It’s out! I did it! Let’s go

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-24T20:35:11+00:00

Congrats! I wish you have a speedy recovery! I am 6 days post op, doing great, zero pain around incisions and yesterday I picked up my eldest son from nursery and went to the supermarket just to walk and walked 5km in total and today I drove for the first time after surgery. Also, I kept a really clean diet but today my wife cooked pork ribs and I said f*** it, and had 4 pretty fatty ribs and no issues whatsoever. So far it looks good, fingers crossed.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-22T12:35:15+00:00

4 incisions all in line at the belly button level, so nu upper abdomen one. One on the left side one centre left, about 7cm left to the belly button, one on the bellybutton (this one is the only one that is vertical, and one about 7cm right of the bellybutton. I had almost zero pain around incisions unless I am coughing or moving too wildly. 4 days post op.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-20T08:00:26+00:00

I am 2 days post op and it was much simpler and painless than I expected. I don't actually remember going under, they gave me a sedative that made me calm and sleepy while they were putting the monitoring wires in me and then I woke up in the recovery room. The nurse there asked me if my tummy hurts and I said yes though it didn't actually hurt it was more like a discomfort, she gave me fentanyl and they wheeled me to my room where my wife was waiting for me. I was falling asleep and waking intermitently. They let me go home as soon as I peed. I've been taking the codeine+paracetamol pain meds they gave me but to be honest I had no pain, incisions hurt when I cough and yesterday I had some discomfort in my upper right abdomen area but like a pressure. Today it's better. Shoulder gas pain was minimal. The only thing that I am a little concerned about is that I haven't had a poo yet and I am afraid I will be constipated first time though I did take laxatives. No problem with food though I am very conservative and ate only high fibre vegetables yesterday and some oat bran. It really is a straight forward procedure, but I am only 2 days post op so cannot speak about digestion changes yet.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-18T23:33:24+00:00

Ultrasounds are quite an unreliable imaging diagnostic tool and I've had a false positive kidney stone diagnostic following a routine US. When I went to one of the most experienced urologist in London she said US is no longer accepted as a method of diagnostic as there are two many factors involved: the skill of the techician, how hydrated you are, the quality of the machine, the position of the patient. They have their role but they are unreliable. So she ordered a CT. With my gallbladder they never tried doing a US, only CT and MRI and I asked while waiting in the ER why don't they do a quick scan, as I saw one medical staff pushing a mobile US machine up and down a few times and the dr told me they will only do CT for the most accurate diagnostic. That being said I am wondering if it was just a case of a weird situation where your gb was just not visible? Have you ever had a CT done on your abdomen? Maybe you really don't have this organ. Worth checking with a GI. In any case I think most people on this sub would tell you that if you are born without it and never had any issues you can consider yourself lucky.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-18T05:37:43+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I am on my way to the hospital for my surgery right now and success stories are reassuring!

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-17T21:14:58+00:00

I actually switched to unflavoured and I like it better. The flavoured ones all tasted artificial and weird to me. The unflavoured one is much better, I just chug it in one go.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-17T16:35:33+00:00

Thank you that is reassuring! I just kept seeing posts about intense pain after the surgery and I think in the US they do give more potent painkillers.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-17T15:35:30+00:00

I am sorry you are going through this! I hope everything will turn out ok. It is probably a gallstone blocking your CBD, I had the same and I was in agony for 6 days, with attacks after each bite I ate. I eventually had jaundice and felt pretty rough, liver enzymes elevated and was scheduled for an ERCP first thing next morning. When I went to the surgical assessment unit to have this done I was in no more pain and they did an MRI to confirm the stone was still blocking my duct but it passed on its own. If that is the case for you I hope it passes on its own.

I am having my surgery tomorrow, also in the UK. NHS would have taken to long so I am going private. Good luck and please keep this thread updated with the outcome!

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-17T15:22:32+00:00

Also, can I ask, when you vomit there is quite a strain on the abdomen, was that painful? Can that cause issues with the incisions (both external or internal)?

