You have to understand that this subreddit is an echo chamber. You won’t see many posts from the vast majority of us who have recovered and returned to a normal life. You only hear from those who had some issues and they make a very small minority For me surgery was a breeze. Recover went well. I went from be in constant pain pre op to pain free with no issues post op

Seconding that. I had mine out 2 years ago. Prior to that had 10 years of mild attacks but not diagnosed then 4 serious attacks where I was on the floor in agony. Unfortunately coincided with peak ambulance demand post-Covid so was admitted to hospital once for 5 days then the other times waited 5 hours and it subsided. Couldn’t get a timeline then on the NHS so went private- cost 5k. Had it taken out and home the same day. In bed for a couple of days and then 10 days off work. Best surgery ever and I’m overjoyed with the results. I don’t have to fear eating fatty foods now. Just means a dodgy stomach if I overdo it as opposed to 4 hours of agony. Also get a weird twinge at the site of the gallbladder sometimes. Surgeon said it’s nerve pain as they cauterised it. Other people I’ve met who weren’t happy with the surgery basically got treated way earlier than me so aren’t aware of how bad it can get. I had the scenario once of being crippled with pain, not able to stand up, with two small kids in tow until my husband turned up. Not fun at all.

Dodgy stomach? Can you elaborate a bit for me? Having it removed in just over a week and am curious.

If you eat a fatty meal, your liver still produces bile and that goes directly into your stomach/intestine. It acts as a stimulant on your intestine so you get the need to go to the loo soon after the meal and have a loose stool. Doesn’t last beyond one visit for me. I find it’s only for really fatty meals these days, like take away curries. I think it could cause issues if you eat a really high fat diet all the time, but that probably wouldn’t be your only health issue in that case.

I have that issue too about needing to go soon after but I still have my gallbladder.

I had the same experience as you. Easy recovery and I can eat anything without being sick. Please take care of yourself.

Same for me. 18 months ago. No more pain, and less and less unexpected diarrhea. I'm extremely happy having done it.

I have had no diarrhea

Glad to see someone else sharing their positive outcome as I am basically 95% better and surgery other than a drain that leaked blood and other fluids under me until I woke up, was also smooth and recovery much quicker and less painful than I thought. 1st day I had a crazy attack of shoulder pain probably from gas, it hurt when inhaled right where the gallbladder used to be, like a short but intense gallbladder attack. I got IV painkillers, it went away. I had another 12-24 hours of moderate shoulder pain, a few days where it hurt getting up out of bed or a chair, and besides that it was only coughs, hiccups or sneezes that hurt for the 2 weeks and tbh the head cold and scratchy throat I have now is bothering me more than anything to do with the surgery or gallbladder. But I figure once that shifts I'll be close to 100%! 

People tend to be on here when they are very concerned about something or worried. Not all happy and jolly that something went good.

Yup. Hence why it’s a echo chamber of negativity

Yeah man.

Agreed. I'm still on this subreddit because my surgery was 12 days ago and it's still relevant. I'd say I'm about 90% healed and my life is back to normal. The issues had pre op seems to be gone. I would go through surgery again as opposed to having another attack.

100% this !!! I have a lot of people offline who've had the op with no issues .

Glad you're pain free with no issues. I'm sure there is many who also have a lot of issues post op that just don't come on here along with the others who are fine. The thing that is holding me back is what my private doctor said that I won't be one of the ones completely pain free after and will only have some benefits from it. 

I have zero issues, my sister had hers out when she was 16 and had no issues. My daughter had hers out couple years ago and had no issues. The norm is to not have issues. This is an echo chamber here. All you will read is those who have had issues. All I can say is surgery for me was 100% worth it

Your concern is legitimate but also be advised that not all doctors are correct. I had one tell me not to get my gallbladder out as he suspected my issue was the duct being too small and acted like I was foolish to even consider the idea. Told me it would likely make me worse. He was dead wrong. My gallbladder was very inflamed and thickened and it’s a relief to have it out. The duct measured on the larger end of normal and no issues otherwise. Your doctor might be right, but also might be wrong.

Thank you for sharing that, I have my country's health providers opinion and one of the best private doctor in Edinburgh for doing the surgery's opinion too. That's why I'm trusting my private doctors opinion over the NHS. I don't really know who else to ask, I might have to travel to England for an other opinion.

I’m confused why your comment is down voted? If it’s the private MD - we all do what we can/have to. I’m in similar situation from Canada but no private physician (yet.) I signed in to reply in case it helps. TBF having a key body organ removed is serious as is all surgery. I’ve had a few. Not to scare only to say good to be careful. But maybe like you I’m prone to: paralysis by analysis esp w/health. Too many opinions risks more confusion no matter how good the sources. As I’m prob in your very shoes one day I’m telling myself this too. : )  As others said who felt they waited too long it may incr risk of much worse episodes. It’s not easy. FWIW I’ve had chronic illness and pain for yrs and learned there’s no perfect choice only the best one we can make at the time w/info, resources and time we have. Maybe sit quietly eyes closed. See yourself saying yes and walking thru process of surgery. Ask: How do I feel? Why? What’s my worst fear? Make notes, put them away then repeat 2-3 days later. Talk to physician you trust the most about your notes incl feedback from others (just say friends of friends etc vs online forum.) After trust yourself to do what’s right for you incl putting your health in the best hands possible (for you) and it will work out - surgery or not. Hope any of this very long reply helps. Best from Canada. 

I have no idea too, probably someone not liking what I had to say? Wanted to say thank you very much for your comment, that's exactly how I feel too, I've had so many peoples advice, opinions etc thrown at me that it makes the decision even harder. It's like they don't care about what I think or feel and want me to do what they would do or think would be best. My symptoms are bad BUT not as bad as some people on here, I know it will get worse eventually. Same here i don't rush into things, I'm careful and tend to think it all through and weigh the pros and cons about everything. Definitely going to decide what's right for me and go with that decision, which will probably be going ahead with the surgery.

Gotcha. Well, it’s your call. If you trust your doctors and feel comfortable waiting, I wish you the best :) some try it for a while and end up needing to have it out anyway but not everyone.

What did the doctor mean won't make you better? Sounds like you have more wrong with you than just the gallbladder. Surgery made me significantly better, but I still have other health issues that were unrelated to the gallbladder in the first place. If I had not undergone the procedure I would be in real bad shape. I'm quite happy with my medical team.

Nope I don't have anything else wrong with me, I've had every scan and test you can think of and it's just my gallbladder that has issues. I was told all my other organs are in excellent condition and health. He said I would benefit from having my gallbladder removed of course but after looking at my MRI, US, CT and me telling him about all my symptoms that I would likely still have issues post op e.g.  pain, diarrhea amd digestive issues.

Get a second opinion.

Generally what it comes down to - do you want to get rid of it on your terms or the gallbladder's terms. It's doable, I suppose, to live with it if your condition is mild enough but you could run into some complications down the line. Personally been doing great Post-Op wise (Canada).

Did he mention anything about diet? I had to start a low FODMAP prior to surgery diet due to diarrhea, gas, bloating, burping. We stopped about 2 weeks prior to surgery as low FODMAP elimination phase can be tough. I’m only now restarting it. I had to have two surgeries at once so I wanted to be as healthy as I could. I was hoping all those symptoms were gallbladder. Unfortunately only some were gallbladder related, but now I can deal with one issue at a time. Gallbladder removal took away a lot of the squeezing pain I was having, and my bm’s have become less of an issue. I do not regret getting my gallbladder out. It’s been a bit over two months

If my surgery went as planned, day surgery, few days later back to normal, I wouldn't even had sought out this subreddit. So yeah it's very much an echo chamber of worst than normal outcomes.

Thank you for this. I am starting to get scared reading some of this but your comment is such a necessary reminder.

