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Colitis and gallbladder surgery

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 9/23/2008 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

 

I was diagnosed with Pancolitis on 3/31/08.  I'm on 2 Lialda's in the morning.  They seem to be helping.  Anyway, my question is, has anyone had their gallbladder removed with having Colitis?  If so, how did it go?  I'm afraid all the stress of waiting to have the surgery, the surgery itself and the recover will put me into a flare up.  Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Tami

Posted 9/23/2008 1:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Tami, and welcome to Healingwell. I haven't had gallbladder surgery, but I'm going to bump your post up since there haven't been any responses to your question yet. Hopefully someone out there has been in this situation and can help. Take care, and again welcome!

Posted 9/23/2008 2:02 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Tami,

I just had my gallbladder taken out a little over a week ago (I have pancolitis), and I just replied to someone else's inquiry as to how it went.  So I'm going to copy and paste my response to her here:

It wasn't too bad. I had pain for about 5 days afterwards, so I was taking a good amount of Hydrocodone. The first couple nights of sleeping at home are difficult, because laying flat is not comfortable. The one thing they did not tell me was that I would be LOADED with fluids and bloated from the gas. (Apparently when they do the laparoscopy, they shoot some gas into your abdomen to puff it out so that they can see/work in there.) I was about 10 pounds heavier when I came home, but all the fluid and bloating has gone away, and I'm back to my pre-surgery weight. You'll probably get up 3-4 times in the night to pee (to get rid of all that fluid). My feet were swollen in the beginning from the fluids, but that went away, too. The incisions are small, so they use a glue instead of stiches.

As for returning to work, I would say it depends on what you do. I'm a stay-at-home mom of a two-year-old, so I needed help for 3-4 days because of the lifting, running around. You will be tired, and the painkillers will make you drowsy. There is definitely soreness for about a week, but if you have a desk job it may be tolerable.

With all that said, I've read that people respond to this surgery very differently. Some people feel great right away, but a friend of mine told me she was out of commission for a couple weeks. The surgery recovery can be hard to plan for because of this. I've also heard from several people that having the gallbladder removed improved they're overall health dramatically. A friend of mine with IBS said her symptoms all but disappeared after surgery. My doctor did tell me that my ulcerative colitis would not be affected/improved by the removal, but some of us with UC may also have IBS or other underlying issues that may get resolved, so who's to say?

Hope I'm not boring you with details, and I hope you get these issues resolved soon. I know how hellish the hospital can be. They didn't let me eat anything but clear liquids for three days, and it felt like absolute torture. Good luck with everything, and let us know what happens!

My colitis was fairly unaffected by the gallbladder surgery.  I wasn't having bad UC symptoms at the time, which made the surgery more tolerable than it might have been if I were flaring badly.  Let me know if this answers your question.  I'd be happy to chat more about it, if I haven't addressed your concerns.

Posted 9/23/2008 2:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Katie,

Thank you for all of the information. How long did you have to stay in the hospital? I'm hoping to have it done as an outpatient. I am also a stay at home mom but to an almost 4 year old. So, I guess I will have to have my husband around to take care of him and me! Finally, I'm going to be taken care of!!! Yay! ;-) How many incisions do you have and where are they? I've read that it's hard to wear jeans and and a bra because of where they are. How was it for you? I'm so scared about this whole thing. I'm new to colitis and now this. :-(

Thanks,
Tami
Posted 9/23/2008 3:54 PM (GMT 0)

Had mine out about 5 years ago (before diagnosis) but had IBS and probably UC.

I had to stay one more night because my gallbladder burst when removal and I had a drainage tube.  I was given the pain pump first night and then just Tylenol because I can't take narcotics.  I was 63 - first surgery ever - and did just fine.  Had three very small slits - one near bellybutton (which jeans could irritate but not for long) - one under right breast (I can't go without a bra so wore it soon) and one near waist.  They used steri-strips and soon fell off.

I will say - if I can do it  you can.  AS for the UC - the medications they give you generally constipate you so no worry about that for a couple days.

