“How are gallstones treated?”

Generally yes, the only way to get rid of gallstones is to remove the gallbladder. The key, however, is to be sure that the gallstones are causing symptoms. Many times, patients have vague upper GI symptoms (discomfort, nausea, pain) and also happen to have gallstones, but the stones may actually not be symptomatic. If there is uncertainty about whether the
gallstones are causing symptoms, then you should prepare for the possibility that removing the gallbladder will not relieve the symptoms. This happens more often than we like to admit.

Surgical removal is the treatment for most cases.