Gallbladder Removal
Gallbladder Removal
A cholecystectomy is a surgery to remove the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that sits just below the liver on the upper right side of the abdomen. The gallbladder collects and stores a digestive fluid made in the liver called bile.
My diagnosis
I had an MRI for back issues and gallstones were present. Over the past few months, I have had intense abdominal pain off and on. My episodes included pain in the middle of my chest and right upper quadrant pain. I would also feel nauseous at times shortly after the pain started. Nothing I did would make the pain go away. The pain sometimes would last for hours. I did go to urgent care once, but I went too late, and they refused to do any medical testing. The doctor told me to go to the ER. I decided to go home and see if the pain got any better. After a few hours it did. After receiving the results of the gallstones being present, I was referred to a general surgeon. At that appointment, I was told that I needed surgery to remove the gallbladder.
My surgery
I had my gallbladder removed on 1/9/2024. My surgery was an outpatient procedure. I went in for preop testing at 11:30am. I had to change into a gown and blood work was done. Around 1:30 anesthesia came in and gave me some medication through my IV and they wheeled me into the OR.
A mask was put on my face, and I was told to breathe in. I remember taking a few breaths and woke up in recovery. I woke up in pain. The nurse gave me some pain and nausea medication. I was in recovery for about an hour. Then they had me getting dressed and heading to the car.
My recovery
I got home and fell asleep on the couch for a few hours. I woke up the next morning and was in abdominal pain, which I was expecting. The next few days were spend laying on the couch and in bed. I did get up intermittently to prevent blood clots from forming. I did my best to take it easy for the next week. Sleeping was a bit of a struggle. I could only sleep on my back.
My set back
I decided to go back to work after a week. I had medical clearance. When I woke up that morning, I had abdominal pain, whereas I figured the pain would pass. I felt nauseous and didn’t want to eat anything. I decided to message my surgeon. After speaking with the nurse, I decided to go to urgent care and have some tests just to make sure things were ok.
After 2 hours in urgent care, my labs were good, but my CT showed some fluid where my gallbladder was supposed to be. The NP said to follow up with my surgeon tomorrow. When I got home, I got a phone call from my surgeon. With the fluid being collected his concern was there a leak. I have to follow up with a higher imaging CT scan. That was scheduled for the next day.
My follow up CT scan
I went for a follow up CT scan for my abdominal pain. That morning I did not have any pain. This test was a more extensive test. It looked at my abdomen for one hour to see if anything was leaking. The test ultimately came up inconclusive. The surgeon stated as long as I was not in any pain that we would not proceed with anymore tests.
My post op appointment
My appointment went very well. I was told I was now allowed to take a bath ( which I am very happy about). I was told that my gallbladder was very inflamed and there were numerous gallstones present. He looked at my incisions and said they looked good. I’ve been having no abdominal pain. Therefore, I do not need to come back again unless I have abdominal pain.I have no restrictions and was told basically, just listen to my body.
Listen to your body
I was having abdominal pain on and off for well over a year and thought it was reflux or something I ate. I should have brought it up to my doctor a long time ago. My gallbladder needed to come out. I haven’t have any issues since the surgery, meanwhile I am still in the recovery period. But I feel surprisingly great after the surgery. Please listen to your body. If you are not feeling well please go to your doctor.
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