If the symptoms become severe, you should notify the surgeon or the GI Surgery nurse. It often takes a few days to a few weeks for your body to adjust. Loose bowel movements – may occur because bile is not being concentrated in the gallbladder, it is spilled directly into the small intestine from the liver. Some potential short-term complications that may arise shortly after the operation are: Your surgeon will discuss these with you. Although these can be serious complications, they occur very rarely. Included in these complications are bile leaks and/or bile duct injuries. Potential ProblemsĪs with any operation there is a possibility of complications. You may resume sexual relations when it feels comfortable for you. You may shower the day after the operation. Walk as much as is comfortable for you, moderate exercise helps improve circulation. After this period of time you can begin lifting heavier objects being aware that if your abdomen hurts you should not be lifting. You should not lift anything heavier than 8 to 10 pounds (a gallon of milk) for 2 weeks. Patients feel like doing activities within a few days of having their operation. This may go away within days or may last for several weeks. Infrequently patients develop loose stools or diarrhea after a cholecystectomy. If necessary you may take a mild laxative. You should be aware to increase fiber in your diet as soon as possible and to increases your fluid intake. Anesthesia, decreased activity, and narcotic pain medications are factors that may cause constipation. Normal bowel habits may be altered by several factors regarding surgery. If you need a letter or work excuse to be sent to your employer, please let your surgeon or the GI Surgery nurse know. If you do work that requires you to lift or bend then you may need to be placed on restricted work duty until you have your post-operative appointment. Some patients may return sooner if they do desk work. Most patients feel strong enough to return to work in a 1 to 2 weeks following the operation. Most patients wait until they no longer feel their abdomen is sore. Do not drive if you are taking any kind of pain medicine or medicine that impairs your judgment. Driving a CarĪs long as you are not taking pain medicine stronger than Tylenol or Ibuprofen and when you feel as though your reaction time is normal, you may begin driving. Sometimes you will notice bruising around the wounds, this is normal. You should look at the wounds every day and call the GI Surgery Nurse at (919) 966-8436 if there is redness or any bleeding from these areas. You may shower and bathe when the bandages are removed. These wounds are usually closed with dissolvable stitches. There will be four small wounds on your abdomen after the operation, three under your right ribs and one at the belly button. It is not uncommon for it to take a few days for your normal appetite to return following surgery. After the initial recovery period most patients can tolerate a variety of foods without difficulty. Most patients find that a bland diet of such foods as: toast, rice, bananas, soups, pasta etc. You are permitted to eat what you would like. Most patients are concerned about what they can eat after the cholecystectomy. This varies with individual patients and depends on your body’s response to pain medication. As with any type of surgery, it is reasonable to expect some amount of pain. Some patients find that after the initial recovery period is over that medications such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen work well. As you become more active the amount of pain medication needed should decrease quickly. The first few days you may want to take the pain medication so that you will be more comfortable. When you are discharged home you will be given a pain medication to take if necessary. The shoulder pain is caused by gas left in your abdomen during the operation. The abdomen will be sore as well as the small incision sites, and some patients have shoulder pain for the first day or two. There is usually minimal pain associated with this operation. People can lead a normal, healthy life without the gallbladder. Returning to normal may take a few days or weeks, depending on your body’s healing power.
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