Gall Bladder Removal - yes/no?

[Dave64]

Three weeks ago I went to the Emergency Room with a left kidney stone attack.  A blood test and CT scan were performed.  The stone was very minor and passes within a week.

However, the CT scan revealed possible gall stones ... so an ultrasound was done a few days later.  It revealed "sludge" and multiple small gall stones.

I visited two surgeons.  One wanted to take it out, the other said 50/50.  

My question ... having no symptoms, no pain, no problems should I consider removing my gall bladder as a preventative matter?

[FryinPan]

i recently had emergency surgery to take gallbladder out.  it was gangreen because a stone was blocking a biile duct.  the stone had to come out first then the gallbladder..the doctors did NOT tell me what life would be like if they took it out. they said only that one could life without it......and  only what would happen if the didnt.  .i now have no quality of life so i wish i decided against it.  obviously it is a personal decision of what one can live with.  1.  do not have it taken out unless medically necessary.  2 make sure the quality of life afterwards would be something you can live with.    i am 52 years old and have never had a bm in a public place.  even in work if there was a rarity i had to go, i would take the elevator to the ground floor and use the restroom there. i am a very private person.   i was a very regular person, usually going in the am..... now i look at food and i have to go.  i am not happy.  my work situation is horrible.  my gas situation is horrible.  my family situation is horrible.  i would rather the thing have poisened me than live life like this.   like i said,  people have different tolerances.   this is not one of mine.  gaining weight from eating lowfat carbs is another way of life that i am not willing to accept in any way shape form.   because i have gained weight ,  low fat does not fill you up...you eat eat eat, and i guess im just not crapping enough ???????  it has been a lose lose situation for me.  my husband says he can crap anywehere....well jolly good for him.  than why didnt we take his gallbladder out and transplant it to me ?   i did not have the luxury of researching thing first....

[redpepper433]

Dave do not have surgery if you haven't first tried a simple harmless home remedy that is almost sure to work!  I too, like some of the others have had terrible gall bladder attacks.  After some research I discovered what the symptoms lead to...gall stones.  I found a remedy of a short 3 days of fasting with distilled water and drinking lemon juice and olive oil before bed each of the 3 nights...cause the stones to soften and pass right into the toilet!!!  Dozens of emerald green/black stones.  Not to mention I lost a few unwanted pounds in the process.  Do it on a weekend or a time when you don't have to be on the go...

Later had an ultrasound done and there were none.  Ten years later after my fifth child was born I had another gall bladder attack, and recognized it immediately.  Did the same cleanse and with the same painless results!  I am a SAHM withe 5 boys and have talked to lots of ppl with gall bladder/liver problems.  Those who were serious enough to try this inexpensive method always gave a good report and had positive results like mine!  

got to cleansingorsurgery.com to get the little booklet with the detailed program to follow!  There are alot of other body cleanses there that are effective too.  I am not affiliated with this organization, but their health booklet is a charm, nonetheless!  :-)  

Tried and true in NC.

[PaulG68]

This is my story about the gallbladder.  I had pain on my right side below my ribs and also in my back.  After an ultrasound it showed I had multiple gallstones and sludge.  I was referred to a surgeon for the inevitable gallbladder surgery.  The surgeon was very interested in doing other procedures first just to make sure it was the right procedure and it would take care of the problem.  I had the hide a scan, colonoscopy, CT scan, among other and even had another ultrasound.  This whole process took about a year in a half and nothing was found other than the gallstones.  Through this time I had probably 8 gallbladder attacks.  The very last one that I had made me terribly sick and I knew something else was wrong.  I went to the hospital and from the blood test found out I had pancreatitis.  They did a procedure to remove a small gallstone in my bile duct and I was told that I would need to have the gallbladder removed.  I was in the hospital for 3 days.  My surgeon told me to wait about 4 weeks after being released from the hospital so that any swelling that I might have would subside.  At this point I didn't want to mess with it anymore and decided to follow the advice of 4 doctors and have the gallbladder removed.  Fortunately after I was released I did not have anymore attacks.  The procedure was very simple and I was at the hospital for aboyt 6 hours.  The surgeon told me it would take about 6 months for my body to totally adjust and he was right.  I had some pain and discomfort and some food did not agree with me but as time passed I felt normal again without the pain.  I have read so many horror stories of people that have had the surgery and they are still many complications.  I guess I am one of the fortunate ones and I feel bad for those who are having complications.  But I am very skeptical and really did my research before I had the surgery and am so glad I did.  The doctors were right, so far so good.  It has been 7 months since my surgery.            

[kjbutcher]

I had sludge and it caused MAJOR symptoms.  if you have no symptoms, I would wait it out.  If it needs to be removed, you will know it.  Sometimes the sludge and stones just go away.  From my understanding, sludge happens when you go for a period of time and dont eat much fat and the bile just collects in the gall bladder.  then when you eat fat again and the bile tries to leave the gall bladder it has thickened up into the sludge and it is very painful.

I would ask the doctor what harm it could cause by leaving it in.  Worried is correct when she says having it removed can cause new symptoms.  In addition, some of the more invasive tests can cause pancreatitus and other symptoms.  If you have no symptoms and it can cause no harm by keeping it in, then I would say wait it out.

I am not quite sure what they are trying to "prevent" by taking out your gall bladder?  

I am on the other end of the spectrum from worried, where I have had no problems for the most part.  I still, 8 years later, use the rest room several times per day and it is ALWAYS a rush to get there and NEVER solid, and still from time to time get phantom pains up to once per month which are very painful.  Feels like the worst indigestion you could ever get.  

[WorriedOne84]

My advice to you would be, unless it starts causing you symptoms, leave well enough alone.  So many people, including me, have issues after having their gallbladder removed.  Some people are perfectly fine without a gallbladder though.  It is something that maybe you should have monitored regularly but I would advise against having it removed.    Lots of people have gallstones without ever knowing it that do not cause problems.  I however ended up having 3 gallbladder attacks due to a gallstone before having mine removed.  If your stones are small enough, there is a chance they will pass on their own.  Like I said though, you may want to stay on top of the situation and have it out if the stones get bigger or start bothering you.  That's just my opinion.  Ultimately, you have to do what you are going to feel best about. Best of luck to you!  Take care!