I had mine removed in spring 2009 after several horrific bouts of biliary colic and nausea that made me think I was having a heart attack.
It took a couple weeks for the digestive system to get used to its loss, but it’s been fine ever since.
I will be the statistical outlier here 
I have done a bit of research on this topic since having mine out about 3 years ago. Apparently I am one of the few who has remaining complications. However, from what I can tell, I was more likely to have problems because my gallbladder just was not functioning when I had it removed, I never had any stones. It took a lot of testing and specialists to even agree to take mine out in the first place.
From what I have read it sounds like people who have stones usually just get it removed and go back to their normal lives. People like me, (younger women, not overweight, no stones) who have diseased gallbladders seem to have higher risk of other issues from it for some reason.
I have issues now with reflux, I never had reflux or heartburn once before having this surgery, now it is a part of my life. It seems that can be a complication, both acid reflux and something called bile reflux:
which cannot be easily controlled with normal PPI or reflux medications. I have certain foods now that I just can’t have, including avacado, some raw vegetables, coffee, milk, fatty meats, and I have to be careful not to overeat as my stomach doesn’t seem to cope with large meals well. Sometimes I just have reflux attacks that come out of seemingly nowhere. Since the reflux comes from bile and not acid, sometimes I get it not having eaten anything at all (had one last week at about 9 in the morning before I had breakfast.)
Also, I have noticed I seem to process alcohol differently now. It could be due to the way my body handles fat / food. Now drinking alcohol always feels like drinking on an empty stomach, if that makes sense, even if I have it with food it hits me hard and fast but also seems to go through fast.
Many people’s bodies adjust how they handle bile just fine after surgery, apparently mine is either very slow to adjust or is not adjusting well. Things are very slowly getting better though, so maybe in 10 years I will finally be fine! For the first few months after surgery it was really bad, almost as bad as the gallbladder attacks themselves.
So yeah, most likely things will be fine, if not immediately then within a few months or so. But not so for everyone, your body will adjust the way it will adjust. And yes, Immodium is my friend, although I am careful with my diet so as to not have to take it every day.
But still, even after all this, whenever people ask me if I would have it taken out again, I say I definitely would. I compare gallbladder pain to labor pain, it is really bad.
Ditto. Do be careful about having a high fat meal until you’re sure how it’ll affect you.
I too found the side effects wore off after a month or two - no more “clench-cheeked run-waddles” in a while now. I never could tie it to a specific meal, however.
My mother-in-law never entirely got over that. She used to work in Manhattan, commuting by bus. She had to learn to tolerate the bathrooms in the Port Authority bus terminal. ::::::shudder::::::
Ooof - sorry to hear about this! I asked about “post cholecystectomy syndrome” when I met with the surgeon (having heard about it on the internet) and this meshes with what he said - likelier in cases where there’s not obvious gallstones.
Yes, I was told there was a risk of complications in my case before the surgery too. However, I was to the point where I literally could not eat anything without triggering an attack, so there was really no choice but to have it out and see what happened. I haven’t found a study or a Dr. that has been able to explain exactly what goes awry in these cases though - it seems like something that causes the gallbladder to fail must also have an effect afterwards? Or maybe the diseased gallbladder messes up something else before it came out? But no one I know who had theirs out because of stones has had any issues like I do.
Even some specialists don’t seem to know a whole lot about this - I saw my Dr. many times afterward for follow up and I kept getting prescribed PPI’s, I was on super strong doses of various kinds for months and they barely did anything. I never heard anything from my Dr. about bile reflux - I found that info with my own research. Since then I have stopped the PPIs b/c they have other side effects from long term use and I haven’t noticed any difference, so why take them?
I do worry about esophogeal damage from the acid though 
I am seeing the gastroenterelogist for follow up next week, but I can see now how I had symptoms long before we found out about gallbladder stones.
I used to get diarrhea frequently, not bad cases, but about 3 to 4 times per month. I had gastritis twice in the last year. I was a gas factory and (warning: TMI!), my stools were always mushy and floated. My stools are back to what it was more than half a decade ago, no diarrhea whatsoever, no digestion issues so far (but I’ve never eaten fatty food, I never liked it).
So far I think it was a good decision, and if I thought I didn’t have any symptoms before is because I had no pain an they could not be traced back conclusively to my gallbladder, I still see the improvement.
I am lactose intolerant, and I’ve found out that although milk is still a no-no, I am tolerating dairy a lot better now.
I’m a little late to the party, but I’m a new member. I just had my gallbladder out one week ago.
The past 2 weeks have been a nightmare!
It all started early on a Friday morning (2 weeks ago), when I was awoken with bad indigestion. It continued all day and that night I started taking Pepto and Maalox. It didn’t touch the pain. I thought I might be constipated, so I took Phillips and cleaned out my system but I was still in pain. It got worse and my abdomen became very bloated and distended. Saturday came and went and I could barely eat anything because of nausea. What I did eat, I threw up. Finally Sunday morning I went to the ER. After searching the internet I was pretty sure I was having a gallbladder attack since it was slightly on my right-hand side, just under my ribs. I also already knew I had some gallstones, since they showed up on some scans I had for an autoimmune liver disease I was diagnosed with this past summer.
