I had my gall bladder removed in Jan 2007. For two years prior to this, I had severe, intermittent abdominal pain whenever I ate something heavy or greasy. I had one doctor prescribe OTC milk of magnesium, for me to drink it out of the bottle whenever I had stomach pain. (He never took my aches and pains seriously, because I have bipolar. He made it very clear to me that he wouldn’t treat anything medical until I was long-term stable on psychiatric meds.) My self-care habits weren’t so good in those days. I would binge drink occasionally. I smoked ½ pack of cigs per day. Due to lower back pain (I have a herniated disc), I took an excessive amount of Advil. During Christmas week of 2006, I had severe abdominal pain almost every day, and I could hardly keep a full meal down without getting sick. So, a few days after Christmas, I went to the ER per the strong, loving request of a friend. At the ER, I was diagnosed with having gall bladder stones, and infected kidneys and liver. I was told that if I didn’t get surgery, it could be fatal.
For approximately 9 days I was in the hospital, not permitted to eat or drink for the first week so that the infection in my kidneys and liver could be resolved. So, I was on an I.V. drip of glucose and pain meds. When the infection resolved, I underwent a laproscopy. Two days later, I was discharged. Recovery was rather uncomplicated, compared to life before the surgery. I had lost a lot of weight between the month I went in the hospital and the month after the surgery. For the first few days after I was released from the hospital, I rested and took prescription pain meds. I had a light diet. For a few months afterwards, I couldn’t eat anything fried or greasy. I was supposed to have a high-fiber diet. My normal appetite resumed about two months later. Three years later, I no longer smoke and I am working developing a healthy lifestyle. Occasionally, if I eat too much dairy or meat (my two biggest weaknesses), I have abdominal pain and related issues.