I had mine taken out about 6 months ago during a scheduled procedure. I've had gall bladder issues off and on for years, but then suddenly I was passing stones on a regular basis and with no real way to predict when it would happen. I even completely changed my diet, eating only the most bland of lean meats, vegetables and fruits, it slowed them down but didn't stop them.
The gall bladder/stone attacks happened a couple of times at work and that's when I decided I had to just bite the bullet and have it taken out. I hate having to get medical treatment of any kind, so surgery is a big deal to me. However, it all went really smoothly. Gall bladder removal, or "cholesystectomy" as the technical term, I think is the 8th most common surgical procedure performed in hospitals. However, even though this was a scheduled, non-emergency procedure, the bills were insane. So make sure you have that all squared away beforehand. They billed my high deductible insurance plan $19,300 just for the surgery facility alone, not even including the surgeon or other peripherals. That all got knocked down to more reasonable, but still insane, levels.
Haven't had any issues since removal. Was able to eat whatever I wanted almost right away. Had the surgery on a Wednesday, was released from the surgery center after being there only about 5 hours total, and was easily back to work in the office on Monday. Like previously mentioned, they cut through your abs so laughing is painful for the first few days, as well as just general moving around. Was hitting the gym again after about 3 weeks.