Just found out i have gallstones which is going to require surgery. This was discovered from an ultrasound/bloodwork that was done to check on my liver, which is what I origininally thought the source of my problems was. What I started this thread for is to get some information from others who have had such surgery, what the recovery is like, and any other advice about the matter in general.
Autonomic dysreflexia can be a big problem for spinal cord patients.
Their blood pressure can get dangerously high during surgery. Make sure your anesthesiologist is aware and prepared to deal with it. Their are medicines he needs on hand to use if needed.
Autonomic dysreflexia will probably will be a problem during recovery. Quads and Paras don’t feel the pain. But their bodies react to it. My relative’s blood pressure spiked periodically. Pain meds took care of it. Kind of odd because he had no feeling below the nipple line.
The other unique problem is lifting your body. Wheelchair pushups to release pressure. Even turning in bed.
You can’t pull or lift for awhile until the incision heals.
My relative was in a rehab for several weeks. They used a sling hoist to get him into his chair.
I was back to work 5 days after surgery at my desk job. That was in 99 and it was the keyhole surgery with very small incisions. They told me there was 5% chance they would have to do the old fashioned way with a big cut.
My dad had his out the old way and he was out of work around a month but that was way back in the late 60s.
First of all, I do not and never have experienced autonomic dysreflexia, my injury level is too low. Another error you’ve made is in assuming those with spinal cord do not have sensation below their injury levels. Incorrect. I have no loss of sensation at all, in any part of my body.
But I appreciate your advice about blood pressure during surgery. Noted. 
This is reassuring. The surgery will be performed laparoscopically.
I realize every person is different. I was just relaying what my relative went through 15 months ago. She had a kidney removed.
The biggest PITA is the restrictions on pulling or lifting. I visited regularly in recuperative care/rehab and they’d fuss at her for even pulling on a bedrail to turn. Wheelchair transfers weren’t allowed for several weeks. They did get her up daily with the sling hoist. She had PT with very light weights.
I think she’s a T1 or T2 level injury. Id have to ask her to be sure.
Ok, thanks. I’d like to see a doctor or nurse try to not let me transfer. Comedy! I’m also much lower injury, T-12.
I’m sure you’ll do fine.
laparoscopic isn’t nearly as big as a full incision.
One thing I noticed (and was a bit amused by) was my doctor’s conviction that I was a secret drinker who wasn’t honest about the amounts I drank. This was prompted by my elevated liver enzymes. When I told her I didn’t drink at all, she gave me a look that I could only interpret as a look of someone who has heard that said before.
It took me three months to recover from my October 2015 gall bladder surgery. I started a new job somewhere during that point but I had at least a couple weeks for recovery prior to the first interview. I don’t know if this was a factor at all, but I had a severe infection and my gall bladder was mostly dead when they cut it out. The pain of surgery was nothing compared to the pain of an infected gall bladder. It only really, really hurt when I had to sit up or climb out of bed. I was in the hospital for three days IIRC and they let me get in and out of bed right away, but it was tough. I dreaded having to pee.
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Ambi**, I think your bodybuilding will help you A LOT. My biggest struggle during recovery was getting out of bed without using my abdominal muscles. I had to sleep on the couch for a while because I couldn’t get out of my bed. It was difficult, even with assistance, but I am a weakling. This will probably be cake for you. Just, you know… no heavy lifting! Seriously, you’ll regret it.
1999 was the Year of the Gallbladder for me, my husband, and my sister. Mine was outpatient surgery, and apart from sleeping in the recliner for the first 3 nights, it was no big deal.
My husband, unfortunately, had a badly infected gallbladder and due to someone’s screwup, he was in agony for a week before finally returning to the Dr where they immediately admitted him to the hospital. I’m pretty sure someone somewhere said “OOPS!” He was hospitalized over 2 nights and due to the infection, it took him a bit longer to recuperate.
My sister’s experience was like mine - no big deal.
Back when my dad had his removed, he was left with a big 'ol scar but I don’t think I could point out my itty bitty scars. It really was a surprisingly simple procedure for me. Here’s hoping yours is equally easy.
If they consider transferring myself into my chair as “heavy lifting” I will just politely disagree and demonstrate for them what a transfer looks like from me. My relatively unique body structure with a very strong up body combined with extremely atrophied, lightweight legs allows me to transfer in a way that most medically professionals are not familiar. It’s easy, has an economy of movement as well as cohesiveness of movement to where it just looks natural. It’s more about knowing how to move your body in a way that minimalizes the need to rely on brute strength
This is why you will have an advantage. You already know how to work around physical limitations AND you have the advantage of upper arm strength. It was an eye-opening experience for me, personally, to have that brief period of time where my body wasn’t working the way I was used to, and to have to troubleshoot new ways of doing things. It really put the reality of physical disability into perspective, and also made me wish I had worked out more. It seems that people in excellent physical condition recover much faster from these types of things.
They told me not to lift more than 25 pounds for the first three months. But really your greatest limitation will be your pain tolerance. Your body will stop you from doing too much. You might try the transfer and immediately say ‘‘fuck that shit!’’ because it hurts too much, or it might be NBD. I was somewhat worried about my guts spilling out from straining too hard, but I got over it.
Are you having friends/family members who can help you out in the immediate aftermath? My husband had to take a few days off work until I could get around on my own. Mostly just helping me in/out of bed and bringing me food.
You’ll likely not know whether you’re limited in moving yourself until after the surgery. I had no idea how much I use my abs just to sit up straight until I had lap surgery on my abdomen. Belly button is the biggest incision - that’s where the gall bladder gets pulled out from - but that’s among 4 total incisions as the other 3 are used for air and saline and cameras for visibility and flushing during the surgery. So there are small incisions which are full thickness entry points, one just under the rib cage, two going to the right and down from there, and one bigger one in your belly button.
Ultimately, my advice is to do it as soon as possible. The sooner the better. I didn’t know the nausea I was experiencing after eating was actually gall bladder attacks. That was my only symptom right up to the painful attack I had that got me in a cab to the ER. Mild infection which needed IV antibiotics since I’m allergic to penicillin, and since I was admitted for the overnight infusions, I went ahead and talked to the surgical team and scheduled surgery for the next day. After all, I was already there.
Here’s my gallbladder surgery thread: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=709495&highlight=gallbladder
Mind you, I was on morphine when I started this, and things such as nausea after eating as a symptom didn’t come to light until later. I’m going to read through it now, see how current memory compares to what I wrote back then…
My surgery is scheduled for next week. And I will admit, I’ve never undergone surgery like this, so I should dial back my confidence on my abilities post-surgery.
I had mine removed due to cysts which turned out to non-cancerous in 2001. Three small incisions. It was supposed to be outpatient, but the doctor didn’t like my reaction to the anesthesia and kept me overnight. Discomfort was minimal. I was back at work in a couple days. The only real pain was when the doctor pressed on the gall bladder’s former location. From how you describe yourself, I don’t foresee it being much different for you.
Just an fyi, in case you ever find yourself in a position to offer advice on this subject, just know that AD is a problem high to mid-level injuries. If your injury is lower than T-5/6, you won’t suffer from autonomic dysreflexia.
My wife had her gall bladder removed for gallstones. She recovered very quickly, the incisions were very small, and the biggest problem was being knocked on her ass by the anesthesia. She tries to limit her fat intake, but honestly it hasn’t required any lifestyle changes for her. Before the surgery she used to get what we now know were gall bladder attacks after eating sometimes, afterwards everything was fine.
So put one more marker on the “no big deal” side. Your mileage may, you know, vary.
Next time I’ll ask about the injury level before mentioning AD.