Polyps on Gallbladder

[mogandave]

My wife has a few Polyps on her Gallbladder, and apparently the arr getting bigger. 

 

The doctor has suggested the gallbladder be removed, but it is not urgent. 

 

Are polyps common, and is removal the typical treatment? 

 

Thanks! 

[BritManToo]

Gallstones/polyps generally not a problem if no symptoms.

[carlyai]

Just with my experience of polyps, but in the sinuses not gallbladder.

Short story, they can turn nasty (again I am only refering to my polyps in my sinuses). Mine turned cancerous and grew up around my optic nerve and they were everywhere, so dr said 'I had to take your face off' to get them all. Right through both side sinuses growing wild. Took a bit of the nose but didn't take the jaw he said. Evidently they cut, send to pathology, get results and if the margin between the cancer cells and good skin is OK, they stop cutting but if not they keep going until there is a clear margin. Great specialist and no troubles (except no sinuses and a golf ball hole sized cut in my head).

So that was the very bad news, but, of late I visited Dr for prostrate and he said (amoung other things) I have many sists on my kidneys, but not to worry as that is quite normal for oldish people.

So for me the trick is to see 2 or 3 top notch specialist and go with the opinion you think.

Clarifying: see one dr and he says you have many sists/polyps etc, take out the organ and another specialist says, don't worry.

 

[Sheryl]

10 hours ago, mogandave said:

My wife has a few Polyps on her Gallbladder, and apparently the arr getting bigger. 

 

The doctor has suggested the gallbladder be removed, but it is not urgent. 

 

Are polyps common, and is removal the typical treatment? 

 

Thanks! 

Up to 10% of people have gallbladder polyps.

 

Removal is usually indicated if they are symptomatic or if size exceeds 1 cm. The latter is because a small minority of these polyps are malignant and likelihood of malignancy is greater if size is >1 cm.  Rapid growth can also be an indication of malignancy, though malignant polyps are usually singular while multiple polyps are more likely to be benign. 

 

Good overview here  https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21821-gallbladder-polyps

[mogandave]

Thanks Sheryl. Apparently, at least one is growing. it was 0.6cm last year, and it’s 0.8cm this year. We saw a second doctor this afternoon, and he said the same thing you did about the 1cm. 

 

We’re seeing specialist tomorrow, and we’ll see how that goes. 

 

[mogandave]

Just finished with the third doctor, and he said follow-up in a year, and see how much it grows. 

 

Thanks everyone!

[newbee2022]

On 7/8/2025 at 10:56 AM, mogandave said:

My wife has a few Polyps on her Gallbladder, and apparently the arr getting bigger. 

 

The doctor has suggested the gallbladder be removed, but it is not urgent. 

 

Are polyps common, and is removal the typical treatment? 

 

Thanks! 

Removal of gall bladder advised when polyps are growing or already big (cm)

[The Old Bull]

Take out the gall bladder it's not a big deal. I had mine out ages ago no problem.

[Peter Crow]

16 hours ago, The Old Bull said:

Take out the gall bladder it's not a big deal. I had mine out ages ago no problem.

Got mine done last year. Non event, no scar, no pain.

[scubascuba3]

On 7/14/2025 at 4:47 AM, The Old Bull said:

Take out the gall bladder it's not a big deal. I had mine out ages ago no problem.

You don't get any symptoms from the continuous bile flow into the intestines? Or after eating fatty meals? 

[The Old Bull]

15 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

You don't get any symptoms from the continuous bile flow into the intestines? Or after eating fatty meals? 

No problems no symptoms . I asked the doctor about any changes in my diet ,his only answer was don't eat steak that has an inch of fat on it, cut it off.

[mogandave]

Thanks for all the replies, the wife will reconsider next year.