I was doing fine until...

charlieandcarol

I work in ICU. If it was me and they were recommending removing my gall bladder because of pancreatitis I would do it. When things go acutely wrong with pancreatitis they go very wrong, very quickly and it is a slow, extremely painful thing to survive and some people don't survive.

I would focus on getting better and following their dietary recommendations right now rather than worrying too much about your weight loss goals.

mitch16

The low fat diet that they've prescribed for now is definitely in your best interest... Eating high fat food could send you into a full-blown attack (which, for me, was some of the most incredible pain that I've ever felt--it rivaled labor!).

Women tend to have gallbladder issuess far more frequently than men--doctors joke about the 4 F's for risk factors--female, forty, fertile, and fat... My sister had only one risk factors (female and fertile), but back to back pregnancies (my nieces are 14 months apart) messed her up. Both my mother-in-law and my mother were slightly older when they had their attacks (peri-menopausal). My mother-in-law lost about 25 lbs while waiting for her surgery to get scheduled because she was so afraid to eat anything that might cause an attack. Surgery is usually laparascopic (if it doesn't rupture) so recovery can be minimized. Once you have your surgery and are no longer at risk for attacks you can add some fat back into your diet... if you overdo it, your body will definitely let you know (not acute pain, but discomfort, bloating, diarrhea). Definitely avoid things that have been deep-fried.

ronjsteele1

Are you looking for a way to avoid surgery? Doing a two week course of Stonebreaker by Herb Pharm can help a lot if your GB is not necrotic or badly infected already. It has saved a number of friends of mine from losing their GBs.

Sometimes they never find out why someone got pancreatitis. I got acute pancreatitis but no sign of any stones, etc. that could have blocked the common bile duct (which is what they usually see). It was finally decided by several doctors after doing some research that they thought mine was probably caused by nutrasweet. We'll never really know what caused mine, but you can bet I don't touch artificial sweeteners anymore. I nearly died from the pancreatitis. I'm not willing to take an even remote risk of that again. But realistically, you may never know "why."

thebestyear2017

RAinWA wrote: »

That sounds horrible! Sorry you have to go through it. I had my gallbladder out 20 years ago and have not had any issues with it. I can eat pretty much anything with no problem and not having the gallbladder attacks has been wonderful.

I wouldn't worry too much about that last 8 pounds while you are healing, you have more important things to think about. I know it's frustrating but you can always lose those few pounds later. In my case, much later. I have been maintaining for awhile but decided early last year I wanted to lose another 10 pounds. I immediately came down with a bunch of issues that included 4 major surgeries in the last 15 months and I have just about given up on losing that last few pounds. But at least I haven't gained any weight.

Thank you, it's good to know that you didn't have any complications following your cholecystectomy. How were you trying to lose weight can I ask? I am so sorry to hear you needed more surgeries though, that's not fun at all

thebestyear2017

150poundsofme wrote: »

Hi, Had my gallbladder out. My surgeon said "when you had your gallbladder, you shouldn't have been eating fatty foods. Now that it is out, you can eat whatever you want". I do and have no problems at all with any type of foods - I eat avocados, fatty foods, fried foods, salmon, chocolate, twinkies, whatever.

For real?? Wow so many questions for you, hope you don't mind! Why did you have a cholecystectomy? How long was your recovery? How long ago was your surgery? Did survey resolve all your previous issues? Sorry and thank you!

thebestyear2017

lgill1127 wrote: »

thebestyear2017 wrote: »

I was admitted to hospital with pancreatitis! Has anyone else faced a "small hiccup" in their plan like this? If so, how did you get past it/work around it?

After a year of graft, CICO and as much PMA as I could muster - I'm now just 8lbs from goal weight. I had a sustainable workout routine, was prepping meals and enjoying daily treats - and mentally, for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could keep this up for LIFE!

But last week, I was admitted to hospital after diagnosis of acute pancreatitis for 3 days - put on an IV and told I should have my gallbladder removed. On top of all this, my diet has been restricted, even further, to super low fat food. No more daily treats. No more avocado. No more salmon. Definitely no more chocolate.

My health is priority, so I've given up trying to lose more weight right now but I am struggling with this change mentally.

How do I deal with this?? Any help/shared situations/triumph stories gratefully appreciated.

