I had my gallbladder removed by laparoscopy in 2012 after having repeated pain in the right upper quadrant especially after eating. Initially they did a HIDA scan and I was told that the function was within the norm. However, over time, things seem to be deteriorating and I still had pain and finally some "sludge" showed on a CAT scan so they did the surgery. Since I had the laparoscopy I found out after the fact that use clamps rather than sutures in the surgery.
Since it has now been a little over 10 years since the surgery I believe getting rid of my gallbladder was a mistake overall but it looks like the medical authorities would have advised it over time no matter what. Since I have had the surgery I often STILL get pain in the upper right quadrant which may or may not due to scar formation from the inflammation of having the surgery done and having clips put in as well. I also seem bloated almost always and have gained a significant amount of weight since then. I also have developed many allergies to many foods I consumed before that time and as a result now have chronic sinus problems which sometimes result in sinus infections. I also now have been diagnosed with GERD and more recently Barrett's esophagus. When I eat I feel like the food does not digest as it should and since I am now prescribed omeprazole indefinitely I believe the situation is exacerbated. I believe that having stomach acid is essential to good digestion and after taking omeprazole I see that my B12 and iron levels are lower than they should be. I have done extensive reading on this topic and many EXPERTS say the problem now is actually too little acid for proper digestion making the stomach work harder than it should cause a spray or pepsin which would otherwise be non-existent.
Interestingly I have a good friend who had her gallbladder removed many, many years ago and since she had and open surgery they used sutures rather than clips to finish the surgery. She has no bloating, has not gained weight, etc. Her dr. , however, did prescribe ox bile salts for her to take indefinitely since she evidently had ongoing diarrhea well after her surgery. I may look into taking these salts myself to see if they can help with overall digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Also per my reading some people have a spasm in their sphincter of Oddi which is labeled as dysfunction of the sphincter of Oddi. This spasm can actually be the source of pain in the upper quadrant as well. If one has that, there are some prescriptive medications one can try to quell the spasm but if that does not work sometimes a sphincterotomy is recommended.