To ask you : How is life without gallbladder ?

[Soloflight1]

I know boring and completely wrong section but I’m sick and having my gallbladder removed in few weeks - I want to have hope, that life will go back to normal once this is done ! Thank you

I had mine out in 1972,age 21! You were meant to be FAIR,FAT AND FORTY. I had gut problems as a child,was on a fat free diet.. no key hole surgery in those days,an enormous scar,my appendicitis was inflamed as well,so scar from breast bone to public bone.. older people told me I wouldn't be able to eat XYZ, afterwards.. there was never any problems or anything I couldn't eat.. patients used to say to me "it's alright for you,you don't know what it feels like", I used to unzip my uniform and show them my scar (very professional 🤣)

Custody Sergeant,I was already on a fat free diet for years.... not low fat. I didn't have gallstones,my gallbladder was ulcerated.

I really wouldn't like to say @CustardySergeant You need to discuss your individual risks with the staff looking after you who have all the relevant info.
Of course for me, the fact that I developed gallstones at such a young age was an important factor. (Nobody believed me for ages actually as I was not typical, it wasn't until I actually had an attack in theatre at work that anyone took me seriously!) But obviously the odds for me were that if I already had gallstones in my 20s things were only going to get worse and they were going to have a lot of opportunity to cause me big problems. And as a young, fit woman the risks of surgery were extremely low.
There are other considerations for some older patients of course and the risk/benefit balance may be a bit different, but that's going to depend on individual factors such as co-existing medical conditions so you really do need to talk to staff who know you. But I wouldn't assume that your age on it's own is a big risk if you're otherwise well. Lots of people your age and older have this type of surgery, and other, much more major operations very safely. If you did decide to have surgery you'd get an anaesthetic assessment beforehand and be advised of any particular risks for you, so don't be afraid of exploring your options.

I seem to have developed an egg intolerance, but this may be unrelated. Had mine out in 2007, I've been absolutely fine since, and it still remains the worst pain I've ever experienced despite 2 dc since! Good luck!

OP I hope you don't mind but my GP suspects gallbladder stones and I'm on a waiting list for an ultrasound despite the pain and misery, can I ask how long the diagnosis process took please?

@AgeingDoc I was 26, doctors also didn't believe I could have them and advised drinking probiotics until I really pushed for a scan!

I had mine out nearly 30 years ago (another person diagnosed in their early 20s - as was my sister, thanks genes).
Unfortunately it was the start of even more gastro problems and I am on lifelong medication because my body doesn't like not having a gallbladder. (I have bile salt malabsorption amongst other things but that is the one directly related to lack of gall bladder).
Sister had a much better experience though.
Wishing you well.

@PoorUncleBarry so I was in a&e the 23/11 with a bad gallstones attack

25/11 : I had the scan

26/11 : I had a mri

10/01 : I had a Ercp to remove gallstones from the bile duct - in the afternoon I was back in a&e because I had developed acute pancreatitis, I stayed in hospital for 5 days.

I have my anesthésia appointment next week and should get the date for the operation soon.

Thank you. I. went for something completely different and when the gastro doctor did a scan he found the gallstone. I live in France and they take a preventative approach and so a couple of weeks later it got whipped out.

Can I ask how old you were? My 21 year old DD is waiting for more investigations and has been told unusual in this age group, particularly when slim.

She has regular periods of feeling sick, being sick and awful stomach pain. Are these typical symptoms? Possibly related to food which is higher in fat/ more processed but unclear? Ultrasound showed gall stones.

I was 28 when I had the op but I developed gallstones in pregnancy so they blamed it on heartburn etc and it took a couple of years to get a diagnosis with it gradually getting worse over that time.

Definitely typical symptoms. I would be in agony and feel sick. Sometimes I would actually be sick which sometimes eased it a bit. Pretty much anything could trigger an attack, sometimes I would wake up with it when I hadn't eaten anything.

The pain felt as if it was radiating out of my shoulder at the back and the consultant said that was common. I hope she gets it sorted, it's rotten.

I was 21 and slim. I read that they could happen with extreme weight loss as well as being overweight with fatty diet. I had been on strict eating for a year and then had a few weeks of eating junk and had about 5 attacks.

I had my gallbladder removed in September 2023 so just over a year. At first for the first 6 months I had to really careful what I ate as anything to fatty or rich I would get diarrhoea! Now I still watch what I eat a bit but it all seems okay. I felt so much healthier as soon as it was gone! The stones and the infections that were building up in my body for the last few years had really taken its toll. A few people told me I looked visibly healthier and smaller just a week after I had it out. I think I looked quite yellow and puffy as just felt so poorly all the time. I got some digestive enzymes from Holland and Barrett and I take one before a very rich meal (say a curry) and that really helps! Good luck I hope it all goes smoothly for you .

Absolutely no problems at all
I can eat what I like, no pain at all - bliss

Life is good.

Recovery was quick and it was such a relief to be able to eat without worrying.

The surgeon advised me to stay on a reasonably low fat and high fibre diet, lots of fruit and veg and keep simple carbs to a minimum - basically good diet advice in general.

@Rhumba
I was 28 when I had mine out and had been feeling symptoms for about six months. The initial doctor I consulted didn't want to hear about my family history of early gallbladder problems (my mum had hers out at 31) and very reluctantly ordered an ultrasound after first putting me through a barium swallow to rule out ulcers the ultrasound revealed a nice little cache of stones. You're never too young.

I had mine out in 2021. No issues and not advised to make dietary changes.

Good to hear so many positive stories.

My consultant cheerfully told me that my symptoms didn't really sound like gallbladder but it needed to come out as a process of elimination...

Quite a few of my symptoms remain( joy) but the constant squeezing sensation in my ribcage has gone.

My diet is crap anyway but I never knew if anything triggered attacks anyway. I did develop a fear of eating.

Same for me. Sometimes forget I ever had one.

The reason large gallstones should come out, even without severe symptoms, is because there is a higher risk of progression to cancer.

Thank you op and God bless you. I have been wondering how bad the episodes should be before A and E tbh. Sometimes I lay on a heated blanket and scream into a pillow. I hope it's over for you soon and you heal quickly!

I had mine out about ten years ago, with no complications until quite recently. Three times in the past three or four months I’ve had terrible sickness. Constant violent vomiting for a whole day, then 2/3 days of intense stomach cramps. I’ve come to the conclusion I can no longer eat bacon. I’ve now given up pork apart from sausages, which seem ok at the moment, but I’m on guard now.

The sickness might not be caused by bacon, and even if it is, it might not be due to no gall bladder, but I think it might be.

I had mine out around 2008, no issues for years afterwards. Six years ago I was diagnosed with BAM [ bile acid malabsorption ] after years of thinking I had IBS.
BAM is due to having my gall bladder removed as there is no where for the bile to go. Now on meds for life due to this.

But, I am very glad I had my gall bladder removed as I was in horrific pain with it.

Does anyone take digestive enzymes to support the lack of a gall bladder?