In Dec 2010 I was having issues with my gall bladder and had a scan done and it showed that it was borderline failing. We decided not to do surgery then and to wait and see if it got worse. I got pregnant with my son later that month and didn't have any issues after that. My insurance doesn't require a gall bladder scan before surgery but it does say in the WLS bulletin on the website that they do consider gall bladder removal medically necessary in conjunction with WLS and will cover it. Obviously I will talk it over with my dr (haven't had first appt yet) but did any of you have your gall bladder removed at the same time? Does it affect recovery at all?

The chances of having gall bladder issues after WLS are quite high. Obese women are at higher risk to begin with as estrogen appears to influence the development of stones and obesity is thought to cause reduced bile salts in bile, leading to the formation of stones. Add rapid weight loss (when cholesterol is concentrated in the bile due to weight loss) and the risk increases again.

Older people tend to have more gallbladder problems, as well, simply because there is more time for stones to develop, and a diet low in Fiber and high in fat also can lead to stones. About 1/3 of WLS patients will end up having gallbladder surgery. If you're experiencing pain in your abdomal area or it you notice yellowish tint to your eyes that could be a sign of gall bladder issues.

Having said all that I did end up having my gall bladder removed after I had my WLS it happened to me the day of my release appt with the surgeon post op. I was having trouble staying hydrated and I was very weak and had a yellowish tint in my eyes so when I went to see my surgeon for follow up they ended sending me to the ER for fluids, X Rays and observation. To make a long story short I was admitted and ended up staying eight (8) days in the hospital. I had two (2) GI that were unsuccessful in removing the stones (which turned out to be more sand like then stones which made removing harder) so they decided to remove my gall bladder all together.

In my opinion it should be removed during WLS. Just my opinion..

I haven't had the sleeve surgery yet but I have had my gallbladder removed. That being said if you have been having gallbladder issues and have the chance to get it out I would strongly suggest you do. I started having gallstones 2.5mths after the birth of my son. I would have attacks every few weeks and they would get worse as the weeks went on. The last straw was the night I went into the ER for pain from an attack. On the drive to the hospital I started to feel completely disconnected with my body. I threw up excessively and had severe pain in my chest. It was so bad I couldn't tell you what went on on the 45min drive to the hospital. I was originally trying to wait out getting it taken out as long as possible but I should have had it done sooner.

Hi. I haven't had the surgery yet but my doctor said we don't need to remove it since I haven't had any problems with it. He gave me the impression that if I had problems in the past then he would consider removing it. Could depend on the doctor. Good luck with it.

I am getting mine taken out at the same time as the sleeve. It's an extra $500 with my doctor in Mexico. I am not about to "go under" again when I can just do it at the same time. That would more scars, more time off work. NO thank you

I had gall stones prior to my sleeve surgery and was scheduled to have my gall bladder removed while I was being sleeved. I had an unrelated complication half way through and only had the gall bladder out the first surgery. But, there was no issue with getting them both done, it just didn't happen in my case. I was told it would not have change my recovery.

I would definitely try to get them done at the same time if you can.

In Dec 2010 I was having issues with my gall bladder and had a scan done and it showed that it was borderline failing. We decided not to do surgery then and to wait and see if it got worse. I got pregnant with my son later that month and didn't have any issues after that. My insurance doesn't require a gall bladder scan before surgery but it does say in the WLS bulletin on the website that they do consider gall bladder removal medically necessary in conjunction with WLS and will cover it. Obviously I will talk it over with my dr (haven't had first appt yet) but did any of you have your gall bladder removed at the same time? Does it affect recovery at all?

I am getting sleeved on 2/25 and the doctor is removing my gall bladder at the same time. It's very common and best to do them at once.

i had my gallbladder removed prior to wls but did have hiatel hernia surgery during my sleeve and no major complications recovery was ok i did have dehydration but thats common def get it done once gallbladder goes bad it does not get better you will have a total of 6-8 small incisions good luck