Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: wombat62 on April 12, 2016, 11:39:24 PM
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Hi Ladies
Just thought I'd give you a quick update. I've had the surgery, very nervous but the hospital staff were all lovely.
Op was text book but unfortunately I was quite sick afterwards so everything I ate or drank came back up for a few hours. This lead to some dehydration and pretty low blood pressure. That meant I couldn't get up and move about. They put me on a bag of fluids overnight and it gradually the blood pressure came up. Was feeling okay but whilst having a freshen up I nearly passed out again! I just have to keep the fluids up but I seem to be weeing okay now although the thought of the other feels like it would be too painful!
Moving around is hard due to the gas in my tummy, I haven't had the shoulder pain but the gas is slowly starting to move. I can't laugh as that's quite painful! I feel like I'm about 90 shuffling around and finding it hard to move in bed or get up and down. I don't think it's coming from where the gallbladder was, I think it's just the gas as my tum is quite bloated but the doc said all was ok and once I could move around without fainting they were happy to let me go.
I have 3 incisions and just leave the dressings on until I see my GP on Monday and then follow up in 6 weeks.
There was a small report on the gallbladder, just the wall was thickened, they did a scan and no stones in the ducts, there is something else on the report but I can't work out what they mean!
So, I hope I start to improve a bit quicker as fed up with being incapacitated but think it will be easier once the gas goes. I'll try a bit more walking around the house today see if that helps.
Cheers W x
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:tulips2:
Rest up! Nearly 18 months since my gall bladder and me parted company! No regrets! I found I had some residual pain for a while where it had been painful before, but it receded eventually.
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Glad the beast has gone wombat, hope you feel better soon xx
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Get well soon wombat. The gas pain is horrid, but it will subside. I consumed many a polo mint as the alternative of peppermint water had me gagging. Not had gall bladder op though, just a few gynae ops which required pumping gas into me.
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:tulips2: :tulips:
I can't understand why Anaesthetists don't give anti-sickness jabs as a patient goes into the Recovery Room >:(. I told mine that if I was sick I would sue her ;-). I wasn't. She gave me a pill pre-med, a jab during surgery and another in Recovery.
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Hello!
Getting a bit better day by day and off to the docs today for a check up.
The gas is still there but moving :) so instead of one big tum it's concentrated in the middle now. The top hole is sore but not sure if that is the hole or from the dressing but just makes moving difficult.
I went for a little walk and an outing in the car yesterday but felt very tired after each but each day I am getting better.
Yes, being sick after a gb op isn't fun, it was bloody painful! Likewise I have this tickle in my throat which is hurts when I cough. They did give me the anti-nausea tablets in hospital which did help for a while. I also found out (thanks to internet forums) that sometimes after surgery your stomach can stop working so the fluids/food doesn't move out and then comes back up, never heard of that before but could explain it.
Anyway, everything is staying down now but unfortunately the old digestive system is sluggish. I'm trying the probiotic drink as CLKD suggested and took something overnight but hasn't worked yet. I've introduced more fibre over the last couple of days but I know my system takes a while to get working again after being starved etc I think it forgets what to do!
So now we just have to wait and see what type of post-op gb person I become! If I'm going to get dumping syndrome that would be today but knowing me I'll still be the other way! I'm just sticking to the same food I had pre-op and I'll continue with that for a month and then start trying a bit more fat and see what happens. To be honest I'm so used to eating the new diet eating some things doesn't really bother me but it will be nice to go to a restaurant and not be so scared as to what is in a dish even if the result is an upset tum, won't be as bad as a gb attack!
Thanks for your thoughts! W x
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Hi Sparkle
I'm drinking plenty of cups of minty tea!
Doc is pleased with healing and opted to leave the dressings on until Monday, also happy that my tum feels okay. Just got to make sure my system starts working again so she's told me what to take and how much.
She said the incisions are the same as being stabbed (!) so will be sore on healing, especially as the sorest one is the muscles used more with movement.
I just have to still take it easy, she said although they chuck you out sooner these days it still takes a week for the anaesthetic to clear.