Oh my gosh, this was me in February of this year. After a successful 25lb weight loss I had a random bout of acute pancreatitis. I had my gallbladder removed in 2015, hardly drink alcohol, and just yesterday had an endoscopic ultrasound to see if there are any lesions/cysts on my pancreas because they had no idea why my lipase level was as high as it was. Thankfully, nothing is wrong with my pancreas, but no answers as to why I had acute pancreatitis. They offered me an MRCP (MRI) or the endoscopic ultrasound (which is more invasive but produces better quality images), so I went with the ultrasound.

Regardless, I stopped working out for nearly 4 months after the episode. I was eating VERY low fat and ZERO alcohol for 6 weeks to let my pancreas heal. I was limiting myself to 30g or less of fat per day. Definitely higher carbs for the first few weeks, then I incorporated more lean protein. Turkey burgers were, and still are, my best friend lol. I also ate a lot of egg whites (still do, but now eating a whole egg 1-2x per week or so). I was still losing weight during the no-exercise period (pancreatitis can do this). I did not lose that much muscle tone once I returned to the gym, surprisingly. I still try to cap my fat intake at 50g/day because I'm so scared of it happening again, but I am starting to eat more healthy fats (including avocado!) because my HDL was too low during my last blood test. I do drink alcohol - about 2-3 drinks on the weekend. I add these things slowly into my diet to avoid the sick feeling.

So, fret not - there is a possibility you could start having avocado, alcohol, and chocolate again after a short break. I'm not exactly sure how to move upwards from here after finding that nothing is wrong with my pancreas - definitely not binging out on red meat, full fat cheese, charcuterie, or fried foods. Even with occasional indulgences, my body is NOT used to them and going too hard on some full-fat ice cream and french fries makes me nauseous for days. I'll likely (responsibly) enjoy these things occasionally. I'm still losing weight after starting to exercise again at the end of April, about 21lbs down since having pancreatitis.

NOTE - I am not a health care professional, this is just my experience with acute pancreatitis. You might be feeling well enough to exercise before I did. Just take it day by day.

Thank you this was very interesting to read! Very similar story to me, I don't drink/smoke etc - good food is my only vice and now it's being taken away sadly!! Also, over the past year or so I have lost 21lbs.

Did you have your gallbladder removed before you got pancreatitis? I had barely heard of the it before I got it and now I can't read enough about this mysterious condition!

sabinaholtby

I was in the ER this week for gallstones. I am going to follow this thread, but from what I've read the weight loss could be what triggers it. I was there 6 months ago for another stone, the gallbladder is never inflamed so they don't do the emergency surgery, but it is the most pain I've ever been in when it hits. I'm so sorry your going through it. I was stuck at 160 for 4 weeks, as soon as finally hit 159, that's when I had the attack, I had eaten a VERY low fat diet that day, no trigger foods. So frustrating, also seems to be connected to hormones.

RAinWA

thebestyear2017 wrote: »

RAinWA wrote: »

That sounds horrible! Sorry you have to go through it. I had my gallbladder out 20 years ago and have not had any issues with it. I can eat pretty much anything with no problem and not having the gallbladder attacks has been wonderful.

I wouldn't worry too much about that last 8 pounds while you are healing, you have more important things to think about. I know it's frustrating but you can always lose those few pounds later. In my case, much later. I have been maintaining for awhile but decided early last year I wanted to lose another 10 pounds. I immediately came down with a bunch of issues that included 4 major surgeries in the last 15 months and I have just about given up on losing that last few pounds. But at least I haven't gained any weight.

Thank you, it's good to know that you didn't have any complications following your cholecystectomy. How were you trying to lose weight can I ask? I am so sorry to hear you needed more surgeries though, that's not fun at all

I actually had lost around 127 pounds and been maintaining for a couple of years before I decided to go down another 10 pounds. I used low carb to lose the majority of my weight and just calorie counting for the last few.

sabinaholtby

ronjsteele1 wrote: »

Are you looking for a way to avoid surgery? Doing a two week course of Stonebreaker by Herb Pharm can help a lot if your GB is not necrotic or badly infected already. It has saved a number of friends of mine from losing their GBs.

Sometimes they never find out why someone got pancreatitis. I got acute pancreatitis but no sign of any stones, etc. that could have blocked the common bile duct (which is what they usually see). It was finally decided by several doctors after doing some research that they thought mine was probably caused by nutrasweet. We'll never really know what caused mine, but you can bet I don't touch artificial sweeteners anymore. I nearly died from the pancreatitis. I'm not willing to take an even remote risk of that again. But realistically, you may never know "why."

