How To Get Rid Of Bloating After Gallbladder Surgery

Quick Tips For Immediately After Your Surgery

For the first few days after your surgery, your diet should be made up of clear liquids, broth, and gelatin. And while some alcoholic beverages may be clear, you should avoid alcohol for at least two days after your surgery.

After the first few days, you can start gradually adding solid food back into your diet. You should stick with small meals at first.

Avoid these types of foods when you start adding foods back into your diet:

• Foods that cause gas

You Can Get Better Results If You Chew Gum

Chewing gum can be as effective as peppermint tea to prevent bloating. No matter what gum flavor you chew, the chewing motion helps you avoid constipation and regulate bowel movements.

While chewing, you should close your mouth. If you open your mouth while chewing, you will fill your stomach with gas.

Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes

Each patient requires an interprofessional team of healthcare professionals working in tandem to provide the most effective and appropriate care. This cohesive effort is beneficial for the patient presenting with symptoms consistent with post-cholecystectomy syndrome as the etiology can vary greatly. Early recognition of the etiology can be essential to prevent worse outcomes for these patients. an interprofessional approach with surgeons, nurses, and gastroenterologists involved from the initial onset of symptoms is critical to the care of these patients. While nurses may help prevent worsening outcomes by alerting physicians of any change in clinical status, the technicians may assist the physician in appropriately treating the patient. Filip et al. highlighted an algorithmic approach for the initial evaluation of the PCS patient that decreased the number of unnecessary invasive procedures and resulted in decreased morbidity and mortality. Further studies should evaluate the role of such an algorithmic approach in the management of PCS patients.

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Super Helpful Tips To Prevent Discomfort Post Gallbladder Surgery

If youre having your gallbladder removed, you may be focused on the procedure itself and on preparing for it. But knowing how to take care of yourself after your operation is just as important.

Here at Desert West Surgery in Las Vegas, well do everything we can to minimize your discomfort before, during, and after your gallbladder surgery. In this blog, we want to share three helpful tips you can use to stay comfortable after surgery.

Still Bloated After Gallbladder Removal

deesan21

Hello guys it’s me again. So I have been having a couple of issues after my gallbladder removal on August 5th. My stomach seems to feel very full now. This happened maybe 3-4 days after my surgery. I also started getting nauseous. But what bothers me the most is this bloated feeling. It’s very uncomfortable and I can’t eat much because I feel so stuffed and the nausea makes it worse. If I do try to eat my stomach literally feels like it’s about to burst and it makes it hard to breathe. I’ve been walking here and there maybe 20 blocks each time as I was told walking will make the gas leave. But I feel so bad I’m not sure if anyone has experienced bloating this long? A friend of mine said her bloating and has left in a week. Is it possible to take ginger ale to help me burp, maybe gas x, anything? I just want to feel good again and I honestly feel sick. Don’t think I’m constipated and I’ve been having bouts of diarreah and soft stool.

1 like, 185 replies

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What Should I Expect After Gallbladder Removal Surgery

You can still live normally, even with a missing gallbladder. The liver will still produce enough bile juice for food digestion. But therell be no place for bile storage- itll continuously drip into the digestive system.

You dont need special precautions or diets after the surgery. Just adhere to a normal, healthy, and balanced diet.

Eat Smaller Meals More Frequently

Large meals make your digestive system work harder and increase your risk of developing gas and other symptoms related to gallbladder removal.

You can stick with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but decrease the portion sizes for each and use the leftover calories for a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. If you usually eat a sandwich at lunch, save time in the kitchen by preparing a whole sandwich and saving half for your afternoon snack.

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When Should You Call For Help

anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:

• You passed out .
• You are short of breath.

or seek immediate medical care if:

• You are sick to your stomach and cannot drink fluids.
• You have pain that does not get better when you take your pain medicine.
• You cannot pass stools or gas.
• You have signs of infection, such as:
• Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness.
• Red streaks leading from the incision.
• Pus draining from the incision.

Watch closely for any changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if you have any problems.

When To See A Gastroenterologist

Generally speaking, its important to let your gastroenterologist know of any symptoms you have after gallbladder removal surgery. Most cases of constipation and diarrhea will go away on their own, but you can still consult your doctor to see what their suggestions are.

Chronic diarrhea requires medical attention, and a retained stone and intestinal injury require medical care as well. If you think you may have an intestinal injury, its wise to go to the emergency room to be evaluated.

Even if you feel as if your symptoms are minor, your gastroenterologist needs to make a firm diagnosis to rule out more serious problems. If you dont require medicine or medical treatment, your doctor can give you suggestions on how to manage your symptoms.

