New Mum - Gallbladder removal?

Hi everyone,

A week ago I had what turned out to be a nasty attack from gallstones. Some blood tests, ultrasounds and 2 GPs opinions later, I probably need to have my gallbladder removed in the near future (i.e. probably within a month). I am seeing a surgeon in a week's time.

Apparently it's fairly common for post partum women to develop gallbladder problems, so I am just wondering if this has happened to anyone else and what you did. My little one is only 4 weeks old, so I'm not keen on having surgery!

TIA,

Ruth

When I was in having my second bub, there was another woman on the ward who had just had hers out and she had an 8 or a 10wk old and was over on our side so she could have help with looking after him etc. The cousin of one of my friends had hers out when her little one was 12wks old. It certainly is doable, but the BF can be tricky because you have to fast and are nil by mouth and you know how thirsty you get when BFing!

even though she not pregnant my dps step mum had her gall bladder out about 3 weeks ago, if youv got any questions il ask her xx

Nothing to offer, except my best wishes! Hope everything is OK for you!

no advice - just wanted to offer my thoughts and prayers :hug:

Hi
i had my gall bladder removed when my oldest son was 5 months old..
i wasnt allowed to have him at the hospital with me as her was too old but i was only in hospital over night and with pain relief i was able to look after my little man 2 days later when my DH went back to work
Im not sure exactly what you want to know but if you have any questions just let me know and i should be able to answer them for you!!

good luck

Ruth I had my gallbladder out earlier this year - 16 months after my DD was born but in hindsight I was having mild gallbladder attacks all along (I thought it was reflux) but they got really bad towards the end. The actual surgery was pretty minor, they kept me in over night, basically to check that your pain management is ok and that you're eating before they discharge you. I was flat and tired for probably a week or so afterwards, but recovered pretty quickly, and the relief from the gallstone attacks was immediate.

In the meantime, if you strip out as much fat as you can from your diet it will help prevent attacks. I went thru the public hospital system so had to wait for a few months for surgery, so I had quite a lot of nasty attacks in that time. I took pain killers and maxolon (to stop the vomiting) when I was first having attacks - but at the end they gave me buscopan in the ER one time and it worked really well -so check with your GP what you can take if the attacks are bad for you.

If you can have surgery sooner rather than later I would do it, just because those attacks can be really nasty and in my case they were quite frequent and debilitating. If you're breastfeeding it's a good idea to start expressing now so you have a supply of EBM for the short time you can't feed - and discuss how to manage the breastfeeding when you see the surgeon. Good luck!

I had my first gallbladder attack when my DD1 was 4 weeks old. This was over 12 years ago now. Because I wasn't in a HF and going through the public system, it took 6 months before I got my gallbladder removed. I had loads & loads of attacks during this time which was awful. My sister also suffered from gallstones 4 weeks after birthing her DS in 2001. She had hers removed in less than a month.

Wishing you no more attacks! All the best hun :hug:

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories!

I am very glad we have a private HF because I can't imagine how you put up with it for while on the waiting list Lisa and Marydean! The attack came on so suddenly and didn't seem to be triggered by food (had eaten a relatively low fat normal diet that day). By the grace of God, family members were around to look after baby because I was totally unable to do anything except groan, vomit and sweat. In the end I had morphine for the pain.

I am concerned about the BFing though. After several lactation consultant visits, they've diagnosed me with a permanent low supply (possibly due to lack of breast tissue or hormone issues). So we are BFing but topping up with formula. I can only ever express 30mLs at a time (in total) and I am worried that surgery/fasting will result in my meagre supply drying up completely...

I am going to ask the surgeon if we can go to the post natal ward - thanks for the idea Trillian.

How long a recovery do you reckon I'll need until I can go back to looking after baby solo again while DH is at work? Also, did you have much pain afterwards? If I'm BFing I'll want to avoid as much painkillers as possible.

Ruth, yep those attacks are horrid and towards the end I went to the ER for morphine every time. A normal low-fat diet probably isn't low-fat enough, it's worth stripping out all the fat that you can to see if that helps.

