Is it safe to have a galbladder surgery during pregnancy?

I need a surgery ASAP (laparoscopic), I am 8 weeks pregnant, hope to manage to survive till my second trimester but very concerned about the fetus...How safe is it for the baby? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks

[jessbbg]

I have heard numerous reports that, though once wholly contraindicated to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy during pregnancy, it can and has been performed successfully on pregnant patients without complication to either the mother or the baby and should be considered in ANY patient who presents with gallstones.  

Basically, it's not done a lot, to where I would call it common---but over the years it's been performed more and more, and it's been relatively safe.  Please DO NOT take this as advice to just up and go have it done.  If anything, I'd find who the closest surgeons are who have done this and done it successfully.  Personally, if I had to have it, I'd go to the other side of the planet if it meant the safest scenario for my baby.  If you want somewhere to start, The Norfolk Surgical Group in Norfolk, VA might be somewhere to call (don't know where you are, though).  They have published papers on their successes.  

Also consider the safety record and procedures of the facility in which it would be performed.  There is a wide variation in such things.  If you want some help with that, say so---it's part of what I do for a living (laparoscopic surgical specialist with a major healthcare company---work with hospitals all over the country).  

Hope that gives you somewhere to start!

[Anya1984]

Hi There, I found ths surgent who was recomended by my gastroenterologist...The gastro doc and surgeon both told me ( and my RE before I graduated to OB, have not seen OB yet), that anastesia will not harm the baby in any way but my health will become better and therefore, better for the baby...
I only had 2 severe attacks 4 weeks ago and I am managing it with my diet now but I have been having very uncomfortable stomach pains afer each meal.... and doc says that if I wait and don't undergo surgery, there could be horrible complications and then I will have to undergo surgery anyway....so while I think I can manage another 4-5 weeks to be in my second trimester, I am scared to wait till I deliver because as uterous will be getting bigger, the stones will move around and it might go into my bile duct..anyway, I am scared and at the same time don't want to do that...:(
From your personal experience, how bad can anastesia be for a baby at 4 months?

[jessbbg]

Most doctors agree that inhaled (to help relax you and get you to sleep, like in dental procedures) and intravenous (pumped as a liquid directly into your bloodstream) anesthetics have a long and safe history of use during pregnancy.  The greatest concern for a lap chole (and many surgeries that are performed on a pregnant patient) is blood and oxygen flow.  As daunting as the initial idea of a heavy anesthesia introduced into your body when pregnant may seem, studies have repeatedly shown that the anesthesia required for surgical interventions is generally safe and has not been shown to cause negative outcomes for mother or child.

Again, this is where experience in the area of surgical intervention on pregnant patients is key.  That, and the capabilities and patient safety measures and practices at the facility where the surgery will be performed are the most important factors.  If you are with a group that specializes in this type of surgery on this type of patient, who performs the procedures in the best possible facility, using all the latest equipment, instruments, and sterilization procedures), then you can trust them completely to advise you of the best decision to make for you and your baby.

In what area do you live? (ie what is the nearest major city to you?)