I had my gallbladder removed about 10 months before getting sleeved. I gained about 38 lbs in those months and the weight gain didn’t seem to be slowing down so WLS was a must at this point. Comparing the two, I feel like I had less pain with the WLS. I actually asked my mom if she was sure they even did anything!
1. I didn’t need any painkillers after WLS, but I took them for about a week after gallbladder removal.
2. I’m typically a stomach sleeper and was also able to go back to sleeping on my stomach faster after the sleeve.
3. i only needed to sleep on a recliner for 2 days after WLS, but slept in a recliner for about 10 days after gallbladder removal.
4. Moving around was also easier for me after the sleeve, mainly because I felt like I couldn’t stand up straight after the gallbladder removal.
5. I was sleepier after the sleeve and generally had less energy the first week.
6. I had a bowel movement faster after WLS and going to the bathroom was easier in general.
7. TMI but I had sex sooner after WLS than I did after gallbladder removal.
8. Oh, my surgeon used my main gallbladder removal incision (the top one) so I only had 2 new tiny incisions for a total of 3 incisions for WLS. He felt like it was unnecessary for me to have more scars than I should so maybe that’s an individual thing that differs from surgeon to surgeon so I’d ask if that was possible. I only have the 3 WLS incisions visible and the gallbladder ones were so tiny they disappeared (you can only see them if you know where to look).
So all in all I’d say my recovery from the sleeve was easier than the gallbladder removal, but of course that’s just me. I’m sure other people have it the other way around. Either way, you can do it! For me, the hardest step was actually deciding and committing to the WLS. Don’t worry, you got this!! Please feel free to message me if you feel like you have more questions or if I missed anything.