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Other Effects Of Gallbladder Surgery

The gallbladder can be surgically removed through an abdominal incision. These days, its more likely that your doctor will choose laparoscopic surgery. This procedure involves a few tiny incisions. Your hospital stay and total recovery time will likely be considerably shorter after laparoscopic surgery.

Aside from the usual risks of any surgery and anesthesia, temporary effects of the surgery may include loose, watery stools, bloating, and gassiness. This may last for a few weeks to a few months.

Contact your doctor if you have:

• worsening diarrhea

Choose Healthy Over High

We all need fat in our diets, but the type and amount you reach for makes a difference, and a high-fat meal can cause abdominal bloating and cramping after gallbladder removal.

Fats to avoid include:

• French fries, potato chips, and other fried snacks
• Fatty, processed meats such as bologna and sausage
• Whole fat cheeses, ice cream, and milk
• Cream soups and sauces
• Coconut and palm oil

Spicy foods can also affect your digestion, especially following gallbladder removal, so add the cayenne sparingly and avoid hot sauce until your stomach can handle an adventure. When youre ready, start with mild sauce and increase the heat gradually over time.

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Why Does My Gallbladder Need To Be Removed

Surgery to remove the gallbladder is usually carried out if you have painful gallstones.

These are small stones that can form in the gallbladder as a result of an imbalance in the substances that make up bile.

Gallstones often cause no symptoms and you may not realise you have them, but occasionally they can block the flow of bile and irritate the gallbladder or pancreas .

This can cause symptoms such as:

• sudden and intense tummy pain
• feeling and being sick
• yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes

Surgery to remove the gallbladder is the most effective treatment in the vast majority of cases.

How To Avoid Discomfort After Gallbladder Removal

Every time you digest a meal, you can thank your gallbladder. Its only about four inches long, but its big enough to perform its very specific job concentrating bile from your liver and releasing it into your small intestine to break down your food.

When it malfunctions, becomes inflamed, or develops gallstones or polyps, you notice the symptoms right away, pain in the upper right area of your abdomen, nausea, bloating, diarrhea, and lightheadedness are clear signs that you have gallbladder disease.

If youre experiencing any of these symptoms, expert help is available at Surgical Consultants of Northern Virginia in Reston, Virginia. Our team of specialists conduct a thorough exam, determine an accurate diagnosis, and offer the least invasive treatment options possible.

In some cases, gallbladder disease responds well to medication and lifestyle changes, but often, its best to remove your gallbladder to eliminate the symptoms completely. Afterwards, you may need to make a few adjustments. Heres how to sidestep pain and discomfort after gallbladder removal.

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How To Reduce Abdominal Swelling After A Surgery

This article was co-authored by JoAnna Nguyen, MD. Dr. Joanna Nguyen is a Board-Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon based in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Nguyen holds dual degrees in Psychology and Biology with a Specialization in Neuroscience from Boston University and completed her medical training at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She then went on to complete comprehensive training in plastic surgery at the University of Southern California. Dr. Nguyen is a practicing plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, California and specializes in eyelid surgery, labiaplasty and breast augmentation. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Plastic Surgery.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 94% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 196,593 times.

You can reduce swelling after abdominal surgery by properly caring for the incision site and by being gentle on your digestive system. Follow all of your doctor’s or nurse’s advice about keeping your wound clean and infection-free. In addition, you should eat mild, easy-to-digest food in small quantities throughout the day to avoid bloating. You should also drink plenty of water and eat fiber-rich foods to avoid constipation.

What Happens During Gallbladder Removal Surgery

There are 2 main ways of removing a gallbladder:

• laparoscopic cholecystectomy several small cuts are made in your tummy and fine surgical instruments are used to access and remove your gallbladder
• open cholecystectomy a single larger incision is made in your tummy to access and remove your gallbladder

Keyhole surgery is used most often because you can leave hospital sooner, recover faster and are left with smaller scars than with an open procedure.

Both techniques are performed under general anaesthetic, which means you’ll be asleep during the operation and won’t feel any pain while it’s carried out.

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Create A Good Sleeping Environment In Your Bedroom

When you recover from any type of surgery, its important to make sure that you have a clean, calm environment to rest in while you heal.

If you have the opportunity to prep your bedroom before your surgery, you might want to invest in blackout curtains and moisture-wicking sheets to create a dark, relaxing atmosphere.

