Positive Gall Bladder Removal Stories

[Keggles36]

Hi all

Just wondering if anyone has any positive stories of having their gall bladder out? Ask I can find online is people complaining of constant diarrhoea for years after the surgery.

I am aware this can be a side effect - but it must go well sometimes?

I'm 37 and mum to a beautiful 6 month old. I started having attacks 4 months ago, have ended up in a and e a couple of times and had gall stones diagnosed last week and offered to have gall bladder out in next couple of months. I did labour with no analgesia, but just can't cope with the gall stone pain and can't breast feed or parent when it happens, but don't want to have diarrhoea so bad I also can't parent.

Just any positive stories would be amazing.

I had mine out almost exactly a year ago during weight loss surgery, due to three large gallstones. I can honestly say that apart from a few “really need to go NOW” moments, I’ve had no issues at all. There are no foods that I can’t eat, and I don’t have any bowel issues

I had mine taken out 58 years ago this week spent my 22 nd birthday in hospital I am 80 today. No keyhole surgery in those days so have scare down my middle as took out appendix same time. I have had type 2 diabetes for 21 years but nothing to do with no gall bladder. You do need to take things easy but is such a relief to get rid of the pain and I only had 2 attacks before mine was removed.

All good here. I had to switch to oat milk.

Thanks for the encouraging thread OP. I’m recently diagnosed and third trimester pregnant. Really worried about managing breastfeeding and low fat diet to avoid an attack, did you say it impacted your supply? How have you managed? The medical teams and advice have not been familiar with pregnancy at all… I’m meant to see the surgeons a few months post birth and discuss removing my gallbladder.

I know 3 people who had theirs out. All totally fine.

@Emelene oh bless you, that's hard! I did tank my supply a bit, but I honestly freaked out and cut everything out without really thinking about it. I had also spent 24 hours in agony in hospital and got really ill after so that won't have helped.

Supply is now fine again. I'm eating healthy fats - avocados, nuts etc. Making sure I have lots of eggs, fish (I was veggie but started eating fish during IVF), tofu and other lean proteins. LOTS of oats as great for milk supply but also good for gall bladder health (think porridge, I make oat and banana bakes to snack on, i use oat milk). I drink lots of coconut water. I'm eating a lot of dried fruit and pretending it's sweets 🤣

The pain scared me so much I essentially only ate vegetables for a week and I think that was bad for milk.

Ignore that it says no avocados, but this is quite helpful: https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/dietary-advice-for-patients-with-gallstones/

Had mine out.
First l had an endoscopy to remove the stones and sludgy bile.. and antibiotics drip because of infection (l was an ambulance emergency).
Two weeks later had my Gallbladder out.
Day patient via keyhole surgery.
I cut down on fatty / fried foods etc.
Unfortunately two weeks later l was back in..
They had left some stones and my bile ducts were infected again.. giving me liver infection and lesions.
Three and half weeks on another antibiotic drip and l finally recovered back to my normal self.
No problems now at all.

My DH was rushed into hospital with gallstones. Surgery was delayed and he go sepsis in his bile ducts. In hospital for 6 weeks. His liver became blocked and got cholangitis and he now has a damaged liver and borderline chirosis of the liver. Please follow the advice of the professional community not heresay. Diarrhoea is easily managed with medication and diet changes anyway.

Thank you for sharing. I really hope them messing me around with appointments doesn't result in this.

Had mine out about 8 years ago. Great recovery and no after effects at all
..

I had it out 2 years ago and no issues at all and I can eat anything.

While I was waiting to get it out I was eating almost no fat and still getting attacks then ended up in hospital with an infection and jaundice!

It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced and I’m so glad it’s out now.

9 weeks ago I became acutely u well with an infected gallbladder. Ambulance, A&E (I was v yellow) etc.

I had my gallbladder removed a few days later and honestly I felt fine afterwards. I would say recovery took 2 weeks. I went back to work 14 days post op. For first 7 days were really rough, but it was okay.

I am back in the gym and can eat & drink fine. I feel fantastic actually

Had mine out by keyhole surgery a number of years ago.Best thing I ever did! It's does take a while to settle as body readjusts. Some foods will bother you after that didnt bother you before surgery +vise versa. You'll soon figure it out.

I had mine done 14 years ago & other than about a month with mild diarrhoea I've not had any problems.

best thing ever having mine out; I ended up in hospital with it inflammation and pain more than once including my granddaughters christening.
when it was out keyhole a huge relief best thing ever never had any trouble since

Had mine out by keyhole surgery a couple of years ago. The consultant warned me that there might be long term digestive issues especially with fatty meals. He also said, given the size of the stones and very long, but random, history of mild attacks, that I had likely had a very poorly functioning gallbladder for years and probably would notice little difference.

