MK after gallbladder surgery

[Bethislucy]

I’m not sure if this is the correct place to ask this or not. I am now scheduled to have my gallbladder removed on Sept 13. We have a very low key girls weekend scheduled Sept 21-23. We are driving down just for the weekend we have a couple of dinner reservations, plan to shop at Disney springs, swim, and then attend MNSSHP. The party will be 9 days after my surgery so do you think I will be okay to go? I feel like maybe it will be a no go for the coasters but things like Pirates and haunted mansion should be fine. People I know that’s had the surgery said I should be fine after a week and my dr said I would only need to be out of work a week.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I would have been doing everything after a week, it my exH took 2-3 weeks to recover. If you find yourself wearing down, don’t hesitate to use a wheelchair.

 

[suemom2kay]

I’m not sure if this is the correct place to ask this or not. I am now scheduled to have my gallbladder removed on Sept 13. We have a very low key girls weekend scheduled Sept 21-23. We are driving down just for the weekend we have a couple of dinner reservations, plan to shop at Disney springs, swim, and then attend MNSSHP. The party will be 9 days after my surgery so do you think I will be okay to go? I feel like maybe it will be a no go for the coasters but things like Pirates and haunted mansion should be fine. People I know that’s had the surgery said I should be fine after a week and my dr said I would only need to be out of work a week.

I would ask your surgeon this question including the drive down. Is it a long drive? Also, it sounds like you are scheduled for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Lap surgeries can change to open surgeries. Do you have trip insurance or a room only reservation you can cancel if need be?

 

[Bethislucy]

It is laparoscopic I have gallstones but when the did they hida scan it came back normal. My post OP is scheduled for the Thursday before we leave that Friday. It’s about an 9 hour drive total we are stopping in Jacksonville on Friday night which is right at a 6 hour drive. Coming home on Monday we will drive the whole 9 hours but we can take or time and stop as much as we need too.

 

[ThinkBelieveDream&Dare]

@Bethislucy I had my gallbladder removed by keyhole surgery 9 years ago. I was very fortunate to be hospitalised for just one night and recovery was smooth and trouble free but had uncomfortable moments on occasion.
Even so, I'm not sure I would have been on top form for a Disney trip 9 days after.
I'd suggest you listen to your own body and be sure to rest up as much as possible immediately after surgery, it's easy to overdo things once you're pain free.
@suemom2kay makes a valid point about insurance

 

[ThinkBelieveDream&Dare]

It is laparoscopic I have gallstones but when the did they hida scan it came back normal. My post OP is scheduled for the Thursday before we leave that Friday. It’s about an 9 hour drive total we are stopping in Jacksonville on Friday night which is right at a 6 hour drive. Coming home on Monday we will drive the whole 9 hours but we can take or time and stop as much as we need too.

Oooh that's a long drive, hopefully you'll be well enough for it if you decide to take your trip

 

[Bethislucy]

It’s a room only reservation so I can cancel 5 days before but the party tickets are non refundable. They told me I would go home the same day and I can eat normal, shower that night. That’s why I wasn’t as worried because my surgeon made it seem like I would be sore for a few days but that was it then I got to reading on the good ole internet and now it’s 2 in the morning and I’m stressing it.

 

[suemom2kay]

It’s a room only reservation so I can cancel 5 days before but the party tickets are non refundable. They told me I would go home the same day and I can eat normal, shower that night. That’s why I wasn’t as worried because my surgeon made it seem like I would be sore for a few days but that was it then I got to reading on the good ole internet and now it’s 2 in the morning and I’m stressing it.

If you reschedule call Disney about refunding or exchanging your party tickets for a later date. They’re pretty good about exchanging. Refund would be case by case but surgery is a pretty good case.

 

[suemom2kay]

It is laparoscopic I have gallstones but when the did they hida scan it came back normal. My post OP is scheduled for the Thursday before we leave that Friday. It’s about an 9 hour drive total we are stopping in Jacksonville on Friday night which is right at a 6 hour drive. Coming home on Monday we will drive the whole 9 hours but we can take or time and stop as much as we need too.

I know it is laparoscopic but things can change in the OR and your surgeon should have discussed this possibility with you. When he gets your consent he is required by law to. I wish for the best for you and a speedy recovery!

 

[ThinkBelieveDream&Dare]

It’s a room only reservation so I can cancel 5 days before but the party tickets are non refundable. They told me I would go home the same day and I can eat normal, shower that night. That’s why I wasn’t as worried because my surgeon made it seem like I would be sore for a few days but that was it then I got to reading on the good ole internet and now it’s 2 in the morning and I’m stressing it.

Awww don't stress, as long as you have your surgeons ok and your friend/friends understand that you may need to take short rests and you don't go silly I'm sure you can make it work out fine.

 

[Bethislucy]

Everyone already thinks we are crazy for just going down for the weekend We aren’t newbies to Disney the only park time is the party. So I don’t feel like I need to ride everything I’m okay waiting on them to ride some mountain because it is a ton of fun in the dark with the music blasting that I wouldn’t want my cousins to miss it. Maybe renting a wheel chair would be the way to go well I guess if everything goes as planned during surgery.

 

[agavegirl1]

OP, you have received a lot of excellent advice from PP. My Ex DH was a general surgeon and I ran his practice for many years. Results vary and your surgery may need to be converted to an open cholecystectomy for stones, bile duct enlargement/obstruction or other reasons involving your general health and reaction to anesthesia. Most of these are RARE!!! Many tests have already checked for these possibilities I suspect.

