I can speak to cognitive impact as I have also experienced it following lung surgery. Or at least
My scenario. My neurologist believes my impact to be associated with the anesthesia and it just has to clear. Sometimes that takes months or even a year or more. He hasn’t said sometimes it never clears but we can assume that’s the case. Particularly in older ages.
For me it is predominantly word retrieval - different than not remembering names, it’s like the word I want to say is behind glaze and I can’t quite reach it.

Good luck!

I’ll be watching this thread. I’m having gallbladder issues,( I have stones) and am going to a gastro in a couple of weeks. I’m not on board for removing my gallbladder. Would you have had yours removed if you’d known what was going to happen afterwards?

I am advised to set up an appointment with a surgeon for my 1.5 cm GB stone. I am dreading this and will be pushing for lithotripsy. The more I hear about GB surgery, the more hesitant I become.

Ugh.

I am so sorry for what you are going through. And I wish I had better words to use here.

CindyC

sorry. but what was the surgery for?

Hello,

I had the EXACT same thing happen to me. I was fine before my gallbladder was removed on July 4, 2020. No health issues, vitamin issues or anything. Afterward, I ended up having a lot of problems.

Digestion: Loose stool, floating stool and all that. I also felt horrible. For a while I was throwing up straight bile.

Sleep: One of the first things I noticed was how off my sleep was. Prior to removal, I slept really well....deep and long. Now, it feels like my sleep quality is horrible. It is light and I seem to wake up a lot. I don't sleep for long and I don't feel rested the next day. I also struggle with insomnia in general now.

Anxiety: It feels like I'm restless. Like I can't do any of my old hobbies (like reading) because I just feel I don't have the attention span/can't relax. And that isn't coming from "me"...it's like my body is doing it on its own. I had no issues relaxing before.

Cognitive/Neurological: I was a writer before. Now, my imagination is gone. That has been horrible for me. My brain feels like it processes things slower. Like I'm not as intelligent. For a long time after surgery, I experienced brain fog too. That has eased a tiny bit. Also, in the last few years, I suddenly developed tremors. A neurologist confirmed these tremors and said he has no idea what is causing them. I had very steady hands before surgery.

Vitamin Deficiencies: I was found to be deficient in B12, B1, and also vitamin D. Exactly like you. I have started to address that and it has helped, but not cured my problems.

Some of my blood tests have shown some issues since, but nothing the doctors seem to want to address.

Endurance/fitness: I was a runner before. I ran five miles every day. I worked out and was in shape. Now, I have zero endurance. I tried to run after. I really tried. However, my body just won't do it anymore. I still stay in shape by pushing myself to walk and lift some weights, but it is much harder and I don't have the cardio endurance like I used to. It no longer feels easy. I have to fight it all the time.

Health Problems Diagnosed with since: Fatty liver, thyroid nodule, tremors, mild heart valve problems, vitamin deficiencies, and Sjogren's autoimmune disease. Had NONE of this before. And why do I have a fatty liver? I am not eating a ton of bad food and I am not sedentary. So why?

Basically, getting my gallbladder removed ruined my health entirely. Before, I felt like I was still in my 20's even though I was 36 years old. Now, I feel so much older than my age. I struggle every single day with these new chronic conditions and I curse the day I decided to listen to the doctors and have mine removed. And now...no doctors want to help. They just shrug and want to treat some of the symptoms with various medications. No one wants to investigate and no one wants to try to figure it out.

Personally, my theory is several things. I think like you said that serotonin is off. I used to be very happy in general. Now, I'm not. It even changed my personality. I don't really want to do the same things I used to. And this isn't just me being upset about what happened. I mean...I don't even feel like myself. We know most serotonin is made in the gut. I think the bile there alters the gut microbiome as well as harming the gut lining changing serotonin production/how it is used.

I also know for a fact I frequently have gastritis. This can cause B vitamin absorption issues....particularly B12. So I think I constantly have that going on now. Before I had an iron stomach...no problems at all.

So, I think our gut is the key to our health and that messing it up this badly really messes with our health. Have you had any success with figuring out how to handle this? Any updates on your health? Have you found any doctors that actually care to take an interest?

Some of what you describe may be an anesthesia related issue. I had lung cancer surgery 10mos ago and I am not, and don’t think I am likely, to ever again be the same.

The docs are satisfied they “got it all” .. which was their mission.

let me see if i have this right. ALL of you who have had your gallbladders removed. BELIEVE that it is the reason for your Neurological and sleep issues. RIGHT?? interesting hypothesis. the reason i ask and say this is i too have had mine removed. because it went bad. causing Pancreatitis. which damaged part of my pancreas. I never had these issues because of the gallbladder.
i have sleep apnea. which was diagnosed before gallbladder removal. i have Crohns disease, which was diagnosed back in 2009. which causes diarrhea, or constipation. i too was anemic pretty much my whole life. i'm 65 now. which caused issues with vitamin B. which again was before gallbladder removal. without proper DX from your doctor. HOW can you assume that your problems are caused by the removal of your gallbladder?? are you saying it was a mistake to have the gallbladder removed?? i ask this. WHY did the doctors advise that you have it removed in the first place?? because it needed to be?? was it damaged and making you sick?? did YOU ever have any symptoms of these issues you complain about, before the gallbladder removal?? trust me. doctors do not decide on a whim to do this. also. doctors do not force you to do this either. the final decision is yours and YOURS alone.
I AM not blaming you nor the doctors. believe me. i've had my share of issues with doctors. BUT, i make the final decision after consulting with other doctors. as i always say here. GET A SECOND OPINION. and do your homework before surgery. unless it's an emergency to SAVE YOUR LIFE. and you really don't get to choose. d 🏳️‍🌈

I regret every day I had gallbladder removal. I had constant pain in my upper stomach area. Doctor said my gallbladder had sludge and needed to be removed. Fell for that. It never got better and digestion is a million times worse. Still have pain only more. If I would have gotten another opinion, I probably be fine. What the issue is, is I have a hiatal hernia. Now with the gallbladder gone, acid is backing up so much worse. New Gastro Doctor said the problem will get better, but will resurface and need more meds. Lifestyle as far as eating has to change. Sleeping on a bunch of pillows for elevation created neck issues. I bend over to do anything the acid is up in my throat. I bought a $5,000 bed to sleep elevated. So, GET SECOND opinions. FYI, Medicare allows it. A few hours of investigating other opinions may save you a lifetime of misery. Now I have a lifetime of extra issues now. My later years of my life are tossing and turning, getting up all night drinking water and expensive pills.