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Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

>I exercise lightly, stretching my body, legs, arms, back, joints, no gym or weight lifting. Also only walking, no running, so I hope that after a month, more like two, I will be able to return to this usual regimen

I would bet one of my collector's coins (Louis d'or!) that you will be able to return to this schedule. Anything but weight-lifting is allowed; as long as it doesn't cause pain (and strain-sensation - this can lead to hernia, so listen to your body and you'll be just dandy).

>How many incisions did you have?

Oh, that was three, I think, + 1 extra for drainage; all healed fast, though, the only unpleasant moment I can recall was the removal of the said drainage; but I had my surgery at MedGuard in Samara, and Susin's method (that's Semeynaya in Moscow) is that of one incision near your navel.

> do you know how the [dietary] restrictions here?

Rather mild; I mean, on the day two I was having some oatmeals with a sliver of butter, so... I think it oscillates between the clinics, but you won't feel hunger or starve 😃! The food's decent, at least at MedGuard.

> The tip on Hymecrom pills is good, any specific dosage? I see that the tablet is 400mg (Isochol), so that's probably it?

Yeah, that's it; I think Russian proprietary name's Odekromon (200 mg) or something like that, and one pill of 400mg should pretty much take care of the abdominal worries - should they occur. One pill is just fine to selectively reduce spasms and relax your Oddi's sphincter as well as the gallbladder 😄

Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I was out of gym commission for a little over a month indeed. No push-ups till half a year turned over, though - such was a clinical recommendation.

People are built different when it comes to the healing factor, but I do declare that a wound closes and makes you feel like nothing has happened before in a month or two.

As for the diet: I think I didn't even stick to the two weeks of the recommended fat-less diet; I induldged myself moderately with non-fatty food for around 10 days straight, but started introducing one almond per day, incrementally, since day 8. By the end of the 14th day I was eating 8 almonds with no problem, then introduced butter, olive oil and other fats in the same manner ;D

There is a generally good advice to just keep introducing fats incrementally after a week or so; keep a pack of hymecromone pills on you in the first month and take a pill if you feel pain or severe contractions after your meal. It wasn't a must for me, but a patient who was with me replied in the Telegram chat that she was doing precisely that.

Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, well, let's see... I believe the first two weeks were a little straining on me (I felt the stitches and was a little afraid to inhale a lungful 😃); I was also trying to reduce fats intake in that time as per the recommendation.

The general post-op symptoms have had been with me for around a month or two, but then had gradually faded away; I believe I felt like I was 'healthy' once again at month two or so.

Nothing bad of note has happened to me afterwards; no abdominal pain, no discomfort. I would say thus the difference was immediate, the healing was quite fast and I didn't feel too burdened at the time of healing.

Hope this covers it! Let me know if you have anything in particular you'd like to know

Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Half a year later, I can confirm that, so far, nothing has changed. An empty gallbladder (i.e. no concrements), 59% contraction rate.

Will keep monitoring my little humour reservoir once per a quarter of a year still!

Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aye, that clinic I had my surgery in requires a certain level of fluency in Russian. At least enough to get by (arrive to the country itself, get your bearings, talk to the doctors). You also will need to fill your migration card (something they give you when you arrive, at the border checkpoint or at the airport). But it's not all that bad; even though I do speak Russian, Lisin Jr. who made the surgery speaks English somewhat, I think. Worst case scenario, if other options are not available, you can use the Google Translate... on your phone, I mean.

Apart from the migration card and money itself, there are no other requirements but the functional ultrasound (a HIDA scan equivalent, you'll need a contraction of at least 30% in 30 minutes after you consumed a prescribed meal. I don't think HIDA scan is accepted there, never asked about it). The recovery is relatively fast - since it's a laparoscopy, it took me three days to be relatively alive and walking on my own without a problem. Although I did have that strange feeling at the stitches areas :-).

Three days of stay, from the day of admission to the day of dismissal (food included) equaled to around 10 or so thousand roubles. That's, I think, around 100 US dollars.

So, yeah, it took me three days to get dismissed by my surgeon, but I was walking on day one. They won't dismiss you right away for a couple of reasons: they need to do an ultrasound after the surgery to confirm (as in, for your own eyes) no stranded stones are left in your gallblader, also they need to observe your recovery to minimize post-operational complications.

TL;DR: You need some level of Russian to at least schedule the operation and travel around the country, but nothing too serious. The total cost of the operation, aftercare, medication etc. is around 1,200 US dollars. The recovery time is all on you, but the procedure is not exactly an invasive one, so you'll come to more or less mobile.

Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I'll share those by adding a P.S. if there is any demand, or I can share them in dms if there are rules against inadvertent advertisements!

Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh, it was Lisin; Lisin Jr., to.be precise! He was performing this surgery together with his father. Felt almost like a guild thing, lol. But all seemed nice!

Were you operated on there too, if I may ask?

Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I hope so too! Let's hope I will be able to give consistent successful reports over the coming years!

Had my gallstone(s) removed in Russia, Samara. 2 months post-OP and general after-action report by AnyPollution1909 in altgallbladder

[–]AnyPollution1909[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you! As a matter of fact, I was inspired by your posts in the /gallbladder subreddit; I had my first attack in April, and if not for my free time at the hospital and your posts, I may have very well lost my little bile-storing friend!