Gallbladder Surgery Recovery - Expectations During Gallbladder Surgery Recovery Phase

Gallbladder Surgery Recovery

There is always one thing that a patient asks about the gallbladder surgery recovery period - will it be painful How long will the pain last? How painful is it? I hate to break it to you but the level of pain has always been different from person to person. In the medical world, it is considered a subjective cue since the level of pain may matter on a lot of factors.

Here are some of the common expectations during the first few days of the gallbladder surgery recovery period:

Pain

Generally for gallbladder patients, pain may be felt around 24-72hrs during the gallbladder surgery recovery phase. This is true and normal, especially for patients who undergone a laparosopic type of surgery due to the inflated abdomen during the surgery. Sometimes, pain could last up to a week thus your doctor will prescribed you analgesics to lessen the pain during the first 7 days. Inflation of your abdomen is necessary to give your surgeon a clear view of the surgical site.

Muscle Aches

Muscle aches during gallbladder surgery recovery period are considered normal due to the post-operative effects of your anesthesia. The aching is usually tolerable and it gives the patient a reason to stay in bed and rest a couple of hours after surgery. The effects of anesthesia may wear off after hours or a couple of days post op but will not stay up to a week. If muscle aches continue after 5 days, please call the attention of your doctor immediately.

Diarrhea

Although common, diarrhea is not always present after every surgery of the gallbladder. It is considered normal to experience increased frequency of bowel movement during the gallbladder surgery recovery phase. The rationale behind this is because of the digestive system's adjustment to its new condition - of not having any gallbladder. During the surgery, it is also expected for some surgeon to move your intestines to get a clearer sight of the gallbladder. Your intestines will always get back to its original position after its been moved, but you may experience minor bowel alterations during the repositioning period.

Nausea and Loss of Appetite

This is fairly common during the first few hours or 2 days after surgery. Some patients even experience vomiting after surgery.

Inflammation

Expect for some minor inflammation on the surgical sites. For Laparosopic surgery, you may have at least 3 small surgical wounds but for open surgery, expect the incision to be far bigger. This is one reason why many patients now prefer the laparoscopic operation than the traditional one. The bigger the incision, the more chances of inflammation as well. Therefore, it is vital for a patient to know how to care for his/her incision/s during gallbladder surgery recovery.