I was told I had gallstones in my 38th week of pregnancy, back in April 06....the pain was unbearable and I was told that possibly after my c-section the procedure would be performed and the stones and gall bladder would be removed. This ended up not being necessary and after the birth, pain disappeared and didn't return until the middle of last year...I had the stones all 13 of them and the gall bladder removed in December of last year.
They generally don't just remove the stones as in most cases the stones will develop again. If you get gallstones, and they can take years to form you have what my Surgeon said, a faulty gall bladder. Gall stones are not natural and are not something that the body will continue to produce after the gall bladder is removed...and most pain should disappear after the procedure.
The liver makes bile and the gall bladder storages that bile until it is needed, generally, after you have eaten as bile helps with digestion. Without a gall bladder you can live a relatively normal life, the bile from the liver just drains directly into the stomach as there is no longer a storage place. The gall bladder contracts when it is expelling bile, stones form when this doesn't happen correctly. The pain comes from the gall bladder contracting down on the stones. If you eat fatty foods it makes the gallbladder work harder and increases your pain.
Gall stones can become dangerous and fatal if they get out of the gall bladder and block the bile ducts into the liver or pancreas...you can become sick very quickly. I have heard about a girl at 20 weeks pregnant, having to have her gall bladder removed...that sounds very unpleasant to me.
HTH's Good luck with your decision...hope everything works out.
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