gall bladder issues

l_daniel

Hello there....I've been on myfitness pal for about three months and I've lost 13 pounds. Sounds good, but ever since then I've been having gall bladder problems. I have no idea if the problems are related to the weight loss because the medical professionals haven't told me much. Anyway, I spent all of June and July nauseas and finally it got so bad I went to the doctor. When he told me that it might be my gall bladder (because it happens after I eat, especially if I splurge on icecream or french fries...which I almost never do) I researched gall bladder problems on line and put myself on a "gall bladder diet." Most of the nausea is gone, but I still feel "weird" after I eat. Kind of out of it. I just got the lab results for my gall bladder function today and it's at 16%, which he said is bad, but he didn't say I HAD to have my gall bladder removed, but he seemed to act like it would be the best choice.

I was just wondering if there is anybody on here who has gone through the same thing and can give me any advice, especially about gall bladder removal. Everything I read on the internet says that it could make it worse, but my doctor acted shocked when I told him that. I have an apt. with a surgeon later this week and I don't even know what kinds of questions to ask. If anyone has any similar experiences I would love to hear them and learn how to deal with this.

Thanks so much!!!!!

juliep63

are you sure it isn't gallstones? i was having problems myself and tried this cleanse. it worked wonders and i find that my system is still benefiting from it.

http://curezone.com/cleanse/liver/huldas_recipe.asp

it's not fun, but you get great results. my mother tried it and it really worked for her too. just be sure to give yourself a couple of days to recover :embarassed:

anglyn1

My gallbladder quite functioning several years ago. I had lost about 50 pounds and the problems started right after. I suffered terrible pain for two years. They kept doing ultrasounds and saying I was fine because there were no gallstones. Finally I saw a new doctor who ordered a HIDA scan. Anyway my gallbladder quit functioning and he didn't give me an option really. He just told me I needed it removed. I won't lie sometimes I am still in the same sort of pain but not nearly as frequently. So basically it's not a 100% cure but it's at least 85% better than it was. If I had the decision to make again I'd still go for removal.

guidosgal

Hi there I had my GallBladder removed about 11 years ago it can be common for women to require this surgery after having a child (I do not know why) anyway the surgery its was not to bad The attacks that I had before were awful. I found that I could still eat most of the things I could eat before. (guess thats why I ended up at this site ) The things I do have to watch is really heavy in fat items and peanut butter and onions. Other than that there was no issues with it
Pam

foxyforce

im not bashing the cleanse whatsoever

but, in the event that you do or do not

you need to eat really healthily, i don't know the details, but both my mother and my grandmother had gallstones removed, their gallbladders have issues processing fats thus should not be eating buttery, oily, fatty foods in excess, because it will just make it worse

it is really a lifestyle change

foxyforce

i dont know how credible this site is, but i think it may be helpful

http://www.gallbladderattack.com/gallbladderdiet.shtml#gallbladderdiet


http://www.buzzle.com/articles/gall-bladder-diet.html

1Sweets

I recently went on a strict version of Atkins....no carbs at all even cut out good carbs. That was my down fall. After I had my "head start" on Atkins I started counting calories & had some homemade Tacos. Well I thought I had food poisioning b/c I was sick as a dog for 14 or more hours were I couldn't stop crying really loud. My husband wanted to take me to the emergency but I couldn't even move at all!!! He brought me 1 of my pain pills for my back & that is what helped stop the pain. I thought I was going to DIE:sad: I went to my Dr. she scheduled a ultra sound & they found 3-4 stones. I asked the surgeon at my consultation if he thought the Atkins greasy protein contributed to it & he said definately. Well I did not want another surgery after just having back surgery so I opted for these pills that dissolve them so that's what I'm doing now. He said if I didn't change my diet that they would come back. So no fried or fatty foods for me. That pain was like giving birth without pain reliever. So maybe skip the french fries etc. Your surgeon should explain everything to you or you could Google it. Nothing to mess around with. My mother had hers removed & says she is fine now. But I also heard that the "bile" goes directly into your intestines instead of your stomach which is gross due to bathroom issues (I've heard). Keep the Gall bladder if you can & change your diet. :flowerforyou: But you need to do what's right for you.

twirlingangel

Hi! Well, I can tell you what my doctor told me! I had been on WW for quite a while and had lost about 30 pounds. I then went on maintenance, and I had a horrible galbladder attack. My dr. said it was because my body was so used to eating "good" food, that when I did eat something greasy, (the worst was with pizza), that my body couldn't handle the extra grease and that is what caused the gall stones. I believe it.

