Questions about the gallbladder

I've been reading the statistics about the gallbladder going bad at some point after VSG because of the rapid weight loss. So my question is: Should I ask my surgeon to go ahead and take it out while doing the sleeve? Is that something that I can even ask for? It's not bad now, but it will go bad a fair percentage of the time. Seems to me it would be best to not risk the second surgery.

Thanks for the info.

Mine was already out pre VSG but as a nurse, I support removing it. My gall bladder scars are in the same area as my vsg. Talk it out with your surgeon.

It is certainly something to ask or discuss with him. Surgeons have different opinions and policies on it. With the VSG, my doc checks it when he is in there and removes it if he feels stones in it but otherwise usually leave it in, but with his DS patients he routinely removes it because if it does need to come out later he doesn't want some other surgeon getting confused with the altered DS anatomy in that region, which isn't an issue with the VSG. Some docs will do pre-op ultrasounds or other tests so that they can plan ahead of time. Some may use other criteria such as BMI or amount of weight to be lost to bias their decision. It's a risk/benefit tradeoff and each doc has his own approach to it.

Mine was fine at time of surgery and hasn't given any problems since.

If they don't take it out, they should put you on something like Actigal/Ursodiol that should help save it.

I agree with talking to your doctor about it. Mine ran a liver profile ahead of my VSG and everything checked out fine. No idea whether he looked at the gallbladder while he was in there--I never thought to ask. But lo, come last November, the gallbladder reared its ugly head had to come out. Now I've got 8 or 9 little scars where there used to be 4-5 on my abdomen. It wasn't a BAD surgery from which to recover but it was another week out of work, more time to regain full energy, etc. I've had no unpleasant side-effects to this point but I understand some do.

It's a trade-off. I don't think there's any way to predict who's going to develop gallstones during rapid weight loss, and even if you DO develop them, that doesn't mean they will be symptomatic or cause problems.

Will think positive thoughts for you!

My surgeon checks gallbladder health at the time of surgery and makes a decision at that time whether it needs to come out or not.  Mine was GREAT........WAS.

Last December, 2 1/2 years post surgery I had a gallbladder attack.....my very first indication that anything was amiss.  It was the Saturday before Christmas.  It sucked.  No surgeons around to remove it and not enough of an emergency to warrant calling in a surgeon.  A week of pain meds before the surgeon returned from Christmas and removed it for me......INSTANT relief!

My surgeon routinely removed both the gall bladder and the appendix during WLS. He said that should I develop abdominal pain, that's two things that would already be ruled out. (*grin*)

You don't really need a gall bladder---all it does is store bile. I'd ask him to take it.