Gallbastard

It’s a little different for everyone, but here’s how I felt.

After surgery I was certainly in pain, but it was way more tolerable than any gallbladder attack I had. Much of my pain was actually in my shoulders (though my incision sites were pretty sore too) and really I just felt... well, have you ever had a really stiff, painful neck? It felt like that, but kind of all over my torso.The more you get up and walk around after your surgery, the quicker that pain will dissipate. Most of the pain post-cholecystectomy comes from the gas they use to inflate you. Physical activity helps to dissipate the gas and get you back on track.Your digestion may be kind of weird following surgery. Partially because of painkillers, which tend to block people up, and partially because there’s nothing to store or measure out your bile anymore. Simply put, your digestive system won’t be the same as it was pre-cholecystectomy. Many people who have had their gallbladder out find that foods with higher fat content tend to give them minor stomach upset (diarrhea is common) however there are plenty of people for whom this doesn’t happen. The best advice here is to just take things slow and try new foods little by little to see what still works for you and what no longer does.

The most important thing is to follow the instructions your surgical team provides. Many surgeons like to have a follow-up appointment a few weeks after the procedure, and I strongly suggest you go. Your surgeon is going to have the best possible advice for you.

I’m sorry your gallbladder is being a jerk, but I’m glad you’re able to have it removed. Whatever hassle surgery might be, it’s 1000% worth it to be free from gallbladder pain.

While you’re having an attack, there’s not a lot you alone can do to stop the pain, unfortunately. At least that hasn’t been my experience. A heating pad helps make it easier to bear, but it doesn’t really ease any of your pain.

The only thing that really helped with my pain were prescription pain medications like Vicodin, Morphine, and Dilaudid. These medications work fine in the immediate, but they aren’t long-term solutions to gallbladder disease.

You should be mostly pain-free once the attack is over. Any lingering, persistent pain could be an indicator that you have further complications such as a rupture or a stone lodged in your bile duct.

It’s really so important that you speak to a doctor about this. They’re going to have the best advice for you about all of this, and they’re the best ones to help you feel better about this.

(Hey, forgive me if this is a jumble. It’s late, and I’m tired, but I wanted to respond to this before I forgot.)

This may not be what you want to hear, but my advice is for you to go see a doctor. If you are having severe pain of any sort, you should seek medical attention. I’m not a doctor, and whatever information I can give you isn’t going to be nearly as thorough or as helpful or potentially life-saving as what you can get from visiting a physician.

Schedule an appointment ASAP and in the meantime, here’s the best help I can offer:

The pain you’re experiencing definitely sounds like it could be gallstones, but that pain alone isn’t necessarily enough to prove anything. It could just as easily be a complication of your surgery, or any number of other conditions.

Here’s what a gallbladder attack was like for me. I’d eat something with a lot of fat in it (a cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, cheese, etc.) and I’d feel uncomfortably full. That uncomfortably full feeling would last for hours, as if my digestion slowed to a complete halt. After several hours, (usually waking me up in the middle of the night) I’d start to get pain in the upper right portion of my abdomen, in my ribs just below my right breast. For me, the pain radiated to my back and to my solar plexus, and it was excruciating. Sometimes the pain lasted for as little as twenty minutes, but sometimes the pain would last for HOURS. Nothing would help the pain.

There are typical common factors. Gallbladder attacks are more likely to happen to women. They’re also more likely to happen to overweight people. Pregnancy also increases the likelihood of having gallbladder problems.

Does that timeline sound familiar to you? Do you find this pain happening several hours after you’ve eaten foods with a higher fat content? Do you have that uncomfortably full feeling before the pain really kicks in? Are you a woman? Are you overweight? The more yeses you have, the more likely it is that you’re experiencing gallbladder pain. 

When I started this blog I was in a lot of pain (much as many of you are) and was having attacks every few days. I had my surgery in November 2012, and I've been learning a lot about the ups and downs of living without a gallbladder.

I want this blog to be a collection of personal experiences so nobody feels like they're suffering alone, and so everyone can see what attacks, surgery, and recovery is like for others.

I'm worried that by sharing people's surgery stories I might be making things worse for those of you who are afraid. I absolutely don't want to do that!

It's important to remember that everyone's experience is different. Some surgeons work differently than others. Some people's conditions are better than others. Some people have higher pain tolerance than others. All of this factors into your post-op condition.

Recovering from surgery doesn't feel great, but you get better and you don't have to live in fear of gallbladder pain.

In my experience, the pain I felt during recovery was much milder than the pain of a gallbladder attack. It was that realization that made what pain I did feel easier to bear. (That and the painkillers!)

That being said, I want to post whatever is going to be the most helpful for you guys. I'll leave it to you: