Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery

After Surgery

Pain and Discomfort

It is normal to have pain after your operation. How much pain you experience depends more on the individual than on the operation itself. Pain normally occurs in the abdomen, especially the right side and right flank. In addition, shoulder pain often occurs for 24 to 48 hours because of the gas used to expand your abdomen.

Pain medication and side effects

If you recently had surgery, you have been given a prescription for a narcotic: hydrocodone (Vicodin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) codeine. You can take one or two tablets every six hours. Call the office immediately and stop the medication if you experience itching or a rash.

If you don’t like the drowsy feeling these medications cause or you no longer need as much pain medicine you can try aspirin, extra strength Tylenol or ibuprofen. The dosages are:

Ibuprofen (600 mg) every six hours,
Two extra strength Tylenol every six hours or two aspirin every six hours

If your pain is not controlled by the medication you have been given, call the office.

It is helpful to take some type of pain medicine (narcotic or over the counter) before getting but of bed and before going to sleep for the first few days after surgery.

Miscellaneous

Following your surgery you may notice alterations in your bowel habits:

Diarrhea can occur from the surgery itself or from the antibiotics you received. This is best treated with Metamucil, Amphogel, or yogurt.
Constipation can occur from the narcotic pain medicine you are taking. To avoid this, take Haley’s MO or Milk of Magnesia as directed on the bottle one time per day while you take narcotics.

If you or your family were not informed of anything unusual after surgery, rest assured that everything is fine and went according to plan.

Back | More about gallbladder post-op