No Gallbladder - Now what??

I had my gallbladder removed over 10 years ago. The first few days after surgery were very painful, but after that I healed pretty quickly. I did feel the effects of the anesthesia for a few weeks, but that probably varies from person to person.

As to what to eat, it seems like it really varies from person to person. I have several friends/family members that have had their gallbladder removed, and it seems that all of them are different. Some have had to change their diets and others haven't. Personally, I've found that I can no longer tolerate red meat or fried foods. I can eat them every now and then, but I have to really limit myself. I can't eat bacon or sausage at all without having a lot of pain afterwards. I've switched to mostly chicken, fish, and turkey for my meats.

I had mine out 4 years ago, i now have 4 lovely scars to prove it. :0
I had a lot of pain after it was taken out, but after a few months all pain was gone and i was back to normal.
After a while the top of my tummy would bloat up esp after eating certain foods like bacon and eggs (which i love)
I have heard of people not being able to tolerate alcohol any longer.
I now have to take a tablet everyday because it has given me another problem. lol
Just hang in there and im sure you will be back to normal soon.

http://www.steadyhealth.com/AFTER_EFFECTS_OF_GALLBLADDER_REMOVAL_t81213.html

I had mine removed when I was 21 and after a week or two everything was fine.

Beforehand, I read a lot about how people could not eat a lot of things after they got their gallblader removed and I was anxious. However, nothing that drastic happened in my case. The only thing is that if I eat A LOT of fatty food (like a whole bag of crisps or a ton deep fried food) I get a weird feeling in my stomach. Oh, and I have to burp (and fart, depending on the amount ) when I eat too much fat. But that's really just an issue if I eat an amount of fat that should make you sick anyway.

I wouldn't worry too much and just see how it goes, usually your body is telling you what you should eat and what you should not. I was told at a check up later that you should not necessarily eat salads and cabbages the first few days after surgery but I didn't know that and was craving a nice fresh salad, had it and nothing happened. I guess everybody is different.

Honestly, the worst thing was the air that got stuck in my belly for about three days. I don't know what procedure they use in your hospital but where I went they basically pumped air in your belly to be able to do the surgery by just cutting three small holes into your belly, leading to really tiny scars. After the surgery there is some air "stuck" there and it is annoying because I could feel my innards juggling around when I moved. Not a nice feeling but not very painfull or really horrible either and it just comes out "naturally" within a few days.

Hey everyone -

I had my gallbladder removed in emergency surgery over the weekend due to having a gallstone lodged in the duct causing a blockage and inflammation of the gallbladder (needless to say it was very very painful).

I only know one person who's had this surgery and they are 3 times my age and overweight so not sure I should be following what she is telling me.

My questions are:
1. How long did it take you to recover fully from the surgery? -- I'm up and moving around but still not 100%.
2. Did you have to make any permanent diet changes?
3. Are there temporary diet changes I should be doing?? - My doc only said no dairy and low fat foods, but nothing beyond that -- not even for how long.

Any and all information would be appreciated! For some reason there's not a lot I've found on the web, even though this is a common surgery now-a-days.

Thanks!

I totally understand what you went through - I had mine out 2 years ago and it was so painful!

1. It took me about 2 weeks to fully recover. I went to work part-time in the second week, but was VERY uncomfortable from the air that was still inside post-op.
2. I had to significantly cut back on fatty foods for about a year before my body could process them. That said, I still really try to limit my fat intake because the side effects can be unpleasant. Basically, eating really fatty foods post-gallbladder surgery means that your liver has to work harder to digest it, and a lot of the fat won't get digested, leading to some gross issues.
3. In the short term I added Benefiber to my morning water bottle so I could get my digestive system back on track quickly. My body had a hard time adjusting and having the Benefiber every morning helped get me regular. (I'm sorry if that's TMI!)


I hope you feel better soon!

I've had my gal badder out for a while now. I would suggest you get your daily requirements of fiber and eat low fat. Eating high fat can cause a little 'tummy trouble' but that is usually only one trip to the bathroom. Fiber will reduce that tremendously.

1. i recovered in about 3 days actually... was pretty sore but thats all
2. nope, i ate what i wanted to and never got sick
3. ill agree with your doctor on this.. stick to that for a month and slowly re-introduce your normal foods

Yeah, pretty much what others have said. I had mine out at 19 and the only real issue I had was when I ate something greasy and unhealthy, like Big Macs and the like. If I do this, I have to be pretty close to a bathroom or something bad might happen. But since I'm not eating fast food anymore I've had very limited problems. XD

Also, post-surgery, it took me a couple days of healing and being sore, then I was good to go.

Was back to work in 2 weeks (physical job).

Watched my fat for a couple months.

