Increasing fats after gallbladder surgery
bametels
Posts: 950 Member
I had gallbladder surgery on Friday. How soon after surgery did you begin increasing your fat intake? What difference, if any, did you experience in how your body reacted to various fats? I'm wondering, for example, if I might do better with something like full fat yogurt vs. meat? Thanks in advance for sharing your experience. I'm anxious to lower my carbs back to keto level but without increasing my fats it's challenging to do so while consuming enough calories. I realize that I may just need to be patient and go slowly.
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Usually sugar and simple carbs create dumping syndrome, but dairy and fats can too. Go slowly and see what you can tolerate. Just be near a bathroom until you know what your problem foods will be.1
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Thanks, dmarie. So far my issue is the opposite of dumping syndrome, which I suspect is due to the pain medication but I'm weaning off it so the next few days could be interesting.0
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Would love responses from others who have dealt with LCHF or Keto eating after gallbladder surgery!0
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How are you feeling? I am so sorry I haven't messaged you before now! I lost track of the days and kept thinking we had another 2 weeks of June!!
About fats etc....To be quite honest I stayed on the S.A.D. until the week before my surgery to keep any possible flare up at bay. At a week or so out I dropped all carbs and ate a lchf diet up until I had the surgery. Stayed on lchf immediately after as well. I didn't watch fats or anything...just jumped in with both feet. Thankfully I have not had any problems at all.
I was super *kitten* they made me at 3 crackers after surgery before they would let me go home!!! Crackers!!! I wanted steak!!
I hope you are feeling well and able to rest! I am thinking of you!!3 -
LemonMarmalade wrote: »How are you feeling?
Thanks for asking. I'm doing okay. I ended up having to stay overnight at the hospital. I think they gave me a bit too much anesthesia. My pulse was as low as 42 and I was so lightheaded that they kept me for observation.
About fats etc....To be quite honest I stayed on the S.A.D. until the week before my surgery to keep any possible flare up at bay.
My situation was so weird. I had no indication of a gallbladder problem until I had an emergency appendectomy on Mother's Day. It was then that they found several large gallstones. I started to have what turned out to be gallbladder pain soon after I came home from the hospital. So, I started following the gallbladder diet guidelines that I was given - more or less - except I was doing lower carb (under 100 carbs) and high protein.
At a week or so out I dropped all carbs and ate a lchf diet up until I had the surgery. Stayed on lchf immediately after as well. I didn't watch fats or anything...just jumped in with both feet. Thankfully I have not had any problems at all.
That's great. Today, I tried to up my fats just a bit. Tomorrow, I'll think I'll try a little more and so on unless I start to have ill effects from doing so. I never should have read some online forums where people discussed their continuing problems because it has made me nervous. My mother and grandmother both had emergency gallbladders surgeries many years ago - so I'm luckier than they were. Fortunately, neither had recurring problems so I hope that this will be the case for me, too.
I was super *kitten* they made me at 3 crackers after surgery before they would let me go home!!! Crackers!!! I wanted steak!!
I could not believe what they fed me. 4 oz. of OJ, grits, a biscuit (can you tell I live in the South), scrambled eggs, margarine, and decaf coffee with creamer. The first ingredient of the creamer was high fructose corn syrup and the other ingredients were even worse. I drank 1/2 the OJ and ate the eggs. I turned away the lunch and ate when I got home. I thought they were trying to kill me, really!
I hope you are feeling well and able to rest! I am thinking of you!!
Thanks so much. I appreciate your concern and learning through your experience.
Barbara
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I had my gallbladder out July of last year and didn't feel ok to go keto until a month ago. I had actually been looking into the lifestyle when that one little stone went and murdered my gallbladder (a truly emergent case...had I waited, i would have been in a really bad spot, since my gallbladder was dead, and turning necrotic and my surgeon was scratching his head at how I managed to walk upright through his office door), anywho, for a while after my gallbladder was out, any fat triggered dumping syndrome. Which means, pain or what could have been a big mess had I not immediately found respite in a porcelain throne. I didn't eat out as much, and I avoided anything greasy (my former favorite diner food was the worst...and still is). Slowly I added in different fats and while I still had some issues, I became more tolerant. I started June 1st this year, and I'm not going to say it's 100% easy. If I don't spread my fats throughout the day, I get an upset stomach, once or twice I have vomited bile (always first thing in the morning, it seems), but I've got a handle on it now. I do seem to be more prone to loose stool, but I'd rather that than constipation. And it's gotten less frequent as my body has adapted. So key point: listen to your body, and spread your fats throughout your day (scientifically it makes sense bc rather than a storage depot, you have a constant slow drip of bile). Of course, you may adapt more easily if you were keto before, but that's where the listen to your body part comes in
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I am doing keto without a gall bladder. The first couple times I attempted it I had a horrible experience. Everyone is different, you might find you digest fats and nutrients on keto just fine. I myself find that I cannot eat as much saturated fats from animal sources as some people can. I find I do better eating saturated fats from plant sources. So, this means I myself can't do tons of the standard keto bacon, eggs and steak diet (I can eat some of those, but just not every day). I daily eat my fats from avocado (about 1-per-day), olive oil, nuts, olives and MCT oil.
