Gallbladder removed

I had mine done about 11 years ago so much of this info is from then. No real problems though high fat foods can be an issue, from time to time, it is not bad. You can no longer give you digestive tract a concentrated shot of enzymes, they are introduced in a slow drip. That makes it more difficult to digest some foods leading to some indegestion issues on occasion. That is the big issue with fatty foods. I had galstones in my liver as well so they continued to come out from time to time over the years. For the first 5 yars or so I would have the same pain as before but the episodes became fewer and farther between. I have not had an attack for a number of years. The surgery and recovery were pretty easy since they did it laparoscopically. One suggestion do not take Calc !! and Linear equations exams back to back 3 days after surgery, you will likely fail one of the exams if you take your pain meds. There is a slight chance that there will be a problem with the laparoscopic procedure and that they will have to do it the old fashioned way which is a pretty extensive surgery. Other than that there is one big incision in your belly button and 3 or 4 really small incision in your upper abdomin, these will not require stitches but don't pull the scabs off prematurely as it will twinge more. That is all I can think of but if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Not the case for me.  I couldn't eat fat before my surgery at all.  I couldn't for a period after, either, but it's pretty much back to normal now.  Sure, it causes problems if I eat a cheeseburger and fries, but I see it as a reminder to eat healthy.  Running and training is fine.  I was training for a marathon before it, and trained again after.  Check my logs - gallbladder was removed in October 2009.

You could go for awhile with it in.  I started taking omeprazole (Prilosec) when I had attacks more regularly. That worked for about 6 months.  Changing your diet can also help.  If you're not comfortable having it removed, I absolutely would wait.  Doesn't sound like you are too bad.  When mine was removed, I could only eat really bland food without getting sick and having attacks.

Had mine removed about 16 years ago. I would wake up in the middle of night feeling like I was having a heart attack, pain would last for 3 to 6 hours and they were becoming more frequent and more intense. Took a long time for it to be properly diagnosed, thank goodness they finally figured it out.

I went in to the ER at like 7:00 AM, had the surgery in the afternoon, they had me getting up to use the bathroom on my own that night and I was discharged the next morning. Full recovery was about 2 and a half weeks.

Had to lay off fatty foods for a while after the surgery. No diet restrictions anymore. No exercise restrictions at all once I'd recovered. Very glad I had it done.

I guess the pain from gall stones is a little different for everyone. When I went through it I experienced a spectrum from it feeling like a road flare being pushed through my abdomen from the inside, up to one day where I ended-up curled into a fetal position and the pain completely overwhelmed my ability to understand the people speaking around me. I could hear that they were speaking, but I couldn't comprehend their words through the pain. The surgeon said that my gall bladder was so full of stones that he couldn't get it through the normal-sized incision and had to cut it open while it was still inside me and pull stones out until it was small enough. Otherwise he would have had to expand the incision. I don't know that it would have made much of a difference, the incision was very small, but I still appreciate it.

You can correctly assume that I'm VERY glad I had the surgery. The recovery is along the same lines as any recovery from a surgical procedure: it takes a little time and it's not comfortable, but it gets a little better every day. When I went through it in 2006 (I think, maybe it was '05) I was weight training 4 times a week and running between 6 and 9 miles a week. Now I'm weight training and SBRing every week with longer distances than I would have considered back then. I do have issues with fatty food, as others mentioned. Zegrid is now one of my best friends! There are more instances of "the runs" for me, but it's just an occasional annoyance. I also fart more than I used to; to the extent that it gets irritating. I'm taking probiotics and that seems to help me, but I don't know if it would work for anyone else. Every case seems to be a little different.

Basically my message is: don't worry about it. The surgery isn't bad and it shouldn't affect your training. Pick a doctor with a good reputation and plenty of experience and you should be fine.

^^^ Road flare - yep, had that same feeling. It's awful.

I had mine out in the mid 90's. Very simple procedure, small incision under belly button, 3 small holes that didn't even require stitches.

The worst thing I remember was a lot of pain after due to the air they pump into your abdomen. My entire body ached until that had all gone away. Other than that I had to be careful about what I ate for a couple of months. Since then no issues.

You may get to a point where you'll be begging someone to take it out.

My brother had his removed 2 years ago now i think. the surgery took all of 45 minutes and he only has a small scar above his belly button. He couldnt eat anything before the surgery without serious GI issues. He had an iron stomach before all of this happened, now hes alot more sensitive. If you plan on eating a fatty meal make sure you have a comfortable bathroom somewhere close in your near future. His stomach issues are nearly better and he has learned what he can eat and what to stay away from.

ETA: he is now a powerlifter and has been doing so for the last year, no issues at all.