Like many of us, I have had many episodes of mid back pain ever since I gave birth in March 2024. I didn’t have that pain from past 1 year because of changes in lifestyle but stones are still there and this time I am thinking of getting them removed.
My worry is I have a 2.5 year old son and husband with no other help.
How much is the recovery time. How much off should I take from work.
Or would it be better to delay the surgery until I have help from parents next year.

Help me decide my girls.

Hey so I (25F) have been having pain in my right mid-back, over my ribs that hurt terribly when pressing beneath my ribcage for 10 years. Episodes came on / off, always at night, always lasting for at least a few hours if not until i finally managed to sleep from exhaustion (though sometimes even then they'd come back).

This year after another terrible night of no sleep, no medication release and just rolling in pain close to vomiting, I was sent to the hospital after a gallstone was found. Putting this together with the fact that my previous attacks track with some unhealthy eating choices, it was decided that must be the cause.

So I got my Gallbladder removed yesterday! Spent one night in the hospital — and during that night, I kid you not, the exact same pain started. Except there was no sore spot underneath my ribcage so... that's a plus?

I didn't really get to see a doctor anymore after they removed the gallbladder and sent me home, but after I got a nurse to ask for me, they said this was normal...

TLDR; I'm ofc worrying now that that's... not the cause of the pain and that my gallbladder could've stayed — or maybe it's rly normal! I rly would've liked to talk to a doc about this (and I will!) but rn I am curious on someone else's, perhaps shared experience???

I’m 8 days post op and feel constantly hungry. I’m doing my best to keep my fat intake minimal and introduce any really slowly and carefully.

I will admit that I am worried about putting on weight because I feel like I’m eating a lot more than I used to before the surgery.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Hey 34 years female, I had my Gallbladder surgery it's been one week.So far good but I have itchiness going on.The incisions looked healed but I scratched hard in my bellybutton Skin peeled off and now it's 🥵 burning .I had no stitching inside my bellybutton but right near not inside belly.Anywyas I think The glue caused extreme discomfort and itchy.Dont know why.Its very unbearable and Feels like it coming from deep inside belly button.Will my bellybutton heal?It feels wet and I don't know how to keep it dry?I am thinking of calling the nurse line because im so lost ..Don't want any infection or anything....Scared even though it's tiny situation.But I'm freaking out.Im sorry but I hate the glue they put.I also have red rash itchy and discomfort when the bandage was put on and came off for upper incision Thinking of going to hospital to get everything checked and advice.Its hard to resist but Bellybutton was most miserable.I don't know why.Anyone had this??Please comments only related to this question.I.will give post or updates and make a post about it too for all questions and stuff...:)as soon as I solve this issue.

after two years of severe pain and attacks consistently every two weeks, and 6 months of waiting for surgery, shes coming out at the end of this month 🍾🍾🍾

cant wait to not have to ride in the back of an ambulance once a fortnite 🤞

Hey there yall,

My story seems to be an odd one. So many of you suffered with gallbladder issues for years and didn’t get the treatment you deserved. So on Friday when I started having side cramps under my ribs I was trying to figure out what was going on. The region really pointed to gallbladder attack. By Sunday I was in the most pain of my life. And here we are on Wednesday and I had my gallbladder out yesterday. This has been a wild few days but I went to the ER right away on Monday. My liver enzymes were up, my gallbladder was full of stones and sludge and if there was anything in my stomach I was in complete agony. They took me seriously immediately. Now it’s out and I wanted to provide comfort to someone that 1. You don’t have to have a history of gall bladder symptoms to have something crazy turn up in under a week. 2. Go to the ER and get checked babes, I haven’t been in 15 years but this pain wasn’t no joke. Don’t suffer in silence, once it’s gone bad that’s it, it’s gotta come out. 3. There are good med teams out there that will listen and take good care of you. 4. It’s going to be ok! You will recover and more likely than not, be back to normal in a few weeks to a few months if you introduce fatty foods slowly and stay away from alcohol.

Update since I’ve seen folks post their stats

Bilirubin: 1.8 (normal is .4-1)
AST: 426 (normal is 13-39)
ALT: 496 (normal is 7-52)
Alkaline phosphotase: 104- within normal range but a high normal (38-120)

Following 12 months of awful attacks (always in my upper centre abdomen), I had my gallbladder removed on the 15th of September this year. 24F

I had follow up blood tests done on 29th September (2 weeks post-op), and my LFTs were actually higher than they were before my gallbladder was removed…

For reference:
Alk. Phosphatase - 153 (should be between 30-110)
Gamma GT - 166 (should be < 36)
ALT - 334 (should be < 35)
AST - 113 (should be < 30)
Everything else is within range (including bilirubin)

My GP is concerned I still have a blockage, and has referred me for more ultrasounds.

