Emergency Gall Bladder removal ... anyone else?

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OldLumberKid

Feeling the Heat
Well after great Saturday or was it Sunday I don't remember, I had Emergency Gall Bladder removal ...

anyone else have any experience of this?
 
Father 15 yrs ago and Father in law 5 years ago. Both made full recoveries, and eat what they want.

Get well soon.
 
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Father 15 yrs ago and Father in law 5 years ago. Both made full recoveries, and eat what they want.

Get well soon.


Thanks Woodgeek, good to hear.
 
Almost......I had something going on a couple weeks ago....went to the Doc, then to the Hospital....found nothing, only a high Liver count which the Doc sez is not anything to worry about.....he thinks there might have been stone that passed. Take it slow, and heal up
 
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Thanks Beer Belly.

No work on the woodpile for a while. The post-op is a groan as the most powerful pain meds are behind me, and even 'vics' are only 50% effective.

But at least I have the urge to saw:) , even if I know I can't and definitely won't for a week or two.;sick

Forget about splitting with the Fiskars:( not happening for a while.

So it's something to look forward to...:):):)
 
Cant comment on long term effects as Ive never had it, but I did have an emergency appendectomy 10 years ago. Mine had wandered around in there so they couldn't do it laproscopic and had to make an old fashioned big cut. Abdominal surgery recovery sucks, you don't realize how much you take for granted the simple things like being able to sit up without help :(

Take it easy, get moving around as soon as you can to heal faster but don't push yourself to pick up that 'ol Fiskars before you are ready.
 
Wife came close to having it done quickly but she was so weak they had to wait. Hope to get that fixed soon though. Also hope you heal quickly.
 
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Had mine taken out 8 years ago. I was a semi-competitive road cyclist at the time and the gall bladder attacks were like someone thrusting a medieval sword through my abdomen......I'd double over on the bike with pain, seemed like they always hit me when I was putting 110% effort in during training or racing.....

But it definitely helped out. That pain is long-gone, and I still eat pretty much everything I used to. However onions and bread bother me......so I take a Previcid OTC every other day and I've been OK.

Two days after my sugery, I was putting a transmission in my truck, laying down in my driveway, by myself........I don't recommend you do that.
 
Wife came close to having it done quickly but she was so weak they had to wait. Hope to get that fixed soon though. Also hope you heal quickly.
Thanks Backwoods. Well that's a good thing they got her prepared.

They put me on antibiotics for most of the day during all the tests before the op., to "cool it off" as someone put it, regarding the inflammation.

Had mine taken out 8 years ago. I was a semi-competitive road cyclist at the time and the gall bladder attacks were like someone thrusting a medieval sword through my abdomen......I'd double over on the bike with pain, seemed like they always hit me when I was putting 110% effort in during training or racing.....

But it definitely helped out. That pain is long-gone, and I still eat pretty much everything I used to. However onions and bread bother me......so I take a Previcid OTC every other day and I've been OK.

Two days after my sugery, I was putting a transmission in my truck, laying down in my driveway, by myself........I don't recommend you do that.
Ah ha another cyclist. ... yes, I'm being sensible, at times the prescrip can make it tempting to try to do stuff one shouldn't. But covering the woodpile and walking around and walking the dog is about it. Heck, just getting out of a chair or bed requires a "situp" which is not taken for granted anymore :)
So .... break it to me ... how long before I can have a beer again?
 
You'll be able to drink a beer soon.....I used to love my beer. Yuengling Lager, to be exact.
I don't drink it much anymore, as I said before I ain't good with wheat products. I don't think that was due to the GB removal, I think it's hereditary...
 
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sister and my best friend had theirs go on the same day.

Almost better odds of winning the lotto?

You'll be able to drink a beer soon.....I used to love my beer. Yuengling Lager, to be exact.
I don't drink it much anymore, as I said before I ain't good with wheat products. I don't think that was due to the GB removal, I think it's hereditary...
Oddly the urge isn't there yet. Probably the real question is when I can move bits of wood again?
My instructions say no contact sports for 3 weeks. Now, since all my sports potentially involve contact with the ground or getting slammed into the water, trees, mountainbike or surfboard parts when I mess up, I guess I'll chill, and stick to advanced dog-walking ;)
 
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I cant speak for a gall bladder, but I did have an apendectomy last Dec. When I went for my first checkup I told the doc I was a fishermen and I needed to get back on the boat asap. Not lifting more than 20lbs for a month was not an option. Doc told me to try and get a full 2 weeks of rest and then try to ease back in to my routine. By the end of week three I was fishing and splitting wood and doing all of my normal activities with no pain.I guess it depends on what shape youre in and what age you are. Also, I was drinking beer on my third night home,and a few jack and cokes by the end of the week. I think booze works better than vicodin.
 
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I cant speak for a gall bladder, but I did have an apendectomy last Dec. When I went for my first checkup I told the doc I was a fishermen and I needed to get back on the boat asap. Not lifting more than 20lbs for a month was not an option. Doc told me to try and get a full 2 weeks of rest and then try to ease back in to my routine. By the end of week three I was fishing and splitting wood and doing all of my normal activities with no pain.I guess it depends on what shape youre in and what age you are. Also, I was drinking beer on my third night home,and a few jack and cokes by the end of the week. I think booze works better than vicodin.

