My doctor suspects I may have gallbladder disease. On monday, I go for an ultrasound to either confirm or deny this. Has any one else suffered from this? Did you have to have your gallbladder removed?

I read online that the gallbladder helps digest fat. So if you dont have your gallbladder, do you gain weight easily?

My Aunt just had her gallbladder removed. It's a very easy procedure and is done outpatiently - she left in a few hours.

I think perhaps there might be a misunderstanding about the function of the gallbladder tho. It doesn't help digest fat, it's the bile that the liver produces and the gallbladder stores that aids in the digestion of fat. The bile is stored in the gallbladder until it is needed and then it is released into the small intestine where it helps digest fat. Without the gallbladder, the bile has no place for storage so when it leaves the liver it will go directly into the small intestine.

If you gain weight afterwards, it won't be as a result of losing the gallbladder. However, a small percentage of people do have to deal with chronic diarhea as a result of the bile constantly entering the small intestine.

PerfectPeach - my husband and I have both had our gall bladders removed.
His was done in 1988 and he actually is able to eat some foods he couldn't before, like raw onions and black pepper.
Mine was removed in January and I can't tell the difference. (Except no more attacks!)

Georgia's right - it is now done as outpatient surgery. The incisions are laparoscopic and you can go home in a couple of hours. I had very little pain with mine. In fact, the gall bladder attacks were at least 10 times worse!
So if it is your gall bladder, don't let it intimidate you. There are a lot of people who live a long, full life without that little sucker!

As has been said, the gallbladder is more or less redundant in civilized people. Even when it's there, nearly all the bile produced by the liver (around a quart a day) steadily drips into the gut. Only a few tablespoons are stored in the gallbladder, which then squeezes when you eat, especially when you eat fat. If you were to eat once every couple of days, as in the time of hunting for food, it would be good to have stored bile (during starvation, the gallbladder can get quite huge with bile) to blast into the gut when you gorge yourself. But since we eat a few meals a day, constantly dripping bile is all we need. Rarely, there are side effects from gallbladder removal; mostly diarrhea, especially with a fatty meal. But most people never miss it, except to notice they feel a heck of a lot better.

I'm glad to hear that it is a pretty easy procedure. I am calling tomorrow to schedule mine. I'm SO tired of the attacks! I do hope I don't gain any more weight afterward!!