Anyway, turns out good job I've had it done as GB had attached itself to my duodenum! That was the adhesion part I couldn't work out on the report. So they had to scrape it away before removal! She said no wonder my attacks were so bad and one doc had commented that my stomach was sore so that must have been the duodenum affected as well. Gosh, you never know what is going on inside you!
W x
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You haven't eaten for a few days so your bowel won't have anything other than wind to pass ::). Little and often, toast usually gets the digestive juices going ;). Ginger biscuits. LIVE yoghurt.
Sleep when you need to, you've had Major Surgery!
:tulips2:
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Hi Ladies
How long was it before the gas and bloating passed? I'm gradually deflating ;D but still crampy etc and just hoping that IBS symptoms won't return as it feels like it did all those years ago.
Had a couple of cups of ginger tea to see if that helps. Seem to be eating okay and just having small meals and eating low fat as I had been before the op. The stuff the doc recommended has worked but hoping some gentle walking will help as well.
Cheers W
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:-\ 'everything moved around' :o - that's why we get a GA, do we don't know what's happening ;D
Do you have to plan ahead i.e. when thinking about getting out of bed or from a chair?
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Wouldn't you think, with all the technology, that a Nurse would have a reverse suction tube to do that rather than the patient having to suffer pain?
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Hello again!
I think they are supposed to remove the gas but whether they do or not but I guess they probably can't get it all out.
I've been and had the dressings off this morning, all good and they are pleased with the healing. She thinks the tugging on the top one is deeper due to having to have the gallbladder cut away but should be okay in time.
I had the most uncomfortable day yesterday with tummy gripes, it was just like the old days of IBS. My doc thinks it will be a build up of food whilst my system wasn't very active for a few days and once it's working again then it should settle. If not then it maybe foods that I'm eating but it's all going to be trail and error over the next few weeks anyway!
I feel better in myself today and the torso is moving a little easier, the gassy pains aren't quite so bad so far, fingers crossed it stays that way!
Cheers W x
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Sounds like you had to have a lot of follow up. Did you have to stay in hospital? I was able to have mine done in day surgery and there were no complications or any follow up.
I found my IBS symptoms are the same as before op, apart from initial constipation, for which I needed to take a gentle laxitive to get things going again.
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Hi
I had one night in hospital, even if my surgery had been in the morning I think they like to keep you in. Just as well I did stay in as I was so sick and low blood pressure! They weren't in any hurry to kick me out either if I didn't feel up to going home. This is amazing as it was done in a public hospital!
The hospital have arranged a 6 week check up but suggested I saw my GP to get the dressings off. I ended up seeing her twice as the dressings were due off at the weekend and I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay and then a return visit to get the dressings off.
The good follow up is partly due to the fact that we pay for doctors visits here, so you can go as much as you like if you want to pay! It was handy though as I had a bunch of questions and she was of help with knowing what and how much to take to get the system moving again. Although I had some cramps in the night, now with the help of the Movical things are moving and it has eased a bit.
I just feel a bit anxious about the next phase which has been messing my heart rate up (I have a fitness monitor band). It may also be a bit of dehydration as although I'm drinking plenty I find that if it's not regular (i.e. something every hour) I'm getting darker wees so lots of fluids today!
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The NHS used to offer a 6 week check up post surgery, now I understand the patient is referred 'back to the GP' >:(
Little steps :tulips:
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Can I ask whether you had problems in getting your gallbladder problem diagnosed? I have been having a hell of a time with what I think is an inflamed gallbladder - pain just below the ribs on the right hand side, pain in my right shoulder, nausea, anxiety - but it is not showing itself in an endoscopy, blood tests or ultrasound, which are all clear and normal. In 2 weeks I am due to have an echo endoscopy, which is kind of my last chance, as I am already pursuing a second opinion. If that is clear as well, I am stuck, and will have lost credibility with my GP and two hospitals :-( Strikes me that getting gallbladder problems diagnosed is difficult unless you have stones. Obviously they have looked at the liver and pancreas too, and that it is also clear, which I guess is faintly reassuring. The only thing that seems to help is ibuprofen, but I can't take that forever and it is also giving me indigestion. Feeling stuck ....
