What to eat after gallbladder removal?

californiansun

Hi all,

I know some people have already posted this topic, but I could not find the answers that I was looking for.

Recovery of my surgery has been less than pleasant, I had gas and extreme pain for a week after surgery. I couldn't even get out of bed. 9 days post op and I am starting to feel better. I still get gas pains but I only get them 1 to 2 times a day instead of all day long. Thanks to the gas pains, I am now scared to eat anything. I only eat soup, oatmeal and now I am starting to incorporate Activia yogurt. I have lost over 14 pounds in 9 days.

So, what do I eat?! Can I eat chicken, beef, any fruit, veggie I want? Lettuce? Beans? Can I eat chocolate on occasion? Spicy foods? Milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese? ICE CREAM?! Can I drink wine again? Coffee? Tea?! I just don't know! I miss spicy foods and coffee the most.

Please be as detailed as you can in your responses, I am going to go grocery shopping today so I would like as clear cut as possible!

Thank you!

supermysza

In the long run you'll be able to eat as normal, the gallbladder only stores bile (used to digest fats) but your liver can still just make it as needed. Until then go with trial and error: try a food and if it makes you unwell don't have it again. You could possibly avoid fatty or gassy foods for now if you're having problems with gas.

ETA: I am a medical student currently on an upper GI surgery rotation, conveniently enough.

wilsoje74

You can ask your doctor/surgeon what you should eat post op

californiansun

You can ask your doctor/surgeon what you should eat post op

She said no restrictions. I don't believe that for a second! That's why I am asking.

wilsoje74

You can ask your doctor/surgeon what you should eat post op

She said no restrictions. I don't believe that for a second! That's why I am asking.

So you believe strangers on the internet rather than a trained professional? If she said no restrictions then eat what you want!!

californiansun

You can ask your doctor/surgeon what you should eat post op

She said no restrictions. I don't believe that for a second! That's why I am asking.

So you believe strangers on the internet rather than a trained professional? If she said no restrictions then eat what you want!!

I have lost trust in my surgeon, so I was asking for suggestions.

wilsoje74

Most of us have no medical experience. Your doctor has probably removed many gallbladders. I'm a nurse and I don't know of any restrictions. I know a few people who have had theirs out and they eat regular diets, no restrictions. Maybe you stick to blander goods until you are back to 100%

dezb64

I had my gallbladder out many (22) years ago. The gas pains you have are from them pumping you full of air to get to the gallbladder. You need to move around to get it out and relieve the pain. The more you stay put the more it will hurt. As for diet restrictions you will have to experiment and see how you handle certain foods. I can have just about anything. I do try to stay away from fatty or fried foods as they cause GERD. IT gets better with time.

californiansun

Most of us have no medical experience. Your doctor has probably removed many gallbladders. I'm a nurse and I don't know of any restrictions. I know a few people who have had theirs out and they eat regular diets, no restrictions. Maybe you stick to blander goods until you are back to 100%

I know a lot of people have had their gallbladder out and I wanted to hear their experiences. I know people vary but I just wanted to know. Thanks!

californiansun

I had my gallbladder out many (22) years ago. The gas pains you have are from them pumping you full of air to get to the gallbladder. You need to move around to get it out and relieve the pain. The more you stay put the more it will hurt. As for diet restrictions you will have to experiment and see how you handle certain foods. I can have just about anything. I do try to stay away from fatty or fried foods as they cause GERD. IT gets better with time.

Now that I am better I go on walks 3 x a day. It's helped a lot. Thank you!

fitandfortyish

I had my gallbladder out in Dec 2013. Sorry your recovery has been less than pleasant to say the least.

I had my removal done laparoscopically-- not sure if you had the same. The gas pain I had was from the CO2 used during surgery causing horrible pain in the shoulder areas for some reason. I was told that walking was the best way to get both the gas out and get my digestive track going again--so I tried hard to move or at least stand every waking hour post surgery. After a couple of days I felt much better.

I was told the same as you-- no restrictions on diet, but I had a huge fear of fatty foods (suffered with attacks for about a year prior to removal) so I avoided those and steak for about two weeks- then slowly introduced doritos (hey, a girls gotta live!!) and was fine. Right after surgery I ate pastas, fish, chicken (those yummy things you buy at grocery stores that are already roasted) lots of fruit and veggies, water and protein shakes. All good...no problems at all.

californiansun

I had my gallbladder out in Dec 2013. Sorry your recovery has been less than pleasant to say the least.

