The gallbladder is a small organ that is located below the liver and is attached to the portion that links the small intestine to the stomach via the cystic duct. The gallbladder is considered important since it serves as storage for bile, which is a type of juice secreted by the liver that helps in emulsifying fat. Nevertheless, the gall bladder can also experience different types of problems such as the inflammation of its tissue and as well as the development of gallbladder stones, which can block the passageway of the juice from the gallbladder towards the duodenum. Because of these conditions, it can create different types of symptoms, which include the presence of severe pain at the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. This can usually be treated with drugs and other types of medications; however, if the condition is already at its worse, then surgical intervention is already being required. The surgical removal of the gallbladder is medically known as cholecystectomy. Below are some of the facts with regards to this type of operation and as well as some of the details about the recovery from gallbladder surgery.
Understanding Gallbladder Removal
There are actually a lot of reasons behind the removal of our gallbladder. Just like what is mentioned above, some of the primary reasons are due to inflammation and gall stone formation. Once we encounter the surgical removal of the gallbladder, we must be aware of the different techniques for us to recover from this operation.
Facts about Recovery from Gallbladder Removal
Once the surgical removal is complete, we can usually go home the same day of the operation if there are no complications or adverse reactions from the procedure. However, this does not mean that we are already back to our normal healthy condition. It is important for us to continue monitoring our situation for any untoward side effects from the operation. One of these is the incision. Since the cut is still considered fresh and raw, we must regularly observe it for any signs of bleeding or pus formation. Once this thing happens, it is necessary for us to contact our doctor immediately in order for the incision to be mended as soon as possible. Aside from this, we must also inform the attending surgeon or physician if the incision site becomes warm and reddish in color. These can be signs of infection, which must be intervened immediately in order to prevent the condition from worsening. Pain is considered a normal reaction to the surgery especially since the anesthesia used for the operation will already begin to subside. However, if the pain becomes very severe, then this too must already be reported to the physician so as to provide immediate and appropriate actions.
After the operation, doctors will also prescribe medications, which must be taken religiously post surgery. Some of these are usually given through IV and one of the expected medications to be given is the antibiotics in order to serve as a preventive treatment against possible infection. Other medications that can be prescribed by the doctor include drugs for nausea and vomiting and as well as analgesic agents that can help lessen eh pain of the incision site once the anesthesia has already subsided. This is usually used at home and is only taken by the patient once the pain already becomes intolerable.
The recovery time for post gallbladder removal surgery usually depends on each person. Some of us can recover for a very short period of time, while others can take several weeks before he or she can be considered completely healed. Nevertheless, the average time for a person to reach complete recovery is from 6 to 8 weeks. Once outside the hospital, we must stay inside the house for several days or weeks in order for the soreness of the site to subside. Doing this can also lessen the exposure of the area to different elements that can be a cause for an infection. However, after resting for at least a week, we can now go back to our usual daily routine without doing any strenuous activity such as lifting heavy materials. After about 6 to 8 weeks, we can now reassess our condition before allowing our bodies to undergo physical activities once again. Visiting the doctor every once in a while is also recommended in order for the condition to be monitored and for us to prevent any complications.
One of the effective ways in order to hasten the recovery from gallbladder removal surgery is through the consumption of a healthy and a complete diet. We must make sure that our body can get all the needed nutrients during recovery so as to speed up the healing process. Aside from these, we must also begin to limit our fat consumption since our body already does not have any gallbladder to store the bile that is essential for fat digestion. Constipation is also found out to be one of the common problems experienced after gall bladder surgery. This is the why regular visits to the doctor’s office is necessary in order for our situation to be assessed properly.
These are some of the common techniques or ways in recovering from the surgical removal of the gallbladder.