Gallbladder surgery in Cancún

The gallbladder is operated when stones (cholelithiasis) cause symptoms. The most common is biliary colic: pain in the upper right abdomen, often after eating, which can spread to the back or the right shoulder and come with nausea. Intolerance of fatty foods is also common.

Some presentations make surgery more urgent: acute cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder, with pain that does not settle and fever), stones that pass into the bile duct (with yellowing of the skin and eyes) and biliary pancreatitis. That is decided at the consultation, not online.

If the stones cause no symptoms, surgery is not always indicated. Examination in the office plus an ultrasound is usually enough to decide; if another study is needed, I will tell you.

It is done under general anesthesia. Through three incisions of about one centimetre (sometimes a fourth) a camera and instruments are introduced; the gallbladder is separated from the liver, its duct and artery are closed, and it is removed through one of the incisions. It usually lasts around one hour.

In the usual scenario the patient spends one night at Hospital Galenia and is discharged the next day, with written instructions and a follow-up visit.

Sometimes the operation has to be converted to open surgery. It is not the plan, but it can be the safer way when findings (intense inflammation, adhesions from prior surgery or difficult anatomy) make a larger incision the right choice. Recovery and the quote both change; both are explained before scheduling.

At the prior visit I tell you about fasting, preoperative studies and the anesthesia assessment, and we review the medicines you take. If you use anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs, you are told clearly whether they must be stopped and when. Come with someone on the day of surgery and, if you come with insurance, have the policy reviewed beforehand.

All of this is given to you in writing so it does not depend on memory.

• Pain. It is moderate and controlled with the prescribed analgesics. It is usually greater in the shoulder and at the incisions for the first two or three days.
• Diet. The first days call for a low-fat diet; afterwards most people return to their usual food, without that being a guaranteed result.
• Activity. Walking from the first day helps. Most patients return to work in seven to ten days. The timeline depends on the work you do and is confirmed in consultation.
• Follow-up. The follow-up visit is included in the reference; wounds are checked and questions are answered there.

After discharge, contact the office or go to the emergency department at Hospital Galenia if you develop fever, pain that increases instead of easing, persistent vomiting, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or redness and fluid from a wound.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy without associated complications, with one night in hospital. It includes surgical fees, operating room, anesthesia, and one follow-up visit. The reference figure is given at the consultation, and the quote is delivered in writing, with its validity period.

What can change the reference: conversion to open surgery; additional hospital stay; findings during the procedure, such as stones in the bile duct; the scope of your policy coverage. The details are in how fees are set. The figure you take home is the one delivered in writing at the consultation.