MCT oil is a specialty food developed for kids who are eating keto to control epilepsy. "Medium chain triglycerides" are saturated fats that don't need much (if any) bile to digest. Many keto folks use it as a source of fat and energy. You can't cook with it, but it's odorless and tasteless and can be mixed with just about anything. I add it to my coffee in the morning. As with any fat for me (since I have no gall bladder), I need to limit my fat at any one meal to 30-40 grams. If I eat more than that, I get plumbing issues and spend the next couple hours near the bathroom. MCT oil can cause some cramping at first, so if you try it, make sure to start with a teaspoon in something. Then increase it in teaspoon increments. I can tolerate personally about 1 tablespoon at a time (about 14g of fat). Honestly, I had to ween myself onto avocado, too.
Completely anecdotally, and with just myself as the test subject, it seems clear to me that in keto I can supplement and ingest all the vitamins and minerals I want, but I simply don't digest them well. After a couple weeks of keto the first few times I tried it, I felt like I was dying because I basically was starving myself while eating plenty of calories. By adding MCT oil, I feel like I'm better able to digest the nutrients I'm ingesting.0 -
I don't want to repeat everything I've already written on this subject and bore everyone half to death, AGAIN, but I've finally, after almost 16 years, regained some normalcy after having my gallbladder out in December of 2000 when my daughter was 7 weeks old. The key for me has been supplementing with Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Braggs, with the mother) and/or digestive enzymes. Bile salts did nothing for me except make disaster pants bathroom drama worse.
If you've the time, I strongly advise reading other recent writings from gallbladder veterans in the trenches (many others who've been there, done that, and survived to tell the tale!!!)...
Navigating LCHF Without a Gallbladder or With Stomach/Digestive Distress
http://nobunplease.com/diarrhea-low-carb-keto-diet/
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10385680/low-stomach-acid-indigestion-nutrient-absorption-issues#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10391838/gallbladder-issues-with-high-fat#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10388945/low-functioning-gallbladder#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10400570/keto-without-a-gall-bladder#latest0 -
karebear5891 wrote: »I had my gallbladder out July of last year and didn't feel ok to go keto until a month ago. I had actually been looking into the lifestyle when that one little stone went and murdered my gallbladder (a truly emergent case...had I waited, i would have been in a really bad spot, since my gallbladder was dead, and turning necrotic and my surgeon was scratching his head at how I managed to walk upright through his office door), anywho, for a while after my gallbladder was out, any fat triggered dumping syndrome. Which means, pain or what could have been a big mess had I not immediately found respite in a porcelain throne. I didn't eat out as much, and I avoided anything greasy (my former favorite diner food was the worst...and still is). Slowly I added in different fats and while I still had some issues, I became more tolerant. I started June 1st this year, and I'm not going to say it's 100% easy. If I don't spread my fats throughout the day, I get an upset stomach, once or twice I have vomited bile (always first thing in the morning, it seems), but I've got a handle on it now. I do seem to be more prone to loose stool, but I'd rather that than constipation. And it's gotten less frequent as my body has adapted. So key point: listen to your body, and spread your fats throughout your day (scientifically it makes sense bc rather than a storage depot, you have a constant slow drip of bile). Of course, you may adapt more easily if you were keto before, but that's where the listen to your body part comes in
Karebear - Thanks so much for taking time to respond. I'm so sorry that you had such a serious situation and post-surgical challenges. I clearly need to be patient. After two surgeries in less than six weeks, I'm just not feeling terribly patient. I want things back to normal. If it were only so easy.
