Question:
I recently found out that my gall bladder was removed during my wls 5 months ago.

I am looking to find out how this will affect my future health. I have not been informed of this information. Thanks for any answers.    — Kimberly W. (posted on May 30, 2000)

May 30, 2000
the gallbladder was removed to prevent you from getting stones, the doctor says this kind of procedure almost always causes them. when i had my pre-op testing for my gallbladder ultrasound, sure enough, there were little stones hiding in there. when my surgeon told me that he removes the gallbladder, i asked if this would help me lose a few extra pds!(lol)
   — [Anonymous]

May 30, 2000
Kimberly: It does seem odd that you were not informed about this at the time of your surgery (or before). But, aside from that, my surgeon routinely removes the gallbladder and the appendix ("if it is handy" which I take to mean 'easily accessible'.) The other poster is correct, gallstones have a high rate of development during rapid weight loss and just being overweight may be a contributing factor to having gallbladder disease. I have an RN friend who says the "Four F's" indicate probably gallbladder disease. "Fat, Female, Fertile (meaning you have had a baby), and Forty (meaning you usually don't get symptoms before that age). I had my gallbladder removed about 12 years ago. The health benefits are wonderful, the only problems I've had is that sometimes I have to go to the potty real fast after eating certain foods - kind of like RNY surgery causes when eating too much fat in a meal. I would be happy and not worry if I were you -- but I'd ask my doctor what else he removed and why he didn't tell you right after the operation.
   — Cindy H.

May 30, 2000
Hi Kimberly. I had my gallbladder removed during my wls because I already had gallstones. My surgeon only removes the gallbladder during wls if it is already diseased...if it's not, he leaves it alone (the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy). But a rapid weight loss can cause gallstones and having to undergo yet another surgery to remove the gallbladder following wls is not a pleasant thought. I'm not sure if there are any health related disadvantages to not having your gallbladder, but I do know that gallstones is not a good thing. I guess we can live without our gallbladder just like we can live without our appendex. But that's a good question to ask the doctor.
   — cj T.

May 30, 2000
Hi Kimberly, You really shouldn't have any problems with your health deteriorating because your gallbladder was taken out. The thing I would be most concerned with is why you surgeon didn't inform you of the removal prior to surgery or shortly thereafter? Anyway, your gallbladder stores bile, which is made by the liver. When you eat a meal with any fat in it, the gallbladder is triggered to release the bile to aid in the digestion of fats. Now, you are still producing bile by way of the liver and your liver is now the production and storage house for the bile. The release of the bile, when you eat fat, is not quite as regulated as it was when the gallbladder was in charge of releasing bile. Therefore, when you eat a lot of fat you may have noticed that you tend to get nauseous or get diarrhea soon after eating it. And all the other posts are correct when they stated that when you lose weight rapidly or have a history of gaining and losing, you tend to develop gallstones. And by taking it out during WLS, when a great amount of weight is to be lost, this avoids any chance of getting those nasty gallstones. I had mine removed, although I didn't have the stones, mine was on the verge of developing them. If it had not been taken out, I would probably have had it removed within the first year, post op. Hope this helps you out...Good Luck...
   — Marni

May 30, 2000
Hi. I had my gallbladder out nearly 11 yrs. ago and I can't tell any difference ( except I'm not having those awful GB attacks anymore). That alone has made it well worth it. I was 27 yrs. old and had just come off of a fasting weight loss plan. The attacks made me think I was having a heart attack. It was very scary. The only long term repercussions I've heard of are related to the pancreas getting into trouble many years post-op. My mother had Acute Hemmoragic Pancreatitis 25 -30 years post-op and we were told that it is more common in people w/o gall bladders. It might be worth checking out later. congrats on the surgery. hope all is well with you.
   — Becky H.