[Trombone-l] gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy) recovery?

[David W. Buckley]

In general 6 weeks is considered the normal healing time for abdominal 
sugery. You may be more or less depending on physical condition, 
complications etc. It was about 20 years ago when I had my gall bladder 
removed by the old method - big incision - and my recollection is that 6 
weeks was about right.

Good luck.

Dave.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Monique Buzzarté" <monique at buzzarte.org>
To: <trombone-l at samford.edu>
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 7:14 PM
Subject: [Trombone-l] gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy) recovery?


Has anyone on the list had their gallbladder removed?  What's the
recovery process like in terms of when professional playing is possible
again?

One surgeon I spoke with said that the recovery time before playing
would be 10-12 weeks (risk of hernias if playing before the muscles had
completely healed; in this scenario a laparoscopic procedure
is worse than a large abdominal incision since the intestine can
slip out with internal abdominal pressure but not back in as easily
through the smaller opening.  Another surgeon said that I could
play the next day "if I felt like it."   (Although that's if it was
laparoscopic of course - the open procedure is major abdominal
surgery with a 4-7 inch incision (it's not possible to know beforehand
which might be done.)

I've checked the archives, there aren't very many
references there to cholecystectomy or other
abdominal surgery in terms of what's realistic
for a trombonist to expect afterwards.

In my case, the docs aren't even sure it *is* the gallbladder that's
the culprit.  It could be an intermittent internal hernia (sometimes
there is a lump on my left side).  Or far less likely, some kind of
a periodic intussusception.   Or, possibly, a VERY atypical presentation
of gallbladder disease, cholecystitis/cholelithiasis.


Thanks,
Monique

-- 
***************************
Monique Buzzarté
monique at buzzarte.org
http://www.buzzarte.org
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