Anyone with Gallbladder issues?

yeswehave8

Ok, so just about the time I started my weight loss journey this time (about 2 months ago now), I had the first real pain attack. I've had twinges off and on, but this was persistent and sent me to the ER. All my labs and CT were negative, but the doc still believed it is my gallbladder and that I really needed an ultrasound. Being a small town ER, there was no one on that could do it then, so he gave me instructions to follow-up. I am currently uninsured, so I have not had the ultrasound. I did, however, start eating much better and it started to subside. Going totally LCHF, it was gone and I honestly forgot about it.

This weekend we were camping out of town and there was a lot of eating on the run. I still managed to stay the course til the last day, where I gave in and had a muffin (yesterday). Because I was already out of ketosis for the day, I ate 3/4 of a baked potato with supper, too. Everything else has been the same. I woke up with that pain again... seriously?!

For me, at least, the LCHF actually improved the gallbladder pain. Or maybe it is something else (I've worried about my pancreas for years due to my insulin resistance)... all I know is I went off and I am hurting.

Anyone else have an experiences to share? I am back on track today, already had my BPC and will stay back to LCHF. Hope to get to the Y this afternoon and burn myself back into ketosis asap. This sucks!

Dragonwolf

That's cool to hear.

I've seen a couple of different things from others regarding the gallbladder (mine has, thankfully, been cooperative through thick and thin):

1. They had their gallbladder removed prior to going LCHF. Lack of a gallbladder doesn't stop them (it's a storage organ, so doesn't completely kill things when it's removed), and often, LCHF improves the issues that were thought to be "normal" with having the gallbladder removed.

2. They did a low fat diet for years before, and going LCHF brings the presence of gallstones to light. This is a misleading issue, because most people associate LCHF with "causing" the gallstones, but that's actually not what happens. Low fat means little bile use, so it sits there and stagnates. Ever make rock candy? You dissolve sugar in hot water and stick a stick or string in it. As it cools and the water evaporates, left undisturbed, the sugar crystallizes onto the string or stick. This is kind of the same idea of what happens in the gallbladder -- the bile's left undisturbed and the suspension crystallizes. Then, when you actually start using it again, those crystals get flushed through the "pipes" between the gallbladder and the GI tract, and if they're too big, they get stuck and cause all sorts of issues. Once they flush those out, though, they no longer have problems, but there's a high attrition rate among these types of people, because, like I said, they think the LCHF caused it (or worse, the doctor is quick to remove it :noway:).

GSD_Mama

I was told i have a sluggish gallbladder, whatever that means, and my abdominal area would be in pain regardless of what i ate. It's all better now, but here and there I get feeling of tightness on the right upper quadrant of my belly. The best cure is to mix 2 tsp of Apple Cider vinegar and 1 tsp of lemon juice in a glass of water and drink it, or ACV with apple juice (i don't do apple juice one) It will reduce pain within 5 minutes.

Dragonwolf

GSD_Mama wrote: »

I was told i have a sluggish gallbladder, whatever that means, and my abdominal area would be in pain regardless of what i ate. It's all better now, but here and there I get feeling of tightness on the right upper quadrant of my belly. The best cure is to mix 2 tsp of Apple Cider vinegar and 1 tsp of lemon juice in a glass of water and drink it, or ACV with apple juice (i don't do apple juice one) It will reduce pain within 5 minutes.

ACV is awesome for all kinds of stomach upset issues. I'm a big fan of Bragg's raw ACV. It tastes like apple juice when you water it down.

GSD_Mama

ACV is awesome for all kinds of stomach upset issues. I'm a big fan of Bragg's raw ACV. It tastes like apple juice when you water it down.

Right? It's a miracle potion! I only use Raw unfiltered Braggs with mother.

greenautumn17

GSD_Mama wrote: »

ACV is awesome for all kinds of stomach upset issues. I'm a big fan of Bragg's raw ACV. It tastes like apple juice when you water it down.

Right? It's a miracle potion! I only use Raw unfiltered Braggs with mother.

I have a question for you about ACV. I have a huge jug here - but it is Walmart's store brand (no mother). Does this mean I am not getting all the benefits of ACV when I drink it at night?

yeswehave8

I have a BUNCH of Braggs ACV here. I bought it by the case and make a salad dressing out of it. I usually eat it almost daily, but we were out of town the last 3 days, so I've had none. I can try that. The pain is more nagging than acute right now, but still there. Right upper, just under my ribcage. I'll try some, thanks. I am already drinking water with a little lemon, trying to move the rest of this water off my legs, too.

