Gall Bladder Removal ?s

[scubaaaronh]

I have to have my Gall bladder out it looks like. How long after this procedure will i have to stay out of the water(diving)? I have a trip coming up in the middle of june and am a little concerned about it. Thanks for any and all replies.

 

[DandyDon]

I have to have my Gall bladder out it looks like. How long after this procedure will i have to stay out of the water(diving)? I have a trip coming up in the middle of june and am a little concerned about it. Thanks for any and all replies.

Are they doing the tiny incision, or is that standard now? My 30 year old scar is 6" long, but my 13 yo grandson is having his out tomorrow with but a one night stay planned. I am certainly not qualified to answer this with today's procedures, but wondered if my question might help. I'll be watching for a qualified answer.

 

[scubaaaronh]

Are they doing the tiny incision, or is that standard now? My 30 year old scar is 6" long, but my 13 yo grandson is having his out tomorrow with but a one night stay planned. I am certainly not qualified to answer this with today's procedures, but wondered if my question might help. I'll be watching for a qualified answer.

I hope your grandson is braver than me. I hardly ever have to go to the doctor, let alone a surgical procedure. So i am a nervous. The doc said it is a couple tiny incisions is all.

 

[rawls]

Like Don said, they generally do chole's via 4 small incisions. They use a scope in one incision, grabbing forceps in 2 of them and a laser to remove the gall bladder. You will be out of there, barring any complications, in a day and can go back to work in 2 to 3 days...The worst part of it post-op is they fill your abdominal cavity full of CO2 and if you can't fart you could be quite uncomfortable. They won't let you go until you do fart I would wait for the incisions to heal before I got back into the water...You would'nt want any infections brewing up.

 

[DandyDon]

I hope your grandson is braver than me. I hardly ever have to go to the doctor, let alone a surgical procedure. So i am a nervous. The doc said it is a couple tiny incisions is all.

Oh you'll be fine. It was a 6" incision 30 yrs ago, anesthesia chemicals that would leave you near death, and worse - getting out of the hospital in less than a week was rare. I was fine then until I spoke with my boss on the phone before the procedure and he made a crack about how bad it was going to be - then I couldn't lay down on the gurney ride down the hall. With today's medical sciences, you have less to worry about that the people on the hiway coming to visit you, I think.

 

[diver 85]

If things go well & you & your doc feel like you're completely recovered, I would NOT mention a word of this(ie having surgery in late spring) to the dive shop you'll be visiting in June- due to legal issues running around in their heads, they may not agree that you are well & tell you 'sorry, no diving for you this time'....Would have happened to me in March of '90 IF I would have opened my mouth about some previous back surgery in Nov of '89.....just a word of caution......good luck with your problem......

 

[Dive-aholic]

A lot of people will have this surgery at an ambulatory surgery center aka same day surgery. It's not a difficult procedure. You'll be sore for a few days. Basically once the incisions are completely healed (7-10 days) and you can lift your rig, you should be okay. Make sure you ask your surgeon, though, and get medical clearance from him/her.

 

[fisherdvm]

My guess is you might be off from diving from 1 to 4 months. The scar on the belly is not a judge of the degree of difficulty it is on the inside. My guess is if it is a clean removal with minimal scarring, adhesion, edema, bile leakage, etc... They will clear you in 1 month.

If there is alot of edema, bleeding, difficulty identifying vessles, inflammation, etc.. The waiting period might be closer to 3 months.

I would not use the scar on the skin as a judge of how well the procedure went. It is up to your surgeon, but I would suggest a minimum of 1 month.

 

[DandyDon]

Grandson had his out Wednesday, went home Thursday, Friday wanted to play on trampoline. :11:

We're trying to keep him a little more reasonable, but all went well.

 

[mdjh51]

We do almost all of our cholecystectomies via laprascopic procedures nowadays. Minimally invasice surgery is more nad more becoming the norm. Less pain, less recovery time, etc. However, like Fisher said, the size of the scar is not the best indicator of the degree of complexity or amount of damage done internally. If all goes well, you should be back in the water in no time. However, be sure to follow your surgeons guidance, and be candid with any concerns you have.

And try not to worry too much, cholecystectomy (the medical term for a gall bladder removal) is a VERY common procedure.

Good luck