IGX

I got violently sick last week and thought it was food poisoning, but it turned out to be a gallstone blockage.

They removed the offending stones and now they want to take out my gall bladder too in order to prevent this from happening again. (Often when this blockage occurs it can inflame the pancreas which can be fatal.)

I'm leery of having my gall bladder removed, but I don't want to have to deal with this crap again in the future.

Does anyone here have any experience in this area? Thanks in advance.

both a brother and a sister had their gallbladders removed.

didn't seem to affect my brother, except he said he had to be careful about eating too much fat. he died at 66, illness unrelated to his gallbladder insofar as one can know.

my sister, who is just shy of 60, seems to be in good health. she's definitely carrying extra poundage, so apparently she is to be able to process the calories.

I am surprised they didn't do the surgery after the ERCP. The question of whether to proceed with surgery typically depends on whether you have further symptoms. Some people have gallstones and never have symptoms. Some people die with their first case gone bad (usually poor protoplasm to start with). You've already proven that yours can act up. Recent study from Canada:
RESULTS:
Of 25,397 patients with AC [acute cholecystitis, what you had-JB], 10,304 (41%) did not undergo cholecystectomy on first admission. The probability of a gallstone-related event by 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 1 year after discharge was 14%, 19%, and 29% respectively. Of these events, 30% were for biliary tract obstruction or pancreatitis. When controlling for sex, income, and comorbidity level, the risk of a gallstone-related event was highest for patients 18 years to 34 years old.
CONCLUSION:
For patients who do not undergo cholecystectomy on first admission for AC, the probability of a gallstone-related ED visit or hospital admission within 12 weeks of discharge is 19%. The increased risk in younger patients reinforces the value of early cholecystectomy in the nonelderly.

So: 1 in 8 have trouble in 6 weeks, 1 in 5 by 12 weeks. 1/3rd of those problems were serious. Were I in your position, I would be saying bon voyage to the gallsack.

I had my gallbladder removed when I was 32. I'm now almost 50. I have never missed it. Without it, overeating causes discomfort, so I've maintained a healthy weight.

My mother had hers removed old school style in the mid-1970's and never had a problem with it for the rest of her life. She died in 2012 at 94.

Friend of mine had her's removed a couple years ago. She was probably 75 lbs overweight then, and she's probably 75 lbs overweight now.

It's a 20-40 minute operation. Recovery is pretty easy.

Don't understand the mentality of "it's an easy enough operation". What about "don't remove parts of my body if it isn't absolutely necessary"? When we were kids, everybody had their tonsils out if they had a sore throat. A few years ago I had tonsillitis and the doctor said that they didn't do that anymore unless it was a reoccurring thing. Hysterectomies are sort of the same thing for women.

LOL at getting it removed right away. That reminds of the people who tear a bicep off the bone or an ACL and decide to not get it fixed. Yes, one situation involves choosing surgery and the other declining it, but its the same "oh well, I'll just learn to live without it" mentality. Fuck willingly settling for being a physically worse specimen of human being unless you're gonna die.

Cholecystitis is no joke and can make you very sick. Like, die sick. Nobody needs a gall bladder. It is useful for digesting large amounts of food, but if the risk of dying from a burst, infected gall bladder is fairly significant, I'll eat smaller meals. Mine has been gone for 18 years and I've never missed it. In fact, I'm glad it is gone. I am much more comfortable without it. The surgery was not a big deal. I painted my porch three days after surgery and only missed 2 days of work.

All I'm saying is, I wouldn't want to get it removed unless it kept reoccurring. My mom
had a gall bladder "attack", and even though she is in her 60s and very out of shape, none of the doctors recommended removal.

Herv,
Substantial difference between an episode of pain (biliary colic), which you usually run with a wait-and-see attitude (unless you are a surgeon with an alimony payment due), and cholecystitis, with inflammation of the liver and pancreas due to blockage and infection.

Thanks for all the input folks. I really appreciate it.

The docs at the ER said that I had to have it out ASAP without question. But I met with the surgeon today and he said that in fact no, you don't have to have it out. I was impressed by his candor. He is the gall bladder expert and said that I only have about a 10% chance of this happening again. And the pancreatitis that happens with a gall stone blockage is usually a mild case.

I'm not worried about the surgery, just the aftermath.

I think I'm going to cut back on the fat and keep the bladder for now and see how it goes. I'm generally a fat chomping machine (meat, coconut milk, fish oil pills, etc...) and that's probably what triggered it. I'm still going to try and eat 'paleo' but just with less fat.

I'll keep y'all posted.

PS I've been getting a lot of 'I told you so' from my vegetarian wife!