GSD_Mama

I have a question for you about ACV. I have a huge jug here - but it is Walmart's store brand (no mother). Does this mean I am not getting all the benefits of ACV when I drink it at night?

Organic is organic, unfiltered and raw, mother is a raw substance from which vinegar is made, so yes, the benefit is overweights any processed store bought ACV with who knows what added to it. I would not buy that type. But you can probably use it for other stuff

rkufeke

I was in the ER for suspected gallbladder issues back in December, had an ultrasound that came back ok... Still had the same pain (under my ribs on the right, and about 15-30 mins after eating, along with heartburn-type pain at the bottom of my sternum), so they sent me for a HIDA scan, which also came back normal. After that, they sent me for an upper endoscopy, which showed intestinal inflammation and damage consistent with celiac/gluten intolerance, but my blood test came back negative so they said not to worry about it (?!) and that they weren't going to do any more tests. Started keto on 2/28, and the pain initially got a lot worse, but after about 2-3 weeks it went away and I almost never have it anymore.

minties82

My gallbladder and I parted ways 1.5 years ago, but I feel you guys on the pain factor. My stones never showed up on any ultrasound and so I had them for 8 years! There were 14 over 1cm stones in the bladder and 40 4-8mm stones in the bile duct which were found by MRCP (MRI) a few months after the bladder was removed. My mother, grandmother and great grandmother all had stones.

I used to have daily diarrhea after having the gallbladder removed until I went LC. I always assumed that it was fat that made my gut funny but I guess it was the carbs.

Dragonwolf

GSD_Mama wrote: »

I have a question for you about ACV. I have a huge jug here - but it is Walmart's store brand (no mother). Does this mean I am not getting all the benefits of ACV when I drink it at night?

Organic is organic, unfiltered and raw, mother is a raw substance from which vinegar is made, so yes, the benefit is overweights any processed store bought ACV with who knows what added to it. I would not buy that type. But you can probably use it for other stuff

o.O Organic isn't necessarily raw and unfiltered.

Commercial ACV is made with commercially grown apples, but it's also pasteurized and filtered. There's not really much evidence of anything else in commercial ACV.

You lose the benefits of raw, unfiltered (namely the probiotics and enzymes that are destroyed by heat), but the benefits of acetic acid are still there.

yeswehave8

Ugh, it's still there and keeping me up at the moment.

Kitnthecat

Please get the pain checked out, get the ultrasound, then you will know for certain. That pain was the worst thing I experienced before I had my gallbladder surgery.

It's been years since I had my gallbladder out, but if anything I feel less tummy distress eating keto than I ever had pre or post gall bladder surgery. For about 2 years after my surgery, I had to stay very near a bathroom for the loose stools I'd have right after eating anything. Very inconvenient. Of course they tell you not to eat fat, so I find it very funny now to compare that to how I eat now....tons of fat and no discomfort. That's very cool that you have had less discomfort while eating LCHF. Best of luck to you and I hope you feel better soon.

SlimBride2Be

Agree that a forum is no substitute for medical advice. Save up and please have the investigation.

Having said that... If you get pains when going off plan, use that to mentally reinforce the idea that the diet you used to eat is toxic for you.

I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which is an autoimmune disease. I now avoid grains (along with all carbs) and have reinforced in my mind that they poison me, given my condition. Knowing that makes it SO much easier to pass on the carbage that colleagues bring in or at family dinners, and if I get any flak for anyone for not partaking, I can say 'oh I have an autoimmune disorder so this is a recommended way of eating to relieve the horrible symptoms'. No-one ever argues with that! Works for me.

tlmeyn

I got them when I had my weight loss surgery 26 years go (which didn't work for me, the staples came undone and I gained the 100 pounds back plus, but that is another story) but because of the quick weight loss, I got gall stones. They were very painful, and I got the gall bladder removed. Well guess what, your body makes gall even without the gall bladder... I got stones again, (about 4 years later) but this time I did that apple juice, lemon root beer and olive oil fast and passed them in about 3 days. masses of little green stones (hope I am not grossing you out) I am not advocating not getting something done about it, but the fast worked for me.