At the ER I got pain meds and an ultrasound. It showed gallstones but no inflammation and no fever, so it wasn’t infected. The doctor wanted to do surgery but after seeing that I had liver disease, they refused to do it and said I had to go to my liver specialist at Georgetown University Hospital. Of course, it being Sunday they could not get through to my doc and there were no open beds available at GUH. So I was sent home with percoset and antibiotics to wait to hear from my liver doc.
It was 36 hours before the hospital would take me, and even with the percoset, the pain was steadily increasing while I waited at home. By the time I arrived and was taken to a room, I was doubled over sobbing from the pain. Of course, the nurses would not give me pain medication until the doctor on call came around to see me, which took over an hour. It was agony.
Over the next two days, I waited to get into the MRI to have an MRCP scan. They are so busy there, and only have two machines, so it took forever to get in. Then I had to wait another day for the docs to review the scans and to decide what to do. In the meantime, the pain was barely controlled by IV dilaudid, which made me nauseous, then morphine, which was not as effective, then back to dilaudid.
Finally my doctor, a liver transplant surgeon, informed me that not only did I have numerous gallstones, but a larger stone was stuck in my common hepatic duct. So they would be removing it the next day. They would start laparoscopically, but there was a chance they may have to do a full incision.
The surgeon said that my gallbladder was so full of stones that they barely were able to get it out through the incision in my belly button. But luckily they did. (I heard an estimate of “over a hundred” stones from several of the medical students who had oohed and awwed over my scan and came by to see me.)
I woke up from surgery in tremendous pain and really could not get out of bed for the first day. The second day it was very difficult to move around, and I was still in a lot of pain. The third day, I went home, and for the next two days was managing significant pain with percoset, and sleeping in a recliner, since I could not sit up from a laying position. The third night I was able to sleep in bed. Today is the fifth day being home, and I am now down to 1 percoset, 3 times a day. My incisions are still sore but improving.
It took days before any appetite came back. I have been avoiding any fat, and still having loose stools. I’m also having sudden urgency when I need to have a bowel movement. Hopefully it will improve.
In the meantime, I am looking back at the past two weeks and thinking of how horrible the experience was. I am so glad it is almost over. In hindsight, some “indigestion” I periodically had over the last year was probably my gallbladder.
I was so doped up after the surgery I never did get to ask specifically how many stones I had. I am going in for follow-up in a few days so I will ask then. I still don’t understand why I had so many gallstones. I am a 34-year-old woman, and about 30 pounds overweight. I don’t know whether it is directly or indirectly related to my autoimmune liver disease.
I also want to add that I am extremely grateful that I had my parents and aunt who were by my side, in the hospital with me, every day. I would have never gotten through it without them.
It’s been a big help to come to the Dope and read about others who have gone through the same thing!
When I was 22, I started dieting on Jenny Craig - very, very low fat. One thing they didn’t warn you and later got sued for was that when you go abruptly low fat, the bile sits in your gallbladder and forms stones. Bitch killed my gallbladder.
I was on a trip to Dallas, to visit friends and go to the ComicCon there, when I had my first major attack. It was so bad, my friend called an ambulance, and I got an ER visit.
Six weeks later, I had my gallbladder removed at Wilford Hall in Lackland AFB (they’re famous for their burn unit) because I still counted as a military dependent as I was in college.
The first few years after, I learned to be consistent in my fat intake. It wasn’t so much low or high fat; it was keeping to the same. A sudden increase in fat intake, and (TMI) my stools would float and diarrhea was a problem. It’s probably unconnected, as I think the problem existed before that, but I also turned out to be gluten intolerant. What’s really helped with that and the leftover symptoms of no gallbladder, is to eat lots of fiber. Oatmeal is a favorite of mine. Keeps things regular and happy.
Of my “optional” organs, I’ve had gallbladder, appendix, and tonsils removed. All I’ve got left are my adenoids. Sure hope I don’t have to part with them.
Slim Fast killed my mom’s g.b. I wonder how many of these diet drinks or food programs are responsible for destroying gallbladders nationwide.
This is very interesting, I have not heard of it before. But it also kind of makes sense in my case, as I started getting symptoms a couple years ago after I lost a bunch of weight through heavy dieting. I am going to Google this to see what else I can find.
2 years ago. I was one of the few who had just about every complication one can have from the surgery. Since the surgery, except for one (freak?) attack shortly after I got out of the hospital, it’s been normal. Pain all gone. 
Well the ultrasound I took last week showed I have gallstones. I go to see a doctor about it next week.
Forgive the hijack, but I figured this was a great thread in which to ask this question.
I suspect I have gallbladder issues and was wondering if these symptoms sound like what any of you experienced that led you to get your gallbladder checked out.
