No Gall Bladder and problems with Greasy foods...TMI

momburntdinner

ok, I am due to have my gall bladder removed on the 24th of this month after only two episodes of pain and now I am not going to after reading this thread, good good it's so not worth it!

Yeah... I don't recommend putting it off. The attacks get worse and worse, and if you wind up like some of us who just dealt with the pain... it can seriously mess up your entire system. Plus if you put it off there is a chance they won't be able to remove it via keyhole and you'll have an open surgery (like I did) with an 8" scar.

hbrekkaas

ok, I am due to have my gall bladder removed on the 24th of this month after only two episodes of pain and now I am not going to after reading this thread, good good it's so not worth it!

Don't cancel! Its going to get worse and could make you really sick if you don't get it out, until you have no choice but to get it out. Not everyone have issues afterwards. The vast majority of people have no symptoms after they get them out.

Missjulesdid

ok, I am due to have my gall bladder removed on the 24th of this month after only two episodes of pain and now I am not going to after reading this thread, good good it's so not worth it!

Honestly, if you let it go, it may get worse. By the time I had mine out I was listless and pale, my enzymes were all over the place and it was an emergency surgery.

A little trouble now and then was SO WORTH the feeling of suddenly having LIFE again.

Mine's not bad. Tums or Caltrate-D (the calcium supplement) tend to keep things even (though Caltrate-D can occasionally induce the other problem). Mostly I just avoid anything too fatty.

Amen to that.... I avoided my issues for over ten years and I wound up with a life threatening GANGRENE gallbladder that was falling apart and I had to have emergency surgery with a VERY long recovery. My surgeon said it was one of the nastiest things he had ever seen.

I had mine out maybe seven years ago. I still get sudden explosive episodes but it's getting better with time. I use quite a bit of olive oil and like to eat nuts and red meat and these don't seem to cause problems, but the oils in fried foods send me running. Fine by me, I really don't need to be eating those anyway.... TMI ALERT... For about a year after my surgery I would just dump the whole meal pretty much undigested within an hour of eating anything oily.. the oil would just float on the top of the toilet. GROSS. That does not happen anymore.

pickenslmc

I had my gallbladder out in 1997, until recently I had the same problem. I had always assumed it was greasy foods, red meat, etc... Now I find that my problem was more likely related to bread, sugar, and highly processed foods. I eat a diet pretty high in fat and no longer have these problems, as long as the fat isn't paired with sugar or bready stuff.

tauny78

Okay, just for the sake of those who are scared to get your GB out; I had mine out 2 1/2 years ago. I had major issues for the 1st month, but since then I've done pretty well. Occasionally I have issues, and I have pains and have to rush to the bathroom, but not very often anymore. Since I've started eating healthier, I've only had 1 issue in 2 months. And the problems I've had are NOTHING compared to the pain I had before I had mine out. I had a somewhat emergency surgery...the doc said well, you can have it out now or next week, but it's coming out and soon! So, I don't recommend NOT having it out. Not everyone has such bad issues afterward. I've learned how to eat now to keep my body happier. So good luck to everyone who is having issues, I do feel for you and understand after that first month or so (and every so often now) and good luck to those of you who are needing yours out!

Thriceshy

I had mine out in the bad ol' days--must have been 1981 or 1982. And I've had what I've long thought was an IBS-type problem ever since. Sometimes just a couple normal, nice movements a day, but more often miserable days of 7-8 a day, poorly formed and purely acidic in nature. Hadn't even thought to link it to the lack of a gallbladder. It's usually better these days, and I'm assuming that's the lower fat/higher fiber diet. I certainly feel better!

Edited to say that this isn't an "elective" surgery in that sense of the word. You block that duct with a stone and you could find yourself in serious trouble--much worse than having to watch your fat intake so you don't spend the day in the bathroom.

Kris

dkb228

DO NOT CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT! I had my gall bladder removed in October 2010, 5 weeks after having my daughter. I had been having attacks on and off for 2 weeks when the pain got so bad that I couldn't breastfeed my daughter (the pain was affecting my supply and even the weight of my tiny 6 lb baby on my stomach made me want to die). According to my surgeon, my gallbladder was the worst looking one she had ever seen in person. And that was only 2 weeks of attacks. So do not go against medical advice just so you can eat greasy foods. It isn't worth it.

I still have some issues on and off with diarrhea. Usually only if I drink coffee with a greasy breakfast. So I just don't combine coffee and grease. But overall, my digestion isn't significantly different. And I'm just so glad that I will never go through that pain again. Because take it from the girl who gave birth not long before having her cholecystectomy - I preferred labor, and I labored without pain meds, on pitocin, for 10 hours before getting an epiural.

Thriceshy

DO NOT CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT! I had my gall bladder removed in October 2010, 5 weeks after having my daughter. I had been having attacks on and off for 2 weeks when the pain got so bad that I couldn't breastfeed my daughter (the pain was affecting my supply and even the weight of my tiny 6 lb baby on my stomach made me want to die). According to my surgeon, my gallbladder was the worst looking one she had ever seen in person. And that was only 2 weeks of attacks. So do not go against medical advice just so you can eat greasy foods. It isn't worth it.

I still have some issues on and off with diarrhea. Usually only if I drink coffee with a greasy breakfast. So I just don't combine coffee and grease. But overall, my digestion isn't significantly different. And I'm just so glad that I will never go through that pain again. Because take it from the girl who gave birth not long before having her cholecystectomy - I preferred labor, and I labored without pain meds, on pitocin, for 10 hours before getting an epiural.

I'm reminded of my doctor, way back when, who said, "If you can do this, you can do labor--no problem" He was right--almost 20 years later I did over two days of labor, the last few hours on pitocin, with no meds.

And 10 hours on pitocin? Ouch.

Kris

NOLA_Meg

ok, I am due to have my gall bladder removed on the 24th of this month after only two episodes of pain and now I am not going to after reading this thread, good good it's so not worth it!

Honestly, if you let it go, it may get worse. By the time I had mine out I was listless and pale, my enzymes were all over the place and it was an emergency surgery.

A little trouble now and then was SO WORTH the feeling of suddenly having LIFE again.

Mine's not bad. Tums or Caltrate-D (the calcium supplement) tend to keep things even (though Caltrate-D can occasionally induce the other problem). Mostly I just avoid anything too fatty.

Exactly, if you let it go and not have it out you will encounter far worse pain and symptoms than the occasional side effects after surgery. My doctor said that the first weeks were key in avoiding "dumping syndrome" where if you ate better those first weeks you could avoid some of these severe symptoms

taco_tap

Okay, so... I saw only one mention of this. I call them "ghost pains" it feels like an attack. I dont get them as much as I did when I had a gall bladder. Also, I didnt have stones, I had sludge... Are ghost pains common for you? Anyone have sludge instead of stones?

shelleyfi

Okay, so... I saw only one mention of this. I call them "ghost pains" it feels like an attack. I dont get them as much as I did when I had a gall bladder. Also, I didnt have stones, I had sludge... Are ghost pains common for you? Anyone have sludge instead of stones?

I also had sludge, or mush as my family dr told me. As for the ghost pains that I used to get, my dr informed me that will happen when doing a high protein diet (I was on atkins at the time) as without my gallbladder, by body had trouble with the food, therefore causing lots of "ghost" pain. So now I just do a low fat diet and keep my proteins down

taco_tap

protein causes it? Thats really good to know! Thank you. I never really associated it with anything because I am a protein fanatic. I have never considered lowering it. The ghost pains arent near as frequent as they used to be though. Maybe two or three times a year. thanks for the info!!