Gallbladder sludge is the number one cause of acute pancreatitis. It actually caused me to have pancreatic atrophy. So my pancreas is no longer functional and I have to take enzymes derived from pigs every time I eat. Since I don't consume alcohol my gall bladder caused this. My doctor says that I've probably had pancreatitis many times. I recently had an ERCP done to do biopsies on my pancreas. Because gall bladder disease makes a person more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. All were good thank goodness but I'd had gall bladder disease and didn't know it probably for years. Pancreatitis just makes you ill. I always felt like I was fighting something just to rebound and then get ill again. I'd had gall bladder pain but they didn't know why because it was never found on a regular ultrasound. With that said I'm going to have my gall bladder removed in two days. I can't wait because I now know the root of many of my unexplained trips to the ER. I'm tired of being in pain and being sick. I don't have weight problems. I only eat food I prepare. I don't eat a lot of fat but I used to love the chocolate and my desert. I still have it but instead of chocolate cake it's fat free orange sherbet. Good luck to you. You can Google anything. I do a ton of research before I have anything done. I perfectly at peace with my decision and completely trust my doctor.