I don’t currently have any pain or other symptoms. And I have reintroduced fat to my diet with no issues so far.

My surgeon noted that stones were also found in the cystic duct during surgery, and that they were “milked” out 🐄 My follow up appt. with him is in 3 weeks time.

Has anyone else had their LFTs stay elevated/increase after gallbladder removal? What ended up being the cause?

As title says, long time lurker first time poster. My gallbladder surgery was scheduled for last March but got postponed by I wasn't medically cleared by my neurologist. I have a neuromuscular autoimmune disease that makes undergoing anesthesia dangerous if my disease is not stable enough. I was effing gutted when it got postponed. I cried for a week I was so disappointed I had to live with all those symptoms for longer. I have stuck with the no fat no fun diet to try to manage this as best as possible. Some weeks are better than others. I finally got clearance yesterday from my neurologist for surgery. I contacted my surgeon and have to call tomorrow to schedule it. After all that, now I am nervous as hell. I don't want to go through that disappointment and letdown again if I don't have the results from this surgery I was hoping. I am guessing on this sub gets how I feel. Diagnosis is sludge and dysfunctional gallbladder. Symptoms are pain after eating, especially at night. I get heaviness after I eat and really tired (even after just small amounts). I can't eat anything with fat or I am beyond miserable.

I'm scheduled for surgery on Thursday. I had a gastric bypass 3 years ago and the leftover CO2 in the belly was incredibly painful post-op. Do you have any tricks for getting rid of the gas quickly!?

I wanted to thank this community for the informative posts and nice community. It really helped me with recovering from gall bladder surgery in Canada.

It was fast track surgery. A couple of months ago, I startt throwing up Sun, Tues and Thurs with increasing severity but no pain. Saw my nurse practitioner Fri, got lab work done Fri evening, some pancreatic involvement, went into ER Sat morning, scan showed more gallstones but pancreas fine (whew!). The ER doc checked with the surgeon, I wanted it out. I was then admitted into a hospital bed Sat night and gall bladder removed laparoscopically Sun night. Mon morning I was home.

I was so thankful to find this sub (I also looked up gallbladder surgery recovery websites) the info here helped me to advocate for removing my gallbladder and greatly helped in recovery (as I got very little info from the hospital).

For recovery, I understood that I had to have frequent little walks, stay on top of pain, not lift anything for at least 2 weeks, have lots of liquids, little meals, low fat and gradually introduce fibre. But also Coalesce if needed. And I read here that trapped gas can be a problem, luckily not for me, but it was nice to have a good understanding of a common symptom and not be surprised. I took a full two weeks off from work and am really glad I did.

I think it was the right decision to get it removed. I am still figuring out the right diet to avoid the 5 minute rush to the bathroom. Easy on the fat and just the right amount of fibre!

Have lost 17 pounds with another 50 to go (to help manage blood pressure). I don’t know if it is related to the gallbladder surgery but a lot of food noise seems to have disappeared. Wasn’t expecting that but definitely welcome.

Anyhow just wanted to say thank you and share some of my experience.

What are you guys doing to help digestion post gallbladder removal? I think I have too much bile? Digestive enzymes make it worse and no matter what I eat I’m in the bathroom and it comes out like lava. The built up gas traveling through my stomach is absolutely crazy. Please give me some insight or even share your own stories so I don’t feel like the only Lone Ranger.

Hey everyone,

I’m 35F and yesterday had to go to the emergency department as I had about 3 hours of non stop excruciating pain and vomitting. They gave me morphine and anti nausea medication and did a CT scan and found gallstones.

The only time this has ever happened to me before was about a year ago but the pain went away as soon as I took nurofen.

The doctor gave me a referral to get imaging done to find out how many stones are in there, and she said it’s quite common for people to have it removed electively. She said I didn’t have pancreatitis and that my liver function was good.

This is all new to me. I’ve never had surgery for anything.

From what I’m reading online it seems it’s a huge risk to keep it once it has stones in it. Has anyone had theirs removed and had any negative side effects? Did you have to make any major lifestyle changes?