Re the breastfeeding, it might be a good idea to speak to the LCs you've been seeing about the best way to manage...i had surgery when my DD1 was a few months old and from memory I pumped and dumped once immediately after the surgery and then fed her as normal for the rest of the day (my hubby looked after DD and brought her to me when she needed feeding), so it might not be as big an issue as you're imagining now.

I would say allow at least a week (but there again maybe I'm a bit of a wuss LOL) but I guess your DH can go back to work sooner if you feel well enough, or later if you don't.

Hi Ruth,

I had my first episode of gall stones when DD was 6 weeks old. I had my gall bladder removed when she was 8 weeks old. I had the option of having her room with me whilst I was in hospital but knew I would not be up to looking after her post surgery and since she was fully formula fed at that stage, she stayed home with Daddy. I was in 1 night but had the option of staying a second for pain management if needed (and I also had a drain tube).

In regards to having bubs room with you - it will depend on the hospital's policy. Some hospitals state that the patient (you) needs to provide all care for the baby. If they can put you on the post natal ward to help you out, that would be ideal and brilliant!

In regards to your supply and fasting - you can actually have small amounts of water up to 2 hours before surgery. No more than a couple of mouthfuls every 20 min. There is no aspiration risk (which is why we tell you to fast) by doing this. Food however, you must fast for at least 6-8 hours pre-surgery (if you're a morning case you will be instructed to fast from midnight). However, since you have health insurance, I would strongly urge you to talk with your surgeon about you being admitted the night before surgery and having Intravenous therapy (AKA IVT) which will help to keep you hydrated and reduce the chances of your supply being further decreased. Explain how breastfeeding is very important to you and how you have already been diagnosed with a low supply which you are trying to rectify and any fasting will jeopardize those efforts. I can't imagine it being an issue. If you're in Victoria, I can recommend a BRILLIANT surgeon (the guy who did mine) and who is very pro these sorts of things and looking after new mums. He couldn't do enough for me and worked hard to make sure the right thing was done by DD and myself as well as to rectify my gall issues (I was pretty complex). He even rang DH as soon as my surgery was finished.

HTH and feel free to ask any questions.

MG

Thanks Marydean and MG!

I booked in with the surgeon who orginally said I could have baby in room with me and so I paid up all the fees etc. However, later his receptionist rang and said that the surgeon had got the hospital policy wrong and I wouldn't be allowed baby. : ( But we'd already booked and paid, so we decided to still go ahead.

In the end I had 2 nights in hospital because I had a bad attack 2 days before my scheduled surgery so they admitted me through emergency and changed my surgery for the next day. I'm 3 days post op now and I still can't really lift baby but can manage to breastfeed but not much cuddle time as I'm too sore still. It sucks! It was quite traumatic for me to be separated from baby, (though the nurses allowed DH and baby to be with me on the ward way beyond normal visiting hours).

I never knew that gallstones could be a complication of pregnancy - so unfair! Just when you think it's all over....

Ruth :hug:

Had no idea that you were having this done..

As for cuddles with baby, try to rest him on a pillow (boomerang shaped one was most comfy for me after c-sec) so that you can still have some close time with him and chat and smile..

If you need anything, I can be toddler free on Sunday afternoon, Monday and Tuesday..

Ruth, so glad that is behind you, I was a bit sore and sorry to start with (especially with the drain in) but you will start to notice that you feel better and better every day (even if you're still a bit more tired than usual). :hug: Agree with Heather, you might have some luck with a pillow/pillows. Let us know how you're getting on in a few days. x

Hope you are recovering and feel much better :grouphug:

Hey, has anyone tried the natural methods for removing gallstones. Not suggesting this as I have never tried, but Sandra Cabot has a few methods in one of her books.

How are you doing now Ruth? I'm glad the surgery is behind you :hug:

Heliana, I have replied to your question in the other thread where you've posted the "remedy". :)

I'm doing okay thanks ladies. Today is my first solo day at home with DS since operation. I'm still sore at the "wound" sites, particularly when the little man wriggles or kicks! Ouch! But the deeper abdominal pain is much better and I can lie on my side now (bliss! as that's my preferred way to sleep).

I'm glad I got it out and I don't have to worry about having another attack. I'm seeing the surgeon in a week - just for a check up I guess.