To book an appointment with Dr Rod Borrowdale, call (07) 3910 5150

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Information for pre and post operative care

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What to expect during and after your surgery…

Anaesthetic

You will be having a full general anaesthetic for your surgery. If you have had any issues previously, with post-operative nausea and vomiting, or have drug allergies, or have experienced anaesthetic complications previously, please inform your Anaesthetist prior to surgery, when you are interviewed by them.

The anaesthetist will provide a separate quote prior to surgery for their services.

Your anaesthetist will provide a prescription for post-operative pain relief and nausea, if required.

Operation

During the operation, Dr Borrowdale will make three small 5mm incisions under your ribcage on the right, and one 12mm incision through your lower belly button to access your abdomen. The entire operation will be performed through those small holes, and they will be closed after the operation with dissolving sutures.

Recovery

The recovery nurses will make you completely comfortable with extra pain relief as needed. Shoulder tip pain is not uncommon and is best treated with ibuprofen (*Nurofen) or an indomethacin (*Indocid) suppository.

It is important that you continue to take 5 or more deep breaths every 30 minutes to fully inflate your lungs.

You will have pneumatic calf compressors on your lower legs, to help prevent deep vein thrombosis.

Once pain is controlled, patients tend to improve consistently over the next 12 hours and usually only require oral pain relief.

You will either be discharged on the same day of your surgery or kept in hospital overnight.

Dressings

You will have four small dressings on your abdomen. Please leave these until you see the practice nurse in 5-7 days. If they become wet, they can be removed and a Band-Aid (or similar over the counter dressing) can be used to place over the wound (the steri-strip dressing should be left in place if this occurs).

Pain Relief

Over the next few days, you will improve gradually. Most patients feel back to normal after 3-4 days.

You will receive a prescription for *Endone and you can also take ibuprofen (trade name -Nurofen) with food, or paracetamol (Panadol) as required. Please remember that Endone can cause constipation…

If you are taking more than one or two Endone a day, we recommend taking one to two Coloxyl tablets with the Endone or having daily Movicol to prevent constipation. These medications are available over the counter at your pharmacy.

Please be mindful that it is easier and much more comfortable to prevent constipation than to treat it afterwards.

Please discuss any special analgesia issues with the anaesthetist prior to your surgery.

Driving

You cannot drive yourself home from the hospital. You can drive again when you are moving normally, are no longer taking any opioid pain relief (Endone) and can fully control a vehicle. This time is different for every patient but will usually take a few days.

Work

You should take 5-7 days off work, depending on your occupation. For physical jobs you may need longer. Please discuss this with Dr Borrowdale.

Diet

Following the operation, we highly recommend a low-fat diet for the first four weeks and slowly introduce fatty foods. After this period, there are no long-term restrictions on diet and fat intake. High fat foods can cause diarrhoea in the first couple of months after your surgery. Your body will adapt to not having a gall bladder over time. Most patients feel much improved after having their diseased and often obstructed gallbladder removed, and don’t notice any effect of gall bladder removal.

Activity

We advise that the best way to recover after laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery, is that you rest for the first 2 - 3 days, then gently resume normal activity. It is not possible to cause internal damage by partaking in normal everyday activities. However significant heavy strain (eg. lifting furniture, heavy boxes etc) should be avoided. Walking, shopping, light cycling on a fixed bike, and light household duties are all reasonable in the first week or two. It is important to get moving after the first couple of days, as this will aid recovery.

Sport

There are no restrictions on sporting activity after 4 -6 weeks post-surgery. Prior to that, we suggest introducing sporting activities gradually and gently, and to follow the simple rule…if it hurts, don’t do it. It is normal to have the occasional twinges while twisting or straining for the first 3 months, and this will particularly occur when resuming sports, and is nothing to be concerned about.

Nurse

After discharge, please call Northside General Surgeons rooms, ph. (07) 3910 5150 to make an appointment with Dr Borrowdale’s Nurse Practitioner, Elaine. She is available on Fridays. Please make the appointment for the week after your surgery. The nurse will remove your wound dressing and answer any questions that you may have.

Complications & Risks

Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is usually very safe, and Dr Borrowdale has many years of experience as a specialist surgeon. He performs this operation weekly, throughout the year. Unfortunately, no surgery is risk free.

Complications are rare and can include the following…

  • Internal bleeding
  • Bowel injury
  • Infection
  • Open surgery
  • Peritonitis
  • Bile duct injury
  • Bile leak
  • Deep vein thrombosis/ pulmonary embolus
  • Anaesthetic complications
  • Wound problems

 

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