Gallbladder Removed?

ndvoice

Hi all!
I've been LC /Keto for about 6 months. Had to have my gallbladder removed yesterday, rather unexpectedly. The doc attributes it to the weight loss (80 pounds), rather than the diet.
For the first week post-surgery, I'm supposed to eat very low fat. Then, I can gradually start incorporating my higher fat foods back in over the course of a couple weeks, based on how I tolerate it.
Is there anyone else here who does LC / Keto without a gallbladder? I'm wondering how tough this transition is going to be & if anyone has any tips?

Thanks all

Sunny_Bunny_

I had my gall bladder out 24 years ago, when I was 16! I used to have occasional "phantom attacks" a couple times a year, mostly in the middle of the night. I'd wake up and be in such pain I could hardly breathe! The only thing I could do to quickly get it to settle down was eat a piece of bread or drink a glass of milk or both if it wasn't responding right away. It seemed to happen mostly if I hadn't eaten in several hours before bed. So, having a totally empty stomach seemed to be the issue.
I've been Keto for 8 months now and haven't ever had even the slightest symptom of trouble with it. Even when I've fasted. My IBS has also become a non issue.

ndvoice

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

I had my gall bladder out 24 years ago, when I was 16! I used to have occasional "phantom attacks" a couple times a year, mostly in the middle of the night. I'd wake up and be in such pain I could hardly breathe! The only thing I could do to quickly get it to settle down was eat a piece of bread or drink a glass of milk or both if it wasn't responding right away. It seemed to happen mostly if I hadn't eaten in several hours before bed. So, having a totally empty stomach seemed to be the issue.
I've been Keto for 8 months now and haven't ever had even the slightest symptom of trouble with it. Even when I've fasted. My IBS has also become a non issue.

Fantastic!! Thank you for sharing. This gives me hope that I can go back to Keto soon!

SuesNewImage

I had my gall bladder removed 25 years ago. I've been LCHF for 6 months now & shed 69lb. I feel so much better physically and mentally with this WOE. Not having a gall bladder has given me no other symptoms with this WOE compared to everyone else's posts. Only have had normal Ketonix flu or low electrolytes problems which is unrelated. Everything else is typical. In fact I forget I have no gallbladder. I does not affect me.

SoosannahK

I had mine out in 2009 and I don't have a bit of problem with the high fat. Its the leafy greens that get me (probably not no GB related at all). And like @Sunny_Bunny_ my IBS has pretty much resolved its self. No more bloating, horrible stomach cramps and pains and running for the bathroom at the most inopportune times. I have always had some kind of "stomach trouble" from reflux to chronic gastritis (NSAID induced, my fault ) but with keto it has all seemed to resolved. I haven't had any troubles since last October right before I went LCHF. I get a little heartburn now and again but nothing a Tums doesn't take care of. Not like the reflux days of breathing fire and being on a double dose of prilosec (everything else made me very nauseated). And I got to come off of that after GB removal. I find the gallbladder to be useless piece of equipment that only seems to break down and cause trouble.

Speedy recovery to you!

PS- Mine quit working suddenly after a 60lb weight loss. No stones or anything. It just quit. Wonder what connection there is to large weight losses and GB failure??

MerryOne00

I had mine removed in 1998, just 3 months after my 2nd child was born. I was 28. There was weight loss then too but most of that was baby. I have not had any trouble with LCHF but I am still pretty new and have only lost 6 lbs.

1thankful_momma

I saw a bariatric doctor once. He said that a high percentage of people that get the surgery end up having their gallbladder out. I never got the surgery. I did have my gallbladder out two years ago. I am day 7 on LCHF. No issues other than the ones I've had since day one. (Lettuce bugs me).
My gallbladder was removed due to over activity.

ndvoice

Thank you all for sharing your stories! There is definitely a link between weight loss & gallbladder woes. I had imaging done a couple of years ago & my gallbladder was normal. Lost 80 pounds this past year & it was FULL of stones. Doc was shocked that I hadn't been really suffering, but I really think the Keto diet was helping minimize my symptoms. So glad to hear many of you are doing LC with no real issues. I'm looking forward to transitioning back after a few days of healing! Thanks again guys!

markrgeary1

My GB came out 10 years ago, I've only been eating this way since for a short time, nothing I've noticed with my GB. But I do recall how sensitive my system was to fats post surgery. I didn't help it any as I didn't change my diet. Greasy chicken fried chicken with gravy on potatoes 3 times weekly, burgers the others. I could only eat small amounts before causing an event, but I did it anyways. I managed to lose 35 pounds over 6 months, than gain it all back. It was weird how sensitive I recall being in line for a deli platter at work. I could smell salami from 30 feet away and running to the bathroom. Only suggestion is to listen to your body(unlike what I did), or keep a bathroom close.

