Patients may experience nausea or vomiting immediately after gallbladder surgery. Recovery following laparoscopy usually involves just a single night in the hospital. Patients may be asked to restrict their activities (e.g., refrain from driving a car or climbing stairs) for several days after the procedure.

Open surgery may require a hospital stay of between two days and one week. The patient may also have to spend several weeks at home recovering and restricting activities.

In rare instances, gallbladder surgery may result in complications (e.g., infection of the bile ducts), which may require additional surgery and a longer hospitalization.