Bye-bye gallbladder, bye-bye salad?!

sdgreen17

Ok, so this is kind of gross, but here goes. I had my gallbladder removed a little less than a year ago. My doctor told me that it would take my stomach about a year to adjust, so I might have some "issues" for a while, especially if I eat fatty foods. Totally true, if I eat too much fat, I find myself in the restroom pretty soon thereafter.

The problem is that now my stomach is starting to calm down, (and I have learned to stay away from the fatty foods anyway) but now I am having problems with other foods, like salad! Lettuce, leafy greens, things like that. WTH?!

For all you others on here who have had your gallbladders removed...first, does this get better as time goes on? Second, what do you eat in place of leafy greens? I rely pretty heavily on salads for filler...but pay for it later. Am I doomed to carry a bottle of Kaopectate in my purse forever?

mirandag26

i've had my gallbladder out for almost 6 years and lettuce still makes me run for the restroom i'd love to say yes it gets better but no it dosn't but then again everyone is different...

Niibin

I'm 21, I had my gallbladder removed last summer, and I can agree that it does affect people differently. I say this because I eat salad with the clear dressings and I don't have any problems with it, such as needing the restroom afterwards. I hope it does get better for you :-)

HulaCoop

Hey I had my gallbladder removed when i was 16! And i still eat salad! I love it, what i found was if i ate something FIRST like bread or pasta or soemthing filling and THEN ate the salad it didnt trouble me as much! It took me a while to figure out how to eat again after losnig the gall bladder but now i eat SO freaking healthy people make fun of me but, i am SO thankful for it now because i have never felt better!

Let me know if you have any more questions i would love to share my expierience with you so you can avoid having to go through a lot of discomfort!

lulabellewoowoo

My problem was the opposite. I couldn't go to the bathroom. I had to cut out all processed foods and actually eat alot of salads and high fiber things to get that problem cleared up. But sometimes if lettuce is just about to turn bad, it can have that effect on you. Take everything in the salad, and through the next couple of weeks, try each item one by one. Maybe it's not the whole salad, but just one item in particular. By the way, if it is lettuce, you can make really yummy salads with peppers, tomatoes, olive oil, and maybe a little vinegar, seasoning, and other vegetables that are really yummy. Feel better soon.

catherine1979

It will get better with time, yes. I do find that for me, more than a year later, I fare much better with greens that have been steamed than fresh.

shannonbear03

its been 7 years since my gallbladder surgery and I still cannot eat lettuce without rushing to the restroom. I can now tolerate a small amount (like removing most from a homemade taco pizza), but still cannot eat a salad... and now spinach is my enemy as well..... I use shredded broccoli slaw for a salad instead... works well!

AlexisJ330

Had mine out in 2008. I have no problems with food now. I guess it just depends on the individual.

RunHardBeStrong

I had mine out a little over a year ago and have had no issues with lettuce. My friend had hers out 4 years ago and still has issues with lettuce. IDK if it'll get better for you or not, hopefully it does but everyone reacts differently.

AleciaG724

I guess everyone is quite different! I had mine removed 11 years ago & the only thing I've noticed is softer & more frequent BM's. My Dr. warned me to reduce my cholesterol and fatty foods do have the same affect as you mentioned. I've had no problem with leafy greens in fact I'm vegetarian for over 3 years now & eat salads almost every day. I'm sorry you're having trouble. I'd talk to your Dr or a dietician or nutritionist.

alasin1derland

I had mine out many years ago. Nobody told me to expect any issues with food. Leafy greens have been a staple for me forever, spinach, lettuce, most recently kale, all the veggies that go in the salad. What I have trouble with is refined sugar and deep fried foods but that was not new with the gall bladder issues, I had issues with both my whole life.

tlbrown3171

My daughter had her gallbladder taken out November 21, 2012, and here lately she has been having a lot of issues with dry-heaving and sometimes she throws up and sometimes she doesn't. Today she calls and said she was nauseous. I asked her what she ate and she responded salad. She claims that is not what is making her sick but I distinctly remember the doctor saying the body cannot process salad very easily. My question is I read all of the below and the issues seems to be loose bm's for everyone - does anyone have the dry heaving my daughter is having?

mreeves261

Your doc should have told you it could take 5 years for your body to adjust and there may be somethings you NEVER adjust to. I had mine out in 2009 and for the first 3 years had issues no matter what I ate. It wasn't until the last couple years where I feel comfortable eating what I want with little to no issues.

