Gallbladder Sludge - cross post

I'm 11 months out from a revision to RNY from VSG (serious GERD issues).  I took actigal for six months after both surgeries.  A few weeks ago, I was having some GI issues and after an abdominal ultrasound was advised I have gallbladder sludge.  My GI doc advised me that with sludge it didn't need to come out.  He did send me for a HIDA scan and I'm waiting for results.    I have my year follow-up with the surgeon in early July.  I'm planning on waiting until I see the surgeon to discuss with him unless I start having any issues.  Just wondering if anyone has had sludge and ended up having their gallbladder removed.   

I was once told I had a "sludging gallbladder" after a trip to the ER for severe pain revealed no absolute answers. (Long before WLS). My gastro later told me they often say that when they have no absolute and also commonly say it to overweight patients. 

In short, I took it as a cop out answer to my pain!  Never had any GB treatments and certainly no GB surgery. Happened maybe 3 times over the course of my life. Lasting a few days each time. None since WLS. 

you may need more fat... to stimulate the GB to start working and get rid of the sludge. 

My GB got sludge and got big and inflamed. It had to come out..

Thanks, hadn't thought about eating more fat but that seems to make sense.

After a few months of intermittent, short-lived but severe stomach aches when I was 18, I wound up in the ER with severe pancreatitis. All they found with an ultrasound was sludge in my gallbladder, but the pancreatitis made them think the pain had been from stones passing and blocking the duct. My gallbladder came out 3 days later after the pancreatitis was under control. I'm sure all docs do things differently and that the standard of treatment has likely changed since 2003 though.

My mom had her gallbladder out a couple of years ago, even though the scan showed no stones OR sludge... But it showed that the gallbladder was significantly enlarged.  When the surgeon got in there (and took pics!), he found that the gallbladder was completely filled with sludge and a few small stones!  The sludge was so thick that neither it nor the stones that were mixed in with it could be seen on the scan.

She felt MUCH better after they removed it. She said she didn't realize how poorly she had been feeling before surgery because it happened so gradually.

Good luck!  Most people find that gallbladder removal is a very easy surgery to recover from.

Lora

No stones or sludge here... just a lot of nausea and cramping and a HIDA scan that showed my gallbladder not functioning AT ALL.  After it came out a month ago, I felt like a new person.

Ironically, I recently ended up in the ER with a stone in my common duct... a gall stone!  Funny, considering my gallbladder never had (noticeable) stones, but the surgeon said it probably got shook lose during surgery.

Audrey

I had mine out and felt so much better. Was the easiest surgery I had