Gall-stones on the rise? I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago and so did my older brother, i know 3 other people around my age (35-50) who also had it removed.

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FormalMarzipan252@reddit

I mean I’m pretty sure that the doctor shorthand for most gallbladder surgery candidates is “fair, fat and 40” and we’re all 40 or above here, to say nothing of the other two categories as that’s much more individual.

Yes, Xennials often grew up on and may still eat overprocessed foods (🙋🏻‍♀️) but I think this is more a function of aging than anything else.

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DoctorBlazes@reddit

Fat, fertile, 40 is the original, and female and fair seem to have been added too since I was in medical school.

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TacoNomad@reddit

How does fertility play a part

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DoctorBlazes@reddit

Pregnancy hormones can lead to increased gallstone formation.

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NovelWord1982@reddit

As can some types of hormonal birth control. Not demonizing them, just stating a fact.

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Illustrious-Low3948@reddit

Most women who take OAC are fertile.

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NovelWord1982@reddit

Not always!

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Illustrious-Low3948@reddit

I’m a physician. A mnemonic is to help us remember things. The Fs are an example. Not everybody who has all the Fs will develop gall stones.

“Not always” is something you can say to EVERYTHING in medicine except for “every person will die”.

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PresDumpsterfire@reddit

You forgot to add “female” to the list of risk factors, but otherwise you beat me to it 😉

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Rhizobactin@reddit

Fat, forty, female and fertile

Source: Med school. But that’s just a teaching, it’s within many ages, genders, etc.

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Astrazigniferi@reddit

This shit is why my buddy ended up in the emergency room when he needed it out in his 20s. He had several attacks over a few months, but when they were sure it wasn’t appendicitis, they basically just told him he was overreacting to a tummy ache. This despite a family history of nearly every woman in his mom’s family needing to have theirs out young. No one even thought about his gallbladder because he wasn’t a 40 year old woman until he was in the ER convinced he was dying.

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Rhizobactin@reddit

Nah. We think of it all the time (ER doc here). Exams will evolve as well until boom - now it’s more clear. Surgery isnt benign and can lead to small bowel obstructions, hernias, infection, bleeding and damage to adjacent structures.

My wife had the same - multiple attacks over close to one year. Several ultrasounds negative, upper gi neg at least once or twice. PPI without improvement. Then was equivocal on US again and had MRI. Was symptomatic and they finally took it out.

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pina_koala@reddit

Excellent answer and thank you for all that you do

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ang3l12@reddit

I had my gallbladder out in 8th grade, it took the docs a good 1.5 years to figure out what was wrong because I didn’t fit any of the 3f’s. I weighed 50 lbs, am male, and was 12 at the time.

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Les_Otter@reddit

I had a nephew who was a high school athlete and he had it out at 16. You can’t out run genetics…

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littlemsshiny@reddit

What does fair mean in this context? Like fair-skinned?

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Zxvasdfthrowaway@reddit

Yes

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mid_1990s_death_doom@reddit

Female and fasting as well. The rise of intermittent fasting is kind of hard on our gallbladders because the bile has more of a chance to crystallize.

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Sufficient_Turn_9209@reddit

I lost mine after I gained 70 lbs in 2 years and lost it in less than one. It was pregnancy weight that just keeeept going. 🥴 Intermittent fasting was a big part of my weight loss.

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odin_the_wiggler@reddit

Plus all that gallcohol

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Moons_of_Moons@reddit

I electively had a second gallbladder installed.

F**k the system!

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Additional-Round-570@reddit

micro plastics bought me here

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cashews_clay15@reddit

Mine was removed last year. First attack I had, I thought I was going to die. Had no clue what was happening. So glad they removed it.

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spookyhellkitten@reddit

I thought I was dying too, it was worse than being in labor or when my uterus fell out (very over-dramatacised explanation of a prolapse due to trauma) and scarier because I had no clue what was happening. I went into shock just after driving myself to the ER. Good times. Glad that lousy little bugger is gone!

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cashews_clay15@reddit

Omg I had uterine prolapse too! It was scary waking up to that. Like, are my internal organs falling out? What the hell!!?