As far as salad goes specifically, it was an issue before. My dad called it the "salad shooter," anyone old enough will get the reference.

KnitOrMiss

I know this thread is old, but with raw greens, I have what i call "auto-dumping." Within 30 minutes of salad, I feel like I have food poisoning, except I don't throw up.

I have however learned that I must use digestive enzymes containing bile salts with each meal.

I had my gallbladder out in December of 2000.

I went low carb per Endocrinologist in 2015.

In 2016, I developed a severe reaction to raw greens. Oh, and the "healthier" the greens, the worst the reaction. Spring mix, I'm toast. Romaine/spinach are tossing the dice. Iceberg, I stand a chance, etc.

Within a few months, I started supplements, and it was life changing.


I'm now beginning to wonder, though, if even the gallbladderless can improve digestion. I've started having the auto-eject level of forceful diarrhea again, and research suggests that it might be too much digestive enzymes. With is crazy, because I already had to stop taking apple cider vinegar, as it began triggering an esophogeal reflux reaction that resembled an anxiety/asthma attack.

I'm so frustrated. People treat me like I'm crazy, and the only foods that mitigate it at all are ones that make me have blood sugar/energy issues and weight gain...

Ready to give up. Again. The only thing that ever helped might now be the enemy? How do y'all survive the stress? And the burned backsides???

TWRUNNER32

I had mine out at 19, and I’m about to turn 36. I remember before i had it removed, i had about a ten min window between eating greasy food and needing to find a bathroom.

It probably continued that way for a few years, but now, unless i make a seriously bad food choice, i eat pretty normally. I personally don’t have any problems with specific foods but i know that I’m lucky in this respect.

However, i do think that some people just have trouble with salad. I don’t know if it’s Bc our bodies have problems breaking down cellulose or simply Bc they go from fast food to pure roughage and aren’t used to the amount of fiber they’re now ingesting.

TWRUNNER32

mreeves261 wrote: »

As far as salad goes specifically, it was an issue before. My dad called it the "salad shooter," anyone old enough will get the reference.

Oh god, i didn’t even realize this was an old thread when i answered above, but i read this and laughed my *kitten* off.

breezyb26

I was in rough shape for a few years after I had my gallbladder out and finally got to the point where I need to take a prescription every day which I probably will do for the rest of my life. But now for the most part I can eat anything!

jefamer2017

Mine has been out for 12 years. I can't eat spicy food anymore. I have never had a problem with salads though. They actually make me feel better. I read about ox bile a few weeks ago. Maybe talk to your doctor about that. It is supposed to help aid in digestion for those of us without gallbladders.

dicrag

Hi all , I had my gall bladder out when I had a liver recection 6 weeks ago ! I’m fine eating anything so im happy after reading all the posts ! I wasn’t given any info or guidance on foods to have / avoid x

JMcGee2018

My mom had her gallbladder removed 20 years ago and can eat anything. Fats, sweets, leafy greens, none of it adversely affects her. It might have when she first got it out (no idea, I was very young), but it definitely doesn't now so for her at least it got better.

stevekirby1

I had my Gullbladder out about 2 months ago, the attack I had was the worse pain I have ever had. I know someone I work with who let me know everything that he can no longer eat, I also went on You Tube and watched videos of people talking about what they cannot eat. I decided to try everything that these people say they can no longer eat, I have had no problems with salad, no problems with meat, no problems with creamy gravies, no problems with spicy food, I love Mexican food and I can still eat all of it, with everything on the dish, like Pico, Sour Cream, Guac, the whole 9 yards no problem, I love a good Italian Beef loaded with Cheese, Hot and Sweet Peppers and Au Jus, I had a few of those, no problem. I thought I was in the clear, it was like I still had my Gullbladder until I ate my third Italian Beef, the next morning at work I had an attack like the one I had when I had to rush to the hospital and have the bladder removed, the pain was just as bad but it would come and go and it lasted about 8 hours, the pain came and went about 10 times until it made me spill my cookies, I did not have to rush to the bathroom like some people are saying. As I said no rushing to the restroom for me, just that episode of pain like I still had my bladder, people are saying they have to rush to the restroom but I have not read where people are saying if they are having severe pain, after that episode, I'm scared now to eat another Italian Beef, even when I had 2 before the attack that did nothing to me, but the third one did me in and it makes me wonder will it happen again, it is the only food so far that has made me hurt.

sivyaleah

I had mine out about IDK, 15-20 years ago something like that. The only food that I had trouble with was nuts of all kinds. Found all of them very difficult to digest so I avoided them for many years. I can eat them now but I limit the amounts. I find even almond milk is an issue, does not sit well with me at all.