You will definately want to stay in contact with your doctor on whatever you chose to do, but maybe they would do an ultrasound to see if in deed you do have gall stones!

Good luck, and if you have to have it out, it really isn't that bad anymore! A lot better than the pain of the attack!

1Sweets

I recently went on a strict version of Atkins....no carbs at all even cut out good carbs. That was my down fall. After I had my "head start" on Atkins I started counting calories & had some homemade Tacos. Well I thought I had food poisioning b/c I was sick as a dog for 14 or more hours were I couldn't stop crying really loud. My husband wanted to take me to the emergency but I couldn't even move at all!!! He brought me 1 of my pain pills for my back & that is what helped stop the pain. I thought I was going to DIE:sad: I went to my Dr. she scheduled a ultra sound & they found 3-4 stones. I asked the surgeon at my consultation if he thought the Atkins greasy protein contributed to it & he said definately. Well I did not want another surgery after just having back surgery so I opted for these pills that dissolve them so that's what I'm doing now. He said if I didn't change my diet that they would come back. So no fried or fatty foods for me. That pain was like giving birth without pain reliever. So maybe skip the french fries etc. Your surgeon should explain everything to you or you could Google it. Nothing to mess around with. My mother had hers removed & says she is fine now. But I also heard that the "bile" goes directly into your intestines instead of your stomach which is gross due to bathroom issues (I've heard). Keep the Gall bladder if you can & change your diet. :flowerforyou: But you need to do what's right for you.

Oh I forgot to mention that I don't ever "throw up" well when I had this attack...I did. It was awful:sad: :sad: I can't stress enough to watch your diet & you will feel better. I'm really trying now. And thank you to "loathsome" I will check out that website she posted a little closer. Very interesting reading. I didnt' know that coffee, chocolate also contributes to gallstones. Tamara:smooched:

l_daniel

Thank you so much for the posts. It's good to hear some success stories after the removal and treatment. I had the scan and the ultra sound and I don't have stones. I know that you can disolve stones and get away with not having the gall bladder removed, I'm just unsure about options when it's not functioning perfectly without stones. I don't really even know if 16% is that bad. Like I said, my doctor didn't tell me much except to not trust the websites I've been researching, which is really all that's helped me. The website that loathsome suggested is the website that I've been referring to for my "gallbladder diet." It really has helped me a lot! I'm definitely willing to eat like this as long as I can keep my gall bladder.

Did any of you guys experience the dizziness and/or feeling out of it after eating. My "attack" symptoms are gone, except for the weird daze I'm in and I am sticking strictly to the diet.

1Sweets

Thank you so much for the posts. It's good to hear some success stories after the removal and treatment. I had the scan and the ultra sound and I don't have stones. I know that you can disolve stones and get away with not having the gall bladder removed, I'm just unsure about options when it's not functioning perfectly without stones. I don't really even know if 16% is that bad. Like I said, my doctor didn't tell me much except to not trust the websites I've been researching, which is really all that's helped me. The website that loathsome suggested is the website that I've been referring to for my "gallbladder diet." It really has helped me a lot! I'm definitely willing to eat like this as long as I can keep my gall bladder.

Did any of you guys experience the dizziness and/or feeling out of it after eating. My "attack" symptoms are gone, except for the weird daze I'm in and I am sticking strictly to the diet.

Maybe you should have more testing or see another Dr? I haven't had any dizziness but now my stomach hurts:laugh: :laugh: I ate cauliflower & that's on the websites list of No No's. Geeez we can't eat anything:sad: . That alone should bring us to the "Skinny Side" Hope your feeling better soon

Itscrunchtime

Hello there. I really believe I can answer this one with education and experience. I had severe pain after my first child was born. I only weighed 135 pounds, but like you, I was nausious and in extreme pain. I went to the doctors and they sent me to the ER to see a surgeon. I didn't feel right about having a surgery about a problem I hadn't even researched on my own. And my sister had successfully done a cleanse to rid herself of the gallbladder stones. I wasn't having stones, however, I just had a nonfunctioning gall bladder. I lost a lot of weight because I couldn't eat anything. I tried this cleanse: 1 TBSP olive oil and 1 TBSP lemon concentrate three times a day while on a complete fast for one week. I got rid of the stones I did have, but continued to have labor-intensive type of pain. After going to the ER one more time but waiting for hours and hours...I eventually discharged myself and went home once the "attack" was over. I then scheduled myself for the surgery and have been pain free for now almost 4 years. You may be able to get away with a cleansing, but really, do you want to risk your life for a gall bladder which your body can reorganize to work without? If you put your gall bladder under too much stress than it will snap just like an old rubber band...and that would be the end of everything. (sorry, not trying to be negative). I just realized the delicacy of life and don't think it's something to play around with.
Take Care and do keep talking with your doctor.