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spookyhellkitten@reddit

That is insane!! Wild that I commented on your reply, it is so rare that meet another person in our age range who has had a prolapse! It was scary. I tried convincing my (now ex) husband that my penis was finally growing in and I was becoming a man...in between panicked laughter. He was in the Army and away at the time, we were stationed in Germany. A neighbor took me to the ER and I told the poor afterhours desk person "mutter-haus" (mother house, I did not learn German anatomy...just niceties and bier) then gestured down and out. It was the best I could do. Wild times!!!

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cashews_clay15@reddit

Haha that seriously made me laugh out loud 🤣 I went to the ER because I was like, are my intestines falling out? The resident or np or something did an exam and was like, there’s nothing wrong. The doctor did an exam and rolled his eyes at the guy lol.

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spookyhellkitten@reddit

I had almost the opposite experience! The ER doc was like hey yeah this is a problem. You have to see your normal doc tomorrow to get a referral for us to fix this but it needs done ASAP. I see my normal doc the next day and she says, "well sure, your cervix is outside of your body and your uterus is pushing it down but it could heal on it's own." I just stared at her for a minute. Blinked a few times. Then asked to see a different doctor. Her husband came in, took one look and signed the papers. Completely crazy haha I swear doctors are so hit or miss! We like to think they know everything, but it's really often a collaborative effort I think lol

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cashews_clay15@reddit

Omg. I had a hysterectomy because of ongoing issues as well and they did some other repairs while there. People that haven’t been through this just don’t understand!

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spookyhellkitten@reddit

I did too. I was like nope, take it out! I have one kid, at the time she was 11 and I wasn't planning on having more. Just be gone with it! White pants errry damn day! I had some issues as well due to childhood trauma, PCOS, and endo so they patched me up as best they could. I did end up needed 4 more surgeries but I am unlucky like that lol

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cashews_clay15@reddit

Are we the same person?? I had Endo and had 3 laps for it before the hysterectomy.

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spookyhellkitten@reddit

We are definitely long lost cousins or something, that is so crazy!! What are the odds, on a random xennial reddit post about gallbladders??

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JusticeFrankMurphy@reddit

I would double over on the floor during an attack. It would happen seemingly at random. And when it was done, it would feel like my my body had been through an ordeal.

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normllikeme@reddit

I’ve dodged it some how alcoholic 42. Just the stomach problems associated with drinking

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Tedanki@reddit

Had mine taken out at age 39 (6 years ago.) One of my other friends roughly my age had his taken out 2 years ago. So much fun.

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2011ACK@reddit

I'm a 20+ year vegetarian, non drinker, physically active, slim, etc. and it still happened to me.

I'm sure eating well and exercise helps, but it's just our age bracket unfortunately.

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Objective-Giraffe-27@reddit

I know so many vegetarians that eat tons of processed foods so that isn't saying much...

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Interesting-Hawk-744@reddit

Seems to also be possibly genetic based on my family. I got unbearable attacks for almost 18 months before i finally got it removed (public health system)

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absentlyric@reddit

Definitely seems genetic, Im from a family that never ate right, even extended family. And gallstones or gallbladder issues have never been a thing.

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No-Calligrapher3043@reddit

Genetics play a huge role too. On my mom's side of the family almost everyone has had to get their gallbladder removed at some point. I'm the only one of my siblings and cousins on that side who has made it to my 40's with mine! My mom, all of her siblings, and my grandmother all got gallstones at some point in life too.

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Upvoteexpert@reddit

My sister became a vegetarian at 14 and had to have her gallbladder removed at 17. The rest of us in our 30s.

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Just-Try-2533@reddit

I’m pretty thin and active as well and I had my gallbladder out last year.

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CTMechE@reddit

Oddly, gallstones one of the few things that drinking actually reduces the chances of.

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Edgarmustavas@reddit

Didn't help me.

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AshDogBucket@reddit

Everyone i know in the older generation who has had their gallbladder out (and is now many years past it) has told me to AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS. It hugely changes how your body functions and you can't undo it.

I have gallstones and GERD and have drastically changed my diet in hopes that I can avoid losing my gallbladder. Clearly that won't work for everyone... but if you CAN do anything to prevent it, you might want to.

