Removing my diseased gall bladder has been a blessing for me. Mine was actually crystalized. Amazingly after its removal all of my ailments eventually went away: acid reflux, diabetes, hyper cholesterol, high blood pressure. The danger of trying to stave off attacks of a diseased gall bladder is the fact that it can in fact poison you.

Mine was removed 2 years ago for gall stones. I did some searching online, mainly WebMD, and found that the primary purpose of the gall bladder is for processing fat that your liver can’t handle. Your liver is the primary fat processing organ, but sometimes you eat so much fat and there is no room in the liver and it goes to the gall bladder.

You mentioned the acidic feeling in your throat since the attack, I suggest you go to a gastroenterologist and get checked out for Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). It may or may not be related to the gall bladder, could be coincidence, but if you have any acid in your throat, it’s not good at all. Until you see a GE about that, I would suggest taking some Maalox or Pepto when you are feeling that. You’re limited to how much you can take safely in a 24 hour period, so just take the minimum to get rid of the taste. Also, sleep on your left side at night and/or with your head elevated. Left untreated, acid in the esophagus could potentially lead to esophageal cancer. My grandma died from that in 2001 (she refused to take meds for it). There are 3 good meds on the market for it. Nexium (my recommendation), Prevadic, and Prilosec. I suggest you try Nexium if you are diagnosed with GERD because as far as I know, it’s the only one that actually works to repair damage as well and to prevent GERD. Some meds work better that others for certain people. Some have weird reactions, like Prevacid actually CAUSED acid for me! Oh, Prilosec is available without a prescription now, but don’t spend the money until you see a dr. about that first.

Ok, benefits and drawbacks of having the surgery:

First off, I know about 10 people (including me) who’ve had the surgery and we are ALL different, I mean different reactions, different triggers, etc. I don’t know any 2 of us who are the same!

Benefits (for me!): It really helped to regulate my weight! Before the surgery, my weight would fluctuate as much as 50 pounds in a single month! I had the surgery 2 years ago and I’ve been able to maintain my weight the whole time without even trying.

Drawbacks (for me and a few others I know): Have to restrict what you eat. Most of the people I know who have to do the same don’t need to be too restrictive, but I have to be extremely restrictive. I can’t eat more than 10 grams of fat in an hour….no pizza, no full fat cheese, no mayo, no regular salad dressings, etc. I think this is why I’ve been able to maintain my weight this whole time actually. Some people just have to cut back on the extremely high fat stuff like friend chicken. I can have fried chicken if I take the crispy stuff off…but that’s the best part! LOL.

Another big drawback is if you eat too much fat (or whatever your trigger is), you can have what I call a "ghost attack" b/c your gall bladder is not there, but you can get the same kind of pain. For me, I’ve never experienced that, but what I get is extreme diarrhea! I can’t eat out at most restaurants anymore b/c most places cook all their food, even the "healthy" stuff in some kind of oil and I can’t eat anything that’s been cooked in oil. It varies for me. Sometimes within 2 minutes of swallowing a "trigger", I have to RUN to the bathroom, other times it takes 15 to 30 minutes. The good thing is once it comes that’s it and unless I start eating it again, I don’t have to deal with it again, but it’s extremely embarrassing!