Gallbladder removal pros and cons

[Amethyst91]

Drs are considering putting me up for gallbladder removal due to sludge and nothing being a direct cirrhosis diagnosis yet. My gallbladder has only ever detected sludge on all testing so in the last 6 months it hasn’t been up for discussion but I have constant dull or sharp upper right quadrant pain with an enlarged liver. I feel like it’s my liver but drs still disagree but can’t figure it out. I’m debating removing the gallbladder to try and help the pain but I’m not 100% on the pros and cons and would like personal testimonies from anyone willing to share that might help shed more light in this subject for me.

[nash2 Partner]

Getting your liver evaluated should be part of the analysis. Can you get a Fibroscan in your area? That would be my next step.

[Amethyst91 in reply to nash2]

I’ve had almost every test other than a biopsy. None say liver damage but symptoms and enlarged liver say otherwise

[grapewizard]

I had my gallbladder removed in 2015. I put it off. I was terrified. Lots of pain. Finally found a good surgeon. The procedure is a non-event. It's typically outpatient. If you do have to get it removed, assuming you get to the bottom of this with the right doctor, there are post-operative considerations. You typically don't have dietary restrictions due to the removal, but you also process things differently, ie fat. So occasionally you may have diarrhea or stool issues. More annoying than harmful. Your liver doctor (not your PCP) will be able to figure out whether it's your liver or gallbladder that is the problem. If he's good, he'll order an MRI of the complete abdomen.

[Amethyst91 in reply to grapewizard]

I keep getting mixed reviews about it. At first every dr points to gallbladder but then talking to cedar Siani yesterday they think it’s not gallbladder. I’ve also heard of ppl having weird issues and it getting resolved with gallbladder removal and I’d like to try it but don’t want to just end up being a lab rat test dummy for drs that don’t really care. I’m 100% it’s my liver and just so frustrated at how they ignore it all. Can I ask what your gallbladder pain was like?

[grapewizard in reply to Amethyst91]

middle to upper right quadrant sharp pains that would keep me up at night. I ignored it for as long as i could. Liver enzymes were elevated along with bilirubin. Ultrasound showed fatty liver. It was the MRI that was conclusive (for the gallbladder). They didn't have fibroscans at the time (or at least didn't do one). Now you can and should get one, because even if it is your gallbladder you still want to know what shape your liver is in. It's non-invasive.

[FoodIsLife]

You don't really want to 'try and have it out..' theres no putting your gallbladder back after removing if it doesn't help. And no one should have unnecessary surgery. Ever. I suggest to keep on investigating with your dr. It can take ages to get a good diagnosis ..meantime ..eat healthy foods and be active. Those two things are good to do.

[Jkf1]

I had my gallbladder out years ago because I had gallstones and it became very sick. Thank God I did, it saved my life and I had a stone lodged in my bile duct and it affected my liver numbers. That was a long time ago and I am doing just find today other than over eating myself into Nash.

[Amethyst91]

Can anyone explain their gallbladder pain and symptoms? With drs saying different things it’s hard for me to tell if it’s liver or gallbladder. My pain is in the gallbladder area a lot of the time and is sharp or just a sore feeling. It also reaches around my back and shoulder blade as a sore type pain. Today when I breath I get a sharp deep pain just at the bottom of the rib cage on the right side. It hurts with every movement and breath and only stops when im not moving. I rarely vomit or get nauseous so it’s all really just pain, bloating and discomfort. Some drs say gallbladder some say not gallbladder because of the lack of nausea and vomiting. Sometimes it hurts just because and sometimes like today it’s food.

[Cats2018 in reply to Amethyst91]

I had pain in upper right back for a long time. As a NASH F3 patient, my hepatologist believed it was gallbladder related. I had 2 abdominal ultrasounds and a HIDA scan to check gallbladder and liver and none indicated gallbladder issues. But 3 months after the HIDA scan I needed emergency surgery to remove gallbladder. For me, the pain prior to the surgery was directly under breast area and surrounded my body front to back. It was not only pain, but intense pressure - a severe ‘squeezing’ feeling. I did not always have nausea, but sometimes I did.

