A blog about my recent gallbladder removal, surgery and recovery. The audience of this blog is those who are going through or are about to go through this experience. Please feel free to ask questions and I would be happy to answer whatever I can.

I recommend starting with the first post and working your way forward in time for the complete picture!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Week 2: Getting Back to Normal After Laparoscopic Choclyestomy


The first week was now behind me, and I was feeling markedly better. Week 2 was more of the same. My incisions were really starting to look good. The two smaller ones were almost little pink dots now, and the large incision, while still visible, was looking healthy and pink. No scab and no stitch marks (thanks to the miracle of "paper stitches" and surgical glue).

The belly button incision was feeling much better, the scar had a little more red to it, but seemed to feel OK. I presume this is a more sensitive part of the body and it's also partially inside, stays wet longer after a shower, and so forth. I expect the navel incision to take the longest to heal.

I picked up the pace on walking this week, going for several 2 mile walks at a decent pace. I still had some soreness and random discomfort that would come and go, but overall I could not complain. I was back to eating a normal diet, eating out, and even eating some naughty foods. I had some ice cream at the local dairy farm, and was able to eat red meat if I desired without much issue.

3 comments:

  1. I'm so glad I found your blog! I just wish I would've taken the time to look before my surgery a week ago. My biggest issues right now are sleeping and eating. The first three nights I couldn't fall asleep at all, and now I'm lucky if I get two hours. And I have no appetite at all, and when I do attempt to eat something light, I end up gassy and nauseous, and (not to be gross) I end up with horrible gas and diarreha. I haven't really found anything about someone having side effects like that, have you? I'm just concerned because I've lost nearly 10 lbs in the last week, but I'm not sure what to even try eating. I would so appreciate any advice you could offer because I feel terrible, and would like to start feeling a little bit better. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Amber, I am pretty sure that gas and diarrhea are fairly standard issues after gallbladder surgery. As I mentioned, I had constipation for a day or two, and then it switched to diarrhea. The body is a bit off kilter for a while after an operation and having part of your digestive system removed.

      What types of foods are you eating? You mentioned "light", but that could mean a lot of things, including light yogurt, which could be more trouble to digest early on. Week 2 was when I started feeling better eating, but the difference between day 7 and day 14 is huge. Everyone heals a little differently.

      I would have chicken broth, toast (without butter), bananas (they help with diarrhea). In fact, check this article out which talks about it in detail, and they talk about week 3 being more normal:
      http://www.squidoo.com/post-gallbladder-surgery-diet

      Good luck!

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  2. I'm 5 days post op not really had any pain since day 2/3 cleaned all cuts and have dissolvable stitches! The abdominal pain and gas is normal as they pump co2 into your body during the procedure to be able to see better (as your belly swells with the gas) pain in the shoulders is common too ! I've been very lucky! Wishing you all a speedy recovery

    E x

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