Gallbladder Surgery Questions

Greetings Docs,

Well, if hernia surgery wasn’t enough last June, my surgeon has scheduled laparoscopic gallbladder removal on Wednesday. I had a gallbladder attack about 5 years ago. An ultrasound led to a Hida scan and my refraction (?) rate was only at 30%. I really changed my diet and have been taking a taking a drink consisting of a tablespoon of raw honey w/ organic apple cider vinegar everyday. This has helped tremendously, but fast forward and just had another attack on last Sunday morning. Another ultrasound at the ER showed:

Impression: Cholelithiasis with a 1.7 cm gallstone within the gallbladder neck. Overall, findings are equivocal for acute cholecystitis. If there is ongoing clinical concern, consider HIDA examination.

Findings: Gallbladder is mildly dilated and contains a gallstone within the neck measuring 1.7 cm and a small amount of sludge. The gallbladder wall is at the upper limits of normal in thickness measuring 4 mm. The sonographer reported a positive Murphy’s sign.

My surgeon called me on Friday (he also did my bilateral inguinal/umbilical) and was concerned that things could go wrong if we didn’t operate soon. So, if this was you, would you agree?

It throws in a monkey wrench, as my rehab (prescribed by Dr. Miles) is finally starting to gain some traction. My surgeon says that I need to avoid lifting for two weeks (cardio was okay) and then I would be cleared to start my strength training again—he mentioned he would be concerned about developing a hernia at the larger incision near the sternum. Thus, is there any evidence based conclusions regarding strength training and gallbladder surgery? Could I continue with light upper training for the two week? Could I continue with body weight training for the lower? I would really appreciate your feedback, maybe in terms of how you might go about things.

Thank you and have a blessed day!

Paul Hernandez

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If you are already having recurrent episodes of what is determined to be biliary colic (gallbladder/gallstone-related pain symptoms), they are likely to continue recurring – and potentially with a greater degree of complications, such as cholecystitis, cholangitis, or gallstone pancreatitis, among other possibilities) unless this is addressed.

It is encouraging (and perhaps surprising) that your surgeon appears comfortable with you performing some conditioning during that early phase, and 2 weeks before returning to strength training is reasonable, especially in the broader context of a lifelong training career.

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Thank you for taking the time to reply Dr. Baraki! I appreciate the feedback. In addition, do you have any recommendations on diet post surgery? I read so many different takes on nutrition after gallbladder removal, it’s difficult to discern what is best regarding my diet. Does taking bile salts actually helpful? Since my diet significantly changed after my first attack 5 years ago, do I just continue? I would appreciate any suggestions and/or evidence based advice pertaining to diet.

Thanks and have a blessed day!

Paul