Good luck with the surgery! I had mine out somewhere around a month and a half ago, and even though I sometimes still have to make a mad dash to the bathroom, I am MUCH better off without it!

I guess I am fortunate (knock on wood) to have not had to change or restrict my diet and to have not had any issues after my surgery. I am guessing that maybe the lack of fatty or greasy foods in my diet to begin with may have something to do with that.

Good luck with the surgery, hopefully they will be able to do it with the laparoscope.

How did you know that I had fried chicken for supper Saturday night?! A southern staple.... oh well... Thanks all! The doctor thinks he can do it by laproscoptic surgery. Hopefully that will be the case.

Good luck. Keep us posted on your recovery. How long do you think you will be out of work?

I taking Thursday off to do everything I didn't get done last weekend and won't do this weekend! Friday and Monday - already had those scheduled as vacation days - turned them into sick days. Doctor said - if laproscoptic then I should be able to go back to work by Monday.

It varies person to person, Walden.

Don't go back too early, you'll be completely miserable. I had mine out on a Monday and went back the following Monday & didn't work an entire day the whole next week. By that time, it wasn't pain that was the problem. I had a hard time kicking the anestesia & was SOOO tired (to the point I couldn't keep my eyes open at my desk).

I talked to several who had theirs out on Thursday or Friday and went back the following Monday, and every one of them said they should have waited a bit longer to go back.

FYI, mine was laproscopic.

Thanks Ops, I'll keep that in mind. I have plenty of sick leave so I'll take what I need. With my Red Flags program safely completed and ready for Board Approval on Tuesday, I don't have any urgent duties to fulfill at work right now. Just the norm....

Waldensouth...hope all is going well with you and you are having a smooth recovery! Can't wait to hear back from you to see how things are going! Sending Prayers your way!

Well, I had my gallbladder out on 10/8 and now I have a miserable case of hives. We're still trying to find out what I am allergic to, but in the meantime I am confusing my system with a combination of steriods and Benadryl. And I had no idea that an upset stomach for maybe the rest of your life came along with this deal! Anyone else had these complications?

oh my goodness!!! It is like very single little thing that you guys post on here is exactly what my daughter has been dealing with. She can not stop itching and still has problems with her stomach too. She has been taking a perscription medication from an allergist b/c of breaking out in hives and rashes...all since this gall bladder surgery...what in the world gives???? Now when she eats she is still so hungry afterwards but has a sharp pain right up under her left side breast bone....uggghhh...

BrendaC she has been taking Xyzal for the itching (have to get from a dr)...so sorry to hear of your complications. I wish I had words of wisdom for you but my daughter has had nothing but troubles since before and after she had hers out almost 3 years ago now. Maybe you should go back to your surgeon again...that is what we are going to try??? I pray you can find some relief.

I go back to the dermatologist on Wednesday. If I haven't found any relief by then, I may mention the Xyzal. I am open to anything at this point because they just keep spreading. Thanks.

My surgeon explained that many people will find that the stomach problems get better after a while. Their body will adjust to not having a gallbladder to process fats. But that isn't the case for everyone.

I have been dealing with this type of pain this year and was told it is gastritis. I am taking carafate and protonix and it helps most of the time. When I am under stress and it gets worse I have to add in Levsin for a few days.

Having your gallbladder out brings a whole new meaning to when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. Some days, I feel like I should kick my shoes off and sprint to the bathroom. I'm sure my co-workers would LOVE that.

So far, so good, though. Sometimes, I see the light at the end of the tunnel (meaning I have good days and bad days).

I hope your hives get cleared up. I hadn't heard of those problems before.

My surgeon mentioned the possibility of upset stomach and digestive issues for a few weeks; however, I consider myself very fortunate that I did not experience either of those complications or any of those that some other posters have listed.

I had the hives BEFORE I had surgery - spent all kinds of money on allergy tests - am allergic to nothing! Your body could must be producing too many histamines as a reaction to the surgery. You may never know why. Ice helps with the itching!

I'm back at work half days this week. The surgery went well - feel like the Bride of Frankenstein with all these staples in me! No too much pain - stiffness instead. I'm eating smaller meals 4 times a day instead of eating huge meals. That's helping with the hunger.

God has such a sense of humor. I actually had two procedures. Along with removing my gallbladder I also had am umbilical hernia repaired so I am not a very good sprinter. Maybe this is God's way of helping me get more exercise?! I may be wearing my tennis shoes from here on...and no more cookies in the mall for me. I guess the upside is that I may finally be able to shed a few pounds.

I am scheduled to go back to the dermatologist tomorrow for the hives, but they have spread so badly that I think I will see if he can work me in today. I am so nauseated. I guess that is from the hives or the steroids and hydrocortisone cream. Who knows? I'm just ready to feel normal again.

Congrats on getting your surgery behind you. Hope all continues to go well. I've never had staples, but the thought makes me cringe.

And ThomasJ - I'm just plain jealous of you.

I do know from experience with my daughter that gallbladder issues typically mean that your bilirubin (a measure of liver function) is up. This can cause increased itching - although the phrase "increased itching" doesn't begin to describe the agony.

I was lucky, no staples. All I had on the outside was glue, stitches were inside.

Glad you're doing well, waldensouth.

I must have gotten ripped off, no staples or glue for me. A few butterfly bandages and band aids were all I got! I was afraid to sneeze or cough for a week for fear something would come spilling out! I asked the surgeon if he could make the scars nice and jagged so I would look like a gangsta when I take my shirt off! I do have scars, but they are all uniform and straight....

hmmmm...interesting...so do you mind explaining this again to me? When my daughter goes back to see the surgeon what should she talk to him about concerning the itching? I guess just tell him about it and he "should" know...right? We've been going to an allergist..but nothing has shown up there....

Thanks for the info

Well I just returned from the dermatologist and he biopsied a section of my rash. (I didn't even know they DID such a thing.) It will be 7-10 days before we get the results. He said the results should tell us whether the hives are from a drug reaction, a bug bite I got about 3 weeks ago or something else. In the meantime, he prescribed Xyzal and a different topical cream.

I did take Ibuprofen twice while I was off of my Enbrel (Had to go off 3 weeks for the surgery). I remembered today that my brother is horribly allergic to Ibuprofen. I may have done this to myself.

Hope your daughter finds some relief soon, Kaytee. I can definitely feel her pain!

Kaytee - ask him to run a liver function pannel (blood test). If will show if the liver functions - like the bilirubin I mentioned - are out of whack and could be the cause of itching.

thanks guys...brenda c...hope you are so much better soon!

I hate to be a Gloomy Gus but anyone still having pain a month after gall bladder surgery should see a doctor! My brother-in-law had his gall bladder out mid-February and never felt any better although I must admit no one told him not to eat fatty-greasy foods. Anyhow at the end of April we took him to the emergency room at 10 at night with severe pain which was diagnosed as possible Pancreatitis. They admitted him and by 7:30 the next morning he had passed away. We are still wishing that we had been more forceful with his doctor about the care he was receiving.

I am sooooo very sorry!!!! Oh my goodness!!!! That just breaks my heart!!! Thank you for sharing something that I know must be hard to talk about! Please accept my deepest sympathy!