Gallbladder removal is a major operation performed in the abdominal section. Its pain in the post-operative is extreme. The patient may also experience vomiting and nausea. However, if one experiences symptoms such as the onset of fever, having yellow skin or eyes, distention, worsening abdominal pain, drainage from the incision, or persistent vomiting and nausea, they may indicate complication.
Fever after Gallbladder Surgery
Most often, patients who have undergone laparoscopic gallbladder removal may check-out of the hospital a day after the surgery. Some can even go home after the surgery. Many of the laparoscopic gallbladder patients do not experience complications. Fever after the surgery may indicate complications such as:
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Bleeding
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Infection
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Pneumonia
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Clotting in the blood
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Heart problems
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Incidental injury to nearby structures like in the common bile duct or small bowel may happen. In such case, it may require a separate surgery for its repair.
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The incidence of bile leakage into the abdomen to the intestines from the liver is very rare.
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The complication rate for laparoscopic gallbladder operation is comparable to the complication rate in the open gallbladder surgery as initiated by highly-trained surgeon.
Low Grade Fever after Gallbladder Surgery
Fever should not be a common side-effect after surgery. An onset of fever may entail complication. After the surgery, the patient may call on the surgeon or physician if any of the symptoms develop:
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Persistent fever above 101 degrees Fahrenheit
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Chills
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Bleeding
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Increasing abdominal swelling
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Persistent cough and or shortness of breath
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Pain that cannot be relieved by medications
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Redness in the incisions, worsening of the incision, or if the incision is becoming larger
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Inability to eat or drink
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Drainage of pus from incision
Even if the above symptoms are not experienced, it is still advisable to contact the physician or surgeon two weeks after the surgery for a follow-up check up. Patients with desk jobs or administrative tasks can resume working in a few days. However, those who are assigned in manual labor such as heavy lifting should need more rest.
How to Deal with it
To help individuals with their recovery, they may need to restrain from doing strenuous activities. Even diet may also have changes. Some of the helpful tips that are the following:
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Take the pain medication. The pain relievers seriously reduce the severity of pain after the surgery. However, if the pain persists even after the medicines are taken, they may need to call on their physician.
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Ask for assistance. If the person needs to do something that requires effort, it is best to ask for help. This is to avoid any complications or straining the incision.
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Eat low-fat and fat-free foods in small amount several times a day.