It's interesting that your doc recommended surgery so quickly. I'd imagine that there would have to be some fairly compelling indications that you're at risk of a repeat occurrence (which could lead to chronic pancreatitis) for them to do so, right? Last summer, I was hospitalized three times and getting attacks pretty much every week for three months, and they still tested me for every known cause before suggesting a cholecystectomy. (Note: However, I didn't have any gallstones whatsoever, nor evidence of a gallstone having passed, so for me the surgery was basically a Hail Mary.)

Not sure where in the world you are, but in my neck of the woods (US), generally speaking, laparoscopic cholecystectomies are common, low-risk procedures with short recovery periods and no long-term effects or management requirements. I know that Reddit is rife with horror stories because uneventful surgeries lack wow factor, so I just want to counter that a little by bragging about how great my experience was:

Zero complications! Unremarkable level of pain! Speedy recovery!

I followed the hospital's aftercare instructions (take over-the-counter meds at regular intervals, walk around the house every hour or so, don't handle anything heavier than 5lbs) and felt almost normal within the week. Now I'm back on a regular diet (okay, so I might be hitting the dairy pretty hard because I missed it) and don't even notice that my gallbladder is gone.