The surgery went really well. I wasn't nervous before and tried to think of this as my "vacation filled with babysitters, lots of sleeping and good drugs". Eric and I joked in the prep room that we should have gotten the doctor a gift wrapped box of Tide Washing Machine Cleaner as a gift to give him AFTER the surgery. When he came in the room to see me before surgery, he said "So, you decided to go ahead and do the surgery?" with a slightly smug look on his face. I followed with some major butt kissing since my life would be in his hands in the next 30 minutes. :)
Sans gallbladder
Several people told me that laparoscopic cholecystetomy "isn't too bad". Well, how bad is too bad? Some people told me a c-section wasn't too bad either, and I thought the recovery was truely terrible until the 5th day when I miraculously felt better. Needless to say, I wasn't sure what to expect as far as recovery was concerned before the surgery. My main concern was that I have my glasses as soon as I wake up since I am nearly blind without them. My sweet nurse handed them to me immediately after surgery, and guess what? I still couldn't see. The anesthesia apparently affects your vision until it wears off. I was ok with it and just went to sleep.
So, for anyone who googled "recovery from gallbladder removal blog" and is about to go through the fun of having their gallbladder removed, here is my opinion on recovery...
Immediately following the surgery, the main things I will felt were the effects of the anesthesia. Dizziness when sitting up, lightheadedness, and maybe a little nausea.
My throat hurt worse than anything at first from having a tube stuck down it.
After the drugs wore off, I felt totally with it and remember everything.
You can eat right after the surgery, but be sure to keep it light and bland. If you are anything like me, you will be starving and thristy from not eating or drinking in 24 hours!
Get the drugs on the way home! The pain kicked in as I got home and I needed them!
As for pain, it feels like everything in my midsection is very, very sore. To cough really hurts. I learned from this and my c-section that I apparently have a low pain tolerance. There is also a bundle of nerves somewhere in my abdomen that the surgeon had to do something with for some reason, it shows up as shoulder pain. (Love my technical knowledge?) Keeping still seems to help the pain.
So, relax, take your drugs and rest.
"It's not too bad!"
So glad to hear you're doing ok. Hope you're back to your old self again soon!!
ReplyDeleteTake it easy when you can Lisa! Glad to hear you are feeling better. :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are doing well....or at least still have your great sense of humor! I will call you later...me!
ReplyDeleteGood to see you back in the blogosphere. Hope you're still doing well. Looking forward to our playdate this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThe shoulder pain is caused by tiny air bubbles that got inside your abdomen. You have to walk them out :( Glad you are doing ok!
ReplyDeleteGlad you are safe and home Lisa! You look great after the surgery in your pic! What a pain though especially with all the wee ones....but glad it wasn't more serious and it was taken care of quickly...
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! Glad to see that everything went well. I'm really looking forward to seeing you!
ReplyDeleteWeird thing, I think I had that exact same nerve bundle in the abdomen that showed up as back and shoulder problems! I can't remember the details b/c it made no sense to me.... :)
Happy at home in your soft bed, Mom-in-law,dinners for a week & drugs!!! What more could you ask for?
ReplyDeleteGlad you're safe & back in the hood! :)
I Hate that you are having a tough time! I can't wait to have my Lisa back, I am glad you are feeling somewhat better:)
ReplyDeletexo