I had my removal done laparoscopically-- not sure if you had the same. The gas pain I had was from the CO2 used during surgery causing horrible pain in the shoulder areas for some reason. I was told that walking was the best way to get both the gas out and get my digestive track going again--so I tried hard to move or at least stand every waking hour post surgery. After a couple of days I felt much better.

I was told the same as you-- no restrictions on diet, but I had a huge fear of fatty foods (suffered with attacks for about a year prior to removal) so I avoided those and steak for about two weeks- then slowly introduced doritos (hey, a girls gotta live!!) and was fine. Right after surgery I ate pastas, fish, chicken (those yummy things you buy at grocery stores that are already roasted) lots of fruit and veggies, water and protein shakes. All good...no problems at all.

Thank you! I am going to make pasta tonight I think. I love cooking and it's been hard to know what to do. I've had gallattacks for 3 years now and I am completely terrified of eating the wrong thing!

Azexas

<-- Registered Nurse checking in

As a few other posters had mentioned, the gallbladder stores Bile which is produced from the liver to digest fats. Your liver will still produce bile in response to the fat in your diet. The only thing I can think of that may be an issue is if you have a very very high fat content meal and your liver can't keep up with the bile production... But that is probably unlikely. Other than that you shouldn't really have an issue. But take it slow and go though trial and error.

californiansun

<-- Registered Nurse checking in

As a few other posters had mentioned, the gallbladder stores Bile which is produced from the liver to digest fats. Your liver will still produce bile in response to the fat in your diet. The only thing I can think of that may be an issue is if you have a very very high fat content meal and your liver can't keep up with the bile production... But that is probably unlikely. Other than that you shouldn't really have an issue. But take it slow and go though trial and error.

Thank you so much! I know I can't dig in a burger and fries, but I am terrified to even eat chicken ha.

donnat238

I've had no problems with any foods since my gall bladder surgery. I have a friend that has issues when she eats oatmeal or iceberg lettuce. Another friend has problems with any fried foods. I think it's trial and error.

ThePersnicketyOtter

Technically, you can eat anything without restrictions. Most people have bad luck though with greasy or fried food. From the people I've known who have had their gall bladder removed, pretty much the healthier the food is (veggies, fruit), the easier it is for them to eat. But it's different for everyone - the only way to know is to (slowly!) try new things.

plaidbagel

My dr. said the same thing; eat what you want. I had mine out 13 years ago. Over time I've found to not eat meat, cheese, eggs together. No more than 1 cup of coffee. Best thing I've found so far is the FODMAP diet. Work with a gastroenterologist for recommendations.

nh38318

I had my gallbladder removed by keyhole surgery 5 years ago. Recovery and relief from symptoms was within a week.

I was told I should be able to eat anything and I certainly did! Have had no problems since.

Alidecker

I had my gallbladder out in 2010,I had no previous issues, but had emergency surgery to have it out. I ate very plain food for about a week, then went back to my normal diet. I have not had any issues since. I did have the pain the shoulder from the gas trapped in the body, luckily the doctor had warned me of this. Hopefully you can reintroduce things and be back to normal.

SanteMulberry

You can ask your doctor/surgeon what you should eat post op

She said no restrictions. I don't believe that for a second! That's why I am asking.

Well--you'll need to experiment. I would avoid any very fatty (or gas-producing) meals until you are completely healed (I have heard estimates ranging from 2 weeks to 2 months). You won't have the supply of concentrated bile from the gall bladder now. What I have noticed is that a meal containing a large amount of fat will produce heartburn for me (likely because the liver cannot quite keep up with the need for bile, even though most docs will tell you that your liver can supply all the bile you need). Other than that, I eat whatever I want within my macros (and I have my fat macro set to about 50% of calories--but I spend my fat allotment on "good" fats and they may be more digestible than greasier fare).

ETA: I am finding that the water kefir I consume does wonderful things for the digestion. My husband and I make our own--it is easy to do and very cheap to make. I would wait till you are completely healed from the cholecystectomy to experiment with kefir though as there can be gas and vague discomfort as your bowel "micro-climate" transitions to a healthier mix of bacteria.

californiansun

Thank you everyone!!!