Over 1/2 million people in America have their gallbladders removed every year. Is it necessary? Sometimes it is absolutely necessary, but not always. How do you know for sure? That's not easy to determine. Most doctors advise gallbladder removal with any diagnosis of a gallbladder problem. Large gallstones, small gallstones, low-functioning gallbladder, few symptoms, no symptoms. If the diagnosis warrants surgery, you are advised to take it out. But the same diagnosis in thousands of people does not mean the same condition exists. For example, gallstones can be silent which means you are unaware of any probelm going on. There are no symptoms at all and the gallstones are found by routine lab tests done for a separate issue.

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Gallstones should be treated only if they cause symptoms. For recurrent gallbladder attacks, the most effective treatment is surgical removal of the gallbladder, or cholecystectomy. The traditional procedure is a major surgery requiring a five-inch incision and a hospital stay of up to a week. Fortunately, it has been largely replaced by laparoscopic cholecystectomy, in which the surgeon removes the gallbladder with instruments inserted through small incisions in the skin, below the liver. This procedure requires only an overnight hospital stay and a week of recovery at home. If you do opt for gallbladder removal, will your digestion be perfect afterwards? That's what everybody's hoping for, to be pain free, gas free, and bloat-free.

You have a 60% chance of that happening. Out of every 10 cholecystectomies, 4 people will still have symtpoms. Those symptoms are rarely, if ever, equal to that of the previous gallbladder attack. They are more often discomfort, or dull pain. But you need to be aware.