Having My Gallbladder Removed

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In one week I'll be having my gallbladder removed. I've been having pain in my upper abdomen and on the right side just under my ribs. Heartburn, which meds keep in check quite well. Stomach hurts in general, but no nausea. My eating habits have lessened in the past few weeks. Sometimes I'll only have lunch and that's it. In the afternoons I'm very drowsy. I clench my jaw and give myself headaches. I had a gall bladder attack over a week ago and went to the ER, because I was in pain. They just said to follow up with the gastro doctor, since my appointment with him was only a few days away.

Has anyone had this done. How did it turn out? Were there any eating problems? How soon could you eat like normal, if you could? How did you feel the day after or week after?

Yes, I had this surgery two years ago. I am so glad I had it because it put an end to years of pain and misery of gallbladder attacks. The surgery was easy and there really wasn't much pain afterward. You do have to take it easy on foods for a few weeks and just ease back into things. I found that highly fibrous foods were the hardest to digest at first (especially broccoli, for some reason).
Good luck with your surgery!

(clicky)about laparoscopic gall bladder removal

I had to have mine taken out because it was full of Gall Stones. A real mess. I spent a few days in the hospital and then my parents drove me home to their play to recover.

As for food, I don't like to have very much popcorn anymore. It feels like something getting stuck in guts. I also think it has lessened my tolerance for Starch. I get gassy and burp and food bits try to come up. This often happens with rice, potatoes, or spaghetti.

^^^
your new system is insisting upon no starch and no fat.

Wish me luck for tomorrow. I'm a little nervous.

I hope it went ok and that you have an easy recovery!

Omg. My back was killing me after I woke up in the recovery room. Still hurts, too. They figure part of it was some tension from lying upright in those awful beds before I went to operation. Then there's the gas that's pumped into you during the operation. I didn't plan on hurting so much afterwards. At least I could eat. They gave me oxycodone for it. Before leaving the bandage a little ways above my navel was leaking, so they go to clean that up and put something a little better on it. To my surprise I see the cut they made, but no staples or thread. Is that normal? How was that not bleeding more or staying together? Seemed weird to me.

I have a tooth extraction next week. I think...I'm just going to have that postponed. -.- especially since the last time I had one done, the novacaine wasn't enough.

part of the backache was the operating table you had to lie on for at least an hour total. part of it was from the insufflation [gas injection] distending your torso. part of it was from too-soft [well worn] mattresses you were lying on. a good drug for backaches [at least for me] was ketorolac. they gave that to me in my IV one time. there are internal sutures at the level of the fascia and [optionally if you are large] the sub-cutaneous region as well- for skin it is steri-strips or surgical glue. bleeding cut edges of vessels are cauterized beneath the skin. there is [optimally] relatively little bleeding in lap cases. I hope they gave you adequate pain relief. you should have a "cut" for the 'scope/insufflator, and at least 2 other cuts for insertion of laparoscopic instruments. all are small, <10mm.
(clicky)laparoscopic surgery
as for the tooth extraction, if I were you i'd ask for gas, it makes the whole thing a LOT less traumatic.