Gallbladder surgery

I think they can remove the gall bladder with endoscopic surgery and there is only a small incision.  Your surgeon will fill you in on that, I'm sure.

 

I had my colon removed several years after I had fibro and had absolutely no problems at all.  Actually, they were amazed at how well I did.  I was Christmas shopping at the mall, with 89 staples in me, only 12 days after surgery!  So, try not to worry about something that might never happen.  You might do wonderfully well. 

 

Sherrine

Sandi, I had my gallbladder removed about 8 years ago in an emergency situation.   I did have 3 large stones and waited way too long.  I was ignoring some symptoms I was having and the gallbladder was very infected. Gangrenous(sp) was the word the doctor used I believe.  They did have to keep me in the hospital for a day with intravenous antibiotics to calm the infection down before surgery.  But the surgery went very well.  Only a tiny incision  which healed quickly.  I was back to my usual schedule in days.  I think I had the fibro back then but the surgery did not seem to cause any more fibro pain than usual.

I had my gallbladder out in Jan. 1978. I went to the doctor and told him I was having
gallbladder attacks, He laughed at me and said I was too young (25) for gallbladder trouble.
He said, You don't have all the 3 F's.....You are fair complected but you aren't fat or in your
fifties. He told me I had ulcers and put me on a bland diet.

I ended up having emergency gallbladder removal, my gallbladder was diseased and infected.
They removed my appendix at the same time and I have a 6'' scar that looks like a permanent
cat scratch.

Now they are able to remove the gallbladder through a small incision. My mother and three
of my siblings have had their gallbladders removed this way, with alot less recovery time
then the old method.

Hoping everything works out great for you. You will feel so much better when it is over!

hugs, Robin

I've had four abdominal surgeries (not for my gallbladder) in the last seven years and had no problems with my fibro afterwards.

I had stomach surgery in October. My surgery was similar to gall bladder and both are usually laproscopic with 5 small incisions nowdays.

I researched fibromyalgia and anesthesia, found you should demand pretreatment with a pain killer and a muscle relaxant an hour and a half before surgery. I had 2 bad experiences with anesthesia (lumpectomy) in January because of no pretreatment, which led to fibro-flare. Also ask to have your arms placed near your sides if possible.

Ask if your surgery will be long enough to need a radial artery line for blood pressure monitoring. My surgery was 5 hours and I ended up with pain from injury to the radial nerve from them missing and needing three sticks. I wasn't told I would need this line - which makes me angry still.

Since I have a lot of allergies, I insisted on no glue for incision closure and was happy to accept steri strips. I also refused staples because they leave more scars.

just a quick add on note: I had a complete hysterectomy and have fibro. No problems at all and felt so much better afterwards. The fibro even eased up on me until my bladder fell. But that is the next surgery I am waiting for. I am not nearly as worried this time about having surgery.

I see that most people had an easy time with their gall bladder sx, but I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. I was having horrible chest pain in 2006 (I was 34 at the time). ER treated me like a cardiac case, then when they couldn't find anything wrong, just sent me home. The pain moved, and then they suspected gall bladder. No stones, HIDA scan was only slightly off, so the gastro and surgeon recom. sx. Surgery went fine, but I contracted MRSA at the main incision at my belly button. Once that cleared, that incision dehisced and formed a hernia 9 months later. I had that hernia repaired, then it reformed and caused another 5 months later. Because of the large mesh they used to close the defect, I have nerves trapped under it that now cause chronic pain.

I am a Type 1 diabetic, so healing can be an issue. But the GI disturbances caused from the lack of the gall bladder have been unbearable. I am now at over 2 years of diarrhea and counting. I had every blood test done, cultures, etc, even another endoscopy with biopsies - all normal. My gastro finally just told me to take Imodium every day. All due to the fact that having your gall bladder removed is "no big deal."

And this week, I have now been diagnosed with Fibro.

I know that this post is long, but I just wanted to share my story so that no one else rushes into doing what may seem like an easy procedure. I am a doctor myself (a veterinarian), and I have tolerated a lot medically over the years - I just wanted to see if I could help you.

-Heather
**25 years of Type 1 Diabetes, Hypothyroid, Fibromyalgia...