Gallbladder Removal: Before Your Surgery (2024)

FAQs

What happens during pre-op for gallbladder removal? ›

Blood work, EKG, and Chest x-ray are part of a pre-operative “work-up.” Some or all of these may need to be performed prior to your operation depending on your age and overall physical health.

Your doctor may recommend surgery if: You have repeated gallstone attacks. The pain from the attacks is severe. You have complications, such as inflammation of the gallbladder or the pancreas.

Tell your doctor ALL the medicines and natural health products you take. Some may increase the risk of problems during your surgery. Your doctor will tell you if you should stop taking any of them before the surgery and how soon to do it. Make sure your doctor and the hospital have a copy of your advance care plan.

Generally, you should only need complete rest for the first 24 hours. After that, you should attempt to get up and walk as often as possible.

Living without a gallbladder

You can lead a perfectly normal life without a gallbladder. Your liver will still make enough bile to digest your food, but instead of being stored in the gallbladder, it drips continuously into your digestive system.

There are risks of surgery of all sorts, things like bleeding infection, heart problems, lung problems, these in theory are all possible. Although these risks are high, more specific to gallbladder surgery, we talk about bile duct injury. We have to operate around the main bile duct, leading from the liver.

Don't do any strenuous activity or lift anything heavy for at least a couple of weeks. At any time, if any activity causes pain or pulls on the incisions, just don't do it. You may be able to go back to a desk job after a week depending upon how much pain you are having and how energetic you feel.

Without the gallbladder, the body cannot store as much bile, and it does not break down as much fat. A person may experience temporary weight loss following gallbladder removal surgery. However, some research indicates that they may experience weight gain in the long term.

Some people develop a wound or internal infection after a gallbladder removal. Signs of a possible infection include increasing pain, swelling or redness, and pus leaking from a wound. See your GP if you develop these symptoms, as you may need a short course of antibiotics.

What is the average age for gallbladder surgery? ›

Surgery is indicated only when a patient is experiencing complications or pain caused by inflammation. The peak occurrence of gallbladder symptoms requiring surgery is in patients in the 20-60 year age range. Typical symptoms may include epigastric (upper abdominal) pain.

Gallbladder attacks are among the most common reasons people visit the emergency room. Doctors decide whether a patient needs emergency gallbladder surgery, and patients often leave with orders to schedule the procedure. Patients at risk for complications and reoccurring attacks typically qualify for emergency surgery.

Be sure to eat a healthy diet and stay as active as you can before gallbladder surgery. If you are a smoker and you can't quit smoking, at least try to cut back. It's also important to eliminate or cut back on alcohol consumption before the surgical procedure.

The vast majority of gallbladder removal patients feel much better after a week or two than they did before the operation.

You can't wear deodorant during surgery because it can leave a residue on your skin that's difficult to remove. This residue might make it challenging for the surgeon to cut through the incision site or accurately assess your skin circulation during surgery.

You may require a pre-operative assessment. During this appointment a nurse will perform simple tests to ensure you are fit enough for the operation. This may include blood tests, ECG (tracing of the heart) and physical examination. Please bring a list of your current medications to this appointment.

Pre-assessment clinic

swabs (when we use a big cotton bud to take samples from your body and test them for any germs) blood tests. X-rays. heart tracing to check your heart's rhythm and electrical activity (an electrocardiogram or ECG)

An uneventful laparoscopic cholecystectomy or gallbladder removal requires about 30 to 45 minutes of operative time, one to two hours of preoperative preparation and approximately an hour or two of recovery time.