Gall Bladder Surgery Easy? Um, NO!

Hi Everyone -- I am usually a lurker, but visit a lot on the main board. I had surgery on 11/15/05, and I've lost all the way down to 124 lbs (from 278).  I have two questions, and I know I will get the best support here -- you all are a wonderful and knowledgable group of people, and thank you in advance for your advice! First, I had my gall bladder taken out on Sunday after spending all day Saturday in the ER with severe pain, nausea and vomiting. They did an ultrasound and saw sludge and stones, so decided to do it first thing on Sunday a.m. My question is, is it just me who thinks this was a pretty darn rough surgery? I've read post after post on the main board about how GB surgery was a relative "piece of cake," and other comments about how much of a non-event it was. Um, NO! I'm hurting bigtime, taking pain meds every 4 hours round the clock (gas and soreness wakes me up all night). My incisions (laparascopic) are real sore and every time I move around (which I'm doing a lot) it feels like my insides are all shifting and rolling (gas, I'm sure). Am I the only one who is daring to say this WASN'T easy, not even "relatively" easy compared to the RNY? I know everyone's different. I'd love some support and to hear your story. Second question is, I'd love to hear your strategies for not losing too much. I'm starting to get a bit worried about going too low (I'm 5'7" tall and weigh 124 lbs.). Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled, delighted, and grateful every minute of every day for my WLS. I just don't want to find myself in the danger zone. Your help here is so much appreciated! Thank you so much!

Hi there! I had my gallbladder taken out 5 months after my surgery.  Everyone assured me it would be easy as well and it was just different from the bypass surgery.  I had a lot more pain and had to take pain meds more often, the incisions in my navel really were sore and needed to be drained a week after surgery and I had gas trapped in my shoulder (which I didn't even know existed) that caused awful pain.  I was up walking around sooner than the bypass surgery, but it seemed like the recovery was overall harder.

NO!  You are not alone! I JUST posted this on the TX board yesterday to someone else....... As usual, I'm the odd one out! LOL (The majority of the other posters said it wasn't a difficult surgery.) I had my gallbladder removed 1 month to the day after my RNY. For me, it was far worse than the RNY; however, there are two things to consider: 1) I had just had major surgery 4 weeks prior and 2) my gallbladder was severely infected, "slushy", and I and many stones. I was in the hospital for three days to get the infection cleared so that they could remove it. I went home for a day and then went back for outpatient surgery and went home that same day. When I told the nurse that the GB removal was far worse she apologized and said that *they* should have warned me as there is a huge difference when one has surgery when they are *well* as I was for the RNY than when one is *sick* such as the infection and, of course, I had just had major surgery within the abdominal cavity only 4 weeks prior and was not fully healed yet from that. I was down for a good month if I recall correctly. It seems everyone has a different experience. I remember reading of people on the boards who had to have their GB removed and they were out shopping at Wal-Mart the following day and that just blew my mind b/c I was in so much pain and could hardly walk!!! LOL ALSO, On losing too much weight, I was there too!  My surgeon told me that there was an enzyme that I could take to slow digestion but first they told me to try to gain back some weight on my own.  I had already read and heard that most patients that lose under goal eventually gain 10-15 pounds back and then even out.  So, to try to gain weight on my own, he told me to "break all the rules" meaning to drink with meals, add more carbs, etc.   I had trouble adding more food b/c I was already eating ALL the time it seemed.  The answer for me was to add a high calorie beverage.  I drank 1/2 gallon of CarbCountdown (now call Calorie Countdown)  per day which was 720 calories.  That and drinking with meals enabled me to gain weight.  I have to admit that I looked terrible at that low weight and I look much better with the 10 pounds.  My doctors still want me to gain 10-20 pounds but I don't see that happening -- for one I have beautiful clothes that have to fit (LOL) and it's difficult for me to put weight on!  I hope this helps!  PM me anytime if you have any questions!

Butterfly Reborn and Evansrn9,

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I am so glad I'm not the only one feeling this way (probably feeling a combination of a bit sorry for myself, as well as in real pain!!). And you both are so right about the different cir****tances between being healthy going in for RNY, and being sick going in for gallbladder surgery. I didn't even think about that, but it's so true!! I must've read the same type of posts you did, about people shopping at Wal-Mart the day after gallbladder surgery, and hearing "it was no big deal," etc. Personally, I've been taking pain meds round the clock, and shopping is pretty much the last thing from my mind. Also, thanks for the advice on the high-calorie drinks, etc. I'll give those a try. Thanks again to both of you for your support -- you have no idea how much better I feel now!

i've not had the pleasure of my gb coming out -yet! my mom (also a wls patient) went thru this just a lil over a week ago tho and is up and driving and back to tylenol and doing well--she had both surgeries done laproscopically--i am not so sure what i would think if i had to have my gb out--when i had my RNY i CHOSE open because i had a horrible experience with the gas from my tubal ligation in 1980--it burned escaping from my belly button and i had so much "locked" up in my shoulders- ouch! just thinking about it--- sorry! not what you needed today but honesty is my policy! hang in and take care of yourself!

Margo, I'm so sorry about the gas! It's really awful. I had it for about 3 days afterwards, and it's worse than the pain from the incisions, etc. Sounds like your Mom is doing well -- I had mine on 3/25 -- she must have had hers right around the same time. It's no fun at all. Hope she's doing well. Thanks for you good wishes. I'm going to the surgeon tomorrow because now I have a weird pain in my calf and want to make sure it's not blood clots! Ugh -- what next???  All the best to you all -- Denise