Make sure you have a glass of water, your phone charger, and any other essentials on an accessible surface near your bed before you lie down, as it may hurt a bit to get up and out of bed multiple times. Using an eye mask and noise-canceling earplugs to decrease night disturbances may also help you.

Causes Of Trouble Sleeping After Gallbladder Surgery

Removal of your gallbladder can make resting difficult for a few days. The causes may vary according to why you needed your gallbladder removed in the first place, whether youre staying a few nights in the hospital, and which type of surgical procedure you had.

A small study published in 1990 showed that people who had an open gallbladder surgery under general anesthesia were more likely to lose sleep the following night than people who had laparoscopic gallbladder surgery under general anesthesia.

This same study concluded that in the first 2 to 4 nights after either type of surgery, your body will lose a significant amount of REM sleep, but that in the days afterward, your body will try to provide you with extra REM sleep to make up for it.

Causes may include:

• difficulty getting comfortable outside of your typical sleep position
• post-anesthesia insomnia

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Follow Your Doctors Exercise Advice

Your doctor will give you personalized guidance on how you can start exercising after your surgery. In the initial days after surgery, any type of heavy or intense exercise is prohibited.

However, a brief walk during the day is encouraged to help relieve bloating, increase circulation and help you to feel better.

Foods To Avoid After You Have Your Gallbladder Removed

You may develop diarrhea after having your gallbladder removed. The reason is that without your gallbladder, bile flows directly into your intestines and acts as a laxative.

The diarrhea caused by that process usually goes away in a few weeks to a few months. For quickest results, try avoiding the following:â

High-fat foods. Because high-fat foods are harder to digest, you should avoid them if you’re having gas, bloating, or diarrhea after your surgery. In general, fat should make up no more than 30% of your daily calories. Saturated fat should make up no more than 10% of your daily calories.

Try to stick with foods that contain less than 3 grams of fat per serving. Foods that are high in fat include:

• Tropical oils such as palm and coconut
• Processed baked goods such as cookies, pastries, and cakes

Spicy foods. Foods that contain capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers, can irritate your stomach lining. This can cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Foods that generally make diarrhea worse. You may get some relief by avoiding caffeine, dairy products, and very sweet foods.

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Digestion After Gallbladder Removal

The gallbladder aids digestion by storing and concentrating bile. Normally, bile flows from the liver into the gallbladder for storage. When you eat a meal, the gallbladder normally releases a pool of bile into the small intestine to begin digesting fat. But this job is not critical for digestion or good health.

Without the gallbladder, the liver still produces the bile necessary to digest fat in food. But instead of entering the intestine all at once with a meal, the bile continuously drains from the liver into the intestine. This means it may be harder and take longer for your body to digest fat.

Digestive Problems After Gallbladder Surgery

Any type of surgery, no matter how small, comes with risk factors and side effects post-operation. Most patients with typical gallbladder operations usually have little to no side effects, but in some patients, digestive problems and other medical issues can occur.

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that is part of the digestive system and located under the liver. Its job is to regulate the flow of bile. Bile helps break down food, so when its needed, the gallbladder pushes the right amount of bile through tubes called bile ducts to the small intestine.

Gallstones are the most common reason for gallbladder removal surgery. Gallstones form when substances within bile build up and harden. This includes bile salts, cholesterol, and bilirubin. Having gallstones is quite painful, and surgery is often needed. There are other diseases of the gallbladder as well, however. These include:

However, your body still has the capability to live without your gallbladder. The liver can transport the bile through the common bile ducts without using the gallbladder as a middleman. Because your body can live without this organ, most patients do not experience significant side effects after surgery however, some do.

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What Can I Do To Help Reduce The Bloating

Post-surgical bloating and swelling is mostly eased with time. Although most swelling and bloating will clear by 12 weeks, you may find that swelling ebbs and flows for up to 12 months after surgery. Some ways you can help ease swelling, bloating and stomach discomfort are:

• Gentle mobilisation when you have the clearance to do so
• Increase your fluid intake to flush the excess fluid from your body
• Ensure your post-surgical diet is rich in fibre to aid bowel movements
• Gentle stool softeners can be utilised to help with post-surgery constipation
• Cease stronger pain medication as soon as practical and replace with those that are gentler on the gut such as paracetamol. It is important to note that post-surgical bloating and swelling cannot be improved with prescription medication.
• Keep wearing your surgical garment to help minimise swelling.

Although its uncomfortable, rest assured that post-surgical bloating and swelling is a completely normal part of the recovery process and will subside over time. If you have any questions about your recovery process, please do not hesitate to contact myself and our friendly team on 4920 7700.

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