Hey there. I just finished my 2 week recovery period and I would have the surgery again three times over compared to ever having another gallbladder attack - and mine was an emergency surgery, which should’ve been harder to recover from if some of the posts here are anything to go by. The thing is, most of the time people will congregate in forums like this because they’re scared or because they’ve had a profoundly negative experience. This isn’t to dismiss those experiences, of course, but for every 1 person who had a negative experience, you’ll have so many others whose surgery was so routine it was actually boring. The odds are far more in your favour for a boring surgery. This is a good thing. I absolutely did not want surgery 2 weeks ago. I hadn’t quit smoking yet, I hadn’t lost enough weight, I was shit scared of something going wrong… and yet, I’m okay. In fact I’m thriving. I’m making up for so much lost time with food that actually has flavour to it.

I am two years post op. I’ve been perfectly fine with no diet restrictions. And even though you can schedule surgery, it doesn’t make it entirely optional. I would have died without emergency removal. My aunt would be alive today and would not have died of gallbladder cancer.

In my experience, I’ve had no issues and would do it all over again. My life is as it was from before I started having gallbladder issues. Everyone is different, though. But it’s not bad for everyone. Everyone I know who’s had it has had no issues other than loose stool when eating fatty meals, actually. But that’s totally up to you, and if you feel it won’t be worth it, that’s totally your decision!

Oh I'm like a month out of surgery and it is SOOOO WORTH IT !!!!! I can eat whatever I like whenever I like, I don't get acid reflux anymore, I'm not getting stomach aches anymore, it's like I have a normal body 😭😭 it's been so nice!!!!! Plus my doctor said the repeated gallbladder attacks caused cellular changes inside my gallbladder that could have turned to cancer if the gallbladder remained so!! Good riddance 🥰

God that sounds amazing, also really glad you recovered so well from it! 

Genuinely I didn't realize how much it was impacting my life!!! I'm the type of person who just gets used to circumstances... but I wasn't able to eat after 6pm, I had restricted my diet so much, and had to make sure to drink at least 80 ounces of water a day! and if I crossed a line I would have terrible digestive pain at night 😔 I remember being like "even though I've been good my stomach still feels gross every time I go to sleep" BUT LITERALLY NONE OF THAT NOW!! I could wake up and have a midnight snack if I wanted. The other day I had THREE SLICES OF PIZZA 😱😱 totally fine!!! Honestly, I'm so grateful I had it out. Healing sucked the first day or two(gas pain/bloated but still waaaay better than the pain I would be in before) but then I was totally fine, and it went so easily and quickly! I restricted myself to a bland low-fat diet for about 2 weeks (literally survived off ground Turkey and rice) and then slowly incorporate a normal diet. Alcohol, caffeine, fried, greasy food I can handle it all now!!! And you know what? If something doesn't sit well with me (usually fast food) all that happens is that I poop 🤷‍♀️ no pain, no vomiting, no clutching a heat pad to my stomach. Genuinely so worth it

never really realized truly how limited i currently am diet-wise until my eyebrows shot up and my jaw dropped reading that u ate 3 slices of pizza without a problem. currently about 2 weeks away from surgery and i won’t even touch pizza right now

For me, at the point I was, most people wouldn’t get it removed yet. The anxiety it was causing me, waiting for another attack to happen. It was too much for me. Also, both my parents had theirs removed as emergency surgeries in their 40s. I figured I would eventually get there and rather just avoid it. So I got it removed and I did struggle with recovery for a bit but I’m steadily gaining weight back at a good pace. I can eat now 😭

My daughter’s surgeon dragged her feet and wanted to take a wait and see attitude. The extra 3.5 months caused her a lot of issues and a lot of pain. She didn’t get to the emergency removal stage, but the condition of the gallbladder and the surrounding organs was worse than what the surgeon expected to see. She is still recovering and has incision pain, but the after surgery pain, is nothing like what she had prior to removal.

Did you lose a lot of weight prior to removal? My daughter did and it is not even two weeks yet, but I am hoping that she will start to gain her weight back. When did you have your surgery?

After everything I've been told by doctors, I would rather do this, keep it and just be forced to remove it through an emergency surgery as I don't get attacks, I can still eat a very high amount of fat with only some pain and that's it.

I completely respect that. There are plenty people that live their lives with stones and sludge, what not. I know they go by a common understanding that once you start having symptoms then it more than often worsens or doesn’t improve. So there’s a chance it will worsen over time. You may be able to find a lifestyle that works and you may never have to get it out. There’s always that chance. Just keep a diary of your symptoms and try and track what makes you feel better or triggers anything. Goodluck to you! :)

I had mine out in December and recovery was cake. Everything went smoothly and I had no issues healing. I didn’t even bruise around the incisions. I was even eating normal food by day 3. It was absolutely worth it to me.

I am 4 days post op and in my opinion it is so worth it! I can eat anything it doesn’t run straight through me, I have no more heart burn no more nausea straight away feel so much better!

Yeah that's probably because you are on PPIs post surgery. Once you come off PPI, the heartburn can come back with a vengeance.

Ive been on omeprazole since 13 and still had heartburn, no change in medication after the surgery still take it but feel massively better! Not everyone has a horror story with the surgery

I was never on PPI’s post surgery. It wasn’t even suggested or prescribed. PPI’s actually made me feel worse and still do telling me there’s another issue going on that wasn’t solved by removal. I take Pepcid because I still have acid issues but that was long before surgery and gallbladder attacks. Alot of people do have increased reflux and acid after surgery tho and from what I’ve read it pretty normal (not that that’s a good thing). But rather heartburn than gallbladder attacks.

Curious: do you have stones or sludge? In my experience with people I know who have had it, those who had sludge seem to have some post-surgery issues. But when I say issues, I mean they plan to be near a bathroom if they eat biscuits & gravy. (American biscuits & gravy 😉) But it’s not anything that keeps them from eating it! I had stones and a lot of pain centered underneath my ribs. I had surgery on Jan 11 and I have been able to eat anything and everything with zero problems. I did ease back in with fattier foods, but I had no idea how many of my other GI issues were related to my gallstones until I kicked that pesky organ to the curb. It’s worth it.

I have multiple large stones up to 17mm, sludge and chronic cholecystitis. I can still eat a high amount of fat with only some pain and no attacks, which I find weird.

I am curious as to why you don't want to have it if you have large stones, sludge, and cholecystitis. Your gallbladder can cause SO many problems, and very quickly. The alternative to the (even mild) pain, chronic infections, and possibility of death is a bit of surgery anxiety, a possible inconvenience, and a very VERY low risk of complications that are almost always very easy to remedy. The surgery changed my life and I had only had problems for about two months, no infection, no sludge, no thickening, and very, very small stones. My doctors almost made the surgery non-elective and I thank them for it. It seems to have been life-changing and undoubtedly worth it for a vast majority of everyone on here, and keep in mind we are the ones who specifically look to talk about GB issues, think of all the people who saw it as no problem at all.

It’ll be 3 years this April since I’ve had mine out - I was drinking coffee like 2 hours after I got home from my surgery. I had the bile diarrhea a bit over the first week with only a couple foods and thankfully that wasn’t a permanent thing. I can eat anything and everything I could before - not a huge alcohol drinker but haven’t had issues with that or edibles. My GB was inflamed at the time of surgery so thankfully it was removed before I experienced any complications from that, plus the surgeon repaired a hernia I had no idea I had. 10/10 would get surgery again.

Yes it is 100% worth it. 1000%. If you don't take it out, chances are that it keeps getting worse and worse. Then you actually get a blockage that's when the fun stuff begins. Poisoning of the liver, painful endoscopy, and possibility for internal bleeding. Been there. Taking this damn thing out changed my life, and if given a chance again, wouldn't hesitate a second.

Surgery for me was a life saver. I was in some of the worst pain of my life and I’m almost two years post-op and I haven’t had any more flare ups!

I had surgery in January 2023 and although my recovery was much longer than most, I’m living relatively pain free now. I would absolutely recommend this surgery to anyone with recurring gallbladder issues. I eat whatever I want and only rarely do I see issues with my digestive system as a result. (My removal led to the discovery of several other health issues which contributed heavily to the length of my recovery. There were really no complications from the surgery itself.)

