Bricking it - Surgery experiences?

[AMLinington]

I might live to regret asking this, but:

 

I'm due to have a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (Keyhole Gall Bladder removal) in August and I'm bricking it a bit because the receptionist on the booking line was not very professional or appropriate and told me her horror-story about how much terrible pain she was in, and how they had to make a huge incision and etc etc. How she regretted having it done, and how the pain was unbearable.

 

Now I'm bricking it because I've had an ambulance out to me twice with this condition, and the first time the pain was so bad I passed out. I'm not sure I could cope if it was the same kind of pain but persistent and unremitting.

 

So have any of you had this surgery and can any of you give me a realistic account of how manageable the pain is going to be?

 

Bear in mind I cannot take Codeine or any painkillers that contain Codeine, so my painkiller regime is restricted to Paracetamol and Ibuprofen, or Aspirin, or Naproxyn. Or possibly a sock filled with rocks to the side of the head....

[RichB]

I can't help with the actual operation, but I cannot take codeine either and after an 11 hour operation i had they sure gave me some impressive pain killers. So don't worry about the pain.

 

I've also got a scar from my throat all the way down past my belly button, you learn to live it pretty quickly.

 

Think of the positives of the operation.

 

PMA, and good luck!

[FN-GM]

I once bit my tongue off and had to have it stitched back on (yes really!). It was literally an injection and I was out in seconds. I cam around the next day and was fine. I just felt very tried.

[JJonas]

I have had that surgery and have four small scars to show for it.

 

After the surgery I was not in too much pain, it was more uncomfortable for me the morning after but every day it was more bearable , and after a week I was moving around fine and felt ready to go back to work.

[Disease]

I had a total knee replacement and the morphine didn't work afterwards, I was in agony overnight as they could not give me anything as I had technically had morphine. Next morning I had some Tramadol and all was good in the world again.

[synaesthesia]

My dad had this exact operation 3 weeks ago, told to stay off work for 3 weeks. He was back within 3 days and has been in zero discomfort or pain.

[difinity]

My 19yr old daughter moans about small scratches she receives far more than she ever did after her two 8+ hour open heart surgeries.

She wears her scar with pride.

 

Can you take Tramadol, it being a synthetic ?

[elsiegee40]

I had major back surgery twice in ten days... I was in considerably more pain before than after. I shall be undergoing keyhole surgery in October. I am more concerned about the general anaesthetic which leaves me feeling groggy and awful for about a week afterwards than the pain.

 

Mum had keyhole gall bladder removal and sailed through it.

[crc-ict]

My wife had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy about 3 years ago (just over the border from you in West Sussex). Like JJonas, she has only 4 small scars from the instrument sites.

 

She was in and out as a day case with no issues, obviously there was some pain afterwards but not severe. She said the worst part was the bloating afterwards from where they inflate the abdomen to perform the surgery. She was in bed for the next couple of days afterwards and then gently up and about. 3 weeks off work if I remember correctly, but that was the medical advice more than anything else.

 

I don't think she'd recommend it as fun day out, but overall as a necessity it wasn't too bad. And well worth it to avoid the massive pain from the 'flare-ups'.

 

From her experience now, once you are without gall bladder, beware of too much fatty food, and don't be too far from the loo if you do on occasion have a large intake of fat as you won't be able to digest it properly.

Edited July 6, 2018 by crc-ict

[Chrism03]

+1 for Tramadol

After having abdominal surgery many times for crohn's disease tramadol is a god send (that and a good cough strap).

 

If you've been living with chronic pain the absence when you heal is a wonderful feeling, well worth the surgery.

[JJonas]

Nearly two years on from my surgery the biggest trouble I have had is with alcohol. Small amounts are fine but go beyond that and I start to feel sick. Two pints is about my limit.

[nicholab]

My Father in law had the same operation and the levels of pain massively reduced. Think to remember is that you have had an operation but without the external scares take the pain killers to the level required.

[tg12]

You have my sympathy, while I've never had surgery, the idea of it genuinely terrifies me for some reason.

 

I get the feeling that this is what my Dad had about 10 years ago. Now he's someone that's used to surgery, having various knee replacements etc. over the years. I don't remember all the details but I do remember being surprised at how small the scars were, and I seem to remember he came out and recovery time wasn't long at all, I don't think he's thought about it since.