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Little_Peon@reddit

I had mine out in my 20s.

I did NOT have gallstones, and had to have a special test. It just didn't work. My mother had similar, but my younger brother had gallstones.

My mother nearly died in 78 because of it.

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iamnotmia@reddit

40s is the classic age bracket for gallstones, so yeah, we’re at the peak age for it

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stompy1@reddit

So would you say that if I get through my 40s and don't have an attack, I'm probably clear? I just gotta worry about my colon then.

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iamnotmia@reddit

Sadly, no, you could get gallstones at any age, 40s is just the most common.

Definitely get your colon checked if you haven’t already

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magpieoneeye@reddit

The worst pain ever. I chose to work with a naturopath to dissolve the stones (it worked), and discovered at least a contributing factor for me was endometriosis. Endo = high estrogen = thicker bile = stones. I have pretty much always eaten well so not certain diet progressed it.

Attacks came on suddenly though they must have been growing for years - the pain and nausea were just all "wrong" and Google told me what to ask the GP for (GB scan).

Do not recommend stones.

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amberlicious35@reddit

Holy crap. I had mine removed in 2013 (31) and wasn’t diagnosed with endo until my surgeon was taking out my uterus (for adeno) in September (43) and found the ENTIRE backside of it covered in endo and fusing my uterus and rectum together. We never knew I had endo, but it makes so much sense now

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magpieoneeye@reddit

Ooof I feel that - I had a recto-vaginal endo lesion. The term they use for "totally covered with endo lesions" is "obliterated". My pouch of Douglas was obliterated too. Sooo much better post-surgery. I responded to another commentor about estrogen recycling if that helps

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drainbamage1011@reddit

Holy shit. My wife has had fertility issues, a partial hysterectomy, and due to have have her ovaries removed any day now because of misdiagnosed endometriosis. She also had her gallbladder removed several years ago. I had no idea there was a correlation there but that explains a lot.

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magpieoneeye@reddit

Estrogen, if not expelled, recycles and recirculatesaking endo and GB worse. It binds to insoluble fibre for excretion, some people have improvement in symptoms by altering diet this way but defs check with your doc.

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Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit

What were the attacks like?

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magpieoneeye@reddit

Extreme pain right side front and back, sometimes accompanied by nausea. Only relieved with heat and time laying on a hard surface (assuming the stone/s need to roll back out of the tube they were trying to traverse). Attacks brought on by fat and or coffee consumption.

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sweetassassin@reddit

I had signs of gallbladder sludge since 2014. I didnt change my lifestyle at all. I did stop drinking alcohol in 2018. June of 2020 i was rushed to the ED with excruciating pain. CT showed that the sludge had become more abundant and that the Gallbladder needed to be cut out.

That surgery actually was the catalyst to a bunch of other complications that is now my disabled life.

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squatmama69@reddit

Did they botch the surgery?

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sweetassassin@reddit

I opted for no narcotics for pain management post-op and instead went the tordal only route. Well it fucked me up with the worst gastritis, that lead to delayed motility, with final diagnosis of gastroparesis and chronic intestinal bowel obstruction.

All exacerbated with the symptoms of GERD, IBS-C, hiatal hernia, etc etc etc. I’m in and out of the ER plus admissions every 3-6 months for intestinal blockages.

My choley in 2020 completely changed my life.

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Primary-Strawberry-5@reddit

Mine got ganked two weeks before my 34th birthday in 2010. The ultrasound showed two small stones blocking it, but it was loaded with grain of sand sized stones when they pulled it out

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vankirk@reddit

Gall stones are caused by excess calcium and cholesterol in your diet. Remove those foods and no more gall stones. Ask me how I know.

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notthatgirlnope@reddit

I had mine out at 30. Horrible pain. I don’t miss it one bit! I do think they stitched my bellybutton back up a little crooked. But at least the pain is gone.

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des1gnbot@reddit

One big risk factor is yo-yo dieting, particularly low carb dieting. So all of the atkins and keto fads have put us at a higher risk.

Got my gallbladder out after an attack of pancreatitis, and boy do you not want that. If your gallbladder so much as looks at you funny, get that taken care of.