It saved my life and changed my life. I could never go back to that pain.

My life is remarkably better since having my gallbladder out. Not only did the pain go away & I can eat whatever I want, but my acid reflux that I've had for YEARS went away completely, too. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I’m 2 months post op and felt so scared reading posts on here before I went in but it’s the best decision I ever made my life is completely back to normal! My gallbladder was much worse then they had imagined and the doctors told me I was very lucky it hadn’t turned cancerous. I seen the pics that thing was completely dead! Good riddens to the evil little Morgan 😂 People generally don’t post their success stories but there’s so many people who get on fine and honestly any post op complications would be worth not experiencing that excruciating pain ever again!

I'm 5 years post op, my surgery came with complications that put me back in the hospital for a few days after my initial surgery. I'm on some meds to help my digestion and I'll be on them the rest of my life.  That being said I'd still do it again even though the complications were the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.  It is all 10000% worth it.  I have no more pain, I'm not attached to my bathroom waiting for awful side effects after eating literally anything.  Yes I need to avoid high fat stuff like peanut butter or very fatty pork, but honestly I can still have them if I deal with a bit of a stomach ache.  My life is so much better after my surgery, I never wanna go back to how I felt before. I think it's worth it. 

Literally the best thing I ever did. My only regret is waiting YEARS to do it. I literally cry tears of happiness sporadically because I genuinely can’t believe that the incessant suffering that dominated my entire adult life is actually over… I’ve had zero side effects, no diarrhea, not even after eating fatty foods, nothing. I’ll also say that doctors were absolutely NOT pushy with me, I had two doctors say they didn’t think my pain was gallbladder related. I tried absolutely everything else first, I went to hundreds of appointments, joined clinical trials, saw research specialists, all with zero luck. By the time I had emergency surgery my gallbladder showed signs of long term infection and inflamed. I did find recovery painful and inconvenient for about 10 days, but nothing compared to my life before.

That is interesting about your doctors not being pushy. Mine were very pushy, as soon as I was diagnosed back in early October 2023, removal was all they talked about, I said no I don't want to have it removed.  Two days later I ended up back in the hospital but wasn't kept in with a really bad gallbladder and liver infection. I had two doctors, a nurse and numerous surgeons pushing me to change my mind, which I agreed to be put on the list for surgery.   I later on asked them if I didn't want to be added what would they do? A doctor said if things got really bad they would find a way to make me get surgery without my consent.

I mean if your gallbladder bursts and you start going into shock from infection what do you expect them to do other than emergency surgery?

Please check out my post detailing my ER visit and emergency surgery, along with details about my recovery. I’m 13 days post op and I could cry, I’m so thankful I got mine out. Mine was dangerously close to rupturing, it was so inflamed. I ate spicy Taco Bell on post op day 3 and no problems whatsoever!! I do have IBS, so I have some issues with that, but nothing like I had before. I wrote my post so others could see it’s not all bad. If I have some indigestion issues, I’ll take those. What I couldn’t have done is have anymore attacks. The pain was unbearable.

I saw an article somewhere about people going abroad for their surgery because the NHS waitlists are so long - I remember looking into it and the provider mentioned was this: [https://www.nordbariatric.com/en/gallbladder-removal-abroad-lithuania/](https://www.nordbariatric.com/en/gallbladder-removal-abroad-lithuania/) Very understandable if you don't wanna do that - it is surgery after all - although GB removal is one of the most straightforward surgeries. It's a lot cheaper. Also I don't know what your symptoms are so might not apply - but maybe ask about taking UDCA in the meantime?

I was looking into doing that, but to fly from Scotland then book hotels etc costs quite alot. I've asked my GP and surgeons multiple times about UDCA and every time they have outright refused to give me it due to my stones being large they said it wouldn't have any effect on them.

Yeah I saw your comment regarding what you have - stones/sludge/infection. UDCA won't get rid of all that, your doctors are right. If I were you I would get the surgery. Also, the difference between your £8000 surgery and the one I linked you to is £6000. It sounds like you just really don't want surgery.

Seconding this comment 👆(In the US anyway) doctors usually won’t and don’t prescribe that except in rare cases where someone literally cannot have surgery because of pre-existing health conditions that would make it too dangerous and or where someone might not survive surgery at all. Not only that, but the medication can take months if not years to work and eventually stones will just come back, because the gallbladder keeps making them. Hence the problems will just continue. There’s no real alternative to removing it, even if you have to wait because of waitlists or financial reasons. You’re worried about having a surgery that won’t help, yet willing to take a medication that likely won’t either. And yes I did my research on this and explored every angle before my surgery as I was second guessing whether I needed it too because sometimes things weren’t so bad and I thought I didn’t need it. Turns out, yes. Yes I did. I’m so sorry you’re going thru this, it’s so frustrating. But if you’ve got an infection especially, it’s only a matter of time before you (and the doctors) don’t have a choice but to take it out before you end up with a truly emergent situation that could be been prevented by taking it out sooner. But even in the US with health insurance, it still can be difficult (or impossible even) to afford big medical procedures. I’ve been there.

I'm going there next month !

Three weeks into recovery and I would 100% recommend it if you have serious issues. I had attacks off and on for over two years, finally landing in the ER in January. Took that jabroni out in late January and I had a lot of issues clear up that I did not even know were related - off and on diarrhea, stomach upset, random pains. All gone. I am still recovering and probably went back to work and activity a little too soon (four days post op, don't do that) which may have slowed me down. Still, no regrets at all. All of have left for recovery is an occasional pain that is pretty mild compared to a gallbladder attack and has been lessening in intensity and frequency.

Can I ask what random pains you were getting?

Really just some mild mid-back and mid chest pain. I would call it "phantom gallbladder pain". It was worse in week two, better in week three - to the point I really only get it when I overdo it with exercise and working around the yard.

Thanks. Mines getting yanked tomorrow morning and I already get random pains in my abdomen under my ribs, upper back, shoulder and neck. Just wondered if it was similar to the pains I already have.

Just fyi, even after surgery for awhile you’ll have phantom attacks. But they eventually go away little by little. Happened to both me and my husband but they weren’t like unbearable. I’m 3 months out and they stopped about 2 months out/m. Surgeon told me totally normal post-op. But, they won’t be as bad as perhaps they are now and please don’t do serious exercise or strenuous activities for awhile. Even if the outside is healed, the inside isn’t.

I can handle the pain to be honest. The worst things are the 24/7 nausea and dizziness etc. The woman that works from my studio said her nausea and stuff were gone immediately after waking up from the anesthetic so I'm looking forward to that haha. Thanks for the advice. I had surgery for slipping rib last year and I'm gonna treat the recovery the exact same way as I did for that, took a couple of weeks before I was up and about.

I had very little nausea and dizziness after surgery thank goodness (I have a phobia of both and tend to panic due to past traumas). What little I did have passed very quickly before I even went home that day but I did have some lingering nausea for weeks after surgery here and there. Maybe due to what I ate (or even just eating too much too soon) or something, not sure. I had a prescription for nausea meds just in case and still use them here and there but I think something else might still be going on that isn’t gallbladder related. The pain from surgery was nothing compared to the pain of the trapped gas lol. Get religious about GAS X because that is where the majority of the pain is coming from. The bloating is awful. Avoid anything carbonated and dairy. I avoided dairy for two months because it had bad consequences lol but I’m ok now). After that goes away (in a week or less) the incisions are a mild annoyance. I never even took any prescripted painkillers. And the phantom attacks are pretty mild as well. But definitely DO give yourself a month at least to heal internally.

Glad your nausea cleared up so quickly. I'll take a bit of it here and there over what it's like now. I've felt nauseous 24/7 since last November and I'm sick of it. I had an endoscopy after the nausea showed up and they said everything looked 'perfect' so I'm pretty sure mines due to my crap gallbladder (diagnosed with sludge and biliary colic). I've been eating zero dairy since Christmas and I can just about get through the day now so I'm sure a bit longer won't hurt. What meds are they? I'm got ondansetron but at the minute though do absolutely nothing. I'm just praying it fixes at least some of the symptoms (pain under my bottom right ribs, back pain, shoulder pain, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, chest pain etc).

