Life Expectancy After Gall Bladder Removal

My 18 year old sister is going into surgery to get her gallbladder removed it so unreal i mean why her shes healthy WTF.  According to the doctors it was hereditary and her gallbladder has gone bad at first they thought she had gastritis they later found out that was not the case. I feel real bad for her cause after this she will never be the same she wont be able to eat fatty foods unless she want to become fat.  The gallbladder is designed to break down fatty foods but with out it shes pretty much screwed I'm so mad why the **** did this have to happen to her i mean shes to young for this ****. I don't want her to later in life get sick from her liver or other organs do to an absent gallbladder. So far i bin reading articles on people who have gotten there gallbladder removed and most of them have bin having miserable lives and others have gained lots of weight cause theirs no way to break down the fat in the foods they eat. Others have died a few years after they have gotten it removed and thats what scares me. It makes you think what is the life expectancy after gall bladder removal?

Functions of the galbladder

http://www.liverdoctor.com/index.php?page=liver-problems&subpage=gall-bladder

The gall bladder is the organ responsible for digesting fats -- especially animal fats. Once the gall bladder is gone, it is necessary to strictly follow a low-fat diet, which is unfortunate, because it is not the optimal diet for anyone. Low-fat diets cause people to crave carbohydrates, have trouble feeling full after meals, brain fog, memory and concentration issues, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and may other issues. What's done is done though, and you move forward with what you have.

It is important for your mom to take digestive enzymes -- make sure that they are high in lipase -- and a multiflora probiotic as well as a prebiotic. Mega Flora is a great probiotic. I'm not sure you will be able to readily find pre-biotics in your health food or vitamin store. If you have trouble finding one, email me and I will help you.

This drink will help your mom's liver function more optimally, which is much more important once the gall bladder is gone . . .

Famous People without that have died Gallbladders

http://************/forums/fm.asp?i=389506

Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) had his gallbladder out in 1965 and died of heart failure in 1973 at the age of 65. Some stories are that he complained of having bad insomnia and nightmares in the late 60s (this is a symptom associated w/ liver congestion to many of us here). Although it could have been the Vietnam war too.

James K. Polk (President) At age 16, Polk developed severe Gallstones  which were removed without the benefit of modern technology, sterilization, or anesthesia. Remarkably, he survived the procedure, performed by celebrated Kentucky surgeon Dr. Ephraim McDowell. He lived to the age of 54

Caroll O'connor died in 2001 at the age of 76. Had his GB removed in 1994 and had a follow-up surgery to remove adhesions (scar tissue) around the area.

1994 + 7 = 2001 seven years

According  to another article some one posted that a co-worker had her gallbladder removed five years ago.  She is concerned because she was told that the life expectancy for any person who has their gall bladder removed is seven years.  

Is this true?  My mother had this same surgery last year.


This discussion is related to Life Expectancy After Gall Bladder Removal.

[HerkMondo]

My mother did not have her gallbladder removed that was part of the quote I was using as reference

"According  to another article some one posted that a co-worker had her gallbladder removed five years ago.  She is concerned because she was told that the life expectancy for any person who has their gall bladder removed is seven years.  

Is this true?  My mother had this same surgery last year."

[gmac1217]

I had my all bladder out 2 yrs ago and I am still kicking. My sureon told me to stay on a low fat diet only for 6 weeks until my body heals and gets used to the fact that it doenst have a gall bladder anymore... I am eating all kinds of fried foods now and have not gained weight in the 2 yrs it's been out. Also my mother and grandma had theres out as well and are still alive and well. My mom had hers out when she was 16 and she is now 48 and my grandma had hers out in her 30's and is now 74. Your sister will be fine....

[MarkHGordon]

Hey, it's not true.  Your sister will be fine.  There's a lot of doom and gloom associated with the removal of the gall bladder, but, I'd venture to say that there are 97% of people who NEVER have a problem after gall bladder removal.  I'm not one of them.  I had some problems immediately after getting mine removed, but the gall bladder only Stores the bile and slowly releases it for the digestion of food.

After the Gall Bladder is removed, the bile just goes directly to the stomach in a slow manner from the liver.  So the bile is still there to break down the foods.

Quit worrying.  That'll make you sick more than anything else.

[unhealthy420]

I have had my gall bladder out for about 3yrs now and I have not followed a healthy eating plan...I was curious If the recent discovery of my type2 diabetes was related to not following the eating plan? If I follow the Diabetic Diet will that help with some of the Issues I have been having sice I had the gall stones removed?

