Dr. Mandelbaum has a vast experience with diseases of the gallbladder and gallbladder surgery. He has removed over 1500 gallbladders and counting as of 2020.
A gallbladder needs to be removed when it is causing pain. Gallbladders cause pain when gallstones within the gallbladder block the exit of the bile from the gallbladder. Only a small percentage of people have gallstones and only a few patients with gallstones will experience pain. We don’t know why some people develop gallstones and some don’t. In most instances removal of the stones alone is not practical. Unfortunately there are no medications that will get rid of gallstones.
If you are having symptoms and your gallbladder is not removed there is a very high likelihood of having another attack. The chances of having another attack within 3 to 6 months is about 50% if you have already had one attack.
A gallbladder attack (or what's called biliary colic) can be much worse than a couple hours of pain. If the stone is stuck in the neck of the gallbladder for more than a few hours you will likely end up in the emergency department, possibly with an infection in the gallbladder.
A stone can also exit the gallbladder and block the entire bile system, including the pancreas, and this can be a life threatening problem.
Below are some links to some videos that are worth watching.
Basic gallbladder anatomy and how gallstones cause pain:
In this video a surgeon named Buck Parker explains the surgery and its risks:
What to do ( and not to do ) and expectations after your surgery
Some patients will have a tube inserted through the skin to drain the gallbladder. This is called a percutaneous cholecystostomy tube. This video explains how to care for these tubes.
A small amount of purulent drainage now and again around the tube is common and not a cause for concern.
You can shower with the tube. Remove all the dressings and shower. Put new clean dry dressing on. It is not a problem if the tube and the site of insertion get wet.
If your tube falls out and you have pain you should go to the emergency.
If your tube falls out and you don’t have pain call Dr. Mandelbaum’s office and we will assess the situation and make a plan with you. If it falls out in the evening or middle of the night and you have no pain you can call our office in the morning or go to the emergency first thing in the morning.
Remember, if you have pain, fever, nausea or vomiting you should go to the emergency.
You will have some pain particularly at the belly button after surgery. As long as the pain is getting better little by little day by day you were likely going the right direction.
Particularly in the first 3 days if you have increasing pain fever nausea or vomiting you should go to the emergency department.
After having your gallbladder removed, there are no limitations on your diet. After the surgery, you may feel full or nauseated easily with a large meal. The bowels usually need some time to begin functioning normally again. Some people experience diarrhea after the Gallbladder is removed. Most people have this resolve in the first few weeks, and others never experience diarrhea.
Over the wounds will be an outer dressing and an inner dressing. The outer dressing should be removed after approximately 48 hours and at this time you can shower. Dap the wounds dry with some paper towel and a new outer dressing can be placed if you like.
Do not submerge in a bath for 1 week. The inner dressing which are little sticky tapes called Steri-Strips should be left on until they start to peel off which is usually by 2 weeks. At this point you can peel them off.
For people who work at jobs that do not require heavy lifting or exertion you can go back to work whenever you feel ready. For some people it could be as early as a week, for many people it is 2 weeks.
If you do a small amount of exertion at work one month may be more appropriate for returning.
If you do a job where you do a lot of heavy lifting such as construction we advise waiting a full 6 weeks until returning to work.
This is a special situation. This situation can occur any time from immediately after surgery to up to a year from the surgery. In this situation it is very possible that a gallstone slipped out of the gallbladder either just prior to the surgery or at the time of the operation. The stone is likely stuck in the major bile duct and causing pain. If this occurs you should go to the nearest emergency department for evaluation.
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