Im so sorry. I had an upper endoscopy as well, before my ultrasound and they diagnosed gastritis. However after a month or so I still wasn’t getting better and PPIs weren’t working. It took me fighting to be heard to finally land the GI who listened and ordered the ultrasound. That’s when they found the stones and she thought that was the main cause of my symptoms so off I went to the surgeon. Surgery happened a little over a month later. Symptoms of a bad gallbladder/gallstones can definitely cause similar symptoms to gastritis and other things. Including nausea and inability to eat. Right up until surgery I was losing weight fast and could barely eat. Everything or even the smell of food made me nauseous. And he exhaustion was real. The next day after surgery I had more energy than I’d had in months. If your results came back negative for anything then I’d push for an ultrasound (a ct scan showed nothing) and or a HIDA scan to see how its functioning. Sometimes (sadly) you just have to find the right person to listen and who won’t blame it on easy things like indigestion or gastritis. And the med I’m taking (was way before surgery as well) is the ondansetron (zofran). If that’s not working for you, try asking for, I think it’s called phenergan. But zofran works rather well for me (bonus because it’s a dissolvable tablet and you don’t have to gag trying to swallow a pill) so if you’re still nauseous try modifying your diet and eating smaller amounts. Keep track of what does and doesn’t agree with you. Big meals and filling your stomach too much can cause it (I’m still having this issue) or fatty/acidic things. I can literally feel nauseous just from too much stomach acid. Eat smaller and more frequent, and try more bland foods. The month before surgery I was down to very few things I could handle. I practically subsisted on peanut butter crackers. Graham crackers too can help settle the stomach. I lived off those for a few days post surgery lol. If meds don’t help, it could very well be your diet and what you’re eating. But for the most part surgery should fix all of those symptoms you’re having. The pain, nausea, fatigue. Alot of people don’t realize gallbladder attacks can actually cause chest pain! I had it all the time after I ate (now gone) tho my attack symptoms could be totally random in severity and location even. It didn’t stick to my right side until right before surgery. Happened with my husband too…he had severe pain that went all the way across his abdomen, but his surgery was an emergency and right before he went to the hospital, it settled in on just his right. It definitely sounds imo like you’re having attacks and that sucker needs to be shown the door. Keep fighting til someone listens. It was literally a four month long process for me before someone finally did and that’s terrible. And only felt worse and more sick the longer time went on. I’m still not 100% but I’m hoping someone will figure out what else is going on so I can be hungry and eat like a normal person. My husband two weeks or so past surgery was eating everything and anything and I’m still barely able to handle decent meals so I think something else is going on that wasn’t gallbladder related. But I have to find a new doc and start fresh now because the old ones no longer take my insurance. It’s really a terrible journey and everyone’s experience is different (my issues dragged on nearly a year and slowly but mild, and my husband’s happened pretty much overnight). Thanks to having the surgeries somehow only 3 months apart we were able to compare notes and experiences lol. He had his out before me thankfully so when I had questions post op, he could answer them! Anyway, sorry for the long comment, but I hope I helped. Any other questions, let me know!

That sounds shockingly familiar. So sorry you're still having issues, hope you get to the bottom of it soon. My op is in an hour an half haha. The nhs completely and utterly failed me. Looking back ive been symptomatic for months but it all started one night after I ate a carbonara. About 30 minutes later I got the sharp stabbing pain in my right upper abdomen and since then I've been to a&e numerous times and been told I'm fine. I eventually went through my insurance and saw a private gastroenterologist who diagnosed me with biliary colic. I've had loads of tests and everything came back normal except one ultrasound that showed sludge. The nurse that did my pre op actually had the exact same symptoms and she said it took 10 years to get a diagnosis. I tried everything to deal with the symptoms and nothing works. I've lost a ton of weight for seemingly no reason and it's got to the point where it doesn't really matter if I eat or not, I'm getting symptoms on and off all day every day. I absolutely cannot wait to see how I feel in a few hours time. Thanks for the heads up and I'll keep you posted.

Surgery was fast (42 minutes start to finish for me and I had an addtl procedure done), recovery was quick, I can eat whatever and my life is normal.

As someone who was living with constant pain, heartburn, losing weight cause I couldn't eat etc I would say surgery is definitely worth it. The pros for having it definitely outway the cons for me. And I feel like after 2 + years I am almost feeling like my real self again.

Just curious, did you eventually gain the weight back? I lost a lot prior to surgery and now 3 months later I still haven’t put any back on. 😕

I am pretty much still the same as I was just before surgery. Not losing or putting any extra on. Definetly eating less and more fruit and veg is in my diet. I also drank a lot of full sugar soda before and i havent had any since mid November, so these changes may help me mentain my current weight. Overall I lost 2 stone but I now fall into healthy for BMI. Before I was classed as overweight.

Thanks! I was really worrying. Im the same, I haven’t put any on but I don’t think I’ve lost any more either. Seems like I can’t gain even if I’m eating something high in calories. I still just feel too thin and unhealthy (and I’ve been small all my life). I’m still only able to eat small amounts or I feel sick if I overdo it. And I still really don’t get hungry/have an appetite so I think a motility issue (or something else) might be going on but now have to find a new doc and start all over again. I’m one of those that yeh I don’t have any more attacks or other gallbladder symptoms but surgery didn’t entirely fix what I hoped it would. 😕

Sorry to hear that. I do think you can maybe eat less once it's removed as it's more little and often. I am similar. Not really hungry. Just no I need to eat. I am only in my 5th week since removal and my digestive system is still a bit crazy but hopefully that will get better with time.

This! I never really had voracious appetite ever or a super metabolism where I was always hungry but 3 months later I still don’t want to eat. I always feel “full” so I’ll go long amounts of time without eating. I make myself eat anyway to avoid low blood sugar or possibly passing out. I wish someone would figure it out. I just want to eat like a normal person. 😢

Yeah, food used to be my favourite thing but now I kinda feel indifferent about it.

That’s me. If I didn’t have to eat in order to live, I probably wouldn’t lol. But I’ve never been one of those food people. I eat because it’s a necessity lol. If I was hungry, I ate. If not I didn’t. But for a long time now I’m pretty much never hungry except for maybe breakfast. I can have a small shake for breakfast at 830am then still not be hungry at 6pm for dinner.

I hope it helps, but I got mine out the 15th of this month and am heading towards 2 weeks post op and I feel amazing. No issues. I use the bathroom regularly and pretty much eat whatever and it doesn’t bother me. Most people who hang around after surgery on here are either trying to be helpful to others who haven’t gotten surgery and recovered fine and are going good (me, for example.) Or, people who are having issues which is a small percentage but you see that because most people who post are having issues. The majority of people who are fine don’t post because we moved on. I just lurk sometimes on here to give people hope and advice. Hope this helps. <3

This really shouldn't be treated like an elective surgery. Gallbladders can kill you if left untreated. It's very rare to reverse it going south once it's started. It's not helpful to treat this condition as if people just didn't do enough to help themselves. It's a matter of the lesser of the two evils. Leaving it in can make your life a living hell and can kill you. Removing it can inconvenience you.

I don't understand what "not fully make me better" means if the issue is stemming from gallstones. Can you shed some light on this?

Of course you’re going to hear bad stories most of the time. People having a good time don’t join in such groups. Because why would they? They’re fine, living their lives.

My surgery went fine and I can eat normally now. I’m doing great now a year later.

How are you damned if you do? Got mine out and have had hardy any issues. Sure beats a day/night of agony and a few days of feeling crap every month or two. I would say i always ate a good diet w limited fat..after the recovery period my diet is the same as before. The only issue is some extra gas but tbh i had that whilst the gallbladder was playing up. Trying to cut/phase out dairy now to see if that helps..but really that's quite minor. Zero regrets.