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Maybe ring the appropriate Dept at your local Hospital Imgeha?
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Hi imgeha
Sorry to hear that you are possibly having gb problems.
Funny, none of my pain ever came from the gb area, mine was centre to left and I'm not sure if mine was ever inflamed as I had an ultrasound during an attack and the docs prodded the area and it didn't hurt there! I do know the stones irritated it and caused the wall to thicken.
I've read up a lot about gb problems and there are a percentage of people who don't have stones but either for some reason the gb gets inflamed or just gives up working. For that you need another scan which is something like HIDA or HILDA. With this scan they make your gb work so they can test the function and if it's below something like 40% they advise removal.
Stones under 3mm don't show up on Ultrasounds so you may have them but they might be small, for that you need a MRI which gives better images. I knew I had one big one from an ultrasound the year before but they must have grown in this last year as they only just showed up on a ultrasound, the MRI found the tiny ones!
You seem to be having classic symptoms of gb issues and I hope you can find someone to help, even if it does mean a second opinion. Each of my attacks were different but one lead to Pancreatitis which is when everything swung into motion.
The difference here is that it's much easier to get scans done as we have to part pay and there are more providers. They've taken the gb issues quite seriously in case of stone blockage.
Try doing a low-fat diet and eat plenty of liver supporting foods. The diet worked for me and kept the attacks under control as you need to rest the gb so it's not working hard.
Good luck and hope you get some answers soon!
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Hi Wombat
thank you so much for your response. You have convinced me that I am not bonkers and imagining all this, just that the medical profession hasn't yet done the right tests. I'm not sure endoscopy number two is going to show much either, if it is an MRI scan or HILDA test that I need.
You mentioned that you pay for some of your scans? Are you in the UK? I am in Belgium.
I think I may seek out a private doctor in order to get proper testing done.
thanks again
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JUst an update. MY GP has referred me today for a HIDA scan next week. Im almost hoping for a bad result, so that I can finally get a diagnosis and some treatment options. Its feels like I've been sick a long time.
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Let us know how you get on!
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Hope you get the answer you want, that's a bit weird but as you say it will confirm what you think!
A lot of people say they didn't realise how under the weather they were until the gb came out. I shall be a spring chicken again once I'm healed..lol....
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…….. R U improving?
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Hi
Doing pretty well thanks! More energy this week but still get tired, then have a little rest and then ok again. Gentle walking for exercise but walked up a flight of stairs today and got quite puffed so will have to work on that! Walking fast still isn't easy as tummy hasn't gone all the way down so it's pulling on the top scar so I have to hold it for support. Need a corset!
Worst thing still is the digestive system still trying to settle. They say 4-6 weeks so still time for it to decide how it's going to be, normal or if digesting fats will be a problem although I'm still doing low-fat at the moment.
W
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What do you miss from your diet?
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I've adapted quite well to the low-fat diet and really savour a tiny piece of cake or something naughty as I know I can't have much of it!
Would be nice to eat the odd burger and chips or French Toast but no doubt that will come in time. The hardest part has been eating out as you just don't know what restaurants put in dishes. Very few places have got the low-fat thing, even if I told them I'd end up in hospital! I guess the worst that will happen now is a bolt to the loo if I eat too much fat.
Everyone I know has been fine once things have settled down although because my digestive system has never really been normal (hates a change of routine, needs plenty of water and fibre etc) it needs to find a new normal for me. Having said that it was working lovely before the op which maybe because of the diet and everything working as it should be.
Maybe low-fat suits me, everyone is saying how well and good I look now I've lost the weight (apart from it's shown up the wrinkles!). I'll just get OH to order the bad food and I'll have a bite!
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Morning!
It's about acceptance too. Also, not buying 'treats' so that they aren't to hand ::)
I have problems with onions, if I eat them unless really well cooked it could send me to Hospital. Trouble is, I love 'em ! if they are boiled for hours then they don't affect me so there must be a 'poison' in them. :-\. Difficult when I eat out and the reason we never buy 'ready-made' foods.