KETOGENICGURL

I'd listen to markgreary..and your doctor, and stay LOW FAT for a little while after recovering., add back slowly.

I also had an extreme response post surgery to just Eggs Benedict at a restaurant...the slug of fat & protein hit me like a truck and I almost went to the ER…(cold sweats, chills, the shakes, painful intestines)

long term you will prolly adapt like everyone else here who are a few years out..just use caution..one very painful bout will tell you, but a hard way to learn.

Your liver still produces bile to break down fats, but it enters the duodenum differently with no gall bladder… hate to see you suffer.

anglyn1

I've been without a gallbladder for ten years. The past four months on keto is the best my digestion has been in years!

GaleHawkins

The fat in coconut oil I was reading is not a problem like it can be with some oils so you can google that if interested. Everyone is different so be careful and best wishes.

KarlaYP

Had my gb removed in 2012. Have had no issues with high fat. Many people who lose the amount of weight you have will face the need for gb removal. The experts attribute the formation of gallstones to the weight loss. I would follow your surgeons recommended during this recovery phase. You couldn't have any trouble returning to keto once you've healed. Recovery from this surgery is normally very fast, and uneventful! Hope your is too!

ndvoice

Karlottap wrote: »

Had my gb removed in 2012. Have had no issues with high fat. Many people who lose the amount of weight you have will face the need for gb removal. The experts attribute the formation of gallstones to the weight loss. I would follow your surgeons recommended during this recovery phase. You couldn't have any trouble returning to keto once you've healed. Recovery from this surgery is normally very fast, and uneventful! Hope your is too!

Yes, my surgeon agreed & said it was fairly common after this amount of weight loss. I told him that it seems unfair to work so hard & be rewarded with an organ removal. He responded with "well, the good news is - they don't grow back". Gotta love a sassy surgeon lol.

Thanks all for the advice & stories. I'm following the docs advice for now & for a few days, I'll avoid fat & allow some extra carbs. I'm excited to hear that LC is very "doable" later.

SoosannahK

ndvoice wrote: »

Karlottap wrote: »

Had my gb removed in 2012. Have had no issues with high fat. Many people who lose the amount of weight you have will face the need for gb removal. The experts attribute the formation of gallstones to the weight loss. I would follow your surgeons recommended during this recovery phase. You couldn't have any trouble returning to keto once you've healed. Recovery from this surgery is normally very fast, and uneventful! Hope your is too!

Yes, my surgeon agreed & said it was fairly common after this amount of weight loss. I told him that it seems unfair to work so hard & be rewarded with an organ removal. He responded with "well, the good news is - they don't grow back". Gotta love a sassy surgeon lol.

Thanks all for the advice & stories. I'm following the docs advice for now & for a few days, I'll avoid fat & allow some extra carbs. I'm excited to hear that LC is very "doable" later.

Haha mine told me if mine grew back he'd remove it for free next time.

jassicaaa

I had my gallbladder out 3 years ago, and since lost 100 lbs in Ketosis with no problems.
Follow your doctors recommendations for the first week and you'll be good to go:)
Congrats on your loss!!

macchiatto

bumping for @disaberry and @lukesydaisy

disaberry

Wow great thanks everyone! Also TY @macchiatto for the bump!

ldmoor

Glad to know everyone has success on keto after removal. Mine was removed during an emergency procedure less than a week ago, and I've been almost to scared to see if people were able to continue on the plan, as it the only option for weight loss for my body. Its a relief to know that when a few weeks have passed, I can continue on the path I was following before the medical issues started.

jumanajane

Here is a twist on GB removal and weightloss! I had my GB removed back in 2003. I had many bouts of the pain and the keyhole surgery turned into full abdominal surgery as there were so many adhesions (internal scar tissue) that it took ages to unstick it to remove it. Had done 'Atkins' for while but was off it at the time. No problems after apart from the occasional phantom pains already mentioned in the first couple of years and sudden urgent trips to the loo if I ate a very high fat meal. All good....until recently when I started getting similar pains again. I wondered if the bile duct had got blocked so went off to see a Gastro. Had an ultasound and H Pylori test done. All fine. His suggestion.....the 40lb weightloss I have had this last year has resulted in the scar tissue from the GB removal not being supported anymore!! Its dragging! LOLOLOLOL Thats a first! Happily its has mostly settled down but.......

inspirationstation

Started reducing carbs <100 last winter and had to have my gallbladder out at the end of March. They don't say "fat, female, fertile, forty, and fair" for nothing!

