Gallstones are salts that form pebble like stones in your gallbladder. Gallstones are a common problem, and a number of people in the general population will have gallstones in their gallbladder, but only 1 – 2% of them will have symptoms from their gallstones. Gallstones can cause irritation of the gallbladder resulting in pain, vomiting, fever and jaundice(yellowness in your skin). Most people that suffer gallbladder related problems benefit from sugery to remove of their gallbladder (cholecystectomy). Nowadays, gallbladder surgery is usually performed by a keyhole operation(laparoscopic) and recovery following surgery is rapid.
Following gall bladder removal you can go back to living your life normally. Without a gallbladder the liver continues to produce bile as per usual, and not having a gallbladder does not cause any long term problems.
