Gallbladder Removal

[jesiyvonne]

Hej all. I am a new poster here on the community. I am today 15 weeks pregnant and just recently (this past Monday) had surgery to remove my gallbladder. The surgery went well for baby and I, baby is strong, a mover and shaker and the heartrate was always deliciously wonderful. I left the hospital on Wednesday and am now confined to the livingroom couch as my bed is too low to the floor to be slept upon at this time in my recovery. I am just posting to say hello and wonder if any other moms or moms-to-be have gone through this as well. It is quite painful but I am very happy I will not have to experience the horrid and frightening pain of gallbladder stones that first struck me this past Sunday. I am mostly so happy that nothing was wrong with baby and that everything is going well now. This was my first experience with surgery. So yeah, anyone else had this experience or the like?

PS: Another funny thing is that I had never heard of gallbladder problems during pregnancy and had never had an issue before! Phew!

[trimestersdoula]

Welcome!

I had gall bladder removal surgery while I was pregnant as well. The difference with mine was I was just VERY newly pregnant. The day before my surgery they asked if there was a chance I could be pregnant and I told them yes. The nurse told me that "for my sake I'd better hope I wasn't", so they went ahead and did a blood test. I knew regardless, it would come back negative because I wasn't far enough past ovulation. Only 6 days as compared to the 7ish that the blood test needs. Sure enough, it came back negative. The next day I had surgery. It was my first experience with surgery where I had to be put under. I had a cesarean section 14 months before that. I.WAS.TERRIFIED!!! It was supposed to be laprascopic but my gall bladder was actually stuck to my liver so they had to cut me wide open and go in and remove it. I have 5 puncture holes and a 5 inch long incision. They wanted me to stay in the hospital for 7 days but I told them on the 3rd day that if they didn't release me I was leaving anyways LOL, so they let me out.

Exactly a week from the blood draw they did to see if I was pregnant, I got what I thought was my period, put a tampon and went about my day. I remember telling my husband that I was glad we weren't pregnant because of the surgery. Well I got home and went to change my tampon and there was barely anything on it. NOT normal for the first day of my period. I called my husband and told him to stop at the store and grab a pregnancy test. Poor guy was so confused because I had just told him an hour before that I WASN'T pregnant. I took the test and it was very positive.

Healing went well until I started getting a belly. It stretched my newly healed incision to the point of it hurting me everytime I used my stomach muscles. I had my baby 6 weeks ago and I still can't cough or sneeze without being in some pain on that scar.

[Mommie020307]

My dr wanted me to have mine removed after i was done being pregnant. I have declined cause of the risks involved. Also recovery time as well. My gallbladder goes crazy when i am pregnant and since Jada is my last baby i am ever having which saddens me, but i have 4 kids and that's enough for me, i have decided that i won't have it removed cause i don't intend to get pregnant again. Dh is going in for a snip in the next few weeks.

[myk]

i had my gallbladder out long ago, before i was pg. i'm glad your surgery went well!

just a warning: your body can still produce gallstones in your liver and they can make their way to the bile duct. so try to still stay away from common "trigger foods". they can't do anything about gallstones that trouble you during your pregnant when they're not in your gallbladder (found this out myself recently).

[jesiyvonne]

Originally Posted by myk

i had my gallbladder out long ago, before i was pg. i'm glad your surgery went well!

just a warning: your body can still produce gallstones in your liver and they can make their way to the bile duct. so try to still stay away from common "trigger foods". they can't do anything about gallstones that trouble you during your pregnant when they're not in your gallbladder (found this out myself recently).

thanks for the advice! its crazy though, my doc believes that more than trigger foods it may have been simple genetics. the day after i was out of surgery my father went in hospital to have his gallbladder removed!

[jesiyvonne]

I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that! i am very lucky that i only needed the laprascopic! I am happy you are okej though! I stayed an extra day because I had a cold which affected my recovery and they were afraid of pneumonia but I am lucky that none of that occurred. I hear that the pain with gallbladder problems and surgery recovery is worse than labour and I would agree although this is my first child, because I am still in pain here on my couch and nothing as good as a baby is coming of it! Except of course, no more gallbladder pain.

[myk]

i'm sure there's a genetic component. and more likely in pregnancy too. but if you do happen to have a trigger food.. you know to continue avoiding it most people do have trigger foods. i don't seem to. i've eaten a giant cheeseburger with no problem, and i've had an attack after a low-fat Weight Watchers frozen entree. go figure.

[jesiyvonne]

Originally Posted by myk

and i've had an attack after a low-fat Weight Watchers frozen entree. go figure.

hahaah i think the hamburger might have even been better for you!

oh yes i am definitely taking it easy, the strange thing is that I never had an attack before and don't really eat overly fatty foods... and since my gallbladder is now nonexistant where would pain come from?

superinterested to hear

thank you for advice ^_^

[myk]

it can come from the bile duct itself, which carries bile from the liver to the gallbladder, or in our case, from the liver directly to the intestine that's what's happening to me. as for what's happening to you, it's probably just the healing from the surgery.. they did have to cut the gallbladder from the bile duct, plus go through the skin, subcutaneous, muscle, and faschia layers just to get to the dang thing gallbladder or no gallbladder, you've got a lot of parts of you with small holes in them

i found my worst gallstone attacks to be on par with going into labour, as far as the pain scale is concerned. both rated 10s, with me collapsing and my blood pressure going screwy. but at least labour brought me my firstborn!

[Mrs.Music]

I had lythotripsy for my kidney stones just about the time I got pregnant.

[jesiyvonne]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Music

I had lythotripsy for my kidney stones just about the time I got pregnant.

what does this entail?

[myk]

they say lithotripsy doesn't work well for gallstones. well, it depends on what they're made of. cholesterol stones don't get broken up well, but calcium stones do. they use ultrasound waves to blast the stones apart so they can pass more easily. i wouldn't personally be comfortable trying it while pregnant because i don't know what effect it could have on the baby.. but not pregnant? i'd do it in a heartbeat!

[lilangelmelanie]

i had mine out after my last pregnancy. i liken the pain i was having to even worse than csection recovery and natural childbirth and i've done both. it was awful.