How does gallbladder removal affects fat digestion?

Question

If I understand correctly, the sole purpose of the gallbladder is to store extra bile that is opportunely released in order to properly digest fat.

When the gallbladder is removed, what happens when there's not enough bile to digest a given amount of fat? And particularly, what happens with the fat that does not get digested?

I had my gallbladder removed a few weeks back and I've heard that consuming a relatively high amount of fat might produce problems such as diarrhea, gas and bloating, but I haven't experienced these (fortunately, or perhaps I haven't consumed a meal high enough in fat yet). In addition, I don't understand if the undigested fat is excreted or just stored in the body—as opposed to being properly used as a nutrient (I Googled this and there are mentions and accounts of both weight loss and gain; I didn't find proper research papers or a reliable source).

Answer 1

The bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. After a meal, fats trigger gallbladder contraction, which results in the release of the bile into the small intestine. The bile helps to digest fats.

The liver is connected to the small intestine by the common bile duct. When your gallbladder is removed, the bile will flow from the liver via the bile duct directly into the small intestine. This continuous flow of the bile can irritate the intestine and trigger diarrhea.

After gallbladder removal, the bile is still delivered into the intestine, so all the fat should be properly digested as before.

Sometimes, during gallbladder removal, a small stone accidentally passes into the common bile duct and blocks the flow of the bile through it. This prevents fat digestion. The undigested fat moves further into the colon, where it is partially broken down by normal intestinal bacteria (which results in gas) and partially excreted in the stool (which results in smelly, floating and pale stools) (Adam).