I was curious if anyone has had issues with their gall bladders after WLS? I am having some major issues that I have contributed to gall bladder symptoms, but don't want it too be! Pains on my right side under the rib gage, bouts of diaherra (days of it), then constipation, than nausea, dizzyness.......... I know some docs will remove the gall bladder when they do the original RnY but some don't. I asked my doc about it before surgery and he said we'd cross that bridge if it happened. I like to know how many of you have had to have this done?

Marla - didn't you have this done also??

Mine was not removed during my WLS but 3 months later I started having massive gal bladder attacks. After 12 hrs in the ER I had to have it immediately removed (they said it was full of crushed stones). I do hear that most routinely removed it along with WLS though.
Wouldn't hurt to have yours looked at.

You should have this checked out...I am scheduled to have my GB taken out on 3/10. My symptoms are somewhat a-typical in that I have a more constant, dull pain instead of the attack after eating...but the surgeon says it should come out to avoid any other problems. He also said the stones & polyps have probably been there longer than since my wls (3/19/07), but may have been exagerated by the diet changes.

Go have it checked out - you never know what you may be dealing with and any pain is not good!

I had stones and so mine was removed. About 5 months after my surgery, my appendix went and had to be removed. I had heard that alot of docs removed the GB right away as for some reason, there were problems afterword for so many. Will be praying for you!

A large gall stone was found in my gall bladder during my preop tests. They found it by doing an ultrasound. The minute they pressed on it I about went through the roof, no problems until then, I had no idea anything was wrong. A hiatel hernia also showed up that I had no idea I had. So I was one of the ones that an open RYN was done and they took out my gall bladder, fixed the hiatel hernia.

I would get an ultrasound ASAP and then you will know if that is what it is.

Denise

Hey Cody,

Rapid weight loss can lead to the formation of gall stones. I had a major gall bladder attack 12 years ago after years of yo-yo dieting. I went for tests and they found a bunch of little stones, but it never bothered me again, so I left it in.

When I went for my pre-op tests for the gastric bypass, the surgeon said I should get my gall bladder out, but he didn't want to do both procedures at the same time. I had the bypass done 10 weeks ago and will get my gall bladder out over the summer...hopefully before I have another attack. It hasn't bothered me so far.

The surgeon put me on a medication called Ursodiol, which helps prevent the formation of gall stones, but I wasn't able to take it because it upset my stomach.

Get your gall bladder checked because you really don't want to have a full blown gall bladder attack...they're really painful.

At the very end of my weight loss, I had what they thought was gall bladder issues that landed me in the hospital for 5 days (but they didn't take it out). I would be fine unless I ate or drank -- the smallest sip of water or nibble of a cracker (or whatever) would send me into 12 HOURS of vomiting and dry heaving. By the time all was said and done, I was about 119 lbs on my 5'5" frame - NOT the best way to get skinny!

It took them a long time to agree what it was (I had 4 doctors arguing over it - my primary care doc, my WLS surgeon, the ER doc and the Gastro doc from the hospital). I told them whoever said I could go home first wins! LOL!

Definitely get it checked out. Better safe than sorry.

I have nevery had any gallbladder problems so my dr didn't take it out. But he did put me on 6 mo. of ursodiol as a preventative measure. It doesn't seem to upset my stomach.
Jean

Girl... let me just tell you...

I had some gallbladder troubles! Whew! I never want to have it again... Let me tell ya a story. On July 22, a day I will never forget, I was at my boyfriend's house. (No longer dating him...) but anyway, it was a Sunday night at 10 pm. I was about to go home... had purse in hand. I had this terrible pain in my left side... I stripped my clothes off so fast! He probably thought he was about to get lucky! But I cried in pain so bad. Thought I would die. I begged him for a fan while I laid down on the couch... Previously that day I had some sharp pains, but they subsided, then came back... then subsided... But I didnt know what it was...

So... I finally laid down in his bedroom for 4 hours. I could not take it any longer and called my gastric surgeon's office... I ended up having both docs, mine and the one on call, to contact me. they said if it kept up, to go to ER. So at 2:45 I was on my way to Centennial Med Ctr in Nashville... at 7:30 that Monday morning, I had emergency gallbladder removal. I had 40 to 50 gallstones! Ok.. so that Monday I am on my way to recovering, right? Wrong!

A gallstone had fallen down into the bile duct... I was on a lot of pain meds... I started having "symptoms" again! What? And by Tuesday, I was begging him to help me! The nurse said that I needed to get up and walk around, cause it was gas! Wrong again! I could not get off the bed, I was in so much pain. The surgeon kept checking my labs all week to make sure I would not get pancreatitis... so on Friday morning, he took me back into surgery for an ERCP. He told me beforehand that he didn't want to do it, and hoped the stone passed, cause there were 3 ways he could possibly do the procedure should a stone be stuck... one was a textbook case only and another doctor/surgeon (gastroenterologist) would have to accompany him... one (gastric) doc would go down my esophagus and the other would go up through my "other" oraface if you know what I mean... and they would meet somewhere in there and remove the stone.. Well luckily they never had to do that! They did the ERCP, found no stone, realized it passed, but did remove some scar tissue that I had, caused from my gastric. I had 3 procedures within 5 days of one another.

I am not trying to scare you to death. Because, as you can see, I am still alive, and doing very well. It was a result of losing weight so rapidly... would I do it all again? Yes. I would have the wls again in a minute... but that gallbladder was by far the hardest surgery and it hindered my eating habit routines for 2 1/2 mos! It caused "dumping syndrome" types of effects by eating stuff such as lettuce, broccolli, caffeine, peanuts. I had to be oh so careful!

My point? Get that gallbladder checked out soon! You don't want it to get severe.

This is so common after WLS that many surgeons go ahead and remove the GB at the time of the WLS.

It is a very painful thing to deal with---mine flared up over a long holiday weekend---I lost 11 pounds in 4 days from not being able to eat....

I wish the best on this...

Most everyone blames WLS for gall bladder troubles. The fact is that years of yo-yo dieting causes the problem in most cases. It just manifests itself after WLS so having the surgery itself is a way to explain away the symptoms. My surgeon tries very hard NOT to take the gall bladder out when doing the surgery because it causes a whole other list of issues afterward. In my case, it was so calcified that he had no choice. I often forgot in the early weeks that I had two surgeries but other than some discomfort I wouldn't have otherwise had, I didn't have any problems. I am grateful that it is gone since I would probably be having another surgery now. Don't mess around, get to the doctor and get the treatment you need.

IMOHO~Whatever the cause, by the time we're in such a condition as to require WLS, most of
our gall bladders are shot; Yo-yo dieting, rich foods w/ little thought to carb control, sedentary
lives, etc. My WLS Clinic saw so much GB trouble post-WLS that they routinely remove the GB during
WLS. Glad they did. If my body was in upheaval to begin with, I'm glad they avoid a second trip
to the OR for many of us. Do we have our insurance companies to thank for this common, disruptive
omission? That would be my guess as well.

i had my gallbladder removed 16 + years ago, after i had my son, but i do know the surgeon who did my surgery also puts pts who still have their gallbladder on ursodiol for 6 months. i would definitely go get it checked out asap

Mine was removed 14 months after my gastric. It's pretty common to have it removed afterwards.

Cody, what ever happened with this? I've heard that the lap gall bladder surgery is a cake walk....

Hello, When I went to have my physical when I started this process they noticed that I had already had my gallbladder out and was told that they give you the option of having your gallbladder out during the surgery.I also have a girlfriend that had to have her's out 3 yrs post op..I think it is all the protein we eat and maybe the gallbladder can't process it..Hope that helps..Kuulani