[toosick13]

It's highly unlikely your sister will suffer any negative effects from having her gall bladder removed.  Plenty of people are running around without gall bladders.  Mine's been gone since 1999.  I already was on a low-fat, low cholesterol diet, but she doesn't have to stay away from fats the rest of her life.  As someone else already pointed out, the bile that does the work is still there; there just isn't a gall bladder for it to travel through.  Much better to get out a "sick" gall bladder than to keep it !  My daughter was in her early 20's when she had hers out; no problems.  There are much worse internal problems people can have than bad gall bladders; be thankful that's all that was wrong with your sister, and just keep on loving her like you're doing.

[Tinks71]

Thank you everyone for posting your comments - I have to have mine out after years of trouble and not knowing what it was.  I was afraid of long term effects but seems like it should be OK.  I know several people who've had theirs out in their late 20's and have been out for 10+ years that have no problems.  But helps a lot to hear others out there are also generally doing fine.  

[midnight674]

My mother had her gallbladder removed 32 years ago!! She is still healthy as a horse. And eats what she wants!

[gleao]

Im 35 and had my gallbladder removed 2 weeks ago when i was 14 weeks pregnant,after months of being in terrible agony one of the stones lodged itself in my pancreas duct resulting in me having acute pancreatitis so there was no option but to remove the gallbladder incase this happened again,the surgeon told me that there might have been a chance of early labour which would have resulted in miscarriage but he was only doing his job and had to explain the pros and cons of surgery. In the end i had no option but to go ahead and pray for the best outcome thankfully im still pregnant and in no pain what so ever now so my advice to everyone on this site looking for help is too get the god damn thing removed so you wont be in anymore pain,just like I did!!!.

[ared]

I had my gallbladder removed in 1988 and no one told me to watch my fatty intake. The only problems that I have are after eating stay close to the rest room and if I intake too much fat it gives me a bad taste in my mouth causing me to gage. I had a baby in 1990 with no problems and she was born normal. Other than over weight and the problems that comes with being over weight I'm fine

[GallbladderMissingPeople]

Hello I had my gallbladder removed in 2002, from day one had a niggly pain then about 18 months later suffered very looses tools, yellow and pale, severe pain in my liver, inflamation (inflammation) constant burning, had MRi showed fatty infiltration of the liver and benign liver tumor focal nondular hyperplasia, now have stomach pain and severe pain under right ribcage, and bewteen should blades and lower back, had endocscopy showed stomach now inflamed, I was well before this, other than the stones but didnt feel anywhere like i do now, I also am hyper allergic to pencillin now and suffer from althetes foot, teeth are not good now and generally feel very unwell,

This surgery is a slow murder and should never be done unless there is SERIOUS need for it, too many people getting their gallbladders removed and left in this state its disgraceful, SURGEONS think on!!! in germany they dont do this surgery, for gods sake remove the stones but do not leave people without a very essential organ, now I dont know whats going to happen to me a life of hell since 2002, miserable, quality all gone, and am angry they do this to not just me i was 33 when had this done and to my horror i read on here young people of 18 or so that is incredible,,,,PLease think very carefully before getting this done,,,,quick answeer for surgeons and a lving hell for the patient...

[turkee23]

WOW I'm supposed to get mine out in 3 days and u guys are FREAKIN me out big time....

I have had pain for a few days and went to the ER and they said I'm fillednwith gallstones
Surgery on Tuesday for removal of gallbladder, I haven't heard stories like these and I'm kinda upset that I read them now.........

It can't be that bad, why would they take it out if so many people had problems after

[jojo1006]

I had my gallbladder removed 5 weeks after having my son at 29 years of age.  I was completely healthy, then when I was pregnant with him and especially after giving birth I was having the most horrid chest pain.  Doctors were blaming it on pregnancy induced heartburn.  That was not the case, when I was finally hospitalized for the 3rd time they did a sonogram of my gallbladder and sure enough it was about to explode and completely inflamed.  It was removed and I have not had any complications since.  I just watch what I eat, exercise, try to avoid fried foods and red meat and take my vitamins.  I haven't noticed any change since surgery.  My Mother, my gynocologist, my grandmother and my aunt have all had theirs removed and they are all just fine also.  My grandmother is pushing 80 and still kicking.  I believe the statement that your lifespan is shortened after your gallbladder is removed is not true.  You can read anything on the internet and it will scare the bejesus out of you.  Nowadays EVERYTHING causes cancer etc. etc.  Take care of yourself and lead a good life.  There's no point in worrying about when or how you may die. life is short, enjoy it and don't worry about when or how it may happen...it's not worth worrying about.