When to get help
These are the warning signs from our exercise after gallbladder removal guide, word for word, from the NHS page on complications. Your surgical team's advice comes first. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111
The NHS says get help if:
- you have severe or worsening pain that does not go away
- pus is oozing from your wounds
- you have pain or swelling around your wounds, or they're red and tender (redness may be harder to see on brown or black skin)
- your skin or the whites of your eyes are yellow
- you have swelling, tenderness, throbbing or cramping pain in your leg
- your temperature is very high, or you feel hot, cold or shivery
Source 3
Call 999 or go to A&E
Call 999 or go to accident and emergency (A&E) if you have pain and swelling in your leg and you're having difficulty breathing or chest pains: this could be a blood clot in your lungs. Call 999 for chest pain that feels tight or spreads to your arms, neck or jaw. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Sources 3, 52
Other signs NHS hospitals list
Get urgent help for severe or worsening tummy pain, a lot of vomiting or a swollen tummy, a high temperature with chills, or a painful, red, swollen, hot leg.
Sources 53, 31
Contact your GP or care team
If feeling sick, indigestion, tummy pain or diarrhoea carry on after the operation.
Source 3
A bulge near a scar
A hernia at a cut feels like a soft lump or bulge near a scar, often easier to see when you cough or strain. See a GP if you notice one. Our hernia guide lists the signs that need 999, such as very bad tummy pain that doesn't go away, or not being able to poo or fart.
Stop and get advice if a hernia hurts, won't go back in when you lie down, or grows or aches more after exercise. If it stays out with severe pain, sickness or no wind, call 999 (our reading of the society's and the NHS's advice).
Sources 54, 9, 55, 56, 57
If a session brings on pain
The Royal College of Surgeons says that if you feel pain as you build up, you have probably just overdone it a little: ease back, then build up gradually again. Stop if a wound pulls sharply or a bulge appears when you strain, and get advice if it doesn't settle.
Source 4
While you wait for surgery
Call 999 or go to A&E: you have sudden, severe pain in your tummy; pain that spreads from your tummy to your back, and you're being sick; your temperature is very high, or you feel hot, cold or shivery; or your skin or the white part of your eyes looks yellow. These can be signs of a problem with gallstones.
Same day (urgent GP appointment or NHS 111): pain in your tummy, often in the middle or just under the ribs on the right, that lasts longer than 30 minutes; it may spread from there to your side or shoulder blade. It can be gallstones.
Sources 51, 5
During yoga
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
Sources 58, 59, 44, 21
Chest pain or fainting while exercising: call 999
Call 999 if:
- You get sudden pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away; it can feel like squeezing or pressure, burning or indigestion.
- The pain spreads to your left or right arm, or your neck, jaw, stomach or back.
- You have chest pain and feel sweaty, sick, light-headed or short of breath.
- Someone faints while exercising, can't be woken within 1 minute, or has chest pain or a pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.
Sources 60, 52, 61
Unusual breathlessness
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
Source 62
Head-down poses, bones and pregnancy
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
Sources 45, 44
Before you start
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.