juliehiggins

You really should get it removed! This happened to me a year ago and it got so bad that no matter what I would eat I threw up and got such bad pains that I would pass out. I actually had gall stones that popped out of my gall bladder. Having the surgery was the best thing that I could have done! I do have to take a prescription heart burn/acid reflux medicine, but that is all. I have never felt so good since I got my gall bladder removed, and I am so glad that I did. It is not going to get better, trust me, until you get the gall bladder removed. You dont need your gall bladder, so why have so much pain caused by it? Plus, you will have to live on that diet forever, because anything with any fat or grease in it is going to make your gall bladder flare up and you will be in pain, and with me, the attacks would last days! Good luck!

raincloud

My gallbladder quite functioning several years ago. I had lost about 50 pounds and the problems started right after. I suffered terrible pain for two years. They kept doing ultrasounds and saying I was fine because there were no gallstones. Finally I saw a new doctor who ordered a HIDA scan. Anyway my gallbladder quit functioning and he didn't give me an option really. He just told me I needed it removed. I won't lie sometimes I am still in the same sort of pain but not nearly as frequently. So basically it's not a 100% cure but it's at least 85% better than it was. If I had the decision to make again I'd still go for removal.

Same exact thing with me. Only, after eating or drinking even water I would be in so much pain for hours, or I would throw up. I had an injection fraction with the HIDA scan and it showed my gallbladder was working at 7%. I rarely ever have any pain now that it has been removed.

BrendaLee

If you can avoid having your gallbladder removed, I would highly recommend it. Your body doesn't handle food the same way without the gallbladder. A lot of people experience chronic diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems after gallbladder sugery. Sometimes you can barely make it through a meal. Food seems to digest almost instantly. Very troublesome!

I would definitely try to ease your symtoms with diet and other measures, and consider gallbladder removal as your very last option.

BrendaLee

My gallbladder quite functioning several years ago. I had lost about 50 pounds and the problems started right after. I suffered terrible pain for two years. They kept doing ultrasounds and saying I was fine because there were no gallstones. Finally I saw a new doctor who ordered a HIDA scan. Anyway my gallbladder quit functioning and he didn't give me an option really. He just told me I needed it removed. I won't lie sometimes I am still in the same sort of pain but not nearly as frequently. So basically it's not a 100% cure but it's at least 85% better than it was. If I had the decision to make again I'd still go for removal.

That's interesting, because I had my gallbladder removed years ago, and I still have occasional attacks of pain that feel just like when I had my gallbladder attacks.

shazzlemonster

I had mine removed 2 years ago and i say good riddance to bad rubbish lol.

All jokes aside though, I'd had back pain for years which all the drs contributed to my weight, then the bad attacks started and within a month I was in hospital with a failing liver! Some stones had moved from the gall bladder and into my bile duct causing the bile to back up. I was a mess. To be fair, it would never have happened if I hadn't had such a bad diet prior to it all kicking off. Since leaving hospital i have changed my diet, I don't eat as much fat for a start, but even if I do have an off track kinda day I still don't get any pain, any bathroom problems, nothing.

When my surgeon explained what was going to happen to me, he said that the function of the gallbladder is to regulate the release of bile from the liver into the stomach, by contracting (when you have stones...there's the pain) without the gallbladder, bile is continueously released into the stomach, so short of going nuts on the fat, you shouldn't have any problems.

jlbay

I've suffered with gb issues for years. I find low fat diets make my gb stones flare. Since I've started with this site earlier this year, I've had attacks again - which I hadn't had in a while. I've noticed this, over the years, that when I go on a diet, I get the attacks again. I read that any change in the amount of fat your body consumes can affect your gb. I find this whole gb thing very frustrating. There is so much contradictory information.