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Worried_Internet_912@reddit

I've heard the opposite - that low fat doesnt release bile enough and causes sludge and stones??

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tmpnshmnt2000@reddit

46 here and that seems to be the magic number! Removed about 2 months ago. Not overweight, exercise frequently, no red meat, no alcohol. Attacks were happening at every thing I ate. Had me in a fetal position on the floor. Turns out there was a particular stone causing an infection. Removed and sooo much better now.

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CTMechE@reddit

Paradoxically, consistent moderate alcohol consumption is correlated to lower gallstone risk.

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SnooKiwis2161@reddit

That's wild, do you happen to know what about the alcohol has that effect?

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CTMechE@reddit

I guess most gallstones are made of cholesterol, and alcohol alters how fat and cholesterol dissolve and are processed. I don't really understand the specifics, just that it's been a well known and documented correlation. Up to 33% reduction in occurrence.

But drinking excessively can obviously cause damage and increase the risk of a different kind of gallstone.

I had a liver ultrasound a year ago and have NAFLD and a gallbladder polyp... But no stones.

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smooshie-mooshie@reddit

Me and both of my sisters had to have ourselves removed

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Weird_Squirrel_8382@reddit

I got mine removed at 20!

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ApprehensiveAnswer5@reddit

I had gallstones really badly in my teens.

When one got stuck in the duct to my liver and wouldn’t pass, I had to have emergency surgery to remove the stone, and they went ahead and took my gallbladder out then as well.

I was 20.

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PapaTua@reddit

I had mine out at 19. My older sister had hers out at 17.

Sometimes it's hereditary.

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teriKatty@reddit

My mom and sister had theirs out after having kids. I was so sure mine would give up within a few years postpartum but here we are 14 yrs later and somehow it’s still hanging in there.

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murlocfightclub@reddit

I got my gallbladder removed at 30. I had had large swings in weight, both in gaining and losing, I was told that could be a factor. It was very painful until they removed it.

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mjh8212@reddit

Since I have chronic pain I didn’t see a Dr for the pain for 4 months. Took a couple weeks to get into primary for referral another couple for gastro and they did a scan a couple days later. My gallbladder was non functional it was dead. I was in my thirties.

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I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE@reddit

What the hell happened to it? Did is just rot away inside you? Is that dangerous?

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mjh8212@reddit

I had surgery to remove it and given some heavy antibiotics.

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I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE@reddit

Ohh ok lol

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Valadrea@reddit

If you're:

over Forty

Female

or Fat

congratulations, your gallbladder is probably borked.

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Impressive-Cod-7103@reddit

I had mine out when I was 15. Between the time of the diagnostic ultrasound and the surgery, the stones fused together into one rock.

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I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE@reddit

My wife had hers out when she was 19. One hot dog at a beach bbq and six hours later she was in the hospital

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S_A_R_K@reddit

gif

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NewsgramLady@reddit

I got mine removed last May at 41 due to gallstones. It was causing me so much pain. To me, it felt like an ulcer right under my sternum, but nope. Once I got that little demon organ removed, all my pain disappeared.

(I've been on birth control for years, which they say can contribute to stones.)

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I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE@reddit

I used to get them all the time, I probably had about 40 gallbladder attacks in my lifetime.

Over time, I found the best way to get them to stop was stop eating and sip water until they subside. The water really was the big thing.

I make sure to stay hydrated all the time (for a myriad of reasons, gall bladder included) and I also cut out heavy, dairy filled, fatty meals. I haven't had a gall bladder attack in nearly 5 years now.

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Seraphtacosnak@reddit

I only know a couple of people who got their gall bladder’s removed and they were in groups of the same families. They lost a lot of weight and got into fitness after so thats the good news.

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Im_A_Nice_Karen666@reddit

I had mine removed when I was 33. It runs in my family though...my dad had the surgery at like 25. Very few people in my family make it into their 40's with their gallbladder.

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Foreign_Donkey463@reddit

First ever surgery at 46 was having my gallbladder removed. Feel so much better now.

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pennie79@reddit

My gall bladder surgery was the only surgery I've ever had where I felt better right after.