Never had a problem with any other foods, certainly not green leafy foods. Like others mentioned, everyone is different but typically it's high fat foods which are the problems.

kingscrown

Had mine out about 8 years ago. Fatty foods make my side hurt pretty bad. Recently per a doctor I’m taking Ox Bile with every meal. It’s a capsuleq and I’m feeling relief. No side pinch. No rushing to restroom an hour later. I’m also taking probiotics.

AmyC2288

I had mine out several years ago- I remember in the first few months afterwards I did have trouble with fatty and greasy food- but that faded away and I've never had any additional issues! I think this just depends on the person! There are supplements out that there that may help, but I've never really looked into them.

cheryldumais

I had mine out years ago and eat all types of lettuce with no problems but my sister had trouble with iceberg lettuce and not romaine. Maybe try some different types and see if that helps. Also I love shredded cabbage which might work as a substitute for you. Good luck.

Jendoeshair07

I just recently had mine removed in Nov 2018. I am still learning what bothers me and what doesn't. I haven't ate a salad yet because I've been told by others that had their removed to be careful. I have however ate things like sandwiches that had lettuce on them and it was a bad idea. I'm not sure if it was the lettuce or what but I'm blaming the lettuce. And as of recently coffee! I have always been a huge coffee drinker. I'm going to get ox bile to try and see if it helps with anything!

twdlove89

I had my gallbladder removed about 2 years ago, it was badly infected and now I suffer from acid reflux and bloating very easily.
If I have too much bacon in a day OMG I think I’m dying.
I’ve been taking digestive tablets to help with not having a gallbladder. I take one tablet with a small meal but if it’s a takeaway or a heavy meal or if I want bacon twice in one day 😂 I have like 2-3. Usually helps

scherylboughton

I have had mine out since October 2000, thus far I seem to fair well with everything I eat but every once in awhile if I eat something that I shouldn't my stomach burns and is painful- I will say that I sometimes have trouble with lettuce or leafy greens and spicy foods or rather spices in general such as, Ginger, Cinnamon and Oregano but none of it makes me run to the bathroom after consumption. Lord I will never forget the pain that the gallbladder caused....I was literally laying on the emergency room floor.

shaumom

Done a fair bit or research on this for personal reasons, but not an expert. But from what I've learned so far...

...gall bladder deals with fat digestion, so anything with fats can (but might not be) an issues. Meats, dairy with any fat remaining, nuts, oils, avocado, etc... Or things WITH fats, like salad dressings, breads, crackers, chips, and so on. I know a few folks who went nearly no-fat vegan before they finally felt better.

...that said, it does not deal with other kinds of foods, typically, to my knowledge. So if there ARE other food issues, it is very unlikely to be issues from the gall bladder removal.

So going back to a doctor to get some help is generally a good idea if there is problem with any foods other than fats.

For example, celiac disease causes certain nutrient deficiencies, and the gall bladder is a common organ that is damaged by it. It can also cause damage to the gut, which can make it difficult if not impossible to digest many foods, not just gluten. So someone can have a gall bladder removed because of damage from celiac disease, but if they don't get the disease diagnosed too, then they are still going to have trouble.

chynadoll828

I'm getting my gallbladder taken out in two weeks so all of this is good to read. I have had the worst attacks and I am now on a strict diet to make sure I don't have another one before my surgery. I've been thinking about what I will and will not be able to eat after it's out but it's so hard to tell since it varies a lot from person to person.

Katmary71

I had my gallbladder out 9-10 years ago. I dont recall salad being an issue, I eat a salad with spring greens every day for lunch. Fried foods, on the other hand, are a different story. Last time I had French fries I felt awful. I don't usually have fried foods so it could've been that too.

My mom has problems with milk products. She had hers out about 40 years ago.