Gallbladder Surgery - Chicago,IL

I had it done.

Recovery was a breeze for me. Up and walking around the next day. The only issue I had was it was hard to sleep on my right side for awhile.

Get a second opinion if your insurance covers that. I am scared to have anything done while pregnant.

I'm sure the doc wouldn't set you up for surgery if he didn't think it would be needed to ensure a healthy you and baby.

Hey all - my great grandmother had her gallbladder taken out when she was pregnant with one of her 6 ...she's been gone just over 20 years and was in her early 90s when she passed - you can figure out that time frame - so you know back then there was no way they'd have done what would have been major surgery then w/o a need (they didn't want a preemie!)

I had it done when my baby was one week shy of 4 months old. My recovery was pretty good. I came home that night and nursed my baby the next day. I wasn't supposed to lift him for a week or two, but I told my surgeon that that wasn't going to work. I wore pillows inside my clothes for protection from my baby, but I really had no pain after a couple of days, if that long. I have four small incisions.

I, too, am concerned about your having it done while pregnant. Is that part of your question? If so, I agree that you should get a second opinion. Does your surgeon agree with your ob? What do you mean that you aren't eating right? Is your ob only concerned about your non-weight gain? I lost weight with my pregnancy, too, but I was healthier. (It was the hormones. My diet's always been healthy for my body.) My ob was concerned because he thought that I was being vain. Did the GI doc tell you what to eat and what to avoid? That's who you need to be talking to. Make sure that you stay hydrated--I mean, drink water ALL DAY LONG. Not to insult you, but did your GI doctor fully explain to you the function of the gallbladder and what you'll have to do extra before and after having it removed? That is important.

They do it laprascopically and at 20 weeks your baby is still small neough to not get in the way. I assume they'll give you a light sedative then a local anesthesia. That way the sedative in your sistem is very slight but you'll have no pain. The recovery is not bad as the incisions are very small. It will give you an excuse to be pampered and chillax on the couch for a few days. You'll be walking around that day and as long as you take it easy and follow doc's orders it shouldn't be a big deal. If you have a DVR fire it up and catch up on all the TV shows you've missed - or get a few good books out of the library before the surgery.

Let's face it once baby arrives you'll have very limited time for yourself!!!

Recovery from surgery was easy as pie, but I wasn't pregnant. If you have it done, you should be up and around in a day or two and pretty much all better within a week.

(And you will be sooooo happy to have it out.)

I would see why dr wants to do while your expecting but the surgery itself is easy and fast. I was back home same day. Though the 5 cuts they make can itch . Recovery was easy

I really don't want to have the surgery but both the surgeon and ob think I should get the surgery since I get nauseous(even with the medication), and bloated every time I eat and I haven't gained any weight. My first 3 month of pregnancy i couldnt Keep any food in my stomach Not even water. I'm nervous, but I hope everything goes good.

I found it to be a pretty easy recovery. I had both my appendix and gall bladder removed about two months ago. The gall bladder had been affecting my eating habits for the last six months. It was undiagnosed until I developed appendicitis and the ct scan showed the inflammation and a huge gall stone. Three days after my surgery I took the car in for an emissions test, so I was feeling pretty good.I couldn't lift for awhile and had to be careful with my 2 year old (who can be a bit rough), but other than that I just felt stiff and couldn't sleep on my side for about two weeks. If you can't eat without feeling nauseous or bloated I think your doc is right to want to do the surgery. I lost 6 pounds in the week before my surgery. I feel like a new person now. I would go for it and look forward to loving food again and being able to enjoy your last months of pregnancy. Good luck!

C.

EASY. I am obese and in poor health. It was painless and easy.
I put it off for no good reason.
I did find out I could not eat seeds and drink lots of tea because of kydney stones forming after removing it.

It gets me nervous having any surgery while pregnant. I wuldn't think that they would do that. Also if there just doing it cause your not eating could be just doesn't seem right. The first trimester sme women can't eat due to nausea, etc. But if ur not having pain then why would they do it? How did they diagnose that your gallbladder is bad or not working? That's the key did they do the testing and that's what told them tha it wasn't working? What tests did they do?

I haven't had the surgery myself, but I did take care of a friend of mine after she had her gallbladder out. She does not deal well with pain AT ALL. Seriously, it's almost comical. She was up and about very quickly after her surgery. There was a day, maybe two, where she stayed in bed, but after that she was moving, albeit a little slowly, but as I recall she was fine in less than a week. At work she was on light duty for a couple of weeks, but she thought it was excessive to make her stay on light duty as long as they did.
I would assume that it might go a little slower with you being pregnant. You might want to take it extra easy afterwards. Make sure you give yourself enough time to heal and keep growing that baby. ;)