over now

  11. Hi ladies

    So glad I found this I’ve been having shocking pains due to gallstones. Had an ultrasound on Monday. Docs called me today asking whaT I wanted to do do I’ve been referred to have it taken out.
    Just can’t cope with the pain any more. I just hope that after I’ve has it out I can get back to enjoying a meal out or a small portion of chips without being in pain.

  12. Hi,
    I’m booked in to have my gallbladder removed on Wednesday. I’m feeling really nervous but am also worried about weight gain after surgery. Wondering if it effects if you can have a wine or not once you are recovered?

  13. Hi, I have been diagnosed with gall bladder stones last year and was booked in to have surgery. I was researching and getting opinions from people who have had it done. My wife said a co-worker at her job had the surgery & warned my wife that i needed to think seriously about having it done, as my diet/food choices would drastically change along with episodes of diarrhoea. Her opinion, scared my wife which then made me not want the surgery. since not having the surgery iv continued to have several gall bladder attacks which have been very painful, iv been taking apple cider vinegar and hot lemon drinks that have helped. Iv also been taking other healthcare remedies to help with digestive support, which have been good but i still get the odd attack overtime. so am going to ask my doctor next week to go back on the waiting list for the operation. iv also read that if the gall bladder stones remain can lead to cancers and other sickness. so will remove, rather than chance getting worse. thanks for sharing your experience, has encouraged me cheers

  14. Thanks for sharing your story. I’ve just had mine removed 2 days ago. I too have 4 holes in my tummy and although recovery is painful, I did expect it. My husband was against having it removed but it can affect the other organs…I wasn’t about to risk that. I’m glad I’ve had it removed and also looking forward to the change of diet that will be a lot healthier!

  15. Thank you for this. I am on day 3 of recovery from operation and this has really helped me see the light at end of tunnel. It has been a long wait for operation due to covid and now its been done I am just relieved that the pain isn’t the same as gallbladder pain. I don’t miss that part of me. The good thing from all this, is that my diet has improved and I am much more of an healthy eater. Who knew that there were so many vegan recipes out there. (Forced vegan). I am looking forward to summer cocktails in moderation of course.

  16. Hi I’m day 3 post surgery, it was all very quick for me went to walk in with what I thought was indigestion got sent to hospital that day, ct next day Found large stone blocking and other stones with gallbladder full of puss, op following day, they kept
    Me overnight as had an infection and
    High temp pain was really bad, home
    Now With antibiotics, pain manageable with painkillers but
    Sleeping propped up, would love some ideas on food to eat post surgery

  17. I had my gallbladder removed 6 weeks ago after 3yrs of agony, gerd, constipation and bloating,trips to hospital operations cancelled due to covid etc… recovery at first was slow but over the last few weeks everyday I feel better and better, I rarely feel bloated and constipation is a thing of the past which is probably why the bloating has drastically improved… Before I was taking Buscopan, omeprazole, Dihydrocodeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen… I now take nothing… No gerd either… Before my liver was inflamed due to bile backing up and I suppose now that everything is flowing freely its just helping my digestive system run better.. I had lots of small stones and the consultant said my gallbladder was quite inflammed so I needed to have a drain after surgery… I had some internal pain in the first couple weeks and panicked because of all the bad stories I had read I wondered if I’d made the right choice but I kept positive and just kept thinking give it time and now I’m feeling better and better by the day.. So happy I had mine removed.

  18. Aloha from Hawaii. Had my gallbladder removed a month ago. Was in some pain after surgery. Still healing. Had a lot of stones. Thousands. Dr’s couldn’t believe how many stones. I’m feeling better every day. Watching what I eat. No oily foods. My bowels are very good. Before my surgery I had diarrhea every day. My gallbladder had a lot of inflammation. I was so scared to have my surgery. I’ve had gallstones for over 10 years. Now I’m so happy with no gallbladder and looking forward to eating wat ever I want after I’m fully healed.. Best decision I’ve made get that gallbladder out.. Mahalo Louise.. by the way I’m 63 years old.. Aloha…

  19. Im post gallbladder removal coming up to 5 weeks, im slowly on the mend after suffering a few gallbladder attacks which landed me in A&E i had multiple gallstones showing on my ultrasound .
    Everyone is different in their recovery for me im struggling with BAM which i had before gallblader removal and upper stomach pain above umblical area . I had no diet advice and no hospital followup either.
    But will be visting my gp as my eyes still have a tingy yellow look which i had before surgery has anyone else had this i wonder?
    Im glad i had surgery i was so sick of the gb attacks even with low fat diet.

  20. My Husband left me 10 months ago. I was hearth broken, luckily. I was directed to robinsonbuckler11 @[gmail] com, who helped me bring him back for good…………………….

