Should I have my Gallbladder removed?

[rebeccawashington]

I have had right back pain for one year and after many tests and an ultrasound many Gallstones  where found in my Gallbladder. The pain has been "moderate", but bad enough that I have been on vicodin everyday.
Do you think I should have my Gallbladder removed?

[Jaybay]

I can't tell you what to do.  I can only tell you what I would do, and I'd have it out.  Actually, mine has been gone since early 1998.  The surgery itself wasn't that bad.  It kind of felt like someone punched me in the stomach for a few days, but that was about it as far as pain went.  I never got diarrhea either.

My father had gallstones for probably 25 to 30 years.  He refused to do anything about it because back then, the docs insisted he had to have a barium enema before they would do surgery.  No way.  He just drank a bottle of Maalox every day and thought that was just fine.  Finally one day he started vomiting uncontrollably. He had a complete bowel obstruction.  It was gallbladder cancer that had completely taken over his abdominal cavity.  All the surgeons could do was close him up and call it day.  He died 5 months later with 4 of those months spent in the hospital.  That was in 1994 and I'm still angry with him for not taking care of himself and listening to his doctor.

Calgal is right in saying that people who have gallbladder surgery due to stones tend to have no postop complications like continued symptoms of pain and nausea.  Some may have diarrhea for a while until the body gets used to the extra bile in the small intestines.  Most have no trouble at all. Try to remember that the people who write on forums with post gallbladder removal issues are in the minority of gallbladder patients.  The success stories generally don't get posted because those folks are out living their lives instead of trying to figure out what's wrong with their bodies.

Any surgery can be frightening.  Most surgeons wouldn't recommend cutting open a patient unless it's absolutely necessary.  All you can do is make an informed decision.  Since you already have to take vicodin for the pain, it sounds to me like you really need to go for the surgery.  The pain will get nothing but worse with time, and you can also risk worse problems later.

[CalGal]

I don't think anyone but you can answer that question. And it can only be answered after you weigh all the facts. With the presence of stones, you run a lesser risk of post surgical problems than someone who has no stones and 'only' a lowered ejection fraction.

With this surgery everyone seems to have some problems with processing fats, some more than others, so a lowered in fat diet may have to be undertaken.

Even though most people consider this minimal surgery, it is surgery, so there is always the chance of complications. That needs to be considered.

Another thing to think about is the possibility that one of those stones could get out of the gallbladder and into the cystic duct or the common bile duct and cause a lot of problems and the pain can be incredible.

Some people may say don't do it, others can say you should - everyone has probably had different experiences with this problem. But in the end you're the only one who knows whether or not it's worth it to you do undergo the procedure.