Pain around belly button 5 weeks after gallbladder surgery

Post-Operative Instructions for Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal

Foris Surgical Group, LLP

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS:

• You will find yourself feeling weak and tired for 1-2 weeks after going home (and maybe longer). This will eventually resolve.
• Listen to your body and rest when you feel you need to.
• You might experience soreness like a sprain in the right shoulder or back. This is due to the gas that is put into your abdomen during the surgery- it will go away in 2-3 days. Apply heat to shoulder and back and take your pain medication as prescribed.
• Try not to lie flat. Elevate your head on several pillows and place a pillow under your knees to promote comfort and decrease risk of developing shoulder soreness.
• Your belly will feel bloated for about one week; you may not be able to close your pants. This will pass as the gas in the abdomen is absorbed.
• In the meantime, you might be more comfortable in loose fitting clothing.
• The belly button incision site and upper midline incisions are usually the most sore.
• You will probably develop mild bruising around one or more of your incisions.

DIET:

• You may return to normal food after you get home from your surgery. You may wish to avoid heavy foods following your surgery and perhaps just take liquids that day.
• The day after your surgery you may eat anything you wish. You should avoid fatty foods for two weeks following your surgery. You may want to avoid carbonated beverages for several days.

ACTIVITIES:

• You will feel easily fatigued for at least one week after discharge; this is normal.
• Rest as much as you need to.
• You may take short trips in a car as desired.
• You should not drive until you have stopped taking your pain medications.
• You are encouraged to take short walks two to three times daily.
• Do NOT lift anything over 20 lbs.
• Refrain from sports and exercise during the first week home.
• You may go up and down stairs as desired.
• After one week, you may return to all normal activities, as you desire (avoid very heavy, sudden lifting that causes increased discomfort).
• Depending on the physical activity requirements of your job you will probably be out of work a minimum of one week but this should be discussed with your surgeon.

INCISIONS:

• Remove the band aids or gauze 2 days after you get home.
• On the 2nd day after surgery, you may remove your dressings and shower. Please keep the dressings and incision sites dry until then. If you have small brown strips of tape across the incisions, you may gently wash over them and pat the strips of tape dry after the shower. Let these fall off by themselves.

MEDICATIONS:

• Use your pain pills (narcotics) as prescribed.
• You should switch to plain Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) as soon as possible to reduce complications or side effects from the narcotics.
• The pain pills (especially Tylox, Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycodone, Oxy IR, etc.) are prone to cause constipation. Increase fluids, fruits, and fiber in your diet to help prevent constipation.
• If you have not had a bowel movement by the 3rd day after surgery, you may take a gentle laxative such as Milk of Magnesia.

CALL YOUR DOCTOR IF:

• You develop a fever above 101.5F. Having a slight temperature elevation for first couple days is normal.
• You have a fever that persists greater than one week.
• You develop enough drainage from any of the incisions to saturate a piece of gauze after the first dressing change.
• You develop yellow or green drainage or rings/streaks of redness around the incision site(s).
• Generally, you will feel stronger and less sore with each passing day. If, after a few days, you begin to feel worse rather than better, you should call the office.
• If you notice very dark urine or the white part of your eyes (sclera) turns yellow.

FOLLOW UP:

• Call the office after you get home to schedule a checkup in 10-14 days or as instructed by your surgeon.

Finally, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your surgery or recuperation please DO NOT HESITATE to call our office –we are here to help in any way we can.

Foris Surgical Group, LLP
45 Thomas Johnson Drive, Suite 211
Frederick, MD 21702
(301)-694-3200

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Essential Reading Case Studies

Christine is a 39 year old mother of four who came to my clinic seeking help for her fatty liver. She has had a fatty liver for the last 6 years. Christine has a copy of my book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It and she has been following the plan in that book for the last 6 months. A subsequent ultrasound showed her liver has experienced a very mild improvement, but Christine is quite concerned about her health and that’s why she wanted a consultation.

Christine got her gallbladder removed 9 weeks ago. She had gallstones for almost as long as the fatty liver. Christine has experienced a dull ache in the right upper side of her abdomen for many years (liver region). One night 9 weeks ago the pain became so bad that her husband drove her to hospital. Christine broke out in a sweat, she felt intensely nauseous and the pain was unbearable.

Christine left the hospital the following afternoon, without her gallbladder. In many cases gallstones can be dissolved and an inflamed gallbladder can be healed. This involves a big change in diet long term, but it is possible. In Christine’s case I was glad she had her gallbladder removed. The scan report said that there were 4 large stones present, her gallbladder was greatly inflamed and the walls of her gallbladder were significantly thickened. This means the condition was advanced and it had been present for a long time.

The problem is, despite having her gallbladder taken out, Christine was still in a significant amount of pain. This was a big shock to her. Surely the surgery was supposed to fix this.

I explained to Christine that a significant percentage of people still experience pain and discomfort after having their gallbladder removed. Yes it is necessary to remove a very diseased organ, but the bigger problem is still present. Why did Christine develop a gallbladder problem in the first place? What can be done about her fatty liver?

A number of different things can contribute towards causing gallbladder disease. We have described them in detail in our book Save Your Gallbladder, and what to do if you’ve already lost it. Generally if the liver is unhealthy, it will produce poor quality bile that is excessively thick and stagnant. Over time this can lead to the formation of bile sludge in the gallbladder. Eventually sludge can turn to stones. People with digestive problems are also more likely to develop gallstones. Celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth can all impair proper contraction of the gallbladder. If the gallbladder can’t contract properly, it can’t empty fully. This also increases the risk of biliary sludge and stones.

The most important thing to do now is reduce Christine’s pain, improve her digestion and reverse the fatty liver.

This is what I recommended:

• The eating plan in the book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. This is a lower carbohydrate, higher protein and healthy fat diet. It is not necessary or beneficial to avoid fat if you’ve got a fatty liver. You just need to avoid unhealthy fats: margarine and industrial seed oils high in omega 6 fats.
• Christine suffered with a lot of heartburn and research has shown this can be caused by small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. I asked Christine to take Intestinal Parasite Cleanse capsules for their anti-microbial effects, and also glutamine powder supplement, such as my Ultimate Gut Health powder,to heal the lining of her intestines and esophagus.
• The liver tonic, Livatone Plus contains the nutrients needed by the liver to burn fat efficiently and also detoxify the bloodstream. I asked Christine to take 2 capsules twice daily with meals.
• I asked my patient to drink 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in ¼ mug of warm water five minutes before lunch and dinner. This would prepare her digestive system for food and also improve nutrient absorption from her food and supplements.
• Since she has had her gallbladder removed, Christine feels quite unwell after eating oily foods. The good fats in foods such as avocados, olive oil, egg yolks and pastured meat offer many health benefits and they also increase the satiety of a meal. Therefore I gave Christine an ox bile supplement to enable her to digest these good fats properly.

I saw Christine one week ago and plan to have another consultation with her in 3 weeks. She has sent me one email though and said so far she hasn’t experienced any pain in her liver region. Fatty liver is extremely common, but in Christine’s case it’s quite advanced and serious. Reversing it will take time and dedication but she has a strong determination to improve her health.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

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