My gallbladder went on Monday

Unfortunately, gall bladder problems tend to be age-related and diet related as well.  My mother-in-law calls it "Fair, fat and forty" as this is what used to be said years ago - caucasian, Western diet, and past forty.  I've heard that it tends to affect women more, too, particularly after pregnancy which fits in with the hormonal stuff.  My sister had gall bladder problems after pregnancy.  I did too, although I didn't know it was that for 5 years - I just thought I had somehow injured my back up near the shoulder until I started getting severe attacks and ended up in an ambulance. A gallstone stuck can be a really serious health issue as can other gall bladder failures so, while the gall bladder is really important, if it's finally packed up, I believe that surgery is a reasonable response.  As long as the surgeon has explained that it can have implications for the digestive system.