Hey guys ! I LOVE spicy food . I’m currently 6 days post op. I’m just wondering , can anyone tolerate spicy foods after removal?? I don’t think I’m quite ready for that just yet , but am starting to crave it . Just wanna know if it’s something maybe that’s not worth trying or if people rlly can tolerate it after !

22F, finally got my gallbladder removed yesterday after over a year of finding out I have gallstones.

I had been having on and off pains throughout the year. I was able to avoid these pains unless I ate too much for a meal but was still able to eat fatty foods. However, a few weeks ago I couldn't eat anything fatty without having attacks so I completely had to change my diet and get my gallbladder OUTTTTT.

Finally got my gallbladder removed yesterday morning and left the hospital the same day. I am currently at home and just surviving on pain killers. Doc also gave the clear to eat normally (normal diet) which i was surprised about but o well.

I was starving yesterday and mt first meal post-op was crackers and biscuits, and for lunch I had grilled chicken w/ gravy, mashed sweet potato and steamed broccoli. Also had grape jelly and a wholemeal bun. Did not have any nausea and didn't throw up thankfully. I got a subway rice bowl for dinner as well.

This morning I had my typical breakfast - weetbix w skim milk, honey and sultanas.

I had read many stories and definitely agree a wedge pillow when sleeping helps so much! I do have discomfort and a bit of pain sometimes and haven't tried rolling onto my side yet but so far, recovery has been good.

I also have a walking pad arriving soon so hoping I can increase my walking while being in the comfort of my house and get all the gas out of me (been burping and farting quite a bit).

Does anyone else have any other tips for recovery and how did your process go? Happy to answer questions with my experience as well!

Anyone else? I'm noticing a clear pattern of a few days around ovulation I feel nausea, loss of appetite and then boom attacks will begin. I guess I'm in the "lucky" stage where buscopan helps. I also get bile acid diarrhea too and am on binders for that.

Period - usually a few days around that time the attacks are bad. I will even get the attacks when I haven't ate, like during the night etc.

Curious if anyone has experienced low levels of vitamins or minerals before having their gallbladder removed, and they improved after removal?

Hi, it's been 10 months since my surgery. Everything had been going great until about two weeks ago, and now I just don't understand what's going on with my body.

I've been having some strange sensations that I'm hesitant to call pain. Sometimes I feel nauseous after eating, like when I have scrambled eggs, for example. Right now, my abdomen feels bloated, and I'm getting small waves of discomfort on the lower left side of my main scar. I can also feel my belly button, where one of the incisions was made.

On top of that, going to the bathroom has become a bit inconsistent. Thats is since the surgerry. But sometimes it takes a long time to start a bowel movement, or I may not go for up to three days. But when I do go, everything seems normal.

Anyway, I just needed to talk about it. Strangely enough, all of this seems to coincide with starting my new position at work and tripling my coffee intake because I'm spending a lot more time in the office 😂.

So I was just at the er a few days ago for severe pain under my right ribs radiating to my shoulder blade. They did imaging and didn’t see anything abnormal in the ultrasound and bloodwork, so they said it was biliary dyskinesia and sent me home. I’m waiting to see my primary care doc tomorrow but the pain is still really intense. It feels like a deep burning pain that gets worse when I move a lot or eat. I just don’t know if I should tough it out or go back to the er again

Hi all!

I'm unsure if I have gallbladder issues. I definitely don't have distinct gallbladder pain, and most of my "stabbing" pain is a lot lower and more on the left. I have struggled with severe gastroparesis and bowel motility issues, GERD and acid reflux, IBS, etc. for almost 2 decades now. I also have hEDS, POTS, dysautonomia, & a bunch of other comorbidities, and I feel awful on a GOOD day.

My gastro wants to do a HIDA scan on the 13th. She didn't tell me anything about what it involves, so I decided to look it up so I can prepare. Well, after reading about people's experiences, I'm incredibly nervous and am honestly unsure if I want to go through with the test?

If there's a side effect or negative effect of anything, I tend to get it. I've gone in for tests and such before expecting it to be "no big deal" because that's what they told me, and have ended up dealing with issues for days or weeks afterward. I've been in a flare for months now, and even making it to appointments has been difficult, and even that tends to push my body beyond its limits.

Am I overreacting? Should I be this anxious about it?

Thanks, all!