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My treats are marshmallows and Turkish delight...fat free! They're so sweet you can't eat too much either which is good! Plus a tiny amount of plain choc as its good for you!
i know someone who's allergic to onions and fruit so must be some compounding them, for you must be something that cooks out!
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Just updating. My HIDA scan showed a problem with the gallbladder (yay finally!) so I now have an appointment with the surgeon to discuss removal. Bit scared but actually quite relieved that an end is in sight. Now I need lots of positive stories about gallbladder removal please !!! How are you doing Wombat?
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Hi Imgeha, positive gallbladder removal here....about 7 years ago, keyhole, no probs. just a bit sore afterwards and watch diet for a while. Like Sparkle, still can get odd twinges in same place but nothing that's a problem. You will feel tons better without it! Worse thing is the trapped wind I shoulder after the op so be prepared for that but they gave me peppermint oil in hot water and it helped. Xx
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Hi Justjules
Seems you were right, glad you have got an answer at last.
Most people have no problems, the Internet forums are full of those who have had them so if you start reading them don't be too scared, however, sometimes you can pick up some useful info.
My advice is to follow a low fat diet before and after the op so you aren't putting any stress on the gallbladder and this will help afterwards as you just don't know if you will or will not be one of those people who can't digest fats (upsets and urgent bathroom visits). I seem to have gone the other way, I like to be different lol...
It's been 4 weeks now and doing ok although still have a grumpy tum. I found a few people on health boards that still had this at the same point in time. Someone suggested it's the bile irritating the gut and causing the gas, so suggested a snack between meals to use up the bile. So will give that a go.
Although you'll have lap surgery do allow yourself time to heal. I've read stories of people being back to the gym/work a couple of days afterwards but just go with how you are. I found that once you start to heal then each day was pretty rapid, then I seemed to have plateaued which then gets frustrating but then everyone keeps reminding me it was still major abdominal surgery!
I lifted some shopping for the first time today and could feel a little tugging so it shows that the deep healing is still going on. Laughing hard also still hurts!
Hope you get a date soon so you don't have to think about it for too long.
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You are lifting FAR TOO early. After my appendix was removed I was told not to lift or drive for at least 6 weeks!
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Make much of the need to rest ;) ……….
I was supposed to have key-hole surgery to remove my appendix - I think it was the key to Westminster Abbey :o
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It was within the limits they suggest but I had no choice, had to do some shopping! I also had to carry some books later in the day, which I shouldn't probably have done but again no choice. Luckily I have strong arms so I made sure they took most of the weight, I was being as careful as I could...promise!
I think with ceasar's, hysterectomy and appendix is even longer recovery because they have to cut through the bigger lower muscles which they don't have to do with gallbladder although there is the risk of a hernia where they cut the belly button. With driving they say to try during the second week and if pressing the pedals hurts stop and try again a few days later, luckily I was okay.
It's really difficult as once you are up and about everyone expects you to be back to normal asap. I've had a busy couple of days during the last week (also a little stressy) and have been wiped out at the end of the day but they do warn you, this can happen for up to six months after the op.
Also don't be surprised that odd things happen which is your body still clearing and healing. I had a rotten headache for 3 days the second week which is not like me, so that must have been something clearing and then a couple of days ago I couldn't stop going for a wee, started to get really worried but the next day my tum had gone down a little bit more so I guess I was clearing fluids again!
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Headaches can be caused by dehydration. If the kidneys are working over-time due to lack of fluids, then the body expels more urine.
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I drink plenty each day, keeping fluids up is one of my things!
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I seem to need loads of fluid to help the old digestive system. I never used to drink that much so maybe that's why I always had problems. When I had the Ibs I changed my diet and started drinking more herbal teas and water and things improved. I know I'll suffer afterwards on days that I can't drink as much as normal if you are out for the day etc.
As we get older we lose our thirst mechanism which is why older people are usually dehydrated, they say that a lot of old age problems could be helped if they drank more. You have to force yourself sometimes, especially when you are ill but keeping fluids up is usually the thing that gets you through it.
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:thankyou:
How's today been?