Hi all Has anyone had their GB removed? I am due to see a surgeon on Monday to discuss the removal op. I have been seeing a gastroenterologist since the begining of the year, and have had loads of tests etc. They can't see any stones, but my "ejection fraction" (how well the GB works) is 16% which is pretty low, and I have a very abnormal liver function. I'm a little nervous, but if it fixes the issues I have (bad/slow digestion, pain under right rib), then all will be good. I am interested to hear from anyone with info and previous experiences
I have not had it done myself but I know a fair few people who have including my wife (her's was a bit of an anomaly so I'll come back to her). The others who I have spoken to have all had their removed by 3 small holes and keyhole surgery and were back up and about very quickly with no lasting effects other than a reduced tolerance of fatty food. Without the gall bladder a lot of people don't process fats as well as they used to do as there isn't the reserve of bile needed to break things down as before. The removal of the bladder fixed all the problems they were having as with them it was mostly recurring stones that were the problem. One of the guys who has had the surgey done this way is in otherwise pretty poor health and is not the strongest of guys due to a severe bout of polio when he was very young and even he got over it enough to be up and about almost as normal within a few days. When my wife had hers done, she had the full open surgery as her gall bladder needed removing very quickly due to infection caused by being blocked with stones. Unfortunately the surgeon who did the work was not very gentle or had been wearing boxing gloves as she now has an 11" scar, 1"+ wide across her stomach, something which she gets worried about people seeing, in fact she was terrified of what I would hink the first time I saw it. Thankfully I have grown up with a scar on my forehead so am a bit used to having them out in the open. Understandably hers took a little more getting over as tehre was extensive muscle damage from the surgery but from what I can gather, this type of surgery is almost never done anymore with virtually all cases going for the keyhole work.
The surgeon said that it would be 99% likely that it would be done via keyhole, but if they need to open me, it would just be a small incision under the right rib - so I guess they have found better - less intrusive ways of doing it now. My GB is basically not functioning, so I kind of having the symptoms of not having it before it is removed (if that make sense?). I just really want it out so they can start to look at what else is causing my digestion to be so slow. I have had constipation since a child and have been on lots of laxatives (it can be up to two weeks before I pass sometimes - not nice, and maybe a little too much info sorry!). My recent issues with my neck that cause me to be on nerve pain meds and morphine only make the constipation worse - but they aren't the sole reason. So there will be more investigation after the surgery to see what else is up. This last week I have felt pretty crap. It's like I have the swimmy head feeling you get before you are going to be sick, but not being sick. I am off to the doc this afternoon to see if there is anything they can give me before the op.
Tell her not to worry! No one even cares about a massive scar - they are far too busy worrying about their own imperfections!
I had my gallbladder removed after putting up with 8 hour attacks generally every other day just before bed time. pain scale? 10! yeah buddy! Here's my belly after the surgery showing 4* holes (kinda gorish i guess?) https://www.dropbox.com/sc/rnqsvn4ygiqq8so/7cCHiobku- Apart from my surgeon that got knighted by the Queen the other day messing up and me having to have surgery once again which i woke up half way though... It's been fine ever since, pains gone, apple juice diet didn't work, However i find most things i eat generally make me poorly and i basically have the runs daily now. great times. edit: proof of removal (view at own risk or wut ever) in a cup cleaned https://www.dropbox.com/sc/tv29447i7pcisow/0VrlSZ3YiJ
waking up during surgery! scary mate!!! how long did the recovery take? Having the runs everyday, at the moment sounds like bliss. I know it won't be when/if that happens - but it is the polar opposite of where I am now. I have to take lots laxatives just to get a little movement - in fact guess where I am sat right now typing this hoping something will happen... Looks like you had quite a few stones there. They have run an ultrasound on me, and can't see any stones - it just looks like the gall bladder has given up and isn't working, they did say it may well be leaking - so taking it out is going to improve things. Saw the doc today who said he couldn't really diagnose why I feel sick other than the GB issues, and constipation and just suggested I up my dose of laxatives. I already take a tablet for sickness after eating - domperidone - which he said was the still the right thing to be taking. Have you been on that at all?
I wouldn't worry about the recovery time you'll be back at work within days with a couple of aches which can be easily handled by everyday pain killers . I've never been on domperidone. The only times i had constipation issues was when an attack was occurring. Hopefully removing it will cure you m8, nothing to worry about.
My mate has just had his done, and my cousin had hers done recently. Not heard any major complaints from them yet
I found the knock out drugs before having the op to be a rather interesting experience. I believe the thoughts where "Not going to sleep, not going, nope, still fighting, oh crap here we go" lights out.
I had mine removed in 2002 and wish I had had other options. Soon after the operatoion I had serious IBS issues which plagued my life and pretty forced me to find a job where I had access to a toilet. I was a master Thatcher and being out in the sticks without a loo was not nice. In a nutshell my liver was making lots of bile causing lots of crampings and diorreah. Thankfully life is a little better now as I have medication for the IBS (Questran 5mg Sachets) which helps but now I work in IT and my thatching day's are well and trually over. Good luck with the op buddy
Cheers Pookie - sorry to hear about the IBS and forced change in career. In some ways I am lucky, as I work from home due to other health issues (nerve pain after an op on my neck to replace 2 discs with titanium spacers). So the loo is not far away. The loo issues are the main side effect that the consultant warned me of. However as I have spent my 35 years of life so far with chronic constipation (quite possibly due to not much bile getting through to the stomach), it is difficult for me to understand how it might be. I have my pre-op today at 3.35, so hoping I might get a date so I know how long I have to wait... I may have to have future investigations to find out what else is wrong with my insides, as my liver function test was all over the place. This may be caused by the GB, but they aren't sure. I also have a fatty liver, which is odd as I haven't been able to drink for 3 years now due to my pain medication - this may also be caused by the GB. It's all unknown at the moment which makes living with it even more frustrating.
My Op was done in a hurry as it was probably costing the NHS a fortune in ambulance call outs (yes it was that bad). My liver function levels fluctuate all the time which my doc has said not to worry about.
I don't think my GB issues have been as bad as some, but then the pain meds I take kind of block out most pain except the pain I take them for... I have had a car run over my foot without feeling any real pain, so it's tricky for me to judge when I explain how it feels to the doc. I think it was the HIDA scan that shows how much bile flows in/out of the GB, showed there was hardly any getting through and I was in need of surgery. For me it's the discomfort and sickness - and general feeling of being unwell, that is the issue.
You had a better surgeon than me! I had 5 holes for my money ***EDIT*** They pull the GB out from the incision under the belly button lol
lol ^ that pain was unbelievable yet by the time the doctors seen me at the hospital after 7 hours everything was fine and they thought i was nuts -.-
Op is booked for Wednesday - not sure how I feel... Nauseous and bloated, but also nervous and bemused...
Op all went well. I stayed in overnight as I was a little nauseous from the anaesthetic. Home now and all seems to be going well so far... Surgeon said my gallbladder was quite inflamed (so I have a lot of bruising around the keyhole by the belly button where they pull it through). I had a lot of very small grit like gall stones which is why they hadn't been picked up on the ultra-sound. It must have been the pain medication for my neck that prevented me from having any trips to A&E. So in some ways I was lucky, but maybe if I hadn't have been on the meds I would have had the op earlier - something I will never know... Just taking it easy now while I heal back up.