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I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE@reddit

My dad said that about his stent

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Worried_Internet_912@reddit

Given we all lived through the low fat era we are probably more susceptible. Need healthy fats to get the sludge moving

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problyurdad_@reddit

My dad had his out in the 90’s. I had mine out 5-6 years ago. So, while I’ve had mine out, it’s arguably more genetic for me.

But colon cancer is on the rise in our age group too.

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everybodydumb@reddit

Right side lower quadrant? Will a CT scan find this? I have bad stomach issues. CT scan found nothing. Thanks.

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Suspicious_Walrus951@reddit

I had mine put at 23. It decided it didn't want to work. In hindsight, I don't think it was ever working properly.

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MegaraTheMean@reddit

Had mine out when I was 19

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Grinagh@reddit

Yeah there are like two bacteria that are responsible for gallstone formation inside of your gallbladder One of them is e coli. So basically this boils down to the fact that your bacterial infections cause you to have a physical malady that needs to be treated with surgery as with most things it's an infection

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Southside_john@reddit

Gallstones and gallbladder inflammation is on the rise slightly because of GLP-1 medications

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purdueAces@reddit

GLP-1 patient here. 45, male. I was hospitalized with a passed gall bladder stone that hurt like nothing in my life ever has before. When I asked my doctor about factors he said that the GLP-1 was absolutely a factor, but probably far far far less than a lifetime of bad diet and 2 decades of being over weight. He said the GLP-1 was probably just icing on top.

Fortunately I got to keep my gall bladder after some tests. I had to restart my GLP-1 regiment from scratch and had to step-up doses at twice the usual interval, but I did eventually make it to the highest dose with no problems. I’m down 112 pounds … from 300 to 188 this week over two full years. Never felt healthier. I watch my fat intake now though. For sure.

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GlutenFreeWiFi@reddit

A 44-year-old coworker who is severely overweight and went on a GLP-1 shot, but it literally killed their gallbladder. When they had it taken out last year, it was black.

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digiratum@reddit

Just got scanned today. 1.8cm gallstones, no blockages but I am symptomatic. Im 41.

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ajaxandstuff@reddit

The largest demographic for having gallstones and needing gallbladder removed is ‘middle aged, white, women’.

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ACatNamedWolf@reddit

I had mine removed 6 years ago when I was 36. In the years leading up to that, I would have fairly minor gallbladder attacks every once in awhile that I dismissed, and I had no idea it was a gallbladder issue. Then in 2018 I had an attack so intense that I ended up in the ER, and not even morphine was able to curb the pain (dilaudid worked though, shoutout to dilaudid). At least after that ordeal I finally knew what was causing those episodes. Got it removed in 2020 riiiight before everything shut down. Sorry it had to go, but I can't say that I miss it.

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Thatdewd57@reddit

Nothin yet. Got a hernia though.

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WhatTheCluck802@reddit

I had mine out a few years ago.

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MetaverseLiz@reddit

According to my genes, I have a higher than average chance of gallstones. So far I've managed to not get one, but I already know two people around my age that had to get their gallbladder removed.

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eloquent_nyc@reddit

54 yo male. Had mine out 4 months ago. Doing great now. When the attack came it was unbearable. Unending pain and profuse sweating. It got sorted quickly and they didn’t let me leave the hospital until they took it out.

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Vivid-Shoulder-2143@reddit

It’s the seed oils man !!! ( sarcasm)

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DoctorAvailable6601@reddit

I'm 47, mine along with my appendix were removed when I was 4.

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Short-Nail-3781@reddit

I got mine removed at 43. I was suffering from attacks every 2 weeks or so for about 6 months before I took myself to the ER and dot confirmation of gallstones and surgery scheduled a few weeks later. It’s been 3 years and I’ve had no issues at all!

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explorthis@reddit

Mine was removed a week ago today. 64M Fair and was 70# overweight. Inflamed gallbladder. Halloween last year, I developed pain in my lower right ribcage. Felt like I was punched in the stomach repeatedly about 20 times. Pain got worse. Lost my appetite, gave up drinking because the flavor lost its luster. Took almost 6 months to have it finally diagnosed after numerous hospital visits, including a 5 day stay in the ER. Had my gallbladder removed 7 days ago, and I'm on the mend.

