In the immediate post-operative period?

There is often surprisingly little discomfort. Residual gas in the abdomen can cause pain typically felt in the shoulder. It is possible to take fluids almost straight away and food within a few hours. Most patients are able to move out of bed in the evening and the usual length of hospital stay is about 2 days.

Patients in whom conversion to the open procedure has taken place can expect to be in hospital 5 -7 days.

It is common to feel very tired on returning home, it is easy to underestimate the magnitude of the surgery that has taken place when there is very little to see on the outside.

Patients are normally safe to drive after about 7 days and ready to return to office-type duties in 2 to 3 weeks.

Are there any long-term sequelae?

Very few. The function of the gallbladder is to store bile produced by the liver between meals and release it during mealtime. The absence of a gallbladder allows a constant drip of bile into the intestine. In practice, in most patients, the diseased gallbladder has long-since ceased to function and its removal does not alter the digestive balance in any way. A few patients will notice a very slight increase in the frequency at which they open their bowels.