Scared of gall bladder removal

I'm freaking the smurf out and on the verge of a panic attack. I'm having surgery on Monday and I'm so, so scared. I've never been put under and the idea positively terrifies me.
And that's just the beginning. I don't know how I'm going to take care of my kids or keep up with my online classes. There's a chance they'll need to do open surgery and I'll be hospitalized for a few days to a week. DH can't miss that much work and LO is breastfed; he's only going to be eight weeks old. Relatives *might* be willing to watch DS but LO would have to stay with me in the hospital.
Plus I've read and heard so many horror stories. MIL said she was in severe pain for three weeks. I don't have time for that.
Smurf. I don't want to do this. But it's literally to the point where either I get it out or I risk serious complications and death.

Hopefully yours will be laproscopic. Mine was done almost 11 years ago, in 2002, and it was laproscopic. The recovery from that was fairly quick, though, but the only thing was that a couple of the stitches didn't dissolve all the way and I ended up pulling the little bit that was left out with tweezers. I had to have a second procedure the next day, though, because I had a stone stuck in the bile duct, but because they went down my throat, that wasn't bad at all and only affected my recovery that first day. My husband at the time was in the Army, so I had no one to take care of our daughter while he was at work. I truly hope you won't be in that much pain, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

I go through gallbladder attacks on a daily basis.

Get that thing cut out. You'll be glad you did. The only stories I have read/heard are stories of people being SO relieved afterward.

Also, can you pump a lot and store it?

My granny had it done in the 90's. She said it was the easiest thing ever. in her words they "put you to sleep and suck it out." LMAO she was a silly old lady.

Quoting PurpleBama582:" Hopefully yours will be laproscopic. Mine was done almost 11 years ago, in 2002, and it was laproscopic. ... [snip!] ... take care of our daughter while he was at work. I truly hope you won't be in that much pain, and I wish you a speedy recovery. "

My bile duct is abnormally large and the surgeon is going to do a test to determine whether there are stones in there. If there's one or two and the duct looks good, he said that a GI person could go through my throat but if it's worse, which he thinks is likely, I'll require the open surgery.
Your story gives me some hope. Thanks.

Quoting Mom2William&Michael:" My bile duct is abnormally large and the surgeon is going to do a test to determine whether there are ... [snip!] ... my throat but if it's worse, which he thinks is likely, I'll require the open surgery. Your story gives me some hope. Thanks."

Could they do it laproscopic(sp?) with the 3 small incisions?

<blockquote><b>Quoting Mom2William&Michael:</b>" I'm freaking the smurf out and on the verge of a panic attack. I'm having surgery on Monday and I'm so, ... [snip!] ... I don't want to do this. But it's literally to the point where either I get it out or I risk serious complications and death."</blockquote>




It's a very common procedure hon. Happen every day. I literally had minimal pain afterwards and didn't even need my Vicodin, nothing a couple Advil couldn't cure. You will feel so much better once its out.

Quoting Tiger Lily ♥:" I go through gallbladder attacks on a daily basis. Get that thing cut out. You'll be glad you did. The ... [snip!] ... The only stories I have read/heard are stories of people being SO relieved afterward. Also, can you pump a lot and store it?"

I have them every other day at least and am dealing with one now. DH keeps reminding me that anything that happens can't be worse than what I'm going through now and he's probably right. I'm always in pain that keeps me awake at night and keeps me from eating. And between this, GERD, and severe morning sickness with LO my teeth are ruined; I'm afraid to even go to the dentist.

And I can't pump for smurf. I'm hoping I have enough to feed him while I'm under and that should be less than an hour if I don't require open surgery. LO is an eating machine. He's doubled his weight and grown almost five inches since being born.

Quoting Tiger Lily ♥:" Could they do it laproscopic(sp?) with the 3 small incisions?"

That's the plan provided my bile duct is okay.

Quoting Mrs. God of Thunder:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Mom2William&Michael:</b>" I'm freaking the smurf out and on the ... [snip!] ... afterwards and didn't even need my Vicodin, nothing a couple Advil couldn't cure. You will feel so much better once its out."

Really? BG is the only place I'm hearing positive stories. Googling smurf was a huge mistake (I went looking for how long it took people to get back to their normal activities and ended up reading about people who were in pain for months and months, had severe weight gain, and couldn't eat anything). But no one in person has had much good to say, either. I had someone say how the shoulder pain made them nearly pass out, another who said that her doctor told her that she couldn't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, and so on. It's made me a smurfing mess because I'm so, so scared of the idea of surgery as it is. I've never had general anesthesia; even when I had my D&C and wisdom teeth removed.

Quoting Devil Duckie:" My granny had it done in the 90's. She said it was the easiest thing ever. in her words they "put you to sleep and suck it out." LMAO she was a silly old lady. "

  I hope I have her luck. Thanks for sharing that, it does a lot to make me feel better.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Mom2William&Michael:</b>" Really? BG is the only place I'm hearing positive stories. Googling smurf was a huge mistake (I went ... [snip!] ... scared of the idea of surgery as it is. I've never had general anesthesia; even when I had my D&C and wisdom teeth removed."</blockquote>




Google is your enemy when it comes to things like that. It was seriously the best thing I ever went through. To get rid of that pain was all worth it. I don't even remember much about the putting me out. Just remember talking to a male nurse, laughing, and next thing I remember was being in recovery. I had three incisions on my stomach since it was done laparoscopically. Was sent home the same day, and we went and got pizza, salad, and garlic bread.

I did gain 40 lbs the first year after it was out. That's my only complaint,

Quoting Mrs. God of Thunder:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Mom2William&Michael:</b>" Really? BG is the only place I'm ... [snip!] ... we went and got pizza, salad, and garlic bread. I did gain 40 lbs the first year after it was out. That's my only complaint,"

Do you think the two are related? I still haven't lost the baby weight and plan on working out as soon as I'm able. I can't stand to gain anymore weight. I was 145 before a knee injury and then pregnancy and now I'm nearly 200.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Mom2William&Michael:</b>" Do you think the two are related? I still haven't lost the baby weight and plan on working out as soon ... [snip!] ... as I'm able. I can't stand to gain anymore weight. I was 145 before a knee injury and then pregnancy and now I'm nearly 200."</blockquote>




I mean there could be something going o with the bile and the our body is storing everything. You haven't had the surgery yet, so I don't know for sure. That's what happened to me, though,

Quoting Mom2William&Michael:" Do you think the two are related? I still haven't lost the baby weight and plan on working out as soon ... [snip!] ... as I'm able. I can't stand to gain anymore weight. I was 145 before a knee injury and then pregnancy and now I'm nearly 200."

I didn't gain any after mine was out, so I don't know if it's related. I had to change my diet. Not as much heavy fried foods, no McDonald's at all(I still get sick from it). So I actually lost a little weight.