5 incisions instead of the typical 3. Guess mine was severely calcified. Poor food choices for 60 years. I was also a moderately heavy drinker.

Went from 278 to 206 in 6 months. Still not interested in food. Have to force myself to drink hydrating liquids. Still no alcohol.

Weight loss is awesome. The way I lost the weight is not worth it. Pain, loss of energy, totally lethargic.

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drowevil2@reddit

Had mine removed when I was 40.

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imhereforthevotes@reddit

I see, a gall stone a risin'...

I see, trouble on the way.

I see, a side ache like lightnin'...

I see, surgery today.

Don't eat crap tonight,

It's bound to take your life,

There's a gall stone on the rise.

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Psychological_Cow956@reddit

lol I had mine removed at 21!

The doctors told me later that when I had first gone to the ER the thought it was appendix rupture or ovary torsion with referred pain because I had zero of the risk factors: female who had given birth, over 40, and over weight.

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ButterscotchAware402@reddit

I had gastric bypass surgery 7 or 8 years ago and within months I had my first attack, I thought I was going to die. Gallstones are super common with extreme weight loss and lots of doctors do both surgeries at the same time now. I wish someone had mentioned that to me before. The cholecystectomy was so much worse than the bypass and my breast reduction combined! I'm glad it's gone though, I've have 0 side effects which is nice.

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renee872@reddit

I was just going to mention this ! I used to work with someone who got a band surgery and then within a month of returning back to work, she had to have her gallbladder out.

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Millkstake@reddit

Half my family has had theirs removed

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TALieutenant@reddit

Had mine out in....2004? 2005? Suffered a solid month+ of stomach pain and vomiting if I ate anything that wasn't bland. Kept being told it was a stomach flu because 22 was "too young" for gallstones.

Then, had to go back into the hospital like 2 months later because they missed some stones.

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EatLard@reddit

No one in my family has had gallstones that I know of, going back a few generations.🤷🏼‍♂️

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JediNeo101@reddit

My gallbladder had ruptured. Spent like a week in the hospital because of the infection and blood cell count. Not to mention the MRI kept getting pushed because of other high priority cases. I have slight claustrophobia so the MRI was a major stress point.

Silver lining was that the hospital was full, so when I got moved from the ER, they gave me my own room on the maternity floor

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khatpewp@reddit

Emergency surgery this year, January 3! Blarrgh

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nalninek@reddit

No but I did do the test where they put the radioactive tracer in you and you cramp like you’re about to shit your pants!

Good times.

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Snowedoff@reddit

I started getting gallstone attacks when I was 17! I thought it was indigestion. I ended up getting it taken out at 26 as I was getting weekly attacks.

I think it is genetic in my family as two of my older cousins got theirs out a few years later.

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thelanai@reddit

40, fat and female is the classic picture 🤷🏾‍♀️

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JusticeFrankMurphy@reddit

I had mine removed when I was about 33 (I'm almost 46 now).

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jennifer_m13@reddit

My gallbladder just stopped working. I was in my late 20s when I had it removed.

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kdrachael1@reddit

I had mine removed in my early 30’s back in 2012!

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Miami_Mice2087@reddit

this is what we mean when we say that anecdotal evidence is not reliable for broad trends across populations

And that confirmation bias is not reliable data

4 people with gall stones is not unexpected, esp if you are part of the same food and health culture.

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Boxman75@reddit

I had my gallbladder removed last year. It was the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced in my life.

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GoldDiamondsAndBags@reddit

I got mine removed at 25. Although I am female I was neither fair nor fat at the time. And the pain of an infected gall bladder was definitely worse than a 43 hour unmedicated labor.

I’m also the only one in my family who has ever had it removed.

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Peanut083@reddit

Pfft, mine had to be removed in my early 30s.

I will say that having had two children, the pain of a gallbladder attack is magnitudes worse than the pain of childbirth.

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Digital_Punk@reddit

Lost mine at the age of 38.

