The "Instant Weight Loss?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol was asking her surgeon what her gallbladder might weigh.  "What do you think?  Twenty-five, thirty pounds?" she said to him. "Nah, it's more like 60 pounds and it's bound to slim your waist," he replies with a big smile on his face.  "If it did that I'd have taken my own gallbladder out years ago.  Actually, it only weighs about two ounces," he responded  The reason Carol was asking is due to her having her gallbladder removed by her surgeon in a few hours.  It all started back in October when we were visiting Puerto Rico and she had bacon for breakfast.  Wasn't long before she had pain in her lower right side which radiated toward her back.  Then the stomach pain .... and losing her breakfast.  One other time during those two weeks she had the same thing happen.  Upon our return from vacation she made a visit to our family doctor who sent her to a surgeon.  He ordered an endoscope to see what might be the problem.  The test showed that she had an enlarged bile duct.  Another test was performed and a gallstone was removed from the duct.  That was all that was needed for the surgeon to suggest that she have her gallbladder removed.  

Removal of the gallbladder is called a cholecy- stectomy and is performed most times by laparoscopy or "keyhole" surgery.  This method requires usually 4 small incisions in the abdomen to allow the insertion of operating ports, small cylindrical tubes approximately 5 to 10mm in diameter, through which surgical instruments and a video camera are placed into the abdominal cavity.  The camera illuminates the surgical field and sends a magnified image from inside the body to a video monitor, giving the surgeon a close-up view of the organs and tissues.  The surgeon watches the monitor and performs the operation by manipulating the surgical instruments through the operating ports.  The main purpose of the gallbladder is to store bile needed for the digestion of food.  Gallstones are small stones made from cholesterol, bile pigment and calcium salt which is found in the gallbladder.  About 15% of people aged 50 years old and older will develop gallstones.  Since the gallbladder is not a vital organ, it can be removed and your body can cope quite well without it.  Well, Carol was scheduled for her surgery at 10:00 AM.  We arrived at the hospital at 8:00 AM for check-in, prep and a talk with the surgeon.  I did get to sit with her after she was prepped until it was time for her surgery.  One thing led to another and at 11:00 AM we were watching "The Price Is Right" on the small TV next to her bed.  At 11:30 AM a nurse chased me out and took Carol to another prep room.  I was told that it would be about an hour to hour and a half and I would be able to see her once again.  I grabbed lunch in the hospital cafeteria and headed back to the waiting area.  At 2:00 PM the hospital Patient Advocate found me and told me that Carol had been taken into the operating room at 1:54 PM.  That would be almost four hours after her appointed time.  At close to 3:00 PM I was called back to the recovery area to visit with her.  She was very groggy and it wasn't until close to 5:00 PM that she began to feel good enough to eat a snack and drink a soda.  We made it home by 6:30 PM, both exhausted!  Carol has minor pain from the four small incisions, but did eat something after we got home.  The experience will never have to be repeated and her only regret is that the gallbladder didn't weigh more!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.