I was doing fine until...

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.