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GenericDave65@reddit

I had them removed when I was 23

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Ok_Difficulty6452@reddit

Had mine out last year at 41

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yumi_Blaze@reddit

Lost mine when I was a teen life's been. Hell ever since

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Intelligent-Camera90@reddit

I had mine out a couple months before my 21st birthday.

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SnooDrawings7662@reddit

I had my gallbladder out at age 44.. it was no fun.. not quite as bad as having a herniated disc but definitely one of the more painful things I have experienced..

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sgrams04@reddit

Sure. Already had my appendix removed. Why not another organ 🤷‍♂️

But joking aside, yeah it can be serious stuff and come up with older age. Get it checked out!

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MommaOfManyCats@reddit

I had mine out 30 years ago as a teenager! I know someone else who had it done around then too, but no one I know in our age range has had any issues recently.

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mid_1990s_death_doom@reddit

I think the rise of intermittent fasting is hard on our gallbladders because the bile has more of a chance to crystallize, it's not being expressed three or more times a day like usual.

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drifterinthedark423@reddit

I am getting mine out next month. Luckily, I haven't had any crazy attacks. Yet. But life is pretty uncomfortable about 50% of the time. It doesn't really matter what I eat, sometimes that fucker just gets pissed off and decides to make my life miserable. I am 44 and have all the other Fs.

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OrangeDrinkIYKYK@reddit

1984- had mine removed 2 years ago. Thought I was dying

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mystiqueallie@reddit

I had mine removed 15+ years ago (I admit I have a very crappy diet). I was misdiagnosed for years before it got to the point that they needed to remove it on an urgent basis after the worst gallstone attack ever. Until I had mine removed, I’d never heard of gallbladder removal… since then, I’ve known at least 10 people to get theirs removed, most recently my sister (nearly 52yo).

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JROXZ@reddit

FFF: Female fat a forty is the medical pneumonic

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Push-bucket@reddit

Yep, emergency surgery a year ago. Those things HURT holy shit.

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betterlucknexttime81@reddit

I’m 44, have been a vegetarian for 30+ years and the majority of my meals have been vegan for the last 1 1/2 years. I’m relatively active now and throughout my 30s and very early 40s I was extremely active. Don’t drink much or eat fried foods very regularly. I do eat spicy stuff pretty regularly though.

Had pain last February that I was sure was a heart attack or something else equally fatal. Turned out to be an inflamed/infected gallbladder. Drs kept talking to me about my meat consumption even though I haven’t had meat since I was a kid! Dr said it’s possible I’ll never have an issue again. Apparently it’s common to have a one and done flare up.

I learned gallbladder issues run in my family. Since that appointment I also learned that GLP-1 medication and increased estrogen can contribute and I’d just start on HRT and a GLP-1. Some autoimmune diseases can also contribute and it’s likely that I have EDS.

I never really thought about my gallbladder before that incident. I had no idea so many things could affect it!

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bassgirl_07@reddit

The 4 Fs of gallbladder that I was taught in school for Medical Laboratory Science were: female, fat, fertile, and forty. There should be a fifth F: family history.

I started having symptoms in 8th grade and had my first attack at 26yo (and had it removed shortly thereafter). My mom had hers removed around 29/30yo as an emergency procedure with common bile duct involvement because she had been misdiagnosed as having IBS for years.

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MainNormal5570@reddit

I had mine removed around 28, a year or so after my appendix. 2 years ago my pancreas stopped functioning properly and that’s a lifelong problem now

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MadameTree@reddit

Had mine out 2.5 years ago. My mother had just died and I took care of her for years. I was stressed and drinking a lot and at my heaviest. Very heavy. I would feel like crap some nights and not be able to sleep and figured it was my size and lifestyle. I started peeing dark, felt really ill and started turning jaundiced. I waited 3 days then went to urgent care who sent me straight to the ER. I was convinced it was my liver and I was like well done dumb ass, they won’t give your fat drunk ass another. When they told me it was my gall bladder I was like what is that? They said you’ll be fine. Felt like u got a second chance at life.

Historically fair, fat, female and 40 were the 4 of gall bladder removal. I had all 4. But they told me they see all sorts of people at all ages now days.

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