I lived in the US when mine started. I was about 27 yrs old, never been pregnant, and at the time was very thin. So, the dr's didn't believe it was gallstones, and put me through weeks of awful tests. End result?? NOTHING was wrong with me except I had "sludge and particles" in my gb. Well, the surgeon didn't want to operate. He said I was too young to have gb problems, the surgery might not help, and I could have digestion problems. Of course, with my health insurance - I was stuck. Now, here I am 7 years later trying to lose weight and it is making my gb flare.

My symptoms: Horrible pain in my upper abdomen - from center of my breastbone to under right side of rib. Feels like I'm being stabbed. Can't breathe almost. I feel nauseous and often vomit. I belch lots and my stomach sometimes distends painfully. It last from 2 - 6 hours - when I'm really unlucky, longer. I've been told my symptoms are atypical (no pain in shoulder, the belching, length of attacks). However, these were the exact symptoms my grandmother had. Of course, they told her she didn't have typical symptoms either and didn't believe her until her gb actually became infected and perforated. She had to have emergency surgery.

Here in the UK - they are surprised I still have my gb and told me I have to have it out after my last all night attack. They make it sound like it is fail proof and a walk in the park here, where in the US they tried to scare me off the surgery. Still, I think I read somewhere it is one of the most common procedures. Don't know what I'll do.

AwMyLoLo

My experience with the gall bladder removal is a positive one. :flowerforyou:

My sypmtoms lasted about 1 week before I went to the dr and started tests to see if my gall bladder was bad. My symptoms were: sharp stabbing pains in my chest and back. I couldnt take full breaths. I noticed that I had lost my appetite and was losing weight. Then I woke up one day nauseous. That's when I called the doctor. He put me on a bland diet, although I didnt really need it because the only thing I would eat was raisen bran because I felt so bad. The first thing they did was bloodwork, which showed issues with my pancreas. Next they sent me for an upper and lower GI - Nothing. Then they did an ultrasound which showed absolutely nothing. From there they finally did the gall bladder scan (which I think is called the HIDA scan). This is what finally showed my gall bladder was not functioning. At this point I had lost about 15 pounds. When they removed my gall bladder they said it was worse than it even looked in the scan, they don't know how I hadn't had symptoms earlier. My gall bladder was solid scar tissue. Any way, I had it removed and of course was out of commission for a while (2 weeks). I continued on the bland diet for a while after that. I made the mistake of eating Chipotle one day probably 1.5 months after the surgery. :sick: I would say that my stomach is definitely more sensitive than it used to be before the gall bladder attack and surgery, but I haven't had the nausea or sharp pains at all. Of course, I am eating a lot better now than I used to. I would continue to see your doctors and request the Gall Bladder Scan. This is just my experience... Good luck to you.

2Shoes

I had my GB removed a year and a half ago and couldn't be more happier. I, like you, did not have gallstones. Mine just wasn't functioning, and I was in constant pain. Didn't matter what I ate ( I didn't even eat a high fatty diet to begin with). It had gone to the emergency room twice because of the pain. The pain slowing got worse. I was able to tolerate a bit but then it got to the point where I was in excruciating pain.

For the first 4 months I did have diarrhea almost INSTANTLY after each meal. I would literally have to make sure I was near a bathroom before I would start to eat. That's actually quite normal...and it's called "bile dump". If you google it, it will explain that it basically dumps the bile that your gb used to produce to help you digest your food. That was a pain in the *kitten* (pun intended), but quite honestly ...it was something I was willing to tolerate because I was no longer in the pain that I was in.

I very rarely get bile dump any more. Maybe once every couple of months, and it usually has to do with msg that I may have eaten. I try to avoid msg, but sometimes restaurants sneak it in their food. I would say, that it was the best decision that I made in removing my gb. I no longer stress about every morsel that I put in my mouth. I never got any more pain after...but occasionally feel a "twinge" where it used to be.

Hope you get the relief you deserve!!

cydonia1978

How interesting that I was thinking about searching for "gall bladder issues" on this forum today and found this very active thread on the topic!

Let me jump in with my story. In 2001 my gall bladder "burst". I couldn't tell you exactly how or when. I started having the extreme pain attacks that others have described here. One attack, after eating a particularly greasy fast-food burger, I really thought I might be dying. I nearly passed out from the pain. Prior to that attack I had seen a clinic doctor and he had tried to pass the attacks off as irritable bowel syndrome or a urinary tract infection. After the big attack, my family doctor sent me for an ultrasound. They discovered my gall bladder was "burst", as they put it. Non-functional. There was no stones and no saving it.