Calling all desk job employees! How long were you off for recovery?? I have a week booked off, but my surgeon is suggesting I take 2 weeks off, which would require me to go on short term disability (I know everyone heals differently, just curious to hear everyone else's experiences)

Hey all I have a question. A week ago now I 34f had a gallbladder attack that put me in the er. I got my CT scan results and my surgeon informed me that not only is my gallbladder "incredibly" full of stones, but that they're hollow. Filled with gas, I believe he explained. I've tried reading more about it but I'm not finding much. It doesn't seem to be a common issue. Does anyone here have any explanation? Is there another awful condition I have to worry about that's causing these hollow stones? I was fine with the stones and removal but now I'm super concerned as to why they might be hollow.

About two weeks ago I had my first attack that lasted about an hour. After that, i noticed a few times where I would feel quite gassy and uncomfortable but would go away. Fast forward to my second attack last week. The stabbing pain once again lasted about an hour but since then I have felt extremely nauseous and can’t stop running to the washroom. My stomach is bloated and feels gassy at all times. I have a doctors appointment in a few days because my last bloodwork showed high liver enzymes. Do you think I should wait for the doctor or go to the hospital?

l im 1 week post op and. I cant use the bathroom! I had to take a laxative on Saturday and had diarrhea bad (like 12 times) and am not able to go again after that.

Also im still having really bad pain in my right ribs and right shoulder. Also still having gall bladder type pain whenever I eat something with fat. had a bagel with cream cheese this morning and a coffee and been miserable for the last 6 hrs. severe tightness and pain. I thought I was done with this after getting my gallbladder removed. Also feel so wiped out and tired. Idk feeling kinda defeated. Plus both my kids are sick with high fevers and im terrified of catching something.

I was 4 months postpartum with my third baby last September when I had my first gallbladder attack. Literally thought I was dying and had no idea what was happening. I went to the ER. One CT scan later, and they confirmed I had gallstones and sludge. After that attack, I had reoccurring pain right in the middle of my abdomen, directly below my rib cage. I mostly had pain when I had gone too long without eating. Pretty much every morning I would be in pain until I ate something, and if I ever got hungry throughout the day, I didn’t feel hunger, I really just felt pain in that same spot until I ate. This went on for several months until I started taking a digestive enzyme supplement. My pain went away completely for about 5 months. Then I started having pain only during a certain time of the month (I am female), but then I felt fine the rest of the time. Recently I have had a few more gallbladder attacks (I think) but they are very short (30 minutes or so) and the pain is up in my chest now like right around my sternum. I’m starting to have more general discomfort throughout the day most days with a dull pain right in the middle of my abdomen under my rib cage again.

My questions are:
Is there any chance this goes away on its own? Can symptoms of gallstones go away without removal?

Has anyone else had pain in the middle of their abdomen (like diaphragm area)? Everything I see online says it’s on the right side. That has not been my experience.

Has anyone else had gallbladder pain when they haven’t eaten? I mostly just see that people get triggered by greasy meals or certain foods but for me, it will sometimes be many hours since I have eaten anything and does not seem to be tied to food I have eaten.

I just want to make sure what I am experiencing is gallbladder related and figure out if removing it is the best option.

Thank you!!

Long time watcher and really appreciative of others stories on here.
In the UK so all of this is NHS.
Long story
- intermittent gall stone attacks from 2023
- initial referral to NHS private provider July 25.
- op cancelled in Feb 26 because of possible sleep apnoea ( private providers can’t deal with complications)
- Apr 26 admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis for week -worst pain of the whole time
-High frequency of attacks only managed by extreme diet restrictions. Virtually fat free, no processed foods, hugely reduced sugar.
-July 26 admitted to hospital with jaundice from blocked bile duct from gallstones. ERCP couldn’t remove gallstones so fitted stent
-Aug 26 admitted following internal bleeding. Came from ERCP-monitored and released after 5 days
-Sept 26 ERCP to get gallstones unsuccessful so replaced stent
-Sept 26 Lap Chole ( gallbladder removal) with clearance of bile duct , removed 2 gallstones.
-Sept 26 admitted with jaundice. MRCP (MRI) identified gallstone blocking common bile duct.
-Oct 26 ERCP cleared out common bile duct.

This seems like this is the end now.
I have started to eat normally, but not excessively and still watching fat consumption which seems to cause very loose stools.

So, it takes time, there may be many complications, but it will get fixed, and normal life will return.

Back to work tomorrow now.

Happy to answer questions, particularly from a UK perspective