G’day Fuel,
I had mine mine out over twenty years ago and done by keyhole surgery. In and out of hospital overnight with no significant after effects. Eating oily or fatty food can cause mild cramping and irregular bowel movements temporarily but that sort of goes with the weird lifestyle we lead as pilots.
The aviation medical mob here in Australia gave me no choice, once I was diagnosed with a gallstone they said it had to come out and I was not to fly until it was. I was back at work within a week.
Gallstones sometimes can cause what is known as biliary colic which can lay you out quite quickly so better to have the surgery than to be incapacitated airborne.
I asked my medico why not just remove the stone instead of the whole gall bladder and he said if I was prone to growing gallstones then I would just grow more so out came the bladder.
cheers,
BH.