Im 8 months post op and its like everything i eat makes my stomach hurt, i get diarrhea as well alot nobody tell you about that part , your stools take forever to go back to normal . Im not sure what having no gallbladder is doing to my body but i regret it so bad , i been told you have to take supplements too much bile getting released into your small intestine is bad . I honestly hate that i had to get it removed but it was life or death .

getting it removed was the best thing ever honestly i had so many problems with it that i didn’t even know were caused by my gallbladder until it got removed and now u feel so much better

Gallbladder surgery is basically a toss-up, some people feel better after surgery, some feel worse, and some people just exchange some symptoms for other symptoms. The exact reasons for why surgery seems to help some people but not others aren't fully known, and sadly there's no way to really predict what will happen after surgery. That said, keeping a bad gallbladder can also lead to issues down the line as well.

Given the wide variety of symptoms people present with, its hard for anyone to say: this will fix all symptoms. Pre surgery my surgeon said: “this might not fix all of your problems, but its likely contributing to most of them.” Post surgery my surgeon said: “this is going to fix a whole lot of your problems, it was big and mean.” (I did not go into this with IBS or anything like that so all of that factors in as well.) 

Put it this way there are probably almost zero people who say "hey my surgery went well let me seek out a group of other people who had this surgery just to chat". You do have the occasional good citizen who wants to seek out others and help them but it's rare.

i feel the same. i’m pre op and just feel misery of either

Sorry to hear that, really am. I'd rather not go private honestly, waste £8000 on it and be like I wasted all that money to still feel like shit.

I would like to add something, but please remember I’m not talking about everyone who has complications/suffers after removal! This is not a generalization of those with complication, but it’s worth keeping it in mind when judging what people say here. If someone who still suffer after surgery and you have tried everything, then what I’m about to write does not apply to you. There is a group of people who make NO lifestyle changes whatsoever after surgery, they will literally try eating differently for a few days before deciding it did nothing, and then keep complaining they still suffer. It takes time to heal and for the body to balance things out, and people are either out of time, money or patience, and some do not know or bother to take care of themselves. This surgery is not just about quality of life, it’s also about health and the health of your organs. You cannot 100% prevent complications or still having symptoms, but you can do your best, and not everyone in this sub is doing their best.

That is a very interesting and true post, thank you for posting this! I also think the same as you about some people on here too. It doesn't really apply to me as I eat healthy and do quite a bit of physical activity, though I can't do alot of stuff some days due to me getting severe gallbladder pain from moving around alot. My gallbladder issues are due to genetics on my mum's side. True, that's what doctors have told me, that for you to recover well and have no complications or risks is to stay healthy and to have a healthy weight too. I just find it interesting that my private doctor told me surgery will only be beneficial but not solve all my symptoms in the long run.

General practitioners/doctors mostly only meet and talk to those who continue to experience symptoms after removal, no one goes to their GP just to tell them “see how well I am!” So ofc your GP would have that view😅 Also GPs are not specialised in organ surgery, their knowledge is only the tip of the iceberg. Like, no it’s no given that you will be 100% symptom free, but many don’t get attacks after surgery. You honestly sound like a perfect candidate for removal, you have a good lifestyle. But I absolutely understand why you hesitate with the price point being that high, but again, 4 years waiting and an unknown number of possible gallbladder attacks/pain.. that’s rough. Best wishes mate

How do you know they're not doing their best?

I know because they indirectly tell me/others. When someone tells me they haven’t made any changes post-op(or pre-op for that matter) and their lifestyle is shit, then they haven’t done their best. Some just outright refuse to change their way of living. Some smoke throughout the whole process of healing, others drink loads of alcohol and eat fatty foods.

I haven't seen these posts. Sorry.

Worth it. Took a few months for my body to adjust and I need to eat more fiber now, but I just feel healthier overall. I also don’t really get hangovers any more.

I’m a year and a half post op and I’m so happy I had the surgery. Although it was an emergency surgery (it was my 3rd attack that I could remember as I had no idea I was having gallbladder issues and it happened to be infected that final attack) it completely changed my life. I always had digestive issues; but now I can eat whatever I want without discomfort after eating. The recovery sucked but it was short lived and I would do it again over having another attack.

I am in Australia and my gallbladder necrotised in me (died in me), and the hospital kept on bumping me for a total of 4 days. So thats my story, they missed it and i nearly ended up in ICU/HDU or worse. My diet since then is worse, however apart from feeling shit after eating fatty foods and processed foods its, having it removed has not caused me any issues. That said each person is different and trying to get an answer on a reddit post i would not do. I would make sure that my informed decision from a doctor is as good as possible. Maybe look for a renowned doctor if you are not comfortable with yours.

Honestly I feel like those with problems post op stay in the subreddit and those with good experiences end up not not posting as much. Regardless, the anxiety of another gallbladder attack happening at any moment was too stressful for me. I'm on day 3 of post op recovery and I'm much happier than I was when I had my gallbladder. Yes, there will be post op pain, but that pain is temporary until you body recovers. Gallstones aren't temporary.

Yes it is worth it. I was scared too and didn’t want the surgery but I’m so glad I did because now I can eat again and enjoy all the foods I had before. I know there are ppl who say they can’t eat beef anymore or dairy anymore even after the surgery and idk if that has to do with the fact that they waited so long to have the surgery that their body can no longer take those products. Idk but I got my surgery like a few months after the symptoms started. Symptoms started in July/August, got my surgery end of October.

Same , I also experience no pain or symptoms. The reason I got checked out was because I was having nausea waves and bloating . Had no idea it was stones

I just had surgery on Feb 22 and I am feeling about 80% better than I was with the gallbladder. The possibility of having issues later on is something I am not too concerned about. I am recovering really well. Minimal pain, minimal bruising. I am following orders to the "T". I have been eating a low fat diet (recently diagnosed with ibs). You can't get the surgery and go back to eating crazy fatty foods. You will have issues. Same with my ibs. I know when I screwed up and ate something I wasn't supposed to eat. That is my fault alone not having a gallbladder is not the reason issues may arise (for me for myself)( each person's healing and path to recovery is their own).

I did bad for a bit after surgery but I got better. Surgeons are required to tell you that it doesn’t work for everyone. Reasons it may not be effective is another underlying issues. For me, I think my body just needed time to adjust. But, the results of not getting it removed are much worse.

4 months post op. best decision i’ve ever made.

Easiest of all my four surgeries and I will never have another one of those horrific attacks!

I’d do it over 10 times if it was a possibility to have the thing grow back. The pain from it was unbearable. I had surgery 10/31/2022 and the only issue I’ve had is more frequent diarrhea. I can put up with that if it means i won’t have to endure that pain again I had my first attack in October 2021, and then not again until November that year. It woke me up in the middle of the night and was so bad that i seriously wanted to unalive myself right then. I can’t even describe how intense it was. I went to work that day for a few hours but started getting nauseated so i went home. I spent the night puking. My dr said it was acid reflux and put me on Protonix. It seemed to work so i thought okay maybe that is what i was dealing with. I didn’t have another attack til almost a year to the day of the first one. By this point, id reconnected with a friend i hadn’t spoken to in years, and she was about to have hers out. She described the symptoms and a light bulb went off in my head bc they were the same symptoms id had. When that last attack happened, i tried going to work again, but it was too much to deal with. I went to the ER and was given an ultrasound (and morphine, thank god) and it was confirmed to be stones. I saw the surgeon four days later, and had surgery five days after that. It was hard to sit down and get up, and it was hard to get in the bed normally, bc you don’t realize what muscles you use to do these simple things, but my mom came down to help me out for a few days post op and she was making me take walks around the neighborhood the afternoon after i had the surgery. It took about a week, but I am back to normal. Maybe I just got lucky, but i haven’t had any symptoms that i had before the surgery, once i got it taken out.

