

You may have been advised to eat a special diet before surgery, but this doesn't need to be continued afterwards. Your liver will still make enough bile to digest your food, but instead of being stored in the gallbladder, it drips continuously into your digestive system. You can lead a perfectly normal life without a gallbladder. You may need to stay in hospital for 3 to 5 days and it could be 6 to 8 weeks before you're feeling back to normal.įind out more about recovering from gallbladder removal surgery Living without a gallbladder It takes longer to recover from open surgery. You'll probably be able to return to most of your normal activities within 2 weeks. Most people can leave hospital the same day or the next morning. It doesn't usually take long to recover from keyhole surgery to 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.īoth 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.įind out more about how gallbladder removal surgery is performed Recovering from gallbladder removal surgery

Surgery to remove the gallbladder is the most effective treatment in the vast majority of cases. yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice).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 (acute cholecystitis) or pancreas (acute pancreatitis).

These are small stones that can form in the gallbladder as a result of an imbalance in the substances that make up bile. Surgery to remove the gallbladder is usually carried out if you have painful gallstones. Why does my gallbladder need to be removed? You don't need a gallbladder, so surgery to take it out is often recommended if you develop any problems with it. It stores bile, a fluid produced by the liver that helps break down fatty foods. The gallbladder is a small, pouch-like organ in the upper right part of your tummy. Gallbladder removal surgery, also known as a cholecystectomy, is a very common procedure.
