Hi all,

I have surgery on the 28th of January to remove my gallbadder with gallstones (which i ended up in hospital a few weeks ago in severe pain therefore found out what the problem was through an ultrasound).

In the meantime i once in awhile am getting the pain which rises to my chest mostly at night and i only take the medication ' Tramedo ' provided when absolutely necessary when the pain is getting too much.

******** I have quite a few questions ;

With surgery what will i expect straight after ?? (they say i might be in hospital one or two nights) , for example is it easy to shower on own those first few days, etc ...

What's it like to eat afterwards when the gallbladder is removed ??

What kinds of food to keep clear of ?

How long did it take to heal ?

DP is unsure as to how much time to take off work to help look after our 3.5year old DD (what do you suggest ??)

... and has anyone taken the medication Tramedo for the pain i get in the meantime before surgery ? ... I was also given Panamax & Rafen but when i took it with the Tramedo i felt like a zombie so haven't taken them together again (only taken the Tramedo when absolutely needed !!)

Also the surgeon said to be careful with what i eat as after having a gallbadder removed it's common to put on weight (which i would dread) ... Has this happen to anyone, putting on weight after ??

TIA for any helpful advice, tips or suggestions
Hi Hon,

Who is doing your Surgery?

Let me answer as many Q's as a I can. I had mine done in 07.

What to expect straight after - some people have a drain tube put in (a lot of the time it comes down to surgeon's preference). It won't be any more or less uncomfortable with it in but it isn't very nice when they take it out. You may have some pain - I did. I had everything they could give me. But whether or not you have pain will largely depend on YOUR pain threshold. My pain was not gall stone pain. I don't actually RECALL having pain but I do recall being awake in recovery (for about 30 sec) and the nurse telling me he couldn't give me anything else. Next thing I was on the ward trying to rub my nose off my face because I reacted to the morph. Showering was easy - no drama's at all. I staid one night - I did have the option to stay 2 but DD was only 8 weeks old and I wanted home! I was also a private patient.

Eating afterwards was fine. No problems at all. No dietry restrictions. Some people find they are more sensitive to certain foods even after the surgery but you won't really know until you try. Weight gain post this surgery is usually related to the person eating foods higher in fat content because those foods no longer cause pain.

To heal it was about a week before I could hold DD as close as I would have liked (she was FF so I was lucky to not have to deal with BF and the scar on my bra line!). I was walking 3Km a day within 1.5 weeks. I don't imagine you will be able to lift your DD easily for a few days so maybe if he takes a week off and some flexibility for the second week?

Tramadol is, as MD said, very strong. It can and does make people a wee loopy. I have it for back pain and only take it as a last resort. HOWEVER, at work it is one of the first things we give (IV). If we can give oral panadeine forte or tramadol, we're guided by the strength and type of pain. If it were, for example, 8/10 and felt like gall stones, we'd give tramadol. If it were 8/10 but not spasming, we'd give pan forte. MD is right, buscopan will help a lot. I actually found I could control my attacks with buscopan and stemetil (anti-emetic AKA anti-nausea). You CAN take panamax and tramadol together... panamax.

The pain you describe you're getting at night sounds like it could be one of the following;
reflux
gall stones travelling through the bile duct and causing a spasm because it is grating the sides of the duct (most likely cause).

Try buscopam when this happens.

HTH and ask any questions you might still have.

MG