THIS is interesting, I did start drinking diet soda to help me stay within my calorie range when I dropped it. Hmmm....

mitch16 wrote: »

The low fat diet that they've prescribed for now is definitely in your best interest... Eating high fat food could send you into a full-blown attack (which, for me, was some of the most incredible pain that I've ever felt--it rivaled labor!)..

I have had 2 babies 19 mo apart. The pain, for me was worse than labor!! I kept telling the nurses that in the ER! haha

thebestyear2017

charlieandcarol wrote: »

I work in ICU. If it was me and they were recommending removing my gall bladder because of pancreatitis I would do it. When things go acutely wrong with pancreatitis they go very wrong, very quickly and it is a slow, extremely painful thing to survive and some people don't survive.

I would focus on getting better and following their dietary recommendations right now rather than worrying too much about your weight loss goals.

Thanks, fully appreciate this. You must see some very serious cases. Yes I do totally agree, it's a scary condition - I never realised until I had it. The nurses and doctors were incredible but I am still looking for answers. I don't understand how, aged 30, I could have gotten this?

Hoping to get a bit more to the root of the problem before I undergo the surgery. I am also reading about the possible complications, and whether or not I want to live without a gallbladder for the rest of my life.

sabinaholtby wrote: »

I was in the ER this week for gallstones. I am going to follow this thread, but from what I've read the weight loss could be what triggers it. I was there 6 months ago for another stone, the gallbladder is never inflamed so they don't do the emergency surgery, but it is the most pain I've ever been in when it hits. I'm so sorry your going through it. I was stuck at 160 for 4 weeks, as soon as finally hit 159, that's when I had the attack, I had eaten a VERY low fat diet that day, no trigger foods. So frustrating, also seems to be connected to hormones.

I am so so sorry to hear that you got hit twice by gallstones! Do the doctors want to remove your gallbladder too? Weight loss or genetics are my main suspects - but if weight loss then just why?? I've never eaten more healthily than in the past year! Good luck to you on your journey, I hope we both find some answers soon.

psuLemon

thebestyear2017 wrote: »

charlieandcarol wrote: »

I work in ICU. If it was me and they were recommending removing my gall bladder because of pancreatitis I would do it. When things go acutely wrong with pancreatitis they go very wrong, very quickly and it is a slow, extremely painful thing to survive and some people don't survive.

I would focus on getting better and following their dietary recommendations right now rather than worrying too much about your weight loss goals.

Thanks, fully appreciate this. You must see some very serious cases. Yes I do totally agree, it's a scary condition - I never realised until I had it. The nurses and doctors were incredible but I am still looking for answers. I don't understand how, aged 30, I could have gotten this?

Hoping to get a bit more to the root of the problem before I undergo the surgery. I am also reading about the possible complications, and whether or not I want to live without a gallbladder for the rest of my life.

sabinaholtby wrote: »

I was in the ER this week for gallstones. I am going to follow this thread, but from what I've read the weight loss could be what triggers it. I was there 6 months ago for another stone, the gallbladder is never inflamed so they don't do the emergency surgery, but it is the most pain I've ever been in when it hits. I'm so sorry your going through it. I was stuck at 160 for 4 weeks, as soon as finally hit 159, that's when I had the attack, I had eaten a VERY low fat diet that day, no trigger foods. So frustrating, also seems to be connected to hormones.

I am so so sorry to hear that you got hit twice by gallstones! Do the doctors want to remove your gallbladder too? Weight loss or genetics are my main suspects - but if weight loss then just why?? I've never eaten more healthily than in the past year! Good luck to you on your journey, I hope we both find some answers soon.

To be honest you may not ever find out. But there are a lot of contributing factors to include genetics, obesity, inactivity, aggressive dieting, etc...


My wife and I have been married for almost 8 years, in that time she has gone through a ton of surgery's and have had a ton of issues. For some, we have no clue why it has happened and we have access to the top healthcare providers in the US. in that period she has had:

• Ruptured gallbladder (no clue how this happened)
• Pancreatitis (caused by above)
• Diverticulitis (Thank you genetics - although, this is really early since it tends to happen in people over 40)
• Appendicitis (no clue the cause)
• Appendagitis (no clue the cause)
• and has POTS (no clue the cause)

We used to always get bladder/kidney infections but finally got these under control. She has gone through a ton of surgery's too:

• 2 ERCP's
• Gallbladder & sludge sucked out
• Removed her appendix
• Colon recession will be next year (removing 10" from her colon).

