I honestly believe it depends on the person. I had my gallbladder removed in July of 2006. So it hasn’t even been a year. When I went into the hospital, it was so bad that the gall stones had gotten to my pancreas and I ended up with pancreatitis. So I needed it removed. The doctors warned me though that just because my gallbladder was being removed I could still form gallstones. I’ve noticed that I’ve been feeling pain like when I would have may gallstone attacks and ever since the surgery when eating fats I’ve needed the bathroom within 30 minutes because it would run straight through me. Regardless, I am glad I had that surgery done because the pain was unbearable. It was a quick surgery. I was in pain for 3 days but within a week I was back to work. Every body is different and every body heals differently.