Not too long after that it was removed. My doctor, who was otherwise very helpful and good, only told me I'd have to "watch my fat intake" and that there shouldn't be anything else to worry about.

Unfortunately, he was wrong there.. I'm one of those who have struggled ever since it was removed. The pain is completely gone, but there are other issues.

About three years after it was removed I started to have symptoms that I thought was lactose intollerance. In the end, it was actually a "fat" intollerance. I had thought I was doing okay with "watching my fat intake" but there's surprisingly a ton of fat in many types of food. Up until this year it had gotten so bad that it didn't seem to matter what I ate, fat content or lactose or what. It seemed to come in a rotation, for a week or two I was fine and then I'd have about a week where no matter what I ate, I ended up feeling sick and having diarhea.

I didn't know about a "gall bladder" diet. I cut down as much as I could on fat and don't eat fast food burgers (some chicken burgers or veggie burgers seem to be fine, depending on where they're from). I don't eat beef or red meat in general. I used to have a bit sometimes, but not any more. My body hates it.

This year I haven't had the cycle of problems for a week. Now, it seems to be somewhat random. Sometimes after I eat I'm almost immediately not well. Most of the time I'm fine.

The other side-effect has been that my body doesn't process fat very well at all. That whole mechanism where the bile goes straight into the liver or whatever doesn't seem to help me much. I have gained nearly 50lbs over the past four years. Although that was also due to poor exercise habits and eating habits in general, but some of it is related to the missing gall bladder. I've read that for some people this is common. Others go the other way after a removal, losing a lot of weight instead.

I'm going to research this "gall bladder diet" and see if that, combined with this site, will help me lose the weight I need to be healthier and keep my attacks away.

Maybe there should be a "gall bladder support group"? LOL!

*Update*
Just read the info at http://www.gallbladderattack.com/ and it's quite interesting. Apparently I'm the type of post-surgery person who has the "dumping" problem - my liver creates too much bile for my body and "dumps" it almost immediately after eating (sometimes). And apparently this is one of the hardest side effects to manage. Yay.


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FireMonkey

There is a definite link between weight loss and gall bladder stones. This article explains it as well as any other I've seen: http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/gallstones.htm#weightloss

I had the same problem and had my gall bladder removed. My experience was totally positive. I had the laparoscopic surgery and was back at work within 2 weeks. The bile helps break down the fat in our diet. The gall bladder simply stores the bile until it's needed and then contracts to squirt the bile into the duodenum where a lot of digestion takes place. So yes, if you don't have a gall bladder you would probably feel sick after eating a big greasy meal. I don't like big greasy meals so this is no worry for me.

I'm not convinced that a cleanse can get rid of gall stones; it would depend how big they are etc. If you have gall stones and eat anything fatty, even "good" fats like olive oil, there is a chance that a stone could get stuck in the bile duct and cause a painful attack. Worst case scenario, in quite a few people the ducts from the gall bladder and the pancreas come together to form a common duct. If a stone gets stuck there, it also blocks the digestive enzymes from the pancreas which could lead to pancreatitis and possibly permanent damage of the pancreas. Not good. And even if you can get rid of gall stones this way, there's no guarantee that more couldn't be formed.

Of course it's everybody's personal choice what they want to do. My only recommendation would be to work with your doctor; get a second opinion if you aren't sure and make sure your information comes from scientific, evidence-based sources.

anglyn1

My doctor told me if your gallbladder is functioning at less than 30% on the HIDA scan that it needs to be removed.

I agree you do need to watch fats because of the dumping problem. I've had issues where it backs up into my stomach and caused gastritis.

ilike2moveit

I had a gallbladder attack-it felt like labor- and I didn't know what it was. I was sick for a week and finally went to the dr. My symptoms were hard to describe and I wondered if I should even be at the dr's. I was nauseous, constipated feeling, and felt like something was wrong, but it was hard to explain. The dr. almost sent me home and then ordered a sono-gram. They found a golf-size gallstone and I had surgery the next day. The surgeon said that gangrene had set in and I was fortunate that I went to the dr when I did. I was eating healthy and a normal weight and I exercised. I asked him what I did to get gallstones and he said, "It's either genetics, or bad luck." There are a lot of people in my family who have had gallstones and their gallbladder removed. I haven't had any problems after surgery. Hope this helps.

Itscrunchtime

Really, the gall bladder removal is a very simple procedure. It's about 45 minutes and I recovered very well.