[AMLinington]

I once bit my tongue off and had to have it stitched back on (yes really!). It was literally an injection and I was out in seconds. I cam around the next day and was fine. I just felt very tried.

 

I've had surgery before - I've had all my wisdom teeth done under GA. The GA is not the thing I'm worrying about tbh. It's more the post-surgery pain.

[synaesthesia]

When I had an ear off a few years ago I didn't really have any pain at all but I was given Tramadol to take the edge off if needed. I had one night of pain where I leant on it accidentally, but rather than go down the tram route I took a couple of my wife's 50mg Codeine pills. Those were ruddy awesome!

[AMLinington]

Well now I'm bricking it even more - turns out my surgeon is this guy: https://www.nhs.uk/profiles/consultant/3247059

 

Known for:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-34508108

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-30235084

Family of grandfather who died from operation by liver surgeon win compensationbattle | Daily Mail Online

 

Duck. That. Ship.

[elsiegee40]

Draw some comfort that you are having routine keyhole, gallbladder removal. It is very common and lots of people have it. The patient in that case had part of their liver removed... not the same things at all!

[simonw]

I once bit my tongue off and had to have it stitched back on (yes really!). It was literally an injection and I was out in seconds. I cam around the next day and was fine. I just felt very tried.

My younger brother did this too.

[crc-ict]

Draw some comfort that you are having routine keyhole, gallbladder removal. It is very common and lots of people have it. The patient in that case had part of their liver removed... not the same things at all!

 

And despite those reports, him being a 'liver specialist', he's probably more qualified/experienced than the 'general surgeon' you would normally get for a keyhole gallbladder op.

[AMLinington]

Draw some comfort that you are having routine keyhole, gallbladder removal. It is very common and lots of people have it. The patient in that case had part of their liver removed... not the same things at all!

 

And despite those reports, him being a 'liver specialist', he's probably more qualified/experienced than the 'general surgeon' you would normally get for a keyhole gallbladder op.

 

Both excellent points.

 

The rational side of my brain is saying 'If he has question marks over his surgical practice, they're going to be monitoring him vigilently, more so than if he did not' which my rational brain says is a good thing.

 

The irrational, anxiety-ridden, depression-riddled side of my brain is yelling "YOU'RE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMEEEEEED YOU'RE GONNA DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

[AMLinington]

Update - They've put me on the list of a Frances Howse who is both a trainer and a registered specialist because I said I wasn't comfortable with the situation and that because I have an anxiety disorder, it wasn't going to be helpful for me.

 

It's pushed the surgery back to the beginning of September but I feel a lot calmer about it.

[elsiegee40]

Update - They've put me on the list of a Frances Howse who is both a trainer and a registered specialist because I said I wasn't comfortable with the situation and that because I have an anxiety disorder, it wasn't going to be helpful for me.

 

It's pushed the surgery back to the beginning of September but I feel a lot calmer about it.

 

That was easily resolved then. [emoji4] Now DON’T GOOGLE HER!

[elsiegee40]

That was easily resolved then. [emoji4] Now DON’T GOOGLE HER!

 

But I promptly did and she sounds very interesting ... and yes she is a gallbladder specialist

Antarctica Service Medal awarded by the National Science Foundation, 1995

[AMLinington]

But I promptly did and she sounds very interesting ... and yes she is a gallbladder specialist

 

She DOES sound interesting! I feel much happier knowing my surgeon is someone else.

 

I realise it sounds unkind to judge someone on a past mistake - we don't know the circumstances, and we don't know what the outcome of the hearing was - he's clearly still practising. But he's been bumped down from 'Hepatic Specialist' to 'General Surgeon' which I suppose is the equivalent of a Cisco engineer being bumped down to a Service Desk role. But as the patient, I need to feel confident in the ability of the surgeon that is going to be rummaging around in my guts, and I did not feel comfortable about him at all. I learned long ago I should trust my instincts about these things because I'm rarely wrong.

 

I feel much better now, and that's the important thing - it's a huge trust thing to put your literal life in the hands of others - the anaesthetist, the theatre nurses, the surgeon/surgeons - so I should listen to the nagging voice - even if it sounds irrational.

[witch]

You need to report that person on the booking line though - that is very unprofessional and she needs to be stopped