Gallbladder surgery Friday and I'm scared :-(

You may well go home the same day, or sometimes they will keep you in overnight. You'll most likely feel pretty good right after surgery, still high on painkillers Don't get carried away and expect to be back at work the day after. You'll be sore and you'll need to keep taking painkillers for several days, maybe a couple of weeks. Lots of them! Some people are prescribed opiates like codeine. You may well be able to eat and drink as soon as you wake up and they most likely won't send you home until you can. Some people have nausea from the anaesthetic and some have nausea or diarrhoea for days or weeks as they adjust to the ways the bile works now.

Keyhole surgery is done with four small holes, each less than an inch long. The one in your belly button is the real pig, but mostly you should have to worry about them. Keep them clean and dry as instructed.

Your lower abdomen will be particularly swollen and sore for several days where it was inflated. The wounds will be tender but not too painful. You will probably get occasional sharp neck and shoulder pains. Your right side where the gallbladder was will be quite painful at times and you will probably have to sleep on your back for several days at least. You may continue to get occasional mild abdominal pain for many weeks. A few people continue to have severe gallbladder symptoms and may need treatment for retained stones or other complications. About 1% need further surgery.

You'll be tired! Symptoms should subside quickly in the first few days and then gradually over the next few weeks. People can typically go back to sedentary jobs after about 2 weeks. Longterm, some people have difficulty adapting to changes in their digestive system, but remember it probably has been messed up for some time and try not to make radical changes in your diet.

Last problem may be a good one. Many people put on weight quickly now that they can eat again and eat everything they feel like. Don't spend every day in Mickey D's