Should you be having PAIN After Gallbladder Surgery?

One of the most common concerns people have after an operation is the experience of pain.

All surgery has at least some pain. For surgery like gallbladder operations the pain should be manageable. If it requires more than over the counter type pain medications it may be time to talk to your surgeon.

In this video I discuss several situations where pain is normal, but also some of the situations where the pain may represent a more serious issue and should be brought to the attention of your surgeon.

As always thank you for watching and I appreciate any of your comments below.

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[RL-ptmc]

Thanks for the informative video.
Ill be having my gallbladder removed on July 6th along with 10% of my liver due to liver cancer.
During my MRI last month the doctors discovered that I have one large gallstone.
This will be my fifth cancer in the last 3 years.
My team of doctors at Mayo Clinic have told me that each cancer has been an independent from my other cancers
I've had
Colon cancer
Skin cancer
Lung cancer
Saliva gland cancer
And now liver cancer
I beat cancer 4 times in the past and ill beat liver cancer

[loyaldawg]

Just had mine out 3 weeks ago. Pain from the incision through the abdominal muscle incision was the worst. I honestly didn’t get much relief from the hydrocodone…but ice packs were my saving grace! Immediate pain relief. People forget that ice and/or heat can be great simple pain relief

[moniquej]

I just had my gallbladder removed on the 25th of July and they gave me Percocet. Loved it. Took away most of the pain and put me to sleep easy. I only needed it for a week. Today, about ten days later, I feel almost 💯

[melissarosengarten]

I had mine removed 5 days ago. My left side is very sore and I’m pretty bruised but I’m now handling pain with extra strength Tylenol. Thanks for your video!

[Jullebulle]

I did remove my gallbladder 3 days ago. It doesn’t hurt that much at all anymore. The only time it hurt is when I stand up, but it’s not the wounds that hurts it’s the tape that tugging on my skin that hurts. The day after my surgery it felt like I had done a massive work out and had sore muscles.

[ataraxic]

I returned to work after 2 weeks and now I'm at 3 weeks post-op. I work an easygoing office job but I have discovered that sitting straight upright in a position for typing causes a significant amount of deferred pain to my back and shoulder. I'm not sure if it's normal but it's making it difficult to work.

Hope this improve soon

[Fudog]

I had my gallbladder taken out while on vacation 54 days ago. I went to the ER at 0130 and was under the knife at 1030 that morning. The team that reviewed my case agreed to prioritize. For that I am forever grateful.
54 days later I have had two extreme pain incidents. Once after eating egg foo young and another after eating Mahi Mahi, rice and then cake and ice cream. What probably did it? Rich food and overeating. I have learned that I need to eat happy meal sized portions now. I'm 6'2 (188 CM) and 190 lbs. (86 kg). No comorbidities. I used to love stuffing myself at Thanksgiving. Not anymore. I have evolved to eating 2, 000 calories 5-6 times per day now. Doc, thanks for the video.

[muzerhythm]

I was scared when my doctor wanted me to get an MRI before my surgery (I was VERY clostrophobic, but doctor gave me Xanax to relax me 😁). But after you mentioned stones left behind and other problems, I'm glad they did! The doctor told me he wanted to do this in case they DO find a stone lodged and they would do a procedure going down the throat to area with the stones and remove it before removing the gallbladder. Thank goodness the MRI showed everything was cleared out (stones and sludge) and was ready for surgery.

[heathdaley]

I went to ER 3 weeks ago twice. And got sent home. Still excruciating pain. Took two weeks to find out gall stones.
Referred two years ago with stones and now 2 years later still sent home.
Can’t wait for the pain to go away 😢

[Gela_MD]

I just had my open gallblader surgery 7days Ago thank you Doc for the discussion.

[brentkuehne]

66 and had mine out 4 days ago. Surgeon did give me 3 days of 5mg oxy. But did not want me to take it unless absolutely necessary. Well it was necessary for 3 days. I can tell this recovery is going to take longer than I was told. Super sore!

[karenstork]

My daughter is in the hospital as we speak. She had Emergency gallbladder removal surgery n surgery went good Dr said. She woke up in a lot of pain that would not go away for hours. She was released the next day. 36 hours later the same Presurgery pain came back n she was vomiting bile every 10 minutes . She is now on antibiotics for infection in a bile duck n will have a stent put in it short term few weeks to drain infection She will have an endoscopy done today n will be released in a few days. 🙏🙏🙏

[lilygracia]

I had mine removed 6 days ago (laparoscopic removal). I was able to manage my pain for the most part with Tylenol and a muscle relaxer. However, I experienced excruciating pain 2 days after surgery on the surgical site and my shoulders. Oxicodone did not help at all. I was told the pain was due to the gas introduced during surgery. There was nothing to do but wait for my body to reabsorb it or release it. The pain was worse than the gallbladder attack itself. Thankfully, I was able to release some gas and the pain hasn't been back. I'm no longer taking pain meds.

[tdelf]

I had my GB removed yesterday. I also have Crohn’s disease and have had a bowel resection. 2 hrs ago had a dbl mastectomy. I have a lot of inflammation throughout my body and am on pain medication daily. The dr said I have a very angry belly because once he got in there it took him 45 min just to find my GB due to all the inflammation and scar tissue. So, I came out of surgery in tremendous pain. Six hours later I was in so much pain that I asked my sister to call an ambulance to take me to another hospital. I don’t understand how I can have a dbl mastectomy in Oregon and 20 minutes after surgery I am resting comfortably, but the hospital in Montana could not figure it out. I seriously thought I was going to die. Doing better now. Resting comfortably. Should have never happened.

[debbieporter]

You should mention the right shoulder pain afterwards from the gas given to do the lap. No one ever tells patients that.

[dorothiedaniels]

One test that could help determine gallbladder function is the HIDA scan, which can give the diagnosis of biliary/gallbladder dyskinesia. It’s essentially the same symptoms as a gallstone attack but there are none present. Many folks go to the E.R with intense or dull pain in the upper right quadrant, get an ultrasound only to be sent home with more questions than answers because there are no stones. If you have little to no gallbladder function you will experience this and it’s the same outcome of removal that needs to happen.

[brentkuehne]

At 66 I am 2 months out from surgery. Incision pain is just now gone. Ice several times a day help the most. Don't know if it's an age thing, but expect the Incision pain to be significant for a month, particularly if you're active.

[zhizanhao]

I was diagnosed with gallstones 2 weeks ago 😢

The doctors recommended that I undergo surgery (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) 😞

I'm not happy with that. I feel like living without a gallbladder isn't normal 😭

[chaxiong]

I had my gallbladder remove 2 yrs ago worst decision I've made. Now I have all sorts of digestive issues. In and out of ER doctors can't help.

[sarahtaylor]

I had gallbladder surgery in 2016 due to repeated pain my upper abdomen. I was told my galbladder needed to be removed at 26 years old. After surgery, my pain got way worse. I went to the doctor and he told me the pain was associated with the surgery. Flash forward to 3 years later, I was having the most pain I've ever experienced in my upper abdonmen and was told it was GERD. GERD medication did nothing for me and I never experience "heartburn." This pain feels like it is in my muscle. Now flash forward to 2024 and I consistently sent off metal detectors at airports and concerts and no answers as why except it may be caused from a clamp. I've also heard they wouldn't use clamps that would set off a metal detector in the last 20 years. MRI showed nothing. Sonogram showed nothing. I have been diagnosed with a lipoma on my right side back. But this was recent and I have been having the pain for 7 years.