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I am doing keto without a gall bladder. The first couple times I attempted it I had a horrible experience. Everyone is different, you might find you digest fats and nutrients on keto just fine. I myself find that I cannot eat as much saturated fats from animal sources as some people can. I find I do better eating saturated fats from plant sources. So, this means I myself can't do tons of the standard keto bacon, eggs and steak diet (I can eat some of those, but just not every day). I daily eat my fats from avocado (about 1-per-day), olive oil, nuts, olives and MCT oil.
MCT oil is a specialty food developed for kids who are eating keto to control epilepsy. "Medium chain triglycerides" are saturated fats that don't need much (if any) bile to digest. Many keto folks use it as a source of fat and energy. You can't cook with it, but it's odorless and tasteless and can be mixed with just about anything. I add it to my coffee in the morning. As with any fat for me (since I have no gall bladder), I need to limit my fat at any one meal to 30-40 grams. If I eat more than that, I get plumbing issues and spend the next couple hours near the bathroom. MCT oil can cause some cramping at first, so if you try it, make sure to start with a teaspoon in something. Then increase it in teaspoon increments. I can tolerate personally about 1 tablespoon at a time (about 14g of fat). Honestly, I had to ween myself onto avocado, too.
Completely anecdotally, and with just myself as the test subject, it seems clear to me that in keto I can supplement and ingest all the vitamins and minerals I want, but I simply don't digest them well. After a couple weeks of keto the first few times I tried it, I felt like I was dying because I basically was starving myself while eating plenty of calories. By adding MCT oil, I feel like I'm better able to digest the nutrients I'm ingesting.
WBB55 - Thank you so much for responding. So sorry that you had such a horrible experience with your initial keto attempts. Clearly, your persistence and willingness to try different things has paid off. Interesting about the MCT oil, I've never tried it. I do use coconut oil but I know from reading various MFP discussions that MCT has special properties. I think that, like you did, I'm having problems with my body not being able to use various vitamins and minerals. I've been having a fairly significant amount of hair loss, although, it may just be a reaction to having two surgeries in less than six weeks rather than a vitamin/mineral deficiency. Thank goodness I have a thick head of hair!0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »I don't want to repeat everything I've already written on this subject and bore everyone half to death, AGAIN, but I've finally, after almost 16 years, regained some normalcy after having my gallbladder out in December of 2000 when my daughter was 7 weeks old. The key for me has been supplementing with Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Braggs, with the mother) and/or digestive enzymes. Bile salts did nothing for me except make disaster pants bathroom drama worse.
If you've the time, I strongly advise reading other recent writings from gallbladder veterans in the trenches (many others who've been there, done that, and survived to tell the tale!!!)...
Navigating LCHF Without a Gallbladder or With Stomach/Digestive Distress
http://nobunplease.com/diarrhea-low-carb-keto-diet/
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10385680/low-stomach-acid-indigestion-nutrient-absorption-issues#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10391838/gallbladder-issues-with-high-fat#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10388945/low-functioning-gallbladder#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10400570/keto-without-a-gall-bladder#latest
Thanks for responding KnitOrMiss. I've been following your gallbladder posts since my gallbladder problems were diagnosed 6 weeks ago and have read the above threads. They are quite informative.
I've been incorporating apple cider vinegar into my diet, although, perhaps not as frequently as I should be. So far, I seem to be a 'special snowflake' because despite being off pain meds, my issue so far is constipation. Although, things are improving. So far, the fats that I've been slowly adding back in have not caused a problem so maybe I'll be luckier than you and others have been. A girl can hope so 0 -
@bametels - I definitely did not have the constipation issue. Bile salts like Questran are better for that. I tend to stay on the loose side, and that made me loose. Adding coconut oil to your diet (or MCT or both) is supposed to help. It's one of the fats better tolerated but those without a gallbladder, and it also helps with the constipation thing. If I remember correctly, @Sunny_Bunny_ has far more experience on this side of the no gallbladder thing.
I do 1 or more TBSP of ACV diluted in at least 4-10X as much water BEFORE/WITH each meal. Each meal. I don't always want to take it with each meal, so I do that and/or 1-2 pills of the digestive enzyme Betaine HCL. And I can tell if I don't take it.
A quick google found this info on Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/3yet23/if_youre_struggling_with_constipation_after/
This one seemed interesting, too:
http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/ketosis-and-constipation/
I hope you find some good answers.
Another thing I found interesting is that when we're getting the digestive help we need, we absorb nutrients better, and our cravings naturally ease off some to being able to properly absorb from our foods... Definitely a reason to keep supplementing what my gallbladder can no longer provide!0
