In a week. Next Wednesday. I’m finally having my stupid, useless, rock-tumbler of a gallbladder removed. Yay.
No big deal, right? Laproscopic dealie. A few little cuts, yahoo. Day surgery. All that good stuff. In in the morning, home before evening. Happens all the time. Simple surgery. I read the booklet the surgeon gave me. It looks quite simple. Each step is explained. It’s quite fascinating. Very reassuring.
Except it isn’t. I’ve never had any kind of surgery before. I’m a little freaked out.
I know. I know. Get over it. Happens every day. Buck up, kid. You should be thankful it’s only this. Oh hell, I know. My father is in the medical texts* after his bout with gallstones (they were everywhere, overflowing and in all kinds of places they shouldn’t have been, and we nearly lost him). He sent me an inspirational e-mail this morning. It said, simply: “Small potatoes.”
I have pre-surgery at 9am this morning (is that what it’s called? I have to have a couple of blood tests done a week before the actual surgery, which is today…)
So, while I try to calm myself down and not puke every time I think about it, got any surgery stories to share? Make me laugh, make me cry, scare me some more? Anyone else this nervous before a minor or even a major surgery? Anything you do to calm down? Listen to Mozart, read Sassy, drink dingleberry tea with daffodil honey and a hint of camel cream?
I can’t sleep, and all they’re going to do this morning is take a couple of vials of blood. I think. That is all they do at this step, right? Do nurses have vampire fangs?
or so his doctors told him, and us; however, not being a peruser of medical texts, I don’t know if this is true. It was pretty damn bad, though.
Just wanted to share that I had my gallbladder removed laparoscopically in 1999. Just like you said - day surgery. And honestly, the worst part afterwards was that I was uncomfortable lying in bed, so I slept on a recliner for the first 2 or 3 nights home. Beyond that, it was really no big deal. And it’s wonderful not to have the “heartburn” any more.
You’ll do fine. It’s a fairly simple, routine procedure. And before you know it, you’ll be hard-pressed to find your scars. But do listen to your doctor about post-op care and don’t push yourself to do too much too soon. Let your body heal. Rest. Look both ways before crossing. A place for everything and everything in its place. Quit standing in front of the open refrigerator!!
Oops - sorry - slipped into the Mom-mode there.
Really, it’ll be fine. And you won’t miss the silly gallbladder at all!
I’ve had two surgeries, one minor and one a few steps away from minor. I had laproscopic surgery about 15 years ago to get rid of some pesky endomitriosis (I’m sure I misspelled that), and it was outpatient- as soon as I was able to pee on my own, I went home. It was no big deal- as with most scary things, the anticipation was worse than the reality.
Two years ago, I had back surgery for a herniated disk that we'd tried everything else with for 6 months and was only getting worse. It was a big deal to me, because I'd heard a lot of horror stories about back surgeries, and that stupid informed consent form is designed to scare the living daylights out of you. Turned out fine, I went home the next day and stayed home for 3 weeks, did PT for 6 months, and I'm as close to normal as I ever thought I'd be.
The worst part of the experience for me was that, both times, the anesthesia made me puke. Given all of the bad possibilites that they put in the implied consent form, puking is not a big deal.
I know several people who have had gall bladder surgery, and none of them had complications. They all went home the same day, and never looked back. Good luck- I'm sure you'll be fine!
So that’s what that is! I’ve been wondering why I get this weird, random heartburn all the time. Dumbass that I am, I’ve never mentioned it to my doctor; it is often forgettable, until it happens.
Now Wednesday can’t come fast enough! Okay, no, I’m still pretty nerved up. But thanks for all the reassurance - “Mom mode” made me feel pretty good. Because Moms always know best, right?
I’ve had some pretty major surgery in the past 3 years. The gall bladder op was not too bad. (actually neither of my laproscopic surgeries was bad.) I can honestly say that I believe you will be fine and will not have much in the way of pain at all.