  21. I had my gallbladder removed 6 days ago. Getting better by the day, my insides still feel a bit tender but glad of no pain. ( touch wood )I can’t face lots of food trying little but often. Sleeping a lot better to. I didn’t think this was so common.

  22. I had been suffering from so much pain but no doctor realise what the problem was. I was told it’s indigestion until one night I was in so much pain I went to the walk in centre and the nurse that saw me asked what I had eaten last night. I said jacket potatoes with cheese. She said you have gallstones but I have to go and suggest it to the doctors. Following night I was in so much pain I had to call the ambulance and I was taken to hospital and the doctors wasn’t sure and sent me home but booked a scan for me the following day which confirmed I had 2 gallstones. I was told I would go on a waiting list but since waiting I had three stays in hospital in a month.
    I had 3 x large gallstones removed on the 17th May a week ago. I’m sore after a week still but getting better everyday.
    This week I’ve been watching my food so been having salads and veg and have tried with a couple of spoons of rice. I was happy with that as had dressing so had flavour after so long.
    Glad I had mine taken out but will hopefully keep an eye on any pain with the food that doesn’t suit me.

  23. Very interesting post and views thanks to all for sharing their experiences. I’m now 6 days post op and it’s certainly a journey of many things. Generally I feel well; tender tummy area but haven’t taken anything stronger than paracetamol and I haven’t needed that for the last couple of days. Digestion is a bit weird mostly sticking to small amounts of low fat foods at the moment. I do think it’s misleading when lots of things you read start by saying “you don’t need to follow a special diet” because clearly you do unless you want to spend most of your time in the bathroom! (My experience only)

  24. On july 2020, 1 month after i had my baby girl got this severe pain attack on my abdomen right after i had taken my dinner. Had no idea what it was so my hubby rushed me to the ER. Had blood test and imaging done and was told i had gallstones. Was reffered to a surgeon to do the surgery as soon as possible but i wasnt ready to do since since i had had c-section the previous month .. So now after 10months i had my gall bladder removed yesterday here at baylor scott and white in grapevine texas am day one of recovery and doing much better four small incision on my belly some pain on them especially when having a cough. But looking forward for a better future. Thankyou for that blog and all the replies. They really helped

  25. hi ive had 5 attacks from gallbladder and its the worst pain ive ever had i could not sleep or eat all i could take was water i take a lot of strong medicines for my right arm as ive had 5 operations on my arm so take 2 diffrent morphine tablets and amitriptlyne and gabapentinin my last attack was on a friday about 8 o clock at night and it lastesd till about 9 o clock on the sunday i had no sleep did not eat and the pain on the saturday night going into the sunday morning the pain was so bad i wanted to take all my morphine tablets i was in agony but i now have a date to have it removed so wish me luck i get the operation this saturday 10/7/2021

    1. Hi Ian,

      I just came across this blog and saw your post, I had my surgery makes today one week so if you need any advice keep in touch. Make sure they give you strong pain killers before you are discharged and you will need plenty of rest. Best of luck

  26. Thank you for sharing your experience. About a year ago I had really bad pain that scared me and it was pain I never felt before. I went to urgent care and they did a sonogram and was told I have 2 gallstones. Then my doctor suggested to get gallbladder removal. But I decided to wait as I’m scared of surgery. I changed my diet and eat low fat diet no red meat or fried foods no regular milk only almond. Egg whites and veggies and fruits and etc. I lost 30 lbs. gallbladder pain was pretty much gone. After a few months later I started having a lot of acid reflux, feeling like my stomach was burning, pain in the middle of chest, a lot of gas, nausea, but never vomit, a lot of constipation. Feeling full after eating little. so My doctor gave me Pepcid because he said sound like stomach ulcer so it helped. I also took homeopathic pills for the acid reflux and so that pain finally went away. Also did a endoscopy just to make sure and she said gastritis. Gallbladder pain had finally went away and stomach pain too after a while so I realized eh I don’t think I need the surgery. But now months later and I’m getting gallbladder pain again and this time it’s more like every day. It’s scaring me. I really don’t want surgery but I really do think I should just get it removed. I have tried the low fat diet and lost weight but this pain won’t go away. After reading your post I feel a little better knowing it wasn’t so bad. I really can’t wait to not have gallbladder pain anymore. I just hope it goes smoothly and recover quick as I have 3 babies. Thanks for sharing.

  27. I’m due to have my gall bladder removed on Saturday. I then have a funeral on the Tuesday. I’m worried in case I’m not up to going to funeral as it is very important for me to go.