I have seen many patients resume normal functioning in no time. There is NO substitute for your Surgeon’s advice. Remember, he or she was there for you when you were asleep.

 

[Best Aunt]

I haven't had the surgery but I have been to the party.

Some people are under the impression that the party is uncrowded and everything will have short lines. But some of the parties are extremely crowded. The ride lines may not be short. The character lines will not be short. The food lines will not be short. The lines for some of the special photos will not be short. Some parts of the park will be wall to wall people as you walk through. The Trick or Treat lines move quickly, but then you are carrying around the candy all night. If you want to see the projections on the castle during the fireworks, or you want to be near the front to watch the parade, you may have to stake out your spot a long time in advance. It probably will not be a relaxing evening.

If you don't feel well and want to leave the party, it's not so easy to get back to your hotel quickly because it is at the Magic Kingdom. Taxis, Uber and Lyft cannot pick up there; you have to take the ferry or monorail to Transportation & Ticket Center. You can walk to the Contemporary and get a Taxi, Uber or Lyft there, but it would seem like a long walk if you are not feeling well. Minnie Vans pick up at one of the bus stop slots in the Magic Kingdom, but it may take awhile to arrive (and is pricy). If you have a car, you will park at the Transportation & Ticket Center, not at the Magic KIngdom.

If you do go, keep in mind that two places to sit and rest are Mickey's Philharmagic (it's a Trick or Treat stop but you can sit and watch films after you get candy) and Monsters Inc (it's a Trick or Treat stop but you can sit and watch the show after you get candy). You can sit in Pecos Bill's if you can find a table. You can sit in Columbia Harbor House but it closed at 8:00 the night I attended.

 

[DisneyOma]

I think you'll be fine if you take it easy. Remember that once your gall bladder is out, there's no place to store bile in your body (made by the liver, so you'll always have some, but not a lot) so avoid fats as much as you can - you may experience some digestive changes so be prepared!

 

[BayouQueen]

I had a similar situation, had okay by doc to go ahead with plans, but take it easy. I won't go into details, but it was a disaster.

The body needs to use its energy to heal and that energy is diverted to other things if you're trying to get around too much and do too much. Plus, you want to be near your medical team in case complications arise. It's taken me years to accept this, because I have so much will power and think I can do anything.

WDW will always be there; your health is precious!
(Sorry...I know this isn't what you want to hear.)

 

[sophy1996]

I went to WDW eight weeks after gall bladder removal and was surprised how tired I got and how much I still hurt from walking, etc. There is no way I would have been able to go 9 days after. The surgery didn't go as well as it could have (not-great reaction to anesthesia). Spent an unexpected night in the hospital, went home Thursday, back to work Monday. It was all I could do to get to work and home the first week. On the upside, I no longer suffered constant agonizing pain!

 

[3rdtimesacharm]

This is just my experience, I had this done a couple of months ago. First two days afterwards were very painful, but it got better after that. I was able to start working out again a week later just no weights/ab stuff. My main issue was I had to learn what I could/couldn't eat right after because certain things gave me stomach pain for a while.

 

[jo-jo]

OP, you have received a lot of excellent advice from PP. My Ex DH was a general surgeon and I ran his practice for many years. Results vary and your surgery may need to be converted to an open cholecystectomy for stones, bile duct enlargement/obstruction or other reasons involving your general health and reaction to anesthesia. Most of these are RARE!!! Many tests have already checked for these possibilities I suspect.

I have seen many patients resume normal functioning in no time. There is NO substitute for your Surgeon’s advice. Remember, he or she was there for you when you were asleep.

My DH is super rare. Was suppose to be overnight, easy peasy. Had to do open procedure, and found more issues. Long story, short......12 nights, 2 hospitals, had to have half dozen procedures of the course of 8 months, had tubes and bags for months.

Yes, probably 99+% are just fine, but.........

Even if all goes by plan, if needed, are you willing to use a EVC or someone able to push you wheel chair? You may feel fine, but wear out a lot faster than you thought.

 

[Selket]

I have my gb removed a couple of years ago and as others have noted, it's probably going to be fine to make the trip. Some depends on your overall health and activity level before surgery as to how up and ready to go you would be the next week. Your trip is short so I'd say perhaps budget in the cost of renting a scooter in the parks which will give you a place to sit and help with the fatigue level. I would suggest just doing it and not waiting to see if you start to tire yourself out - but you'll need to figure that out for what is best for you. You can also rent one at Disney Springs I think.

I thought staying out of the pool/hot tubs was one thing I was supposed to do for at least 2 weeks - you might want to double check on that. I don't think your incisions will be healed enough for that - showering is good but just too much bacteria in pools. Ask your doctor.

As for trip insurance, you may still be able to buy some types of coverage but I suggest making sure that it covers pre-exisiting conditions. Since you know you're having surgery and it's scheduled I am not sure some types of coverage would pay out if there's an issue.

If you're generally in good health now, then chances are you'll be fine at WDW - especially if you rent the scooter or have friends push a WC (you can always park the scooter and go in stores and restaurants or walk around some - I use one routinely at WDW because of my badly arthritic knees and I do park and walk when I can!).

 

[DVCjj]

Wow. Good luck to you.
My laparoscopic surgery well fine but afterwards was/is very challenging. In fact several years later, it still is. Major gastro problems with bile acid problems (I take meds several times a day to counteract) and corresponding stomach upset. To this day. A small percentage of people have this problem and I was obviously one of them. Many entries on blogs about post gall surgery problems.

I'm a huge Disney fan and would grab any chance to go but right after surgery, I cringed when I read your post.