No experience or advice, but wishing you well with the operation.

This is some kind of a record of a 'delay'!

A friend just had it. done. She is 69. They have been watching it for a while and then became time.

She didn’t go details other than that she decided to change her eating habits. She was overweight and has lost weight die to this change.

I'm sure you will do fine.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery

Are you having lapriscopic surgery? If so, I think that’s much easier to recover from. Mine was in my 40’s and a traditional surgery, so I can’t be much help. Hopefully, yours will be a quick recovery.

I had mine removed at about age 71. I spent too much time worrying about it beforehand.

It was an outpatient procedure and i was home in a few hours. my son brought me home but didnt stay long. I told him to call and check on me later! I took a painkiller before i went to bed ( Tramadol) and slept fine.

The whole thing was pretty easy. It was done laparascopically ( think i misspelled that). I have two small scars as souvenirs. I dont remember much discomfort but anything was easily managed with ibuprofen.

Good luck. You’ll be fine.

My SIL had hers removed in her 70's laparoscopic method and did amazingly well. I took her, they were running behind, and by the time they got to her she had to spend the night - it was evening by then. Also alone, another sister picked her up the next morning and took her home. She rested that day - but please understand, the hospital was two hours away. The following day she took two tylenol and went to work. Chairside assist for a dentist. He was leaving town for two weeks July vacation the day after that, and she didn't want to throw off the office schedule for patients ;) No problems. She didn't have stairs in her home other than two when entering but I don't think it would have mattered. Less than 48 hours later after all, she drove to the dental clinic and worked with only tylenol.

My mothers was removed the traditional way at about the same age. The surgeon told me later it was very diseased, hard and kind of folded over on itself and he needed to resort to the incision which seemed substantial to me. That was a longer recovery and pain meds made her queasy so she wasn't watching nutrition well. No more vicodin for her, it had a way of upsetting her stomach. But she certainly felt better when she recovered than she had for quite some time.

OT - but does anyone remember the character Mrs. Roper from the sitcom Three's Company? The volunteer in the family area for day surgeries could have been her double both in appearance and intelligence. She didn't understand the coded phone system and while I sat there for hours with my SILs procedure postponed, I must have heard her tell at least 4 families on the line that their loved one wasn't in that wing, her charts indicated they'd been moved to ICU. She told me that too, sitting in front of her. About 2 minutes later my SILs surgeon came out and apologized for getting to her so late, said she was fine and in recovery but he'd like her to spend the night and go home in the morning. That department definitely needed a new volunteer for family contacts! Those poor families thinking their relatives had gone to Intensive Care! I'll never forget that evening.

I do remember Mrs. Roper, with the red hair and loud caftans. I cant imagine anyone like being allowed to sit in the recovery waiting room!

Yes, it'll be laparoscopic surgery. At least that's the plan. I have a feeling my gallbladder might be quite the mess. I've gotten so weak over the past few months. I looked it up, and learned that weakness, loss of appetite, and malaise is common among the elderly with a malfunctioning gallbladder. I'm experiencing all these things. I've lost more weight than I'd really like, and the weakness is at the point where it takes effort to lift the tea kettle full of water, and that hurts my bicep. Getting from my car to the Walmart entrance has become a real challenge. This is crazy! In January I asked that the surgery be scheduled; I never thought I'd have to wait until May. I can't help wondering how I'm going to feel at the end of another month.

Morz, I'm amazed at your SIL going back to work so quickly! I hope my hospital isn't running behind. Mine is supposed to be the first surgery of the day, at 7:45 a.m., and I'm required to be there at 5:45--which means I'll have to leave the house at 4:45. I'll drive myself, and then when it's time to go home my daughter and son-in-law will pick me up and also take my car back with me.

I remember Mrs. Roper too. Definitely not the right person to man the phones!

Best wishes to you, Alisande. So glad you have daughter and SIL to help. I'm a veteran of many surgeries, have lost a lot of body parts - some to advanced cancer. It's amazing how our bodies can heal with modern medicine and the love and support of family and friends (have to include my dogs in those recoveries, too!)

Yes, it was a Mrs. Roper double complete with the loud caftan and hair. Alisande I think you have the best timing of all by being able to schedule the first surgery. I know getting there can be difficult, or can be for me that time of day, but you'll be home and feeling like yourself in no time. I hope things improve for you right away and you regain some strength.

