Problems After Gallbladder Removal

I had my gallbladder removed some years ago and now I've got pancreatic enzyme defiency .
It's connected to the gallbladder removal. Find out all you can before removal , they don't tell you these things.

I am expecting to have my gallbladder removed within the next couple of months. I have suffered with terrible stomach pain caused by digestive issues for many years including: ibs, diverticular disease, spastic colon, gluten and dairy intolerance and have had endoscopy and colonoscopy investigations. However only a year ago I was surprised to find out after a GP ordered an Ultrasound that I had Gallstones. It is such a common condition I have been told and yet it has taken over 40 years to be diagnosed. Luckily during that time I have lived a healthy life, but still it has often been very painful. I wonder how many other people are misdiagnosed and go untreated for a long time.
Fingers crossed, since reading your messages I am confident now that I will feel better soon once my Gallbladder has finally been removed. Thank you everyone.

If is reassures someone, thats good as it was positive feedback.

Another old thread revived.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share my fantastic experience with Professor Ameet Patel after my single-incision gallbladder removal. I was really worried about keloid scarring and recovery, but he was exceptional—highly knowledgeable, always available, and reassuring. He even checked on me the day after surgery.

My recovery was unbelievably smooth—no visible scar, no pain, and I travelled just a week after! Friends were amazed at how well I felt.

Has anyone else had this surgery? How was your recovery? Would love to hear your experiences!

Howdy you have activated an old thread here, and consequently people are answering the original poster without looking at the date or any other postings!

It happens all the time.

You would be better starting your own thread. I’m not able to help as I had no problems with mine, but hopefully you might get some replies.

Had mine removed 30 years ago by keyhole surgery due to it being diseased. Best thing I ever did. Some discomfort for 2 days, back at work within a week. Can eat anything and no problems with digestion. Good luck with yours.

As the OP was February, I imagine it was all done ages ago.

I had mine removed over 30 years ago and I do not miss it at all . We have a sensible diet but the odd fish and chips are fine . I kept my stones in a container for years but thy started to disintegrate . My daughter told her GP that I still had my stones and he could not understand why I had not had them removed until she admitted they were in a jar.

Your body will find its natural level post op. Make sure you begin by eating smaller meals more often, avoid spicy food, and try to keep away from too much fat for a while. As time passes you can start to re-introduce the above kinds of food. Also, make sure you drink about 2 litres of water/liquids a day to make sure your system is well hydrated. Yoghurts with live cultures are good to eat. Hope all goes well for you and you feel very relieved.

Life After Gallbladder Surgery
I had my gallbladder removed in March 2024 after a little over a year of dry heaves, 75 lb weight loss, weakness from fast weight loss. After surgery I ended up with a bile leak into my body cavity for 8 days, septic, second surgery, DVT, and severe diarrhea. I lost an additional 25 lbs and can’t gain back any weight. I’m getting stronger but still skinny! Anyone else have or had this problem

Thank you all for your responses I am feeling far more positive now.

I had the full operation in my 50s because they couldn't get my gallstones out any other way! They'd been there since I was in my late teens, wrongly diagnosed as nervous dyspepsia (I was considered too young for gallstones). The relief from pain, despite the longer recovery period, made the op worthwhile.

I do still make stones - probably I should be more careful with my diet - but they pass through quickly instead of getting stuck. They cause a few moments of pain but that's nothing compared with the hours of agony I suffered before, on and off over many years.

I still have some digestive problems - tomato and citrus fruit don't suit me - but they're mainly due to a hiatus hernia, I think.

I had my gallbladder removed before keyhole surgery was used. No problem whatsoever other than the mending process which was straightforward but fragile. Not had a singled digestive issue since.

DH had her gallbladder removed last year and unfortunately is one of the unlucky ones and still has quite bad digestive problems. I think a lot depends on the exact reason for the removal and what underlying issues you have. Good luck OP.

I still have my gallbladder but I have suffered for 20+ years with a condition called Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) whereby the pancreas stops making digestive enzymes, thus causing a lot of gut and food problems.

I run an online EPI support group and many of our members have developed EPI after gallbladder surgery, causing some of the symptoms you mention Welshnana

I'm not saying this to scare you, but just to make you aware and if you find after surgery that you are having the problems you mention, push for a diagnosis (a Faecal Elastase Test is needed - it's just a stool test) because you can be prescribed replacement enzymes to deal with the symptoms. There's no need to put up with any of it.