I started LCHF around April and have not had any issues. My fats mainly come from animals, cheese, butter, real mayo, nuts, and avocado oil.

Now, during my foray off plan during the holidays, I noticed a few phantom gallbladder pains. I am chalking it up to healthy fats versus man-made, unhealthy fats.

nicsflyingcircus

inspirationstation wrote: »

Started reducing carbs <100 last winter and had to have my gallbladder out at the end of March. They don't say "fat, female, fertile, forty, and fair" for nothing!

I started LCHF around April and have not had any issues. My fats mainly come from animals, cheese, butter, real mayo, nuts, and avocado oil.

Now, during my foray off plan during the holidays, I noticed a few phantom gallbladder pains. I am chalking it up to healthy fats versus man-made, unhealthy fats.

I had mine out at the age of 25, 2 days after giving birth to my 4th child in 5 years. It went horrible, horribly bad about week 31 of that 4th pregnancy. I was in fact fat, female, (super freaking) fertile and fair (brown hair, blue eyes, freckles). I'm still not 40 though, lol.

High-fat diet, even with IFing (I naturally don't want to eat in the morning an many days can be happy with one meal when I am on plan) causes me no problems at all.

kimberwolf71

Best article I have come across re: gall bladders and LCHF: http://www.dietdoctor.com/gallstones-and-low-carb. I still have my gall bladder.... mostly because after my ultrasound to determine the "cause" of these attacks, it was the surgeon that provided my diagnosis of being full of gall stones and trying to schedule the surgery (this was approximately 3 months after converting from SAD diet to "real food" aka good bye low fat everything). I said no... I needed to absorb the information and research. I still have my gall bladder (presumably still full of stones but no further test to confirm), but have not had an attack for well over a year. The first four months of converting of SAD was bad... has been great ever since.

totaloblivia

Why does losing weight appear to be associated with gallstones and then gallbladder removal? I am coming up on 50lbs lost and am now worried! I am fat and female, 42 and fair-ish.... I don't want gallstones! Will read the article suggested by @kimberwolf71 and see if that settles me down.

Sunny_Bunny_

totaloblivia wrote: »

Why does losing weight appear to be associated with gallstones and then gallbladder removal? I am coming up on 50lbs lost and am now worried! I am fat and female, 42 and fair-ish.... I don't want gallstones! Will read the article suggested by @kimberwolf71 and see if that settles me down.

I didn't realize it was until reading about everyone's experiences on here.
I had mine out when I was 16 years old and had over 100 gall stones! My surgeon said I was the youngest patient he ever had. It took me about 3 years of testing for all sorts of possible stomach issues to get diagnosed and I remember they did it because they just needed to "rule it out". Lol
My parents thought I was faking so I could miss school since they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I remember after a trip to ER and getting no answers, my Dad was so mad because he thought I was either making it up or exaggerating. He went on and on about my $5000 tummy ache until they finally found the issue. Then he felt like a big jerk! Lol
Anyway, mine is not the typical experience. But I was raised on pizza and Mexican food!

totaloblivia

@Sunny_Bunny_ lol...but I bet he felt terrible!

Dragonwolf

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

totaloblivia wrote: »

Why does losing weight appear to be associated with gallstones and then gallbladder removal? I am coming up on 50lbs lost and am now worried! I am fat and female, 42 and fair-ish.... I don't want gallstones! Will read the article suggested by @kimberwolf71 and see if that settles me down.

I didn't realize it was until reading about everyone's experiences on here.
I had mine out when I was 16 years old and had over 100 gall stones! My surgeon said I was the youngest patient he ever had. It took me about 3 years of testing for all sorts of possible stomach issues to get diagnosed and I remember they did it because they just needed to "rule it out". Lol
My parents thought I was faking so I could miss school since they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I remember after a trip to ER and getting no answers, my Dad was so mad because he thought I was either making it up or exaggerating. He went on and on about my $5000 tummy ache until they finally found the issue. Then he felt like a big jerk! Lol
Anyway, mine is not the typical experience. But I was raised on pizza and Mexican food!

Might not be typical, but that sounds almost identical to my husband's experience, though his was only drawn out a year, and his physical symptoms didn't allow for parental denial. When a 16 year old boy can't hold down pizza, you know something's wrong!