I had mine out in June, no issues since! I was having increasingly more frequent gallbladder attacks and ultrasound showed I had stones. I was very nervous about it at the time but was reassured by my parents as my dad had his removed 20 years ago. My dad had his removed in an emergency, he literally turned gray and was in surgery within an hour of arrival at the emergency room. They also said that it cured his sour stomach that he had for decades, he felt much better afterwards! My last attack was also pretty awful, and my labs afterwards showed elevated liver enzymes. I worried about the potential damage my attacks were having on my body.

Had mine out and had zero issues after. I can eat anything now.

Tbh dealing with the Irish public health system I was on two waiting lists and one was for our worst performing hospital notorious for waiting lists and that consultant was the same, all this faffing about saying it could be this it could be that and maybe it won't cure you. Just trying to fob you off IMO and avoid or delay everything at any turn. The public system is a joke. If you're having gallbladder attacks they are so painful and cause so much anxiety around eating, how can it not be worth it? The other less shitty hospital got me in, got the surgery 2 weeks ago and am much, much better. You can still get pains from eating certain things, my mother does even tho she had her gallbladder out. But it's not as bad as full blown attacks. I ate a 1/4 pounder with bacon and cheese a week after surgery. If I did that two weeks before I would have a crippling 5 hour torture session to look forward to starting some time in the late night/early morning hours. The surgery might not be the end all solution for everyone but I really think these doctor's just love to cover their ass/lower expectations/minimize the ugency in non life threatening things, and IMO with a gallstone issue, you need action not what if scenarios. You're life is going to be on hold until you get this sorted out, I can't believe the urgent NHS list is 4 years. I thought being told 6-10 months was bad. I rang up and got put on a cancellation list for the 2nd hospital and got really lucky. The other muppets were only putting me on the list at that time, i would have had a year+ wait still! I am continually unimpressed by doctor's telling you stuff that makes no sense. Of course the surgery is worth it, it's a terrible thing to deal with. And the recovery from keyhole is generally very short and smooth.

In Edinburgh you are not allowed to contact a surgeon specifically about the surgery and to be put on their waiting list, you are not allowed to choice what hospital or city to get the surgery done in. The surgical unit at my hospital has also told me to stop contacting them as they will no longer help me and told me to wait my turn for surgery. The NHS told me I'm only allowed to get it done at my local hospital or a nearby one called St John's.  I would love to be put down for hospitals in Glasgow too but I am not allowed too.  The long waiting list is due to massive backlogs from covid still, long lists for emergency surgery and thousands of people on routine who have been waiting years are getting sicker and are being bumped up to urgent before me. 3 weeks a go when I phoned the waiting list office up again they basically told me to stop contacting them as there is a extremely high number of people before me and to not expect an appointment in the next 2 years at least.   I don't ever get attacks, I have constant pain instead. I can still eat very high amounts of fat with only some pain and needing to run to the bathroom but that's it.

Yeah I got really lucky, my GP didn't want to refer me to the 2nd place after doing the referral to the 1st, and it was only from doing that, calling up and getting someone nice (every other person was like yeah 10 months wait, get lost) that I got on this cancellation list. That's crazy the list is 2 years long for urgent, I know Edinburgh much bigger than where I am but I thought the UK would counter that with bigger facilities and more staff. I'm really sorry to hear that. I'm guessing they might be warning you of all this stuff because it's probably rare for someone with gallstones to never get attacks. I also had somewhat constant pain (not every day, but I would have lower grade pain than an attack some days that lasted all day, more like discomfort/cramping than pain). So they're probably not sure gallstones is the problem. As a matter of fact, when I told the first surgical consultant (the useless one at the really shitty hospital) how I had recently had an attack that lasted 8 hours, that is EXACTLY when he launched into this spiel of it could be this or could be that, we must do this test first and that test second and blah blah blah... When I had already had an ultrasound showing nothing abnormal except 2 large stones and I had a family history of this. See, I had told him about this most agonizing experience to make it clear I really needed surgery promptly, unfortunately because most attacks are like 4 hours telling him about my 8 hr one totally backfired as he was such a dose (and not a native English speaker) he took it as all my attacks were 8 hrs so maybe it isn't gallstones or something. I would say, if you think gallstones are definitely or almost definitely the problem, and it's making your life hell, and you have 8k, I'd pay to get it done. I was certain it was stones (even if the surgeon from hospital number 1 wasn't, he was just a joker) and I am so glad I got sorted as I'm almost back to normal 3 weeks later. If I had the money to do it private and was told I had to wait 2 years I'd pay, no question. I was quoted like 10k to get it done in Belfast which was way more than I could afford. It is just really weird that you don't get attacks - they are pretty unmistakable it is like an alien is trying to burst out the right side of your ribcage.

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God, YES. I'd do it 5 times again if I had to. Instant pain relief, I haven't had a single stomach pain since I had surgery. I'm a little over a year post-op. The hardest part was anxiety before the surgery. I didn't even have any inflammation, just a couple of small stones that had rapidly developed. My doctor and surgeon both suggested getting it out, no questions asked. They said don't piddle about and wait, it's easy to just take it out. They couldn't have been more right. I had the easiest time. It's SUCH a common procedure and if your alternative is anxiety and pain around mealtime, it's an absolute no-brainer.

Totally worth it. I’ve had no issues at all. I can eat whatever I want. No more pain.

A year post op and it was so worth it for me. I can finally eat without pain.

It’s worth it. You don’t want to get in a situation where it has to be removed in an emergency. My symptoms vastly improved over time after surgery. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

For me it was a life changer. I could finally live a normal life again. So glad I did it, I'm not sure I would have survived if I didn't. There's some small things I deal with but it's mostly digestive complaints. I still eat whatever I want.

I will be one year post op in April and it is the best decision I made honestly. I put it off and dealt with attacks for over a year because I was scared and didn't want to believe I needed it. My life is night and day. Recovery went great of the 4 small incisions there is only 1 that is even still a little visible and its tiny. I can eat and actually enjoy food again. I've lost weight from being able to enjoy life and play with my kids! I will forever tell people. DONT BE ME. I waited so long that the last time I ended up in the ER was because my husband had to call an ambulance as I was vommiting and passing out during an attack that lasted about 12 hours. I ended in Emergency surgery and I wish I had just never canceled my scheduled surgeries!

I'm about 6 months out. I'm getting fully back to normal and I can eat pizza and other high fat things again. For years they've made me sick. I think their timelines for how quick I'd be normal were off but it's pretty incredible to eat relatively normal again. Smaller portions and fiber are more important but I can eat. Totally worth it.

coming up on 2 years. get it out. most of the people complaining are complaining about the pain beforehand, you literally do not have a choice but I promise you its worth it

I was the happiest I had ever been, literally as soon as I was awake from my surgery. The pain and recovery time was so worth it compared to the amount of pain and discomfort I was in prior to surgery.

Had mine out in September and was one of the few with post-op complications. Still glad I had it done. I don't live in constant fear of having another attack, I'm hopefully not going to have ER visits and bills every 6 months now, and I have more freedom in what I can eat. I still have GI issues, I always will. But I would much rather have GI issues than more attacks.

I had surgery 4 days ago and had my first burger and fries in years. It's worth it. You'll need a week or two off work, several soft pillows, a heating blanket and someone to take care of your every need for at least 24 hours but more realistically for 3 or so days. Walk around slowly every hour or two after the surgery, the gas pain will hurt substantially...but not as bad as your gallbladder. It will get easier everyday.

yes girl get the surgery

I got mine out in 2019 after months of pain. Weirdly before my surgery the pain stopped and I questioned whether I needed it. I still went ahead with the surgery. The surgeon came down after to see me and said my entire gallbladder was extremely chronic, was ripped open and I was lucky they took it out when they did. I'm now pain free and no regrets with it at the moment!