Good luck with your surgery.

I had my gallbladder removed over 40 years ago, before keyhole surgery. I have been absolutely fine ever since. I can eat anything with no ill effects whatsoever. Good luck. I am sure you will be fine.

Hi Welshnana23
I had my gallbladder removed endoscopically in 2020.
First thing to say different people have different experiences ; I can only tell you about mine.
Secondly I had suffered from gall bladder disease for the previous year to 18 months including one gallbladder attack that lasted five hours.
My gallbladder removal literally gave me my life back and I have never looked back.
The disease, which meant that I couldn't digest fat , caused me to lose three stone but I was overweight.Yes I have regained one stone and a quarter now that I can eat normally again ,but I am still at a reasonable weight for my build and height rather than overweight.
It took me about a week to get over the operation and I was "sore" rather than in pain.
My system was a bit "fat-sensitive" for some months after the operation which meant that full-fat cream meant a trip to the loo fairly urgently but that settled down within months.
I have a little more indigestion than I used to have but nothing serious. I don't follow a diet that excludes anything but I have helped myself by eating overall less fatty stuff and drinking in moderation;
Let me know if you would like the name of my surgeon. He does "private" as well as NHS so if you would want to go that route I can recommend him.
The operation itself took 2 and a half hours I think but I had adhesions from previous surgery that made it a longer op. Endoscopical gallbladder removal can be done a little more quickly if I remember rightly.
Naturally I don't remember a thing from the op itself. I was in and out of hospital in 24 hours.
Nothing to be afraid of. You will be fine.
The only scar from the op is a fading red line about an inch long on my upper midriff. You can barely see it.

I had mine removed about 5 years ago. I almost skipped into surgery because I was so desperate to have the wretched thing removed. My diet was restricted to totally fat free to avoid excruciating painful gallbladder attacks. I looked and felt dreadful.
I also looked at forums before my op and some of the stories were pretty awful. I asked my surgeon and she pointed out that you seldom hear the success stories because people are getting on with their lives.
Soon after my op I tucked into a lasagne, ice cream and a large cream cake (with my fingers firmly crossed). Everything was absolutely fine and I no longer have to examine everything I eat for traces of fat. You will be fine!

Yes I echo what everyone has said. I had it done before Christmas. I was impressed with the professionalism and kindness shown and have not felt so well in years!

I have put on 3lbs though - something to do with enjoying all the Christmas food!

My mum had hers removed in her 60s. It took 2 operations because the stones were so bad the surgeon could only remove them the first time, she went back a year later to have her gall bladder removed. She lived to be 94 and ate just about anything.

Had mine removed in 2021 because I suddenly developed acute acalculous cholecystitis. I’ve been absolutely fine, no side-effects of any kind.

Mamissimo

I had mine removed about three years ago and haven't looked back. I had it removed because gallstones were blocking the bile duct and the pain from that was horrendous. I had the wonderful keyhole op and was pain free from the surgery. I think everyone reacts differently as we all have different biomes but the only very minor issue I have had is that food with a lot of tomato or fat seems to pass through me very quickly. I can live with that....but I couldn't have gone on living with gall bladder pain! Good luck, take it gently and you'll soon learn what works for you.

I too had my gallbladder removed, a stone passed and lodged somewhere causing pancreatitis. I was very unwell. The gallbladder removal was eventually done 5 days after admission and was keyhole, almost painless and good recovery.

I have been left with slightly worse digestive issues than I had before but I already had IBS and Diverticular issues so really not much difference.

Good luck

I had my gallbladder removed come 4 years ago. I always had gut problems before the operation but nothing has changed and I haven’t had a problem.
I think people who join these groups are understandably those with problems, there will many others who are perfectly fine and don’t.
Since the operation I haven’t had any pain. Good luck, don’t worry.

I had mine removed by keyhole surgery just over 2 years ago because I had one single stone that measured 4cm across.

The recovery was very quick - operation was on a Tuesday afternoon and I was easily doing desk-bound work on Friday, with no heavy lifting for 4 weeks.
I was given paracetamol to take home but didn’t need any.
No stitches or dressings on the wounds, just glue which dried up and fell off.

I’ve had no issues at all since then.

Good luck with your operation.