[Amethyst91 in reply to Cats2018]

Oh wow that sounds kinda familiar to me. My gallbladder scans are good besides showing sludge which they do t seem to care about but since everything on my liver including biopsy checked out as clear I wonder if it really is my gallbladder. I also wonder if it can be the reason my liver is a bit enlarged since no actual liver conditions are showing up besides Gilbert’s syndrome, my fat seems to be gone now and no test has ever shown any signs of inflammation. I feel that something is very off and we just can seem to figure it out. The sludge is really the only abnormality that is seen.

[EnglishRose63 in reply to Amethyst91]

I'm the same luvvy. I don't get nauseas and don't vomit. I get bloating and pain in my abdomen that radiates through to my back. Hope you get answers 💕

[Amethyst91 in reply to EnglishRose63]

Have you been diagnosed with gallbladder problems or is it just left undecided?

[EnglishRose63 in reply to Amethyst91]

I was diagnosed with gallstones and had a telephone consultation today with gastro surgeon.. (which was pretty quick). He's put me on the waiting list to have my gallbladder out. For years I just ignored the pains thinking it was an ulcer or IBS and it'd just get better.

[Amethyst91 in reply to EnglishRose63]

I hope that works out for you. I’m anxious to see what it all is for me. I just had a biopsy that said my liver was good and didn’t even have fat but did show Gilbert’s syndrome. Since I’ve had some URQ discomfort which isn’t unusual. I ate a burger on Sunday and my whole upper abdomen started to get sore like a workout that day. It’s now Tuesday and I feel like my upper abdomen has been used as a punching bag the last few days. My blood pressure yesterday was 90/60 and my gp just said my pain is probably gallbladder pain. I’m not nauseous or anything but I’m so baffled as to why I’m so sore and tender in my abdomen without doing anything. I’ll if this is gallbladder or maybe something from the biopsy that was three weeks ago. My dr ordered a ct for Monday but idk if I should try the er before then since I’m not doing better.

[EnglishRose63 in reply to Amethyst91]

How are you doing now luvvy? Any further forward?

[Amethyst91 in reply to EnglishRose63]

Honestly have no answers. I had an endoscopic ultrasound in April that showed nothing as well as Doppler ultrasound in March. I’m getting an MRI done at cedar Siani Tuesday and off what to think. My URQ pain has gotten better but not gone. My stools are yellow bile all the time, and now my left back pain came back. I feel a dull ache right under my left breast that goes to my back and shoulder. I’m worried my spleen might be large bit again nothing has suggested that in past imaging. Just hope my MRI isn’t bad. I think my MRI last year picked up sludge so we will see.

[EnglishRose63 in reply to Amethyst91]

Well hopefully you'll get further forward after the mri. Fingers crossed for you 🙏

[Amethyst91]

Did your pain stop after the removal?

[Drifters_Spark]

If I had a do-over, I would aggressively demand a definitive diagnosis before removing the gallbladder. At several points, it was slushy while other images showed no issues. I would have made lifestyle changes to improve the health of the gallbladder. One can live without a gallbladder but one can live better with a healthy gallbladder.

Ultimately, my gallbladder became infected and became an emergency matter and then a critical matter. The infection spread to the liver, abdomen, and lungs.

According to my Hepatologists and transplant surgeon, the gallbladder infection requiring weeks of hospitalization caused liver damage. I have read on other forums where gallbladder infections leading to surgical removal also resulted in liver damage.

Note, my LFTs were normal and remain normal for the most part despite the severe liver damage. Fortunately, a lifestyle change including diet and a lot of exercises has improved my liver condition significantly. However, due to the lack of a gallbladder chronic constipation can and has caused other medical conditions if not treated.

Best of luck.