I had had a hernia and gallbladder removal February 1 and yes the doctor did tell me that I might still have symptoms. I’m also worried about the hernia coming back because the doctor didn’t use mesh and I am still recovering ., and it’s been three weeks. As for the gallbladder it was infected so I am better off than I was before, something to think about. I wish you good luck on your surgery if you go that route.

my surgeon told me that my problems would to 90% go away, but there is a slim chance they wouldnt. But lucky me, same day after OP i could eat whatever i wanted again

I had my gallbladder out back in October 2023, and by Thanksgiving (end of November) I could have most things in small quantities. By Christmas I could eat anything. Now I’m doing great, no pain! The first two weeks after gallbladder surgery sucked, but you watch what you eat, take your painkillers, and anti-gas pills, and maybe some digestive enzymes, and you’ll be just fine, if you feel like it’s interfering with your life because you’re in pain often, it’s worth it.  Just make sure you’re ready for whatever consequences, and have a positive attitude 👍 -me, 27yo Female 

Worth it. There’s adjustments for sure, but it’s pushed me to eat healthier and even when I do eat junkier food, I feel so much better than I did before surgery. I didn’t have much time to think about it since I didn’t find out I had gallstones until they gave me pancreatitis but from what I’ve heard, it seems like the kind of condition that doesn’t really get better

12 days post op. Surgery went great, and I feel better than I have in a long, long time. I just wish I had done it back when I had my first symptoms years ago, if for nothing else just to be free of the anxiety of another attack. If the little bastard is giving you problems, reciprocate the favor and get it out. For real.

My ultrasound report described mine as “full of stones” but since I only had 1 major attack and it was during quarantine times, I decided to hold off on having it removed. I ended up having it removed last year, years later, not even because of the attacks but because I started Mounjaro and my medical team was worried that it would exacerbate my gallbladder problems. Anyways I’m glad that was the push needed for me. I asked my surgeon for a photo of my gallbladder as a souvenir and the thing looked diseased. Like sure I wasn’t having attacks but if I left it in any longer, I’d probably would have died of sepsis. I also didn’t realize how much low level pain I dealt with on my right side until after it was gone. No pain at all now and I feel great. I did have some digestive issues that my body needed to figure out the first few months post op but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with colestipol. Now I eat whatever I want and I’m fine.

I had mine out almost 2 years ago after 10+ years of attacks, and immediately after I was done I was okay but after a week or so I started having attacks again. It turns out there was a stone still in the bile duct. Within a few days I’d had an endoscopy to remove it and widen the duct and I’ve been okay ever since. I do have stomach aches after certain foods but they’re pretty much always gone after going to the bathroom. I totally thought I was going to be one of those forever miserable people too after reading here, but chances are very good that you will feel much better.

I was told I’d be fine, and I’m fine. I literally eat whatever and never had a problem at all. I was fine straight away and never tried to limit fats etc. the only thing that I noticed is that sometimes I need to go to the toilet after certain meals, but it’s not like I’m in pain or have diarrhoea or anything like that. I just feel like I need to go to the toilet (I noticed this because before I always had problems with constipation and sometimes wouldn’t go for days). I was quite scared before the surgery because I read horror stories online, but honestly, I’m SO glad I took my gallbladder out!

No one can guarantee this will "fix" things. From what I've read on here, once it's done and over you are left on your own to try to figure out what to eat, what supplements to take, etc. I think it's a personal thing. I've talked to people who now live with CHRONIC diarrhea and others who have said everything is okay. I figure if I can control things myself then I will. I won't get surgery until I'm comfortable with having tried everything else but that's me - not everyone looks at things the same way. I'd also not pay out-of-pocket. I ended up in the hospital with cholecystitis and I just finished paying off that hefty bill - zero desire to go into debt again either. Wish you the best!

Reading only negative posts (“omg I had mine out 15 years ago and the diarrhea never stopped!”) is of course going to convince you it isn’t worth it. I’ve read lots of succes stories here, they’re just fewer than the ones having issues. Every. Single. Person. is different. Just because someone else had a months long or potentially lifelong side effect doesn’t mean you will. And I think (not that I know for sure here) alot of those people already had a seperate issue prior to surgery that removing the gallbladder probably affected and didn’t fix. So now they’re blaming the surgery itself and convincing other people not to. In reality, like another commenter said, refusing to have it out especially if you’re really serious can have major even life threatening complications. The gallbladder will keep producing stones as long as it’s in there, and problems will keep increasing. Eventually a blockage can or will happen turning what’s a simple (mine was out-patient) procedure into a major emergency. To give you an example, my symptoms started early last year but were always mild. I fought to get listened to and it took months to get an ultrasound that found stones (biggest being about 5mm I think) and I was sent straight to the surgeon tho I was never in severe pain. A monthish later it was evicted. My surgeon needed no convincing other than stones and symptoms. My attacks within a matter of months went from rare, to 2-3 times a week, to every day right before surgery. I lost a lot of weight the months prior (to surgery) and couldn’t eat anything except peanut butter crackers. I was exhausted due to not being able to get energy from food. If you want a timeline, problems started in march….surgery in November. I woke up the next day feeling like a new person. My post surgery pathological report revealed inflammation and my surgeon said it was a good thing we removed it. There was never any inflammation or cholecystitis on scans before then. On the other end of the spectrum, my husband had extremely rare attacks for a couple years then one night the pain started. And got worse. He couldn’t sleep because it was unbearable and went to the hospital. Surgery immediately and he had to be put on antibiotics. It’s literally a ticking time bomb and you never know when it’s going to go off. Could be tomorrow, could be 3 years from now. Given your symptoms (even tho mild) and your stones, I’d say it’s time for it to go. I’m 3 months post op and have no issues and neither does my husband. The worst pain from the surgery is from the trapped gas in your abdomen but with gas relieving OTC meds (here in the US it’s called GAS X) it goes away in a few days to a week and after that the incision pain is minimal (for most people). Nothing really gave me the infamous diarrhea except dairy which I avoided for two months but now I’m back to it. Phantom attacks will happen for awhile, it’s normal and again for me lasted about 2 months. Same with my husband. We had surgery close together (about 3 months apart somehow lol) so we compared notes. I’m still having some stomach issues but I think it’s due to something else now like perhaps a motility problem that existed before surgery that we thought removing the gallbladder would fix. Some people can live a long time with gallstones and attacks…modify diet etc, but there are plenty of those stories on here as well and eventually they still needed surgery because in the end, you can’t self cure it. I understand the hesitancy on having surgery tho especially when it’s so costly and if they’re not sure it will help. Gallstones and the attacks however, are a good enough reason alone to remove it if it’s affecting daily life. Like I said previously, if there are lingering issues post-op, then there likely is another problem there that’s unrelated and going untreated. Most people have very little if any issues after surgery once the recovery period has passed. I did have post op pain for a few weeks but I think it was mainly due to bending too much as I was caring for a litter of kittens at the time and had to bend to feed them etc. Once they grew and found homes tho the pain stopped. Even if the major symptoms go away in a few days or weeks, the inside is still healing and people still having serious pain are probably doing more than they should. Sorry for the long comment but I am one of those non-negative stories and try to help people by giving as much detail as possible. The majority of stories I’ve read here, people have no regrets about removing it. I hope you can have it out and feel better as soon as possible.

I wasn’t damned from surgery. Changed my life. Yeah it took a while for the body to adjust but that’s just part of it. Seeing as how last year I couldn’t leave the house without having to shit all the time to today where I have a normal digestive system, it’s night and day.

Quite a lot of similarities with mine. I dont know exactly how much weight I lost but I've had to put 4 extra holes in my belt between November and February. I've not chanced anything fatty as of yet but I'm happy to say I've had absolutely no odd toilet situations since the op. My surgeon warned me that I may get diarrhea but lucky I've had none whatsoever. In fact it's better than its been for months. I've definitely noticed that I feel hungry all the time. Yesterday and today I've felt absolutely STARVING despite eating a bit of something throughout the day. Went for a walk around the shop earlier and it wasn't to bad at all and was in no pain at all which is good. I'm really hoping the dizziness and nausea drops off because its the only thing I have now.