Hey, chill. I’ve had hernia surgery. People seem to find this really funny for some reason. This is what it’s like: you’re lying on the operating table chatting away to the nurses, and then you’re lying in the recovery room while your mother/SO/doctor looks at you and says “Hey, you’re awake!” I can’t speak for you, of course, but I would rate minor surgery lower on my unpleasantness scale than, say, an average period. The incision hurts for a while and you are kind of stoned for the next couple of hours. My advice to you would be to take it easy. Do whatever calms you down before the surgery and treat yourself afterwards, lie in bed reading your favourite book while making your husband fetch you drinks or whatever Good luck.
My mother is firmly of the opinion that there is no such thing as MINOR surgery. This is influenced by the fact that her first ever surgery was a hysterectomy–second surgery was a “second look” operation (make sure no tumors or anything due to ovarian cancer) and third surgery was to have a parathyroid removed.
So, it’s ok to be a little freaked out. She strongly recommends having someone sit with you in your hospital room as much of the time you are there as possible. And don’t try to do too much afterwards.
Just wanted to pop in and wish you good luck. My Dad had his done a year or so ago; the worst part for him was the big, um…gas bubble.
I had mine removed in the mid-80s, BEFORE laproscopic surgery. So, I have a “lovely” scar running down the side of my abdomen. The worst part for me was waking from the anesthesia.
Please let us know how you’re doing. I know I got in here late today.
Been there, done that. Didn’t get my gallbladder as a souvenier.
Apparently, gallstones etc. are now considered biohazards, which is a shame. I wanted one of my gallstones mounted where I could look at it and think, “You bastard - you caused me so friggin’ much pain, but I won in the end!”.
You’ll do just fine. My surgery was just over two years ago and today I have to look hard to find the scars.
Good Luck My sister had it done in the Early 90’s. She was a Day Stay Nurse and was the First patient to get laproscopic surgery in Monmouth County. It went very well and is very routine.
Had the GB out about 7 years ago. Glad to see it go. Be aware that the gallbladder plays a role in digesting fats, though, so you may want to try to avoid fatty foods after it’s gone so you don’t get diarrhea (like I did).
And oh yes, the next day you’re going to fart like a mofo. You’ll fart more than you ever thought was possible for a human (they inflate your abdomen with gas in order to see clearly with the scope during surgery - you expel the gas naturally afterwards). Your farts will be long, drawn-out affairs that will sound a lot like someone blowing lazily into a tuba for a minute or so.
Funny, but when I had my tubes tied, the air absorbed into my muscles, causing really intense pain. Kinda makes me wish I got the intestinal gas instead. (never thought I’d utter those words…)
My sister had her gall bladder removed laproscopically on Valentine’s Day if this year and by Feb 16th, she was sitting at Chili’s with me, smiling and carrying on. Within a week she was completely back to normal, hopping up and down on the couch, chasing her almost 1 yr old around the living room, etc.
I had mine removed not-so-laproscopically last August and although I’d never been in the hospital for anything not childbirth related (never broken a bone, never needed surgery, etc), even that wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be beforehand.
The big difference between the two seems to be that with the lap procedure, you have a couple of tiny holes and you’re bouncing around inside of a week.
With the open procedure, you look like a teddy bear who’s broken at the tummy seam and can do no more than waddle and look pathetic for a few weeks.
My sister said that the most painful part of her surgery had to do with the air bubbles (?) near her shoulders. She said that her belly almost didn’t hurt, but that her shoulders were killing her. A heating pad on her shoulders all but completely eliminated the pain and it only lasted a total of 36 hours or so.
I’ve only been knocked out for a couple knee surgeries, but I can second what Kalhoun says about the drugs. The very best ever.
Doc Z came to see me right before the big show, handed me a Sharpie and had me mark “Yes” and “no” on my knees. “Yes” is where she cuts. That was reassuring. Tnen once I’m in the room, and they connect the vial of drugs to the tube in the back of my hand I asked if I should start to count backwards from 100. She says, sure if you want, but you won’t hit 98 if you do.
Next thing I know, I’m sitting in recovery watching my wife eat a donut.