About 2-3 times a year, I will experience attacks of pain directly beneath my sternum (i.e., if you place your fingers on your breastbone and move downwards, right where you move off the bone and hit soft tissue). The pain is dull but comes in very regular waves, and when the pain is at its peak I would put it at a 7-8 on a 10-pt pain scale. Each wave lasts maybe 3-5 minutes, and are so regular I could graph them (just when I think the pain has subsided completely, it comes back, and just when I think I can’t handle any more of this, it starts fading…repeat cycle for 2-3 hours). These attacks almost always occur in the middle of the night, nothing relieves the pain (not trying to have a BM, not inducing vomiting, not taking any medicine of any kind, nothing), and they seem to have no relation to what I’ve eaten that day. The pain doesn’t radiate or travel to anywhere else.
It looks like my gallbladder duct is right in the area of the pain, so I’m guessing this is gallbladder related, but when I described the above symptoms to my doctor, she seemed mystified and only said to notify her if they get worse or more frequent, that’s all.
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
No.
YES. What you describe is almost exactly what had been happening to me periodically over the past year or two, before my recent gallbladder attack and removal last week. I always thought it was indigestion, and I would take antacids or induce vomiting, which would never really help. I always thought it was my stomach because of the “waves,” like you describe.
The location you describe is exactly where I felt my pain too. Same with nighttime attacks. IANAD of course, but it sounds like you should definitely go back to your doctor and ask for an ultrasound at the least. An MRCP scan would also identify gallstones. Blood tests can show any liver or GI dysfunction. I am very surprised your doctor did not take note of your symptoms.
Ditto what NS said. Even if it’s not stones per se you can have gallbladder issues without stones. The location isn’t necessarily a sign - my pain was more central than RUQ - since pain can be referred elsewhere. They should at the least do an ultrasound and blood work ( tho the bloodwork might not show anything if you’re not in or near a flareup) and there are other more involved tests if those are equivocal.
NS - sorry to hear what an awful time you had! Was the liver disease something preexisting or was it tied to the gallbladder flare? I know when mine flared I had significant liver involvement: I was jaundiced and my hands and feet itched INTOLERABLY for about 48 hours and that was far, far worse than the pain, seriously… See, the pain eventually STOPPED for a while. The itching? Nonstop and nothing touched it. I now know what my personal Hell will consist of.
Gallows Fodder: do pursue this with the doctor. When a flare goes from ‘warning’ to bad, it’s utterly miserable at best and if it gets bad enough you can wind up like Nyctaea or even worse. I was extraordinarily lucky that my bad flareup wasn’t much worse and that it did resolve after a hellish 48 hours. And that it stayed quiescent for 5 weeks and allowed me to have it removed on a non-emergency basis. Even then, there were signs of adhesions starting to form which I suspect would have made surgery much trickier if I’d had any more flares.
Mama Zappa, my liver disease was diagnosed earlier this year, before the big gallbladder attack. My liver specialist is pretty sure it’s primary biliary cirrhosis, an autoimmune liver disease. Although it can also look like autoimmune hepatitis. It is unknown why I developed this disease, and also uncertain of its connection or relationship to the gallstones.
In hindsight I realized I had symptoms of liver disease more than 2 years ago, with the extreme itching attacks, like you describe. I never put two and two together and did not go to the doctor about the horrible itching, which may have prompted a blood test that could have caught my disease earlier. The itching would start out of the blue and sometimes last a week, then go away, then eventually come back. Now I take the medication cholestyramine when I get itching, and it is very effective (although nasty tasting).
Mama you are lucky you got your gallbladder out on a non-emergency basis. This is definitely the way to go. In my case, I had a large stone stuck in the duct connecting the gallbladder and liver, and it was what caused the severe attack, and would not have resolved on its own, thus I had to have the emergency treatment, which was not fun!
Well I just got back from the hospital where I had my gallbladder taken out. I’m a bit sore but doing ok. I’m hungry as hell, but I can only eat broth and crackers tonight. I really have to pee, but nothing is coming out, I must be too dehydrated at the moment.
I had mine out in 2006. Went in on a Tues, home that day, back to work on Monday. I did nothing during that time except:
- Sleep
- Hobble to the bathroom to pee
- Sip Gatorade and eat crackers
Two issues I ran into:
-
Insomnia, for about 10 days to 2 weeks AFTER I returned to work (the Lortabs kept me knocked out while I was actually at home recovering). I couldn’t get to sleep and I couldn’t stay asleep. I was MISERABLE. My doctor told me anesthesia can screw with sleep cycles for a while and that it’d go away and no I couldn’t have something to help me sleep. Annoyingly, he was right. Chronic insomniacs have my full sympathy.
-
My period started an entire week earlier than it normally would have that month. Also a side effect of anesthesia, I was told.
-
Hi, Opal!
After all that - no problems. I’ve never had any food intolerances.
Sorry you aren’t allowed to eat - I wonder why that is? They brought a full “meal” to my room pretty much as soon as they booted me upstairs - including hospital “meatloaf”. Scary shit. I had my husband bring me edible food.