My gall stones were reduced from 5 biggest 17 mm approximately to 2 =biggest 10mm. I did not have any side effects in the year I took the course of ursodioxycholic acid tabs. I took 650ml grams once a day with the evening meal. My GP' s (all of them) would not give me the script for those tabs despite the letter from the Gastroenterologist Surgeon writing a letter to my GP practice aurthorising the Ursodioxycholic acid tabs. The GP's excuse (none other than) was that Urso is not proven to eradicate gall stones ( a blatant lie). See 3 Chemist's statements (other post)!
I gave URSO a chance which proved correct for me because when my gall bladder was giving me horrendous problems that were virtually ignored I had an open surgery due to a biopsy to get at mesenteric lymph nodes. It took two months to get over that episode and return to decent health. Incidentally nothing was resolved re the mesenteric lymph node biopsy only to confirm nothing will be done in terms of medication( not needed)....... What about my problem waterworks I asked...... = several CT scans other tests looked in my bladder at their insistance =negative........ I asked the doctor who looked in my bladder do you have any dealings with the bacteria Tuberculosis because I had a brush with that as a kid but I see 'it' can re emerge later in life........ His reply was that TB can affect any part of the body. It is now firmly embedded indelibly in my memory that he is the only one out of 28 doctors I have consulted in decades of symptoms that I feel my body on occasion succumbs to an infection I am partially resistant to.
That is apart from the two months antibiotic course I've had which has eliminated all my symptoms but which no doctor has stepped forward to confirm what that infection was.
A comforting thought is that several doctors agree that those antibiotics would not have eliminated the symptoms if those symptoms was cancer.
I won't go on but it may be a very uphill struggle for many to get the treatment they need and sometimes we can all see that treatment may well be urgent but the urgency is not felt by many a doctor...... There is a saying=== a surgeon who removes a leg does not feel any pain!
If you had tried Urso and as I you were tolerant of that chemical I see from research that the stones must not be bigger than 20mm to be treated chemically. A long time ago other chemical methods were done but it seems a lot of decision in doing what is necessary to rid a person of gall stones is
down to finance and the certainty of getting the gall stones gone.
It has been found that truth is lacking in the medical field which I find both astonishing and totally unacceptable. I realize however that the human body is so complex but I cannot see that taking a years worth of urso is detrimental in any way apart from those who are found to be intolerant of that bile acid which can be seen by close examination of Liver function testing before and during the course of Urso.
What I saw in the truthful data is that many many patients still have adverse symptoms and in some patients very bad symptoms as bad as before and worryingly after the cholosystectomy.
A USA doctor Gastro enterologist I stated in the other post was that he wished he knew what he knows now (don't we all!) about Ursodioxycholic acid treatment to disolve the stones that afflict many a gall bladder. It is said that a person can do without a gall bladder. It appears that some do not have a gall bladder but wished sincerely that they did have a gall bladder that is, without the stones in it of course!
It is noted that there are thousands of gall bladder removals with no problems therafter but I wonder if many of those gall bladders that have been removed could have been 'cured' as mine through careful treatment with URSO.
For anyone who wanted to hear back, I had surgery on March 16th to have my gallbladder removed with an excellent surgeon. Nice, funny guy- made the whole thing feel comfortable along with the anesthesiologist and the nurses who helped him during surgery. Of course, I only remember what they did before surgery to help me...haha. But I do remember I was smiling even as I got moved into the operating room because they were all so kind. After surgery I didn't feel too much pain since they put stuff for pain in the IV. I was a little nauseous and the nurse gave me crackers and some ginger ale. I think I've been recovering nicely and my surgeon thought so too when I had my follow up appointment with him. I've lost 3 pounds since surgery and I just feel so much better. I did have pains in my chest/shoulders a few days after surgery because of the gas they put into your abdomen during surgery to keep it open. But as soon as I was feeling up to it, I would go for a walk every day that I could after surgery and the gas pains would go away. I've been able to eat most foods (pizza, etc) but in moderation. I'm also taking digestive enzymes because a couple of my family members who have had their gallbladder's removed said they can really help. If I miss taking them, especially with a meal that has some fat in it, I'll be running to the bathroom not long after with diarrhea that burns pretty bad. So I take sure I take those with 3 meals. I do notice I get full faster, so I have to eat 5-6 small meals a day. I just wanted to share so that people who read this can know there is relief after surgery. I'm still trying to eat my favorite fattening foods in moderation so that I can take extra care of my liver now that it has to do more work. I put on weight for a few months prior to surgery as well, because I did steady workouts 4-5 times a week but the pain I had from my gallbladder made it hard for me to work out. And even though I was in pain when I ate I didn't want to starve myself, but I know I wasn't able to work off the calories I was consuming. I'm just so happy to be feeling so much better and able to work out again and feel like I'm getting my normal life back! So ready to enjoy the spring and summer without pain!!
Thanks for reading,
Brittany 
My scan showed my gallbladder was functioning 19% which was strange, because I didn't feel like I was in that much pain during the scan the same way I would have if I ate a fried chicken sandwich or something. But my dr's office recommended having surgery. I had surgery on 3/16 and it went great. My surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses were all amazing and I was smiling and in good spirits up until the anesthesia went in the IV and I was out. I was a little nauseous after surgery and for a couple days after because of the pain meds my surgeon prescribed. I only took them about twice because tylenol helped enough after a couple days for the pain. The incisions that were the most sore were my belly button and the one in my upper abdomen. This friday will be 3 weeks post op which is the end of the recovery period. I've been feeling great. I started taking digestive enzymes after surgery with most meals because meals that have even good fats (extra virgin olive oil, etc) go right through me and I'd be going to the bathroom too often. Since I've taken the digestive enzymes I've been going to the bathroom once or twice a day. I'm just giving an update that I feel really good post op!
thank you for taking time to share the experience, really it help others to come to a decision. I too had no pain during hida scan for my gallbladder compared to the pain i get during eat fatty foods.
My issues are severe bloating and burping, my whole body is lean except my stomach which is ballooned majority of the time. Pain is not that severe for me, did you had any severe bloating and burping before gallbladder problem and did that resolve? i'm having gastritis and gallstones , so wondering removing gallbladder will solve by burping and bloating or not.Appreciate your response.
wish you a speedy recovery.Did you had bloating,burping and acid reflux in addition to pain before you surgery ?
@brittanyd1212 hi, just wondered if your back and right leg pain went away after surgery?