WLS and Cholecystectomy

Did you know that there is a direct correlation between weight loss surgery and the need for a cholecystectomy?

Okay....you are probably asking what a cholecystectomy is.  I know I didn't know the medical term, I always just called it gallbladder removal surgery.  Yep, rapid weight loss is a major factor for the development of gall stones (cholecystitis).  They have done a study of patients who underwent cholecystectomy after WLS.  The study occurred on patients who had WLS surgery and then their gallbladder removed between 2005 and 2011.

The risk for having to have your gallbladder removed is highest within the first 6 months after WLS.  Gastric Bypass patients have the highest risk, but the overall percentage of WLS patients needing a cholecystectomy is around 4%.

Interesting....this is never a question I would have thought to ask if I hadn't been part of so many support groups.

This makes me wonder, what else I should be asking in my final appointment..........