And - I hope you are taking a cart from one of the Walmart cart returns in the parking lot and walking both hands on it into the store....

Seagrass, I hope you're doing well now. Your mention of your dogs reminded me I won't be able to rest on the loveseat in the living room with my two cats in the house because they usually join me there. I'm sure I won't want cats walking on or even lying on my stomach for a while.

Morz, yes, yesterday for the first time I utilized a cart in Walmart's parking lot. It helped a lot.

Alisande, I do not think that you should be without company for the first couple of days. Please have your son or DIL stay with you. 🫶🫶

I agree with rhizo. It probably wont be needed but you never know. Just someone in the house.

When I was in the hospital last fall with pneumonia, they saw gallstones, and then a few days later one broke out, with incredible pain for maybe 6 hours. So my doctor now says, pick a date and get the gall bladder removed. I am 75. But after all I went thru, 17 days in the hospital, getting Covid while there, the gallbladder attack, and 13 days in rehab, I have more than just a little reluctance to follow through. Nope, had enough for quite a while, thank you very much,

Thanks for your concern, Rhizo and Patriciae. Another option would be to stay overnight at my daughter's. I might consider that. She was a good little nurse when she was 5 years old. lol

Sushipup, I don't blame you a bit, although I wish I'd done this a lot sooner.

I put off the second of the two shingles shots, and will probably do that indefinitely--even after having shingles four times. Last summer, when I was due to have the second shot, I came down with Lyme again. The pharmacist advised me not to get the shot because it's "hard on the body." She said to wait until I was over the Lyme. But then I got bronchitis, and then something else I don't recall, and at this point there's no way I'm going to add another assault to my body. It has more than enough to deal with.

Hugs to you, Alisande.

Not your age, but I did have mine out several years ago laparoscopically. As I recall the first 48 hours were the worst and some of that is because your abdomen is full of gas from the procedure...it can cause you to feel like you're having a heart attack or shoulder pain and other odd symptoms. After 48 hours, the gas dissipates and you'll feel much better.

I agree that you should have someone with you...or stay with someone... for at least the first 24 hours as those are the riskiest after surgery. When DH came home from the hospital after his surgery, I even called a neighbor and asked him to sit with him while I ran to get his Rxs, even though he insisted he was fine, and he was. And just because the external incisions aren't very large doesn't mean you aren't having major surgery on the inside and will need time to rest and recover.

Wishing you the best of luck. I'm sure you'll do fine.

I've taken care of a lot of lap chole patients and they usually do great, go home the very next day. Hope you have an easy time of it too. I'm sorry you can't have it done sooner so you can start to feel better.

Hearing all these stories I'm sure you will do just fine. I can't add any information because no one in my family has had this operation but my husband had a heart valve replacement a few years ago and was home the next day. Modern medicine is so incredible. Your cats will take good care of you.

I had mine out in my early 50s. I was surprised at how much it knocked me "down" because I've always been a quick bounce-back from surgeries. I was literally confined to the sofa for about 48 hours, then was able to move gingerly around the house for about a week. I was weak and needed help with almost everything. Please stay with your daughter, or have someone stay with you.

Here's another KT friend urging you to either stay with someone or have someone stay with you for the first day or two after surgery. You could further injure yourself just by being too independent, trying to 'spare' someone the 'bother' of fetching you a glass of water.

Is there a Visiting Nurse organization in your township? Failing to take it easy in the beginning can create big problems long term.

I'm so sorry for all your ills piling up on you over the last few years. I hope relieving this drag on your body will be a turning point for the better!

My father had his out at 87 , he did well and was home the next day. He had bad heart problems but taking his gall bladder out wasn't hard on him.

(((alisande))) may your recovery be speedy and painless

I had my gallbladder out almost 5 years ago when I was 54. First, are you sure you can arrive by yourself? I know in many instances you have to have a driver and they are not allowed to leave. Second, you need to be with someone the first day or two. I had a very hard time getting out of bed to go to the bathroom, get water, etc. I had to have my husband help me to sit up and then stand up.

Be careful with pain medicine and constipation.

Good luck!

Jewels, the hospital knows I'll arrive by myself but will be picked up by my daughter. Also, I told them that opioids make me throw up, so I don't think they'll be giving me any of those.

Thanks so much, everyone. I wish I were going into this in better shape. The thought of the surgery making me weak--on top of current weakness--is daunting.