I certainly don't get problems with diarrhoea. I do have difficulty digesting high fat meals so I avoid them. My GP suggested trying digestive enzymes before I had the gallbladder out and these helped me. If I ate anything that might have fat in it I would take them. After surgery I can generally manage OK with the odd fatty meal (burger and chips or whatever). I have problems if I am away on holiday and having restaurant/hotel food for every meal. Then I have to be a bit picky about what I choose and I take an enzyme with all meals. Otherwise I end up feeling a bit nauseous and "hung over" although I don't drink.

Had mine out, completely fine, in the 1 months after surgery I had an upset stomach twice birth times is not eaten for a long time early duvet the night before, didn't eat again until mid afternoon the next day, both times I then ate something fatty the first time was a peanut butter slice thing from a café and the second I ate a burger. Both tones I needed the toilet urgently about 15 minutes later, I've episode then back to normal.
So if I've not eaten for an extended period of time (not a good idea anyway) I just make sure the first and only thing I eat isn't hugely fatty/greasy, which tbh isn't a hardship

I had mine out about 25 years ago. Take a hot water bottle for the referred pain after the op. No issues following the op. Sometimes get stomach pain after eating very fatty food like a chippy tea. But mild discomfort and nothing like gall stone attacks.

Had mine out 2 years ago, it was life changing. I'd had issues for years and have had no issues at all since the surgery! I do occasionally get mild discomfort in the area my gall bladder was but it's fine, doesn't impact my life at all. I can eat everything now without issues which I still find really weird (in a good way).

I've only been having attacks for a few months but I'm generally having 2 a week on average at the moment, can't really identify a trigger.

on the waiting list for an appointment with a consultant then presumably surgery.

Trying to decide if its worth the risk going on holiday this year - I've got tweens and they are desperate to go 😞

Honestly if I'd have known how it would ruin my life I wouldn't have had it removed. Some days I'm faecally incontinent, other days it's 20 times a day, my life is ruled by access to toilets.

I truly hope it goes well, most people's seem to, but no one ever mentioned this could happen, so it's best to be prepared. If it does happen be prepared to fight and arm yourself with information as many GPs have no idea and you get bundled into IBS group and ignored.

@Peasantlypoor I'm so sorry to hear that. We live our life climbing, trail swimming and wild swimming - I'm so worried about not being able to do this if I end up with diarrhoea, or even work as a midwife anymore as 13 hour shifts wouldn't be doable. But the pain is becoming more and more regular and I'm pretty scared to do lots of the wild things we do as I keep ending up in hospital. I just don't know what's best, and the doctors have been so useless at our hospital if I could afford it I'd go private to push for proper answers and care.

I'm so sorry you're having an awful time. It's not the same but I have a friend who sustained a terrible birth injury (very very rare and mostly down to some very poor decisions during COVID when there were no staff) and she is now incontinent - it's ruined her life, she's waiting surgery for a stoma.

@Peasantlypoor- I'm sorry you're suffering. It sounds like bile acid malapsorption and there is medication available for it. Although I expect you've already tried everything. I dreaded this happening to me because I had bad IBS when I was younger.

@Keggles36- I had my gallbladder out 17 months ago. Also had gallstones in my bile duct which had to be removed. The pain of an attack is something else! I'm so sorry for you. I went extremely low fat and no alcohol, which reduced the attacks - but sometimes they just happened anyway. And then I got an infection, which was awful.

Honestly, I haven't had any problems since having the gallbladder out. It's wonderful! I can eat whatever I want and don't have to worry about pain anymore. I think most people are like this, but those who suffer complications are the ones who go to Facebook support groups so you're seeing a self-selected cohort there.

Anyway, I had no choice but to have it out because it was making me so ill. It sounds as if you're in the same situation. The likelihood is that all will be well.

@Itsasintokillamockingbird thank you for this reply. I feel like it's ruining my life at the moment, which sounds horribly melodramatic given the state of the world - but it's all I can think about.

I'm pretty unconvinced by the surgical team at my local hospital and am wondering about going somewhere else - they've been nothing but rude to me, and refused to even consider gallstones saying that it must be gynaecological when it was clearly not in my pelvis! Luckily the sonographer agreed and so looked at my gall bladder and put it down as a "consequential finding".

runs in the family here - multiple GB ops Only positives