The point is, don't prolong surgery too long, if it's going to come back or you get more attacks. My wife did that with the diverticulitis and she got hit hard this year. In and out of the hospital 8-10 times since January. She held off the surgery for about 3 years. So after she has our second child, she then has to go back in for the surgery. Ironically, we found out we were pregnant 12 hours before the surgery. But pushing it off, has cause her to suffer infrequently for 3 years

lgill1127

thebestyear2017 wrote: »

lgill1127 wrote: »

thebestyear2017 wrote: »

I was admitted to hospital with pancreatitis! Has anyone else faced a "small hiccup" in their plan like this? If so, how did you get past it/work around it?

After a year of graft, CICO and as much PMA as I could muster - I'm now just 8lbs from goal weight. I had a sustainable workout routine, was prepping meals and enjoying daily treats - and mentally, for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could keep this up for LIFE!

But last week, I was admitted to hospital after diagnosis of acute pancreatitis for 3 days - put on an IV and told I should have my gallbladder removed. On top of all this, my diet has been restricted, even further, to super low fat food. No more daily treats. No more avocado. No more salmon. Definitely no more chocolate.

My health is priority, so I've given up trying to lose more weight right now but I am struggling with this change mentally.

How do I deal with this?? Any help/shared situations/triumph stories gratefully appreciated.

Oh my gosh, this was me in February of this year. After a successful 25lb weight loss I had a random bout of acute pancreatitis. I had my gallbladder removed in 2015, hardly drink alcohol, and just yesterday had an endoscopic ultrasound to see if there are any lesions/cysts on my pancreas because they had no idea why my lipase level was as high as it was. Thankfully, nothing is wrong with my pancreas, but no answers as to why I had acute pancreatitis. They offered me an MRCP (MRI) or the endoscopic ultrasound (which is more invasive but produces better quality images), so I went with the ultrasound.

Regardless, I stopped working out for nearly 4 months after the episode. I was eating VERY low fat and ZERO alcohol for 6 weeks to let my pancreas heal. I was limiting myself to 30g or less of fat per day. Definitely higher carbs for the first few weeks, then I incorporated more lean protein. Turkey burgers were, and still are, my best friend lol. I also ate a lot of egg whites (still do, but now eating a whole egg 1-2x per week or so). I was still losing weight during the no-exercise period (pancreatitis can do this). I did not lose that much muscle tone once I returned to the gym, surprisingly. I still try to cap my fat intake at 50g/day because I'm so scared of it happening again, but I am starting to eat more healthy fats (including avocado!) because my HDL was too low during my last blood test. I do drink alcohol - about 2-3 drinks on the weekend. I add these things slowly into my diet to avoid the sick feeling.

So, fret not - there is a possibility you could start having avocado, alcohol, and chocolate again after a short break. I'm not exactly sure how to move upwards from here after finding that nothing is wrong with my pancreas - definitely not binging out on red meat, full fat cheese, charcuterie, or fried foods. Even with occasional indulgences, my body is NOT used to them and going too hard on some full-fat ice cream and french fries makes me nauseous for days. I'll likely (responsibly) enjoy these things occasionally. I'm still losing weight after starting to exercise again at the end of April, about 21lbs down since having pancreatitis.

NOTE - I am not a health care professional, this is just my experience with acute pancreatitis. You might be feeling well enough to exercise before I did. Just take it day by day.

Thank you this was very interesting to read! Very similar story to me, I don't drink/smoke etc - good food is my only vice and now it's being taken away sadly!! Also, over the past year or so I have lost 21lbs.

Did you have your gallbladder removed before you got pancreatitis? I had barely heard of the it before I got it and now I can't read enough about this mysterious condition!

Yes, I had my gallbladder removed in October 2015. So, 16 months between gallbladder removal and pancreatitis. I'm not sure if it was diet, genetics, or both but my maternal grandmother, my mother, and I all had our gallbladders removed at age 25. Yes, I have had not only my gallbladder removed, but also acute pancreatitis and I'm not yet 30 years old . Very strange indeed. So - I just will continue on my health journey and hope there are no more "hiccups" along the way!

I do hope you're feeling better after pancreatitis - I felt very weak for quite awhile, hence the moratorium on hard exercise other than walking for nearly 4 months. If you do have your gallbladder removed, everyone's experience is different. Some people recover from laparoscopic surgery in a day, some take two weeks (that would be me!). Also, as noted by some other posters they can go back to eating how they were before with no issues. Even after having my gallbladder removed (before pancreatitis) I still had trouble with deep fried foods and I'll continue avoiding them in the future for my own sake. I was still eating red meat/charcuterie with no issues post-gallbladder removal, but will likely only eat these things on rare occasions in the future.