> if there's any alternatives to gallbladder removal that you've considered

There really is no alternative. The gallbladder is not necessary and when any issues arrive, it is generally removed. I did a lot of reading on that. I could not find any medicinal or herbal alternatives to break up stones.

> I'm curious about other symptoms

It is possible my sense of smell was affected. The days after the removal, I noticed I was smelling things that I had never noticed before. This is still happening a year later. The anesthetics used may have caused this though. One symptom that may have been gallbladder was what I thought was hypoglycemia. I had not been diagnosed, but between meals I frequently would get some slight weakness/anxiety and somewhat trembly. I would go into detail about my sleep pattern, but it was so sporadic toward the end and spinal issues contributed to it as well. Throughout the years though I had trouble getting to bed at a decent time. This was not as significant when I was eating "healthy". I did not notice it correlating to my eating at the time.

> whether other members of your family have had similar procedures

My mother found the source of her similar and more pronounced issues about a year after I had mine diagnosed. She had many similar issues for about the same amount of time. She ended up in the emergency room with a gallstone in her bile duct that had to be removed via endoscope once they got the inflammation down. Many people die from bile stones every year. My two brothers are toughing it out.

> Why did it take 2 years to have it removed

I was eating a very very low fat diet at first and managing fairly well. I was also trying to save money for surgery. As time went on, I could barely function and was going to get it removed no matter what the cost.

> What was the recovery like

The surgery was uneventful. I popped right out of sedation. I attribute this to my body's reaction to the scopolamine patch administered right before surgery. It is used to prevent vomiting. One of the potential side effects is tachycardia. I was wide awake and full of energy from 1pm(after surgery) to 11pm. My family was dumbfounded. When I tried to sleep, I couldn't. I began to realize this was abnormal and removed the patch to see if that would help. Thirty minutes later I was asleep. I was able to sit stand and lay the first night, being careful when changing position not to cause a hernia. The second and third day, if I recall correctly, were the most painful. This was only while laying flat on my back though. In a more upright position I managed to sleep fine. I understand a little now what it must be like to receive a penetrating wound.

The surgery was on a Thursday. I was back at the office the following Tuesday. The small incisions(4) occasionally gave me pain and I was afraid I might cause a hernia for about 3-4 weeks. I still feel a slight tingle/itch at two of the sites. I also still feel very mild pain from my non existent gallbladder when I am really hungry or when I have eaten too much oil/fat.

> The most important question is how you associate the symptoms with gallbladder

I knew the typical symptoms of cholecystitis from reading long before I associated it with my own symptoms. My father had typical symptoms and had his removed when he was about 26. He ate fast food and fatty food almost exclusively! My symptoms were atypical. Only in hindsight am I able to pinpoint some of them. I had one typical symptom, but it was not there during my acute attacks, which I described in my earlier comment here. I had so many symptoms that were gradual as I grew older or not severe enough for me to think it was abnormal. I had no idea how bad I was. (I may have misinterpreted your point in this response.)

> Is it based on your experience before and after?

Almost exclusively. My "food poisoning" episodes were, retrospectively, clearly my gallbladder. It was very easy to associate these to the gallbladder once I figured out I had a problem. The smoking and climbing stairs issue went away immediately when I stopped eating fatty food prior to surgery. My sleep was immensely better immediately following the surgery. My energy level was profound following the surgery, even compared to as much as six years before the surgery, before I knew the cause. I am relatively healthy otherwise, so there was not much to decipher. I am acutely aware of what my body feels. I am proficient at diagnosing computer hardware problems and apply the same style testing when it comes to fixing myself. I do not try multiple tests at the same time. This makes it easier to narrow down the cause of issues.