Then I realized that for me nothing was different at all. I eat everything I did before.

My surgery was laparoscopic. Could make a difference in recovery time.

I was doing well (no pain) after three days. I was a little "tender"in the abdominal area for about 6 months (no sit-ups, lol). It has been 1 1/2 years and I still enjoy my red wine and can pretty much eat whatever I want. No issues. Go on and enjoy life!

I had this done a couple of years ago. I was back to normal in a couple of weeks. I have a desk job and worked mostly from my home office so that helped.

Edited - no real diet changes.

I had mine taken out a month ago as well. I had stones for about three years prior to eating it taken out. It only took me about 5 days to heal, two weeks to be completely fine. The surgery was a wake up call for me, to get my gallbladder out at 21, really showed me how poor my eating habits are. Gallstones are usually caused by a high fat, high cholesterol, low fiber diet. They can also be caused by yoyo dieting, rapid weight loss, and weight gain. I am now so determined to eat high fiber, balanced diet.
Not sure if your doctor told you, but your gallbladder holds the bile that your liver creates while breaking down whatever you put in your body. Now that the gallbladder is gone, eating fatty foods or highly processed foods that put more pressure on your liver, may cause nausea, diarrhea, etc. Excessive bile simply has no where to go, so it goes right through you! Since the surgery, I have stayed away from many fried foods. However, I did have a small amount of french fries, and did not have any problems. It varies for each person. Take this as a wake-up call to reevaluate your eating habits. For some gallstones is genetic, but for many it is because of poor eating habits and extra weight.

I know a ridiculous amount about gallstones and the gallbladder if anyone has any questions!

OK, what do you know about overactive gallbladder? I recently had a HIDA scan at 80% what causes the gallbladder to produce so much bile?

I had mine removed June 14th of this year.

I was back in school and work a week later but I was walking around and going places a couple days after (which wasn't the best idea)

At first I had issues with heavy and fatty foods. (It's embarrassing but it gave me the runs)

However, now I am okay. Sometimes when I eat heavily my stomach gets upset but for the most part I don't really feel any different.

But, I have been sticking to eating healthier because they found fat in my liver while they were giving me an ultrasound for gallstones but that has nothing to do with the lack of a gallbladder.

My doctor told me that I didn't need to change my diet after the surgery. However, I'm sure it's different for everyone.

I hope you have a nice and speedy recovery.

I had mine removed with laparoscopic surgery in 2001. My gall bladder was removed on Sunday evening, and I went home Monday afternoon. I had an entire week off from work, but I was up and moving around by Tuesday. It helped that I made myself walk a lot at the hospital and around the house. I just made sure to hug my belly whenever I coughed, sneezed, or rolled over in bed. I was still exhausted, though. I did go out with friends that weekend, and I felt just fine. So I'd say it took me five days to recover completely.

I ate mostly soup and other light foods the first few days and then gradually re-introduced heavier foods. I still have issues with some dairy and most fatty food, especially restaurant food. Almost every time I eat in a restaurant, I have to go to the bathroom within a half-hour because of the oils/butter they use when cooking. It's a lot like being lactose intolerant - gas, bloating, and diarrhea. If I don't know if I'll be near a bathroom after eating, I try to pick foods that are baked and/or lowfat. It kind of sucks, but you get used to it, and it's not like it lasts all day (unless you gorge yourself on fatty food).

It took me about 3 weeks before I was back to normal eating wise, a little longer before my incisions heeled... I don't remember a whole lot anymore, I was 17 when I had it done (12 years ago now). My attacks were brought on by red meat (if it's not cooked well done) and rich, creamy cheeses so I still try to avoid those to avoid having a stomach ache (liver working overtime to compensate for the missing bile stores) or going the other way with the touch of IBS and have to use the restroom right after eating.

You'll figure out what foods may or may not give problems but for the most part shouldn't have any issues, keeping a healthy diet should be the best thing regardless. Good luck with the recovery.

I had my gallbladder out in January of this year. I have been fine ever since as far as my diet was concerned. It took me about 4 weeks to feel 100% better. I was unable to sit or stand for long periods of time for the first three weeks or so, it was miserable. I did find that wearing very supportive underwear, the corset type that come up to just below your breasts worked really well, this helped with the pain and pressure from the internal swelling from the surgery.

However, my husband who had to have his out in February of this year, yes I think he wanted to copy me...lol; he has had nothing but problems. He has had to stick to a low-fat diet in order to avoid making countless trips to the bathroom after every single meal.

After his surgery he tried every type of low-carb, gluten free, no-dairy, diet that you can think of. After ruling out everything one step at a time he found that it was fatty foods that would cause him grief.

Hang in there....everybody's body heals differently!