I have been having what I believe are gall bladder attacks - these awful middle-of-the-night pains....I'm calling my surgeon as soon as they are in the office this morning...anyway, I am wondering about the post surgery.....I teach 5th grade, and next Wednesday is my first day of school with kids...:0 I would hate to have to miss that, but I've had 3 episodes in the past week - guess I can't ignore it any longer. If you have a band, did your band surgeon do the surgery? Was it an easier surgery than the band, or more difficult? I know I did not bounce back like many of you after the band, and I wonder if that'll be me again.......UGH....Anyone who can tell me about their gallbladder surgery would be most appreciated!

Amy

Ouch GOOD LUCK !!

Hello,

I had my galbladder removed 1 month after my lapband. It was pretty easy. I was in the hospital one day. I was up on my feet when I went home. They just did a couple of small incisions and they healed very quick. I hope all goes well for you!

I had my gall bladder removed this past May.and when my Band Doc found out he asked me to let him do the surg. It was a day thing and I felt a lot better after wards.

Not much pain..

Good luck

I had mine removed back in '97. It was outpatient -- came in in the morning and went home a few hours later. Quick recovery too, as all the incisions are small. It was nice to not have those attacks anymore.

Good luck!

I had mine removed in 98 and it was an emergency thing-it has ruptured and I was in for 10 days but the surgery itself was a breeze.I was happy asleep the whole time and had little pain from the proceure itself my stay was based on blood poisoning and severe reaction to meds-I ended up having a fluid filled hump in my back from meds-weird huh?Now that sucked-lol.

The docter that is going to do my Lapband(If I can ever get it approved}

Took out my gallbladder. Piece of cake.

Do not put it off till it gets bad they may have to do a open procedure. OUCH

ladysplenda

I just had mine out 9 days ago - it is an out patient procedure. I haven't been banded yet but it was easier than my 2 c-sections.

I was in surgery at 6:30pm - in recovery by 8pm - had a percoset at 9:30p and then tylenol for a couple of days after. I had my surgery on 8/18 and returned to work on 8/22 and felt fine (no heavy lifting!)

I wasn't having attacks but the stones showed up on an ultra sound in my pre-op screening for the band so out it came.

Good luck - You will do fine if that is what is wrong.

Had mine removed 6 weeks to the day after my second band surgery. Piece of cake, if it hadn't been for the umbilical hernia repair he did at the same time, I'd have never known it. I was in by noon, home by 3:30pm. Out of the bed and on my feet within an hour of recovery. The umbilical hernia.. now that's a whole nother story...

I had my gallbladder removed wednesday after being admitted to the hospital from the ER. My white blood count was pretty high so they did it right away.

The surgeon told me before hand... (he knows how rough the band surgery was for me) that it was my choice if i wanted to go home that day or not and that he was confident I would want too.. I had my surgery at 10:30 and was in my room by noonish.. At that time I was convinced I wanted to stay I got up and went to the bathroom within 30 mins of going to my room, I ate my chicken broth and they hit me up with some morphine I slept until about 5ish and when I woke up I went home.

That night was fine.. no real discomforts other than getting up/down. The next day wasn't bad at all.. the last two have been pretty rough on me. Saturday we went grocery shopping (costco and walmart) and by the time I got home I took my lortabb and slept for 5 hours because i was hurting pretty bad

My opinion as far as not as bad as the band surgery is kinda distorted since I had two surgeries with my band in a week so that was really rough this seemed like a walk in the park compared.

Hope you don't mind if I hijack this post for a moment but I had my gallbladder removed 10 days ago and I was wondering if anyone else had a discharge/drainage from the incision in your belly button? It doesn't look or feel infected but it has been draining a bit each day and I don't know if I should be concerned as non of the other insions are doing this (they are all smaller and kinda out in the open) Also - when do these awful steri strips finally come off?

Thanks for the help,

its normal for any incision to drain, mine did after my band too... I waited until the strips came right off in the shower before i removed them. The only time you need to worry is if the drainage isnt clear but cloudy or yellowish

as far as the belly button one.. this has been the worse one so far for me just a few days out from surgery its looking infected (yellow pusish) so ill be going in to get an antibiotic soon.

draining is healthy though.. no worry unless its not a clear Water like substance, if its thick or yellow then call your doctor. If i remember correctly its like a clear reddish color when its just normal drain

I had mine out almost a month ago......I hope that your recovery will be as good as mine!

I was walking the next day.

I will pray for you guys for a speedy recovery! take care God bless!

Well, I am the original poster, and found out I will be having my gall bladder out on Friday - if I make it that long. (No fever or signs of infection) I am about 7 weeks post op from my band surgery.....I am nervous about all. Seems I have a large stone in the neck of my gall bladder, but the gb itself is not infected; hence, no need for immediate surgery. Wednesday is my first day of school with my new group of 5th graders....I'll be with them 2 days before being out for a week....at least that is what I think...Why couldn't this have happened in December, when I need a break?!?!? HaHa

How long was everyone out of work? I am on my feet, so not a desk job.

Hi Everyone - I have a question; doesn't the lapband surgeon also evaluate the gall bladder when he puts the band in? It would make sense to me. Mine didn't mention anything about it, but another patient said that she heard they take it if they need to. I'm one month out and having terrible pains in my stomach at least 2 times a day. I notice it's when I'm hungry, but I've never experience hunger pain like this! It's so painful it makes me nauseous. I'm praying it's not my gall bladder. I'm calling the doc this afternoon. Good luck to all.

One of my patients last week asked about gallbladder removal during her upcoming Lap Band so I offer some thoughts:

Many people who have not had weight loss surgery end up with stones in their gallbladder, but not all of those stones are symptomatic and cause pain. Since rapid weight loss or weight gain can cause the formation of gallstones it is an area of interest to bariatric physicians and patients.

There is a debate among physicians as to whether or not to perform a gallbladder removal at the time of weight-loss surgery. I recall that it was a topic of discussion at the American Society of Bariatric Surgery meeting I attended a couple of years ago, and there was no consensus as to whether or not remove the gallbladder. Some laparoscopic gastric bypass surgeons commented that the placement of the instruments for the bypass is not ideal for removal of the gallbladder, and hence that makes the surgery more difficult or makes it necessary to place more ports for instruments into the patient.

I am not aware of many Lap Band surgeons that remove the gallbladder at the time of surgery for the following reasons:

1) By removing the gallbladder you introduce the possibility of having bacteria enter the bloodstream or abdominal cavity, since the bile in the gallbladder can harbor bacteria. You would prefer not to do this in the presence of a foreign body, the Lap Band.

2) The port placement for the Lap Band may not be ideal for removing the gallbladder and more ports may need to be added.

3) It is felt by some that the more gradual weight loss seen with the Lap Band compared to gastric bypass makes the likelihood of developing gallstones lower.

4) While generally a safe surgery, gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) does entail its own specific risks that are unique to that surgery, therefore adding a cholecystectomy to the Lap Band, theoretically adds to the risk of surgery.

To answer Amy's original question about the recovery from the surgery:

The laparoscopic cholecystectomy is generally well tolerated and most patients return to regular activity within a few days. I remember a patient who was a high school football couch and went to run practice the afternoon after his cholecystectomy. As with any surgery, everyone has a unique recovery based upon how their body responds to the surgery. Good luck!