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Ayushman Health
 What gallbladder removal really involves: why gallstones end in surgery, how keyhole differs from the open operation, the recovery week by week, and what changes once the organ is gone.
Cholecystectomy, from the gallstone attacks to life without the organ.

The ward

Readers of this site swapping notes: the ones still deciding whether their gallstones need an operation at all, the ones a week past keyhole surgery wondering when the gas pain finally stops, and the ones far enough out to be honest about how their digestion settled. Every account here is one gallbladder and one operation. A thread that draws no reply for two months closes itself.

Stones or surgery

Working out whether gallstones actually need an operation, or whether they can be left alone.

Is there any way to dissolve gallstones with tablets or a strict low-fat diet so I can skip the operation altogether? started by threestones54, Mar 5, 2026

5 replies · 320 views · last reply by threestones54, Mar 24, 2026

Booked for keyhole but the surgeon warned it might become open surgery. What decides which one I get, and does converting mean something went wrong? started by DeniseR59, Jan 19, 2026

4 replies · 360 views · last reply by DeniseR59, Feb 4, 2026

How do I know if it's a proper gallbladder attack, and when do I actually need to go to A&E rather than just riding it out at home? started by DeniseR59, Dec 3, 2025

5 replies · 360 views · last reply by DeniseR59, Dec 19, 2025

Gallstones turned up on a scan but they barely bother me. Do silent gallstones actually need removing? started by threestones54, Oct 14, 2025

5 replies · 400 views · last reply by threestones54, Nov 2, 2025

Recovery and eating

The gas pain, the first weeks off, and how digestion settles once the gallbladder is gone.

Five weeks without my gallbladder and greasy food sends me straight to the loo. Is the diarrhoea permanent, and do I need a low-fat diet forever now? started by runner_no_gb, Jun 16, 2026

6 replies · 560 views · last reply by runner_no_gb, Jul 9, 2026

Weeks after my gallbladder came out I'm STILL getting pain and indigestion. Did the operation just not work, or is this something else? started by stillsore_wk3, May 28, 2026

5 replies · 440 views · last reply by stillsore_wk3, Jul 6, 2026

How many cuts is keyhole gallbladder surgery and how big are the scars really, and will they actually fade or am I left with marks forever? started by runner_no_gb, Apr 14, 2026

5 replies · 300 views · last reply by runner_no_gb, Apr 27, 2026

Day four after keyhole surgery and I have a weird pain in my SHOULDER, nowhere near the cuts. When does the gas pain stop and what recovery is normal? started by stillsore_wk3, Apr 8, 2026

5 replies · 480 views · last reply by stillsore_wk3, Apr 18, 2026