u/Bulky_Pepper5833

Getting this surgery was a year in the making for me with referrals and wait times/delays. But I cannot recommend getting the cold steel method done enough.

There is a lower risk of post op bleeding and with each day of recovery I only got better, I never got a second wind of pain. I was able to eat normally after a week and talking by day 9.

Over three weeks in, it only hurts to yawn if I go too wide but full true healing takes time. I in no way feel like it detracts from my life the way tonsillitis used to.

If others want to share their experience with the cold steel method please do! Mine was great and I highly recommend talking to your surgeon about getting it done in this way. My surgeon has 5 star reviews for this reason and for taking his patients recovery into consideration rather than just doing whatever surgical method will be easiest for him.

Go cold steel!

Here is my day to day notes of my surgery with the cold steel method. I really started to feel pretty good after a week so my notes get less detailed as I go on but I thought I’d share!

day 0- pain level 5-8/10

-i was surprised by the amount of pain i was in when i woke up from surgery
-they tried to ask me my pain level and i tried to talk but my mouth was too full of thick bloody saliva
-they gave me a bag to spit it out in
-i also slept for 2 hours in recovery where they gave me an ice pack and humidifier treatment which helped
-attempted a chocolate protein shake and mashed potatoes. both burned. cold bone broth went down the easiest.

day 1- pain level 4-6/10

-alternated pain meds every three hours overnight. took hydrocodone once and then switched back to ibuprofen/acetaminophen the rest of the day.
-i took a steroid as well.
-i was able to have 3 small meals (protein shake, one egg, mac and cheese, meatball, and mashed potatoes)
-i had pretty good energy and could keep everything down
-pain was a 0 when not swallowing

day 2- pain 3-6/10
it hurts the most when i first wake up
had a protein shake and a little bit of eggs and sausage for breakfast
had mac and cheese, meatballs, and pesto pasta for my other meals

day 3 pain 0-5/10
my uvula swelled up like crazy but only noticed it bc i looked in my mouth
throat only hurt if i was eating food for too long
took advantage of how easy i was able to get water down

day 4 pain 1-5/10
accidentally slept through one of my alarms and took 5 hours instead of 3 for some of my pain meds
was in a bit more pain when i woke up but had water, protein shake, and my steam inhaler and was doing pretty well
honestly just getting more anxious about the fact that it’s supposed to get worse then actually being in pain
blew some yellow mucus out of my right nostril

day 5 pain 1-7/10
-the pain is the worst when i wake up and easily dissipates as the day goes on
-the worse pain i experience are really only short moments and goes away with some jaw ice packs, steam inhaling, and hydration
-pain was generally down most of the day and was comfortable lounging

day 6 pain 0-6/10
-pain is still the worst when waking up but i still am not in any sort of agony
it’s also painful when i eat rougher foods for too long but i know it goes away after a bit more rest and hydration

day 7 pain 0-5/10
once again pain is the worst waking up then dissipates as the day goes on
i started to get a bit more adventurous with food but kept in mind that i still had some scabbing
i started to move pain meds to every 4 hours instead of 3 alternating tylenol and ibuprofen since i really wasn’t experiencing much pain

day 8 pain 0-3/10
felt like i could eat fairly normally at this point
laid off the pain relievers really only used them as needed
was able to eat anything at this point
it hurt to talk but i was able to have a phone conversation for 3 hours with a friend and some water by my side

day 9 0-2/10
the morning is the only time it really hurt but i didn’t feel like i needed any pain meds
first day where it didn’t really hurt to talk anymore

day 10 0-2/10
im taking otc pain meds every 6 hours but its a level of pain where i could go without

day 11 0-2/10
i had my post op appointment and the doctor said everything looked good
i went to a concert and made the mistake of eating something spicy on the way up. that left me in some more pain. i didn’t scream or anything at the concert.

day 12 0-2/10
still only hurts when i swallow
no more scabs at this point just some swelling

day 13 0-2/10
- i start to forget to take notes on anything bc life felt so back to normal
-tmi but i was able to makeout again without worry

day 14 0-2/10
went out with friends for drinks and it dried out my throat a bit which hurt but nothing crazy

i’m on day 20 now and life is fully back to normal. im really glad i did it. it’s one less thing i have to worry about with my health!

I feel like eating initially feels like it helps, but then later on the pain hits and I regret everything. But in the moment it feels like eating helps. Anyone else feel this way?

I’ve (24F) been having symptoms for 4 months now that have only gotten progressively worse.

Symptoms:

- Itching

-Feeling like there’s a balloon being inflate in my right rib cage

-Sharp/dull pain in RUQ

-Pain that radiates up into my right shoulder and occasionally all the way to the bottom of my left rib cage

- Gurgling sound in RUQ

-Noticeable difference when I eat fat vs. when I don’t

- Elevated AST levels (59 whatever the measurement is)

- Decreased CO2 levels in blood

- Struggle to sit up straight or wear high waisted anything

- Bloating

I went to the ED on sunday after becoming fed up with the pain and hoping for a CT scan. I underestimated how busy it was and it took 6 hours just to get an ultrasound and results. Ofc it came back normal. At that point it was 2 am and I had the doctor implying I was anxious and too young to have these issues. I decided to leave despite wanting further testing bc I had to work at 6am (as a teacher that was too hard to miss).

My HIDA was 79% EF and I just feel like all my symptoms match hyperkinetic gallbladder.

I don’t know does anyone have any hope out there for me? I just want answers or an end in sight and I just am losing hope trying to deal with doctors, especially as a woman.