  28. Hi Everyone, Due to get my gallbladder removed tomorrow. The pain has been unbearable for a year despite cutting more or less all fat, processed food from my diet. I’ve lost 2 stone so back to healthy weight. But there are far less painful ways to lose weight.! I have never experience pain like it. Each attack lasts up to 9 hour. Prescribed tramadol but stopped taking it as made no difference. Consultant informed me I have gallstones sludge and polyps and very inflammed gallbladder, so anything I eat could cause pain . Due to covid couldn’t get a face 2 face appt so was originally prescribed Naproxen for a bad back! Also got pancreatitus. I’m 50, never had any surgery before so I’m a bit scared but it will be worth it to stop the agonising pain.

  29. Update post op. Can’t fault the care given by NHS. I had bad reaction to morphine but was able to be discharged that evening. Pain was quite bad for a week but I’m more or less back to normal. Still watching what I eat but no more gallstone agony. Post op pain was fraction of gallstone agony. Consultant said gallbladder was large and full of stones! It was my first op and I was scared but please take it from me nothing to worry about. You are fitted with canula and put to sleep in room next to operating theatre. Next thing you’ll remember is waking up in recovery. It really is fine. Absolutely nothing to worry about. You can remove/change adhesive pads where incisions are made around day 4-5. Are had 3 incisions. Belly button, below rib cage and half way towards back.

  30. Hello All, jsut had y OP confirmed for 30/02/2022 – 30 Year old femail who faought toget a diagnosis, massive stone and gallbladder removal.

    I have lost 2stone due to malabsorption, has anyone put weight on after surgery I am scared I will bloat up again, if I keep the fatty stuff to a treat/minimal will I still maintain my weight loss ?

    Has anyone noticed either weigh gain/loss ?

    Thank you

    Alex. x

  31. Hi,
    I had my gall ballder removed 5years back, I was releived that that the pain was gone, but to my horrot five years later I got the same pain and I was advice to do a stomach scan, it was found that there is a stone in my duct!!! Now I am adviced to do a surgery again. Have any of u faced a similar problem like this? Kindly advice me

  32. Had my gallbladder removed in September 2021. I am still suffering from feeling of fullness after eating very little and bloating in the evenings after a small dinner. I eat very clean; no fried foods, no seed oils, no gluten and only small amount of dairy. I do take bile salts and digestive enzymes. Does anyone else have this trouble? Does the body adjust after a while? I have heard it can take about a year in some cases. Any information is appreciated!

  33. Hi can i ask if anyone is a receptionist or has a desk job? How long after keyhole did you go back to work. I have 5 days off including surgery day before i am due back and i really dont want to have to take any time off.

  34. Thank you for this blog! It was a very interesting read 🙂 I’ve had gallstone pains four years now but the doctors have always put it down to indigestion, even doing an endoscopy and not finding anything! Ended up in the hospital twice the other week, overnight as well for pain and have been told I am on the list for surgery but I have been reading a lot and have worried myself silly… I’m turning 30 in November and had planned to go to afternoon tea at the Ritz as a special treat, now I’m concerned this is not going to be possible, as from lots of different articles and forums, people can no longer eat tasty things. A large part of my life is spent traveling to London and tasting lots of different foods as well, I think this is all just getting to me, I’m feeling quite depressed! How are you doing since your removal?

  35. Chasing RUQ abdominal pain for last 5-6 years. Would have some early morning painful episodes forcing me to ER on occasion. All sorts of scans and nothing definitive. HIDA scan results show 70% gallbladder ejection (<30% considered dysfunction). Repeated ultrasound found gb polyps. One ultrasound would indicate 2cm. Therefore, differing opinions between GI and General Surgeon on what course of action should be. Tried fasting this past Easter which resulted in more frequent loose stools. Consulted GI and was adamant about getting GB removed. Not sure if he seemed to think loose stools could be due to GB issues. Second opinion from different general surgeon said it should come out because of possible sessile polyp. I had some conflicting thoughts because once it’s out it’s gone for good. Could I live with any issues or dysfunction if I kept it? I had it removed, post-op I was concerned due to pain and even more diarrhea weeks after. Pathology report indicated stones were present. As for the pain, moving (walks) was the best recovery advice I can give. Since they blow you up with gas and things are moving around and getting used to no GB. I barely took any pain meds, with maybe once exception 2 or 3 days later. I don’t have regrets today. Even though I still can not pin down what to stay away from in my diet. What was working and I may have to revisit, smaller portions, eat slower, be content, watch high fat foods always. I’m 1.5 months out from surgery and having better days than bad day. Might eventually have to consult GI again if stools don’t get better and less frequent. But it’s not stopping me from living.

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