Oh, forgot to say - after healed I felt so much better and could eat about anything - but you have to stay lowfat for a while or you won't feel that great -I still have problems processing fat but then I don't need that much anyway!!

ElaineNY

Posted 9/23/2008 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Tami,
Don't be scared, its really not so bad. I had to stay overnight and went home the next morning. My doctor told me that people who have gallbladder attacks before the surgery (which I did) tend to stay overnight. Other people who haven't had a recent attack and schedule an outpatient surgery can sometimes go home the same day.

I had four very small incisions - one in my belly button, another about 4-5 inches above that, and two more on the right side of my abdomen. As long as you don't wear high-waisted jeans, you won't have a problem. My jeans are under my belly button, so it wasn't a problem. The only issue with the bra is getting it on. Once its on, it shouldn't touch your incisions. (I usually hook my bra closures with the bra around my waist and then pull it up, so I had to be careful not to scrap against the incisions.)

I share your frustration with the flood of health problems. I was just diagnosed with UC in January and now this pops us. The two are definitely related - people with UC are more likely to get gallstones, but that doesn't make me feel any better about it. The day before I had the surgery I had a colonoscopy that made my doctor upgrade my diagnosis from proctitis (only rectum affected) to pancolitis (whole colon affected). The whole ordeal was pretty depressing. Luckily, since then my symptoms have improved dramatically - probably because we started using medication for the whole colon. Anyways, I'm blabbing...

Definitely tell your hubby you're going to need help for at least a few days. You may want to explain things to your four-year-old, too. My son finally understands that "Mama has boo-boos on her tummy." He kept accidentally poking me in the gut until I explained things. Now he "checks" my "boo-boos" every day and says, "They're gettin' better!" Thank God for kids to lift your spirits! :-)
Posted 9/23/2008 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
I had my gall bladder remove about 3 years ago. I was in a flare when it was removed. The surgery is usually outpatient but they kept me all night since the surgery was performed at night. I had 4 incisions that didn't require stitches. I just had jeri strip bandages on them. I was a little sore for about 2 or 3 days but not much. I got around & did everything I wanted to, just slowly. I can't say whether or not if will affect your UC. At the time of my surgery, I was in a flare plus I had Mono. So it took me about 4 months to get out of a flare but I don't know if it was from the surgery or the Mono. Because at that time, I was basically a physical wreck. I have heard people say who don't have colitus that they had D a few days after surgery until their body got used to not having a gall bladded. I do remember taking fiber after the surgery. A dr told that it would help collect the bile left by the gall bladder & remove it from your body.
Posted 9/23/2008 6:39 PM (GMT 0)

I'm like Elaine but had mine out 7 years ago.  I believe I had UC back then, too, but not diagnosed.  Having it out was not bad at all, and if you're in a lot of pain from gall bladder attacks, I think you'll actually feel better, even if you're in a flare. 

If you're on a probiotic, you might think about doubling up on it before the surgery, in case they wind up giving you antibiotics.  It turned out I had a pretty severe infection and had to be on IV antibiotics.  At least the probiotics might help if something like that happens to you.

Good luck and I think you'll be feeling better soon! 

Posted 9/24/2008 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
I am so glad the surgery for gall bladder is so much better now...the laproscopic. Unfortunately for me, I had mine removed when I was 28 years old, about 12 and half years after my initial diagnosis of UC. However that was back in 1975 and there was no laproscopic procedure. Spent a week in the hospital and my UC flared horribly for weeks and weeks after. When I think about it, that surgery was more painful and took much longer for recovery than my open heart surgery of 2005. I only spent five days in the hospital then and was eating lunch 24 hours after surgery....and walked from CCU to a regular room.

I think you will do well.
Posted 9/24/2008 1:19 AM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for all of your advice and support. I really appreciate it. I'm so happy that I found this site. Next Tuesday I have an appointment with the surgeon. I'm sure I will need surgery and at this point I'll be happy to have it so I can get rid of one of my problems. Now, if only they could cure colitis!

Tami
Posted 9/24/2008 2:03 AM (GMT 0)
Good luck and be sure to let us know how your recovery goes!
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