Spoken like a true New Yorker. I assume you are not fishing for river perch and minnows ;)

Ha! I like the sound of splitting wood after week three.

Had the country crew up the road here cutting down a tree and I so wanted to ask for some rounds, but there was no way I was moving them anywhere. El Doggo can't tow them either.

Next dog gets fitted for a log cart and a snow plow early in his training! ;)
 
Spoken like a true New Yorker. I assume you are not fishing for river perch and minnows ;)

Ha! I like the sound of splitting wood after week three.

Had the country crew up the road here cutting down a tree and I so wanted to ask for some rounds, but there was no way I was moving them anywhere. El Doggo can't tow them either.

Next dog gets fitted for a log cart and a snow plow early in his training! ;)
That wood is tempting. The day I checked into the ER I was driving around looking for a parking spot and I came across a newly felled silver maple that was bucked into rounds laying next to the curb. It was very tempting even though I felt like I had a knife in my gut. So the day I got out I told my wife to bring my truck and I made her go by the scrounge, but of course it was gone. I was in no shape to be lifting them anyway since I could hardly get in and out of the truck ;lol . Hang in there, before you know it the whole thing will just be scars and vicodin clouded memories.
 
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That wood is tempting. The day I checked into the ER I was driving around looking for a parking spot and I came across a newly felled silver maple that was bucked into rounds laying next to the curb. It was very tempting even though I felt like I had a knife in my gut. So the day I got out I told my wife to bring my truck and I made her go by the scrounge, but of course it was gone. I was in no shape to be lifting them anyway since I could hardly get in and out of the truck ;lol . Hang in there, before you know it the whole thing will just be scars and vicodin clouded memories.

LOL, yes, I hear that^

I just saw a perfect chopping block today among some other free, bucked 100+lb chunks ... drooled, and kept on driving.

Saving the remnants of strength from this ordeal for helping the dog up the stairs, he needs it more right now.
 
Had mine pulled in 2010. Took a long time to diagnose on me. Pain did not match typical gall bladder pain (in back and shoulder) I could literally point to the exact spot that the pain was. Dead center and 1" below my sternum. Pain was enough to put my body into shock, which made diagnosis even harder, and almost take my breath completely away. Multiple CT scans and ultrasounds then the dreaded ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) What a messed up procedure that was. The ERCP failed. They could not get into my bile duct. They tried for an hour. Should have been a 20 minute procedure.
Scheduled for surgery. Surgery went not so well. Gall bladder was so diseased that it had essentially hardened and welded itself to my liver. 40 minute procedure took just over 2 hours. And then I woke up in post-op an immediately started coughing blood. Severely aspirated lungs. Spent 4 days in the ICU on O2 and morphine pump. Finally got sent home......... with a drain tube stuck through my side and a crazy clear "grenade" looking receptacle that kept filling up with random liquid........................ Was a totally, completely messed up fall. And to top it all off, my poor wife was 5+ months into a very stressful and high risk pregnancy. We laugh about it now..........

According to everyone else that I know that has had their gall bladder out, it's a quick day surgery and you are mostly back to normal in a week. Looks like you made it through with no probs. Good stuff!
 
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Had mine pulled in 2010. Took a long time to diagnose on me. Pain did not match typical gall bladder pain (in back and shoulder) I could literally point to the exact spot that the pain was. Dead center and 1" below my sternum. Pain was enough to put my body into shock, which made diagnosis even harder, and almost take my breath completely away. Multiple CT scans and ultrasounds then the dreaded ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) What a messed up procedure that was. The ERCP failed. They could not get into my bile duct. They tried for an hour. Should have been a 20 minute procedure.
Scheduled for surgery. Surgery went not so well. Gall bladder was so diseased that it had essentially hardened and welded itself to my liver. 40 minute procedure took just over 2 hours. And then I woke up in post-op an immediately started coughing blood. Severely aspirated lungs. Spent 4 days in the ICU on O2 and morphine pump. Finally got sent home......... with a drain tube stuck through my side and a crazy clear "grenade" looking receptacle that kept filling up with random liquid........................ Was a totally, completely messed up fall. And to top it all off, my poor wife was 5+ months into a very stressful and high risk pregnancy. We laugh about it now..........

According to everyone else that I know that has had their gall bladder out, it's a quick day surgery and you are mostly back to normal in a week. Looks like you made it through with no probs. Good stuff!

Holy crap, what a nightmare. That's beyond nasty.

The triage nurse at the hospital eval/diagnosed me in 2 minutes as probably gallbladder with the same symptoms in the same places highlighted above, as well as the midsection and below, and fast tracked me. Had a CT, Ultrasound and bloodwork. The ultrasound guy confirmed it and the doc said out it comes pretty soon thereafter, with the surgeon confirming it when he arrived later.

I'd had some odd symptoms, leading up, including occasional random pains below the sternum. But toward the end of the 6hr night when it went nuts, it spread from the midsection down toward the appendix and up toward the sternum where it got so bad — and radiated to the back/right inside shoulder blade to the point I couldn;t think straight anymore. Knew it was time to get to the hospital ASAP.
 
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