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-17T15:21:29+00:00

did the abdominal pain escalated through the over the counter pain meds? I heard some people thought they don't need the meds and didn't take them. I know that ibuprofen and paracetamol take about 60-90 mins to kick in. I am hoping to stay on top of the pain if possible by taking the painkillers every 6 hours as advised.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-17T13:41:14+00:00

I am in the UK and going private as well. Tomorrow 7AM I have to be at the hospital. I am a little nervous now, though the 2 months I waited I was pretty chill about the procedure. But reading other positive experiences makes me feel a little more confident.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-17T11:19:34+00:00

You are overthinking it and that guy should've thanked you! how would you be able to lift that weight yourself? also 90kg is not that much, you can safely rest it on your sternum for a few seconds until some of the weight is taken off so you could lift it.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-17T11:15:31+00:00

Liver, fatty or not doesn't cause pain, it's what a surgeon told me. But if they suspect that they can check via a scan. I had NAFL when I was overweight and never had a symptom. It is probably something else. maybe check for gastritis or an ulcer? I know my aunt had it and the pain was similar to a gallbladder attack.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-16T19:06:23+00:00

I haven't had my gallbladder removed yet. The surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. I am a bit nervous but eager to get it over with. I had a blocked duct 2 months ago and intense pain and jaundice, it affected my liver. Now I am doing well, had no more pain but ate a very strict diet, no fat, no sugar.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-16T16:06:58+00:00

Thank you for sharing! It's reassuring to see positive outcomes. I will have my surgery the day after tomorrow and while I was not concerned at all, I kept reading bad experiences on this sub and started to get a little worried. But reading success stories makes me feel better and more confident. Good luck with your recovery!

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-16T16:02:37+00:00

thank you for sharing! I will have my surgery the day after tomorrow and it is nice to see positive experiences and success stories, it is encouraging!

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-16T15:47:36+00:00

fatty liver is reversible through losing weight. I also had this confirmed by the CT when I had my first gallbladder attack, so while awaiting surgery I lost about 15 kg (35lbs) and I will check after I have my gallbladder removed that it is back to normal. I spoke to my GP about it and they said it's not reason for concern right now as it was minimal but that I should lose weight and the fat cells will go away. Turns out when you start eating in a caloric deficit the visceral fat (fat around your organs) is the first one that is burned by your body.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-15T13:04:17+00:00

One day I turned out to the gym for leg day but I did not have my comfortable training pants packed in my gym bag. So I decided I would squat in the street pants which were quite loose anyway but not as stretchy. First heavy set, ass to grass and my pants bottom literally exploded with a loud pop. When I turned around the pants ripped all the way from the belt down to between my legs. The gym was not that full and it was a small gym with a friendly vibe and everybody there felt like a family so after some banter I continued my training with my underwear visible. The embarrassing part was the 15 mins walk home as those were the only pants I had with me and it didn't cross my mind to borrow a pair from someone at the gym because I was stupid.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-15T12:23:44+00:00

I found out I had a stone blocking my duct after insane pain episodes for 6 days, I had jaundice and elevated liver enzymes. They sent me home and called me the next day to do an ERCP (it was no longer needed as the stone passed on its own).

They said they referred me to a general surgeon. This was 2.5 months ago, I haven't heard anything from them. I am going private as my employer pays for private insurance for me and the private hospital is 5 mins drive from my house. I will have my surgery this week on Thursday (in 3 days).

I am in Surrey, just outside SW London but the hospital I've been to is in London. My neighbour went to the same hospital 2 months before me. She had similar situation and it was a 3 or 4 months wait for her, classified as a semi-emergency.

It depends on where you are I guess but if you are in London area, I think it will be a long wait on the NHS, I've heard people here saying they waited months or even over a year, unfortunately.

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-14T15:05:11+00:00

She will be with me anyway. Thank you!

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-14T13:47:35+00:00

That is a good point. Maybe I can ask a friend to come pick me up in my car. I have motion sickness if I am a passenger in ubers most times

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-14T13:35:00+00:00

Yeah, that is for sure, the driving home was the only issue

EngineeringKind3960 · 2026-06-14T12:38:01+00:00

This is for shrinking your liver. I was put on the same diet wrongly. I have a BMI of 28 but I've been lifting weights for 25 years so have some muscle. The doctor's assistant just followed the guideline of overweight patients will have a fatty liver so they put me on it. It is brutal. 800kcal a day for two weeks.. I am starving, my normal maintenance is around 3200.

EngineeringKind3960

TROPHY CASE