I'm sorry that you have to go through this. Attempts to treat gall bladder infection and inflammation should be medical and then surgical as the last resort during pregnancy. Gabbe (1996) states that women usually respond to hydration, pain relievers, nasoggastric suction and antibiotics. "If possible, surgery should be postponed until after delivery. If this is not possible, or the common bile duct is obstructed or you develop severe pancreatitis, surgery should be performed. "Cholecystectomy performed in the second trimester was associated with little maternal morbidity, no fetal loss and a substantial reduction in total hospital days."

Surgery does not have to be done with a large abdominal incision, however. If possible, laparoscopic surgery could be performed if the uterus is below the umbilicus. The abdomen should be inflated with a minimal amount of pressure and fetal heart tones should be auscultated many times during the procedure.

If everything has been done and surgery is the option, the literature does support its safety. Make sure your obstetrician is involved in the procedure as a consultant and that the anesthesia team is familiar with surgery during pregnancy. The agents to induce anesthesia are safe if you are oxygenated at appropriate levels throughout the procedure.

Try not to worry. I just had a client who had an emergency appendectomy at 10 weeks. She was understandably stressed but all went well.