gall bladder issues

mamadog- Please don't stress about a lap chole-  doing a gallbladder removal through a laparoscope is probably the most common surgical procedure at most sites in the US if not the world.  Even in the good old days an open gallbladder surgery was a very high volume procedure because there is so much gallbladder disease. 

Go ahead and call the office on saturday- they will have some type of answering service and can make sure first thing monday morning you get a call. 

I am a bit concerned about how weak you feel now and that you are getting enough fluids or calories if you are basically drinking water  and some rice and banana.  If you can stand slow sipping on a non-dairy supplement shake and stay out of the bathroom it might be worth a shot. Fruit juices will give you calories without bulk.  If your pain increases or you start running a fever over 100 I would be seen.

mamadog - I can only tell you from my experience. I haven't had any food issues at all. I'm def not visiting the bathroom any more than usual.  I'm guessing my GB wasn't really working very well anyway. I don't eat much red meat, mostly because I don't like it that much. I also don't eat much fried food but I do eat a lot of complex carbs, fruit, and milk products. No problems for me. Maybe you will be pleasantly surprised. It used to be that if I ate anything with butter in it I'd have instant heartburn, but that seems to have mostly gone away. Sometimes Dr. Google can scare the wits out of you!

hi mamadog! Glad you are doing the liquids and staying hydrated. 

I think you will still be a foodie and drinking wine after you gallbladder is removed-  I hardly know anyone but my husband and I that still have ours (working in healthcare does that hahaha). 

The function of the gallbladder as you probably know from your research is to store bile until its needed to be secreted into the small intestine to help with digestion.  Without the storage container bile enters the small intestine directly in smaller but more continuous way.  When I was in school it was thought that without the gallbladder, bile would still pool in the common duct down by the sphincter of odi.  With the way they do gallbladder removal today things may be slightly different. 

That all said- you will still make bile which will help digest food & drink.  Most people eat whatever they want relatively soon after surgery.  If you eat a really "rich fatty" type meal you may have some  GI symptoms-diarrhea but even that improves for most people the more time that goes by. 

I think a food trip to Italy sounds wonderful and Italian "house" wine for a couple of euros is just fabulous too.  

Stay in touch

I've never had any reason to miss my gallbladder.  I eat everything and anything, and do not know anyone who has had more that the most teeny weeny, minor food restrictions.  Please voice all your concerns with your surgeon, who will help you identify the actual risks of some of your worst fears.

May you have a quick and totally uneventful recovery!

Mamadog, glad it's over and you're heading back up the slope.  I put off the surgery for years and wondered why afterwards.

You'll be back to wining and dining in no time.