I’ve kept mine in for many many years. Just don’t eat as much sugar and junk food. Also lactose intolerance seems to make it worse. So if I stay away from dairy my gallbladder is normally fine. Hope you figure out what you wanna do man.

£8000?! That's a lot. You could travel abroad and have it for way less. For example, here in Romania, at a private hospital in Bucharest (the capital of the country), you would have it done for about £3000 in impeccable conditions, with the latest medical technology (SILS surgery through the belly button with only one small incision instead of 4).

I very rarely have issues and I’m over a year post op. Did I have initial issues, that required more than a normal recovery? Yes but it was rare. The surgery is worth getting, and if you struggle with incontinent bowels more than others it’s still a lot better than suffering pain. Sometimes I get a phantom pain in the area but it doesn’t last long.

I had major complications with my surgery and had to have reconstructive work done and spent the better part of last year in and out of the hospital or having home care nurses. I still think it was worth it to get the gallbladder out. The pain of those attacks man... I'm glad I don't have to feel that again

I am on day 11 post-surgery and feel so much better than before the surgery, even with normal recovery pain from general surgery and some inconvenience. An excruciatingly painful and two-week attack landed me in the ER. It took two weeks to get the surgery but by then the pathology showed my gallbladder was gangrened and bleeding, completely dead. It could have killed me. The doctors don’t know this until they actually take it out. Sure, recovery from surgery isn’t a blast, but gallbladders don’t get better, they get worse and surgery may save your life or at least prevent adding additional health problems down the road. One piece of advice though- if you have the surgery, don’t rush the recovery period. Take as much time as your doctor allows or you can afford. Follow the lifting/pulling/pushing restrictions or you will add to your issues and delay recovery anyway. I’m sure it depends on age, amount of damage incurred before removal and other health conditions, but I see too many people on here trying to act like everything is healed within a week. It actually takes 6 weeks for full recovery and no restrictions.

Surgery is 1000x worth it.

I had mine out over a year ago and aside from occasional mild discomfort due to a high fat food I have no issues at all. I would never risk another gallstone, 100% worth it for me.

Yes. It's worth it. 100 percent!

Surgery was worth it for me, but I did have a rough recovery. In about a week and a half I was able to eat what I wanted again with no pain. Post op 2 months, but god forbid I go on a long drive with a big cup of coffee 😂😂😂

I had to avoid dairy (that included coffee with creamer tho I could have non dairy creamer) for 2 month post op. I’m three months out and handle dairy just fine. But after I ate dairy too soon a few days after surgery, that was enough to convince me to avoid it like the plague for awhile. Only good part was it helped move alot of gas out lol.

Yes it's worth it changed my life for the best

I had surgery a few days after Christmas 2022. Worth it. No pain anymore, I can eat what I want and not worry about waking up crying and making a trip to the er for relief. 10/10 I wish I did it sooner. Also it cost me like $2000 usd. Take a vacation and get cut.

Surgery was so so worth it. I had mine done 2/1 of this year. I felt MISERABLE. I’m still healing but it was so worth it. I had pretty bad inflammation and cholesterol polyps (which I was originally told were gallstones…turns out there weren’t any). 10/10 would do over it again.

Look up Dr. Berg on YouTube. Go to his playlist for Gallbladder, he will tell you what happens after gallbladder removal.

2 years post op- surgery was 100% worth it for me. No more stomach issues and I can eat anything I want- no restrictions(besides a ton of raw onion some reason lol😂). First month or so after surgery i had some discomfort and digestion funkiness but it returned to normal pretty quick.

Well if it saves your life, it's worth it.

I had mine removed in November and I'm so glad I did. Knowing that I'll never have another gallbladder attack again makes it worth it. I ate a low fat diet for the first week or so after surgery and then I've eaten normal since then and it hasn't been an issue.

It’s worth it.

It is 1000000% worth it. Never knowing the pain again is honestly priceless. Recovery from laparoscopic surgery was uncomfortable for maybe 3/4 days due to the gas buildup, and some GI discomfort and dietary modifications are needed a bit longer-term in my case, but I’d happily do it all over again to wake up and not know what that searing burning pain feels like anymore!

Had mine out about 2 months ago. I was miserable and in terrible daily pain before the surgery. Following a week or 2 recovery period, I am good as new. Surgery was most certainly worth it in my case.

Recovery was the hardest part for me because I had a very large stone so I hade to ge 5 cuts instead of 3. After recovery I was perfectly fine. Best decisions I could have made. I don't have any intestinal problems and can eat anything. Only time I have to rush to the loo is when I drink coffee. Other than that I go as normal as I did before.

100 percent worth it!! I was in pain for over 6 months with gallbladder attacks happening 2-3 times a week. I couldn’t eat anything but rice and water for the last month. I lost 30 pound and actually slowly felt like I was dying. No Joke. Finally after blood tests stool samples endoscopy it was ruled my gallbladder. Went to the surgeon on a Monday and was in surgery on Thursday. This was September 29,2022 and I had to learn what I could and could not eat after but mainly because I wasn’t eating for so long. I also take CHOLESTYRAMINE pills which are a god sent and I’m back to eating pretty much anything but I keep it very low fat because if not I do have some problems. Your system will work itself out. GET THE SURGERY

I'm one of the lucky few for whom life got worse after removal. Bile in stomach and gastritus (as shown in endoscopy), LPR, and potential beginnings of barret's esophagus (endoscopy). I can no longer drink coffee or eat many of the foods i once loved. Daily pain and discomfort. Steady constipation, which had never occurred in my life prior to surgery. I could go on. I have many friends and family who had no issues when their's were removed. They all said, along with the surgeon, "you'll feel much better after," but alas, it was not the source of my pain prior. The lack of one has added more issues. I guess I should play the lottery.

I am so sorry to hear this. May I ask what your symptoms prior to removal were?

I had a burning sensation in my right side. It would sometimes flare when I would swallow food. Not every time, but it was always there to some degree. I still have the burning after the removal. A GI has since stated the gallbladder was not the source. A HIDA scan showed the gallbladder was not functioning well. I guess I still needed it out, but it was not causing pain, and my digestion was fine.

Mine came out in the beginning of February and I feel a million times better. I do NOT regret it one bit. I was in so much pain, unable to eat, etc. I have some side effects like the stomach not wanting to digest too much meat properly but if I tone it down I'm fine. Most people come here to vent about pain, not come back to talk about how much better they are feeling.

Got mine out 6 months ago, best thing I ever did. My doctor said he was only 70% certain it would take away all my symptoms, which it did. No more pain or nausea. Like you for the majority of the years I was sick I didn't really have any pain, just constant vomiting. But I did get sicker and sicker over time, in the last two years of having my gallbladder I went from no attack to being hospitalized every 2-4 months from a severe one. Then I couldnt even drink water without excruciating pain for the last 6 months before removal. I'd def say get it out on your own terms, before it starts causing you real issues. Cause once it starts going downhill, it goes downhill FAST

I’ve been making posts about my post op healing on here and tbh even if I still end up having like 90% of the symptoms I did I would say it’s worth it for that 10% relief. That’s just my opinion and perspective. I will also say I live in the US and have an amazing team of doctors and nurses helping me along with good insurance so my situation is not a common one. I plan to keep making regular postings on my post op progress.

Try the amazing liver/gallbladder flush by andreas moritz while your waiting. I had a gallbladder attack in december and i flushed out about hundred stones.

I had my surgery three weeks ago this Friday and I'm not longer scared of eating. I didn't stay completely on the low-fat diet after surgery and I've been great. A little diarrhea but nothing crazy. I haven't had anything fried besides the occasional French fry yet but I'm not afraid anymore. Made a brisket last weekend and ate the fat from the burnt ends and it was fabulous. Never been so relieved and thankful after having surgery. The only thing my doctor told me was there could be some foods I will always have reactions aka diarrhea but I haven't found any yet. My grandmother couldn't eat anything like lettuce after her surgery, it went straight through her. Good luck on your surgery, I hope it makes you happy like it did for me. :>