Before & After Your Gallbladder Surgery
If you have severe gallbladder symptoms, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove your gallbladder. It’s an organ you can live without. Gallbladder removal is known as a cholecystectomy. It can be performed using open surgery through a large incision or with minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic or robotic).
With laparoscopic or robotic surgery, surgeons operate through a few small incisions, which can help reduce pain and speed your recovery.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Before Your Surgery
Receiving excellent care in a safe and comfortable environment is important to every patient facing surgery. The following information may help you arrive prepared. It may be helpful to share this with a loved one as well. Knowing what to expect before, during, and after gallbladder surgery may help you to feel more confident and comfortable with the surgical experience.
In the days or hours leading up to surgery, medical tests are done by your doctor or nursing staff. The main goal is to make sure you are ready for surgery. The tests and health checks may include:
- Blood tests: Checks your blood count, liver function and blood coagulation (how quickly your blood clots).
- Abdominal ultrasound: A common test that checks for gallstones.
- Health check: Your surgeon will ask questions about your health history. He/she will also ask about medications you may be taking and explain pain control options you may be offered after surgery. Your doctor or nursing staff will give you pre-surgery instructions to follow closely, such as not eating or drinking anything 4-8 hours before surgery.
- The day before or morning of surgery, your anesthesiologist will meet with you by phone or in person. The anesthesiologist is the doctor who sedates you – puts you to sleep – during surgery. He/she will review any allergies you have or medicine you may be taking, and explain what happens when you are put to sleep during surgery.
Day of Surgery
The day before and day of surgery, your doctors and nurses will give you instructions about what to do to avoid problems with surgery:
- Don’t eat or drink anything the day of surgery
- Bring your insurance card
- Wear loose fitting clothes
- Bring a list of any medications you are taking
- Leave valuables with a loved one or at home
- Make sure you have someone to drive you to and from the hospital
Once you are at the hospital, a wristband will be placed on your arm with your name and other identifying information on it. A nurse will start an intravenous line (IV) in your arm. The IV sends fluids into your body through a thin tube. One of the liquids may be a medicine to help you relax before surgery.
Medical staff will wheel you into the operating room, and you will then receive general anesthesia. The anesthesia puts you to sleep and allows you to stay asleep through surgery. Your surgeon will then remove your gallbladder.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You should expect to have some pain after surgery, this is a normal experience. Everyone reacts to surgery and pain differently. Doctors and nurses often use a scale of 0 to 10 to measure pain (10 = worst pain, 0 = no pain at all). After surgery, you will be asked about your pain level often. Be completely honest about your pain and any other symptoms. Some patients may not have much pain at all, while others feel a lot of pain—everyone is different.
Narcotic Pain Medicine
Narcotics or opioids are often given to people in severe pain. Common side effects can include:
- Sleepiness
- Lowered blood pressure
- Nausea
- Constipation
Non-Narcotic Pain Medicine
Your doctor or nurse may also offer you non-narcotic pain medicine. These may include acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen, or naproxen. Non-narcotic pain medicine can also have side effects. Common side effects may include:
- Upset stomach
- Bleeding in the stomach
- Retaining fluid
Your doctor or nurse will let you know which foods to eat and which exercises to try after surgery, and which ones to avoid.
Diet
When you wake up from surgery and are alert, you will be given a small amount of liquid to drink. If your stomach doesn’t get upset, your nurse will offer you some food to eat. Based on your post-surgery instructions, you should be able to eat and drink a normal and healthy diet within 1-2 days after surgery.
Activity
While in the hospital, a nurse will help you to walk and get in and out of bed after surgery. Once you’re back home, you will also be asked to:
- Slowly increase your activity, if you have no complications from surgery
- Avoid strenuous activity
- Avoid driving while/if on narcotic pain medicine
- Avoid sex until your stitches, if any, are removed
- Rest and sleep as you feel the need
- Return to work when you feel you can, but consult with your doctor first
Recovery and getting back to your normal activities will depend on whether you had open surgery or minimally invasive surgery.
Your medical team will give you information on how to increase the chances of making your recovery a full success. You will also receive information about how to care for your incision(s).