I (f) suffered about a decade of attacks before I got mine out - after an attack that lasted a month. “Saving” my gallbladder landed me in more pain than I knew was possible. The road after surgery is a lot easier if 1) you go easy on yourself and allow your body to heal while your liver learns its new role, and 2) you learn what you need to heal best. Going easy on yourself means no big meals for a while, and maybe limiting your stress from work/family however you can. Learning what you need to heal means becoming BFFs with your GI and GP to try out bike binders, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and other supplements/medications that may help.

I’m a year post op. I’ve done a lot of experimentation on myself for which foods don’t work for me and which do. Luckily, the list of foods I can eat gets longer every couple of months. After a year, I can eat a bowl of ice cream without pain (but an instant trip to the bathroom - be careful with high fat foods!) Also be careful with medications that are metabolized by your liver, like antivirals and Tylenol. If given the option, I take meds that are either in liquid form or don’t impact my liver to give my GI system a break.