My Operation

Pre-Op Procedure
I arrived at the Day Procedure Unit at 7.30am and was checked in by a nurse.  She asked a few simple questions (such as when had I last eaten, was I allergic to anything) and explained that I was third on the list so would probably go into theatre late morning.  I then returned to the waiting room to wait for the doctor and anaesthetist.  The anaesthetist applied some EMLA cream to my hands to numb the area for my cannula and asked a few more questions.  He explained the side effects of the anaesthetic, including a sore throat from the tube that they pass down the throat, dizziness and nausea.

When the consultant called me in, he explained how the procedure would work.  Essentially they make four incisions in my stomach, one under my bellybutton, one below the bra line and two on my right hand side.  They are about 1-2cm wide.  They pass a tube through one of the holes to inflate my stomach to allow them more room to operate and remove the gallbladder.  Two titanium clips are placed on the artery & bile duct connected to the gallbladder and then the gallbladder is removed.  They hold the gallbladder by the neck so as not to risk losing any stones.  A local anaesthetic is then injected into the stomach to reduce the pain caused by the gas and the wounds.  They then seal the wounds with steri-strips and cover with dressings.

After meeting with the consultant, I waited for another 1.5 hours before the nurse called me in to get changed into my gown.  They gave me two anti-sickness tablets and then I was walked down to theatre.

The Operation
In the anaesthetic room, I was asked to remove my dressing gown and lie on the bed.  They removed my EMLA cream and attached three heartbeat monitors (two to my chest and one to my left hand side).  It took a little time for them to find a vein, but once they did I didn’t even feel the needle go into my hand.  If you are nervous about needles, I really recommend having some EMLA cream put on before the procedure.  The anaesthetic was injected into my cannula and within a minute I was drifting off to sleep…

Post Operation

I woke up back on the ward and felt as though I had had the best sleep ever!  The nurse sitting next to me explained that all had gone well and it was all over in about 50 minutes.  I remember slurring my words and rambling on about how wonderful they all were and how I was going to buy them all a big box of biscuits (it is like being drunk – a weird but wonderful feeling!). 

In the ward, they gave me water and cups of tea to drink and monitored my blood pressure and pulse every 15 minutes for the first 1.5 hours.  I had half a toasted tea cake with REAL butter (yay!) and half a salmon sandwich.  After 2 hours, they got me to my feet and walked me through to the recovery lounge.  I had some soreness in my tummy, but otherwise I felt really good.  The consultant popped in to tell me that it was a huge success and that there would be no complications.  He wanted to sign me off work for 3 weeks since he was concerned about me lifting, but thought that I should be able to walk around and carry out normal household duties within a week or two.  He said that my gallbladder was packed with stones which explains why I was having so many attacked and gave me a few of them in a jar (which I accidentally left in the hospital).  They were absolutely tiny so it amazed me that they caused so much trouble!

In the recovery lounge I drank more tea and chatted with the other post-operation recoverees.  They removed my cannula and helped me to walk to the changing room to get dressed.  Getting dressed alone was a bit of a challenge as they told me not to bend over, but somehow I managed it.  By the time I returned to my chair, they had called my husband and he was on his way to collect me.  They discharged me 4 hours after my operation with instructions to take ibuprofen and paracetamol for a few days.  The dressings were to stay on for 48 hours and I was to avoid lifting anything heavy for 2 weeks. 

How Am I Now?

Today is 3 days post operation and I feel lots better.  My tummy barely hurts at all now.  I have a few ulcers around my mouth from where they put the tube down my throat but I am treating them and they are getting smaller now.  I am still quite tired and have to have naps after small periods of activity, but I can easily see myself feeling almost back to normal by the end of next week (i.e. 2 weeks post op). 

So, for those of you who are still waiting for your operation, try not to worry.  It was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be and I am already feeling almost back to normal!