I posted this in pre-op but I would like banded input as well???

I just had my pre-op work done, included an ultrasound of my tummy and they now want to remove my Gallbladder before getting banded. I was told I have a small gallstone. I have never been troubled by gallbladder problems. Is it a true necessity for band success or is it a scam for more insurance and more money? please reply with any information you may feel useful!:redface:

I had my gallbladder out about 3 years ago, as an emergency surgery because I had a stone stuck in my bile duct. Believe me, you do NOT want to experience that!! I would trust your doctors to know what is needed, and if they say you need your gallbladder out, I would believe them. I suspect they just want to avoid any complications down the line once you've been banded. Gall bladder surgery is no big deal, but it will save you from one hell of an ordeal if that stone ever moves into your bile duct. Lots of people (mostly middle-aged, overweight women) end up having their gallbladder out even when they've had no symptoms - some doctors do it as a precautionary measure when gallstones are evident, whether they've caused a problem or not. Having (barely) lived through several gallbladder attacks, I can tell you - you want to die. If your doctor says have your gallbladder out, I'd listen to him.

You're not being scammed. I posted to your other thread, so I won't go into detail here--but there are legitimate reasons for his recommendation.

That does not mean his approach is the only one--or that you should blindly agree.

It simply means there's no "gall" involved (except as in gall bladder).

Not every recommendation made by a physician is money-motivated. Most really do care about their patients' well-being and make recommendations based on that.

Remember, you've asked to have this procedure (banding) done. Along with that will come doctor recommendations. You might not like them all--or follow them. But when you seek medical care, you do, in fact, place yourself directly in position to get a doctor's medical opinion. His is one that is common, and commonly accepted.

I had "sludge" before my band and the surgeon that I saw for my mastectomy didn't want to remove the gallbladder.

I had the band in Sept and have lost quite alot of weight and now my "sludge" has turned to stones and the pain is intense. the gas pain I had was nothing compared to gallbladder pain and I had percocet for that pain. Nothing helps gallbladder pain when you are having an episode, believe me, I took 2 Percocet the other day and the pain lasted for 2 hours. I was dizzy and tired but the pain was so strong that I couldn't sleep.

I am having my gallbladder removed on March 2 and can't wait. I had another episode last night and if someone was here with me I would have gone to the ER. I knew I couldnt' drive but was not going to call an ambulance for gallbladder.

I posted this in pre-op but I would like banded input as well???

I just had my pre-op work done, included an ultrasound of my tummy and they now want to remove my Gallbladder before getting banded. I was told I have a small gallstone. I have never been troubled by gallbladder problems. Is it a true necessity for band success or is it a scam for more insurance and more money? please reply with any information you may feel useful!:redface:

I don't think it's a scam. I do think it's an unenlightened surgeon. Unfortunately, some doctors are still in the dark ages when they removed pesky things like the gallbladder without a thought.

When they did my ultrasound, they discovered a pearl sized gallstone. However, since I've never had any signs or symptoms of gallbladder problems, my surgeon said it would be foolish to remove the gallbladder. He said it's not uncommon to find gallstones and there's no reason to remove the gallbladder if there are no problems.

Remember when removing the tonsils was something all children had done routinely? Now they rarely take them out because they know better.

Personally, if you aren't having problems with your gallbladder, I would tell them that you decline their 'elective' surgery and will take your chances. Will you have to have your gallbladder removed down the line? Who knows...but to remove a body part 'just in case' seems a bit extreme.

But then that's just me.

Edited February 22, 201016 yr by ElfiePoo

After losing significant weight when I was eighteen I started to have these abdominal pains. After several episodes the pain was so intense; Unable to stand and difficulty breathing I ended up at the emergency room. Turns out I had Gall Bladder sludge. This was 20 yrs ago and I had to have an "open" operation vs. Lapriscopic. The pain is so horrible I would'nt wish it on anyone. Please keep in mind I have a very high pain threshold and this was unbearable.