Kick that nasty gallbladder to the curb! I ditched mine almost 3 years ago and it was the best thing that I could have done!

In regards to lettuce, I ate it before the surgery and then less than a week afterward. I had problems with *ahem* "bathroom dashes", but then again just about everything set me off for a little bit until I adjusted. My MIL says she has trouble with lettuce and she had her surgery 20+ years ago. IMHO, I think it's the westernized diet of junk that she eats. My mom also is gallbladderless for 20+ years and is following Atkins as I type-- no problems w/anything other than the standard sugar alcohols (that's my scenario, too). BTW- what kind of attacks are you having? Pain from stones trying to pass? Digestive disarray? So that I wouldn't lose my mind between scheduling the surgery and actually having it, I was shown how to remedy pain from stones trying to pass. I'd lay on my left side and have DH pat/thud my back (not painfully, of course *lol*) and the stone would break loose and stop trying to pass. It sounds goofy, but it helped get me through the week I had to wait.

I don't know if this helps much, but if you're having attacks now, I'd fully recommend getting it yanked and recovering from there. Oh yeah, a good friend of mine had hers removed last Thanksgiving and is now a fellow Atkinite.

In short, and long, I've never heard of steering clear of lettuce. Good luck and best wishes on finding the solution that's right for you.

Nikki