🏠 Going Home
What to expect on the day of your surgery:
- You will be observed in recovery for 1–2 hours after the procedure
- Most patients go home the same day — some cases may require an overnight stay depending on complexity
- You may go home once you are awake, comfortable, and able to drink
- You must have someone drive you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours
- Nausea is common in the first few hours — anti-sickness medication has been prescribed
- You may feel drowsy or unsteady — this is normal and will settle
Important: Do not drive, operate machinery, or make important decisions for 24 hours after anaesthesia.
💊 Pain Management
Effective pain control is important for a comfortable recovery:
- Take regular pain relief for the first 2–3 days — do not wait for pain to become severe
- Paracetamol 1g (2 tablets) every 6 hours as needed
- Ibuprofen 400mg every 8 hours as needed (if not contraindicated for you)
- Stronger pain medication (if prescribed): take exactly as directed on the script
- Shoulder tip pain is common for 24–48 hours — caused by the CO₂ gas used during keyhole surgery
- Walking helps the gas absorb faster and reduces shoulder discomfort
Note: Ibuprofen should be taken with food. If you have kidney disease, stomach ulcers, or are on blood thinners, check with us before taking ibuprofen.
🩹 Wound Care
Your incisions are closed with dissolvable stitches or skin glue:
- Keep dressings clean and dry for the first 48 hours
- After 48 hours: gentle showering is OK — pat dry, do not rub
- Do NOT soak in a bath, pool, or hot tub for 2 weeks
- Some bruising and swelling around incisions is completely normal
- A small hard lump at an incision site may be felt — this is normal and settles over several weeks
- Do not apply creams, ointments, or antiseptics unless instructed
Your incisions: You will have 4 small incisions (0.5–1.5 cm each) on your abdomen. The umbilical (belly button) incision is typically the largest.
🍽️ Diet
Diet plays an important role in your recovery after gallbladder removal:
- Start with light, easily digestible meals on the day of surgery (e.g., toast, crackers, rice, soup)
- Progress to a normal diet over the following days as your appetite returns
- Avoid fatty, greasy, or heavy meals for the first 1–2 weeks — your body needs time to adjust to digesting fat without a gallbladder
- Small, frequent meals are better than large meals during the first week
- Stay well hydrated — drink plenty of water throughout the day
- Constipation is common after surgery and pain medication — increase fibre intake gradually
- Consider a gentle laxative (e.g., macrogol/Movicol) if needed
- Avoid straining at bowel movements
Long-term diet: Most people tolerate a normal diet within 2–4 weeks. A small number of people experience loose stools after fatty meals — if this persists beyond 6 weeks, discuss with your surgeon.
🚶 Activity
Gradual return to activity is important:
- Walking: encouraged from day 1 — aim for short walks several times daily
- Driving: avoid for at least 1 week, or until you can brake suddenly without pain
- Return to work: 1 week for desk work, 2–3 weeks for physically demanding work
- Lifting: nothing heavier than 5–10 kg for 2 weeks
- Exercise: light walking OK immediately; resume other exercise after 2–3 weeks
- Sexual activity: resume when comfortable, usually after 1 week
Listen to your body: Mild discomfort with activity is normal. Sharp or worsening pain is a sign to stop and rest.
⚠️ Red Flags
Contact us or seek urgent medical care if you experience any of the following:
- Temperature above 38°C that does not settle with paracetamol
- Worsening abdominal pain not controlled with prescribed medication
- Redness, warmth, or increasing swelling around any wound
- Pus or foul-smelling discharge from any wound
- Persistent nausea and vomiting (unable to keep fluids down)
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice)
- Dark urine or pale/clay-coloured stools
- Difficulty passing urine
- Heavy bleeding from any incision site
If you experience any of these symptoms, contact us immediately:
📞 03 9421 1166