Will gallbladder removal cause complications post-surgery?

Question

Hello doctor,

I want to take a second opinion about my wife. She is 26 years old. Two years back, a few days after she gives birth to my child, she had pain in her upper abdomen at the right side. In ultrasound, it was diagnosed that she had gallstones about 6 mm with multiple stones. When we approached to hospital, the surgeon suggests to remove gallbladder. Since, she is feeding my child we have postponed the surgery and tried siddha also. During this period, she had pain occasionally nearly once in three months. But, a few days before, again she had pain and stone is still there with the same size when we took ultrasound recently.

My questions are:

Is that gallbladder removal is the only option? What is the function of the gallbladder? What will happen if we remove the gallbladder? What are the complications she may expect post-surgery?

She is only 26 years old, will gallbladder removal make any major change in her health like digestion system or life cycle. Will gallbladder removal impact for planning our next child? What about postsurgery, can she eat like now? Can she eat nonvegetarian? How long will it take to get into the normal life after gallbladder removal?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The best advice is that she should have a gallbladder removal via laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Since it not only help her to get rid of this noxious pain, but she can avoid the long term complication of chronic cholecystitis that is related to the gallbladder stones. The complication can range from cholangitis (infection of the bile ducts), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), and last but not least gallbladder cancer.

Now to answer your questions. Yes, gallbladder removal is the only option. Gall bladder is the storage for the bile, which is produced within the liver. It has a role in the digestion of fats. No big change if removed. She may experience mild indigestion due to overflow of bile in the small bowel, and sometimes diarrhea, but all are temporary. It will settle in a few weeks postsurgery. No major change will happen in her health.

Gallbladder removal will not impact the planning of your next child. However, if it is not removed now, it can cause complication in the next pregnancy. She can eat whatever she likes. No restrictions. She will get back to normal life in a few days if surgery is uneventful.