gallbladder removal and fat digestion

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Last November, I had my gallbladder removed. Now, I have a problem digesting fat. Food will either sit in my stomach for hours until I get sick or it moves through me too quickly. I have tried many diets and paleo seems to be the only one that makes me feel healthy and energetic, but my digestion is a mess. I have tried digestive enzymes, but they only help a little. Does anyone else have this problem or know someone who has dealt with this? I am at my wits end. Thanks in advance.

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  • Tanja_CHH
    Tanja_CHH Posts: 216 Member
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    Ive had my gallbladder out as well and since then Ive been pretty much fat free so the switch to paleo was very big. In the start everything went right through me, then it got slightly better, some days it would go back to being bad, but now after 20 days it seems like its normal more than its messed up, yet I can still sometimes have slightly nausua if Ive ate particular fatty, but Im hoping all this will get better with time, as my stomach actually feels better now than before I went paleo, despite eating big amounts of fat and taking no supplements. So I would say try to just experiment, notice what foods does cause reactions and try to eliminate them to see if its maybe an intolerance and just mix things up, keep logs and notice if you start seeing changes for the better :)
  • justaspoonfulofsugar
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    I'm not sure if you can take digestive enzymes but they have been a life saver for me.Also understanding what foods make you feel awful(for me it's almost all pork)and not eating them.It's trial and error but you will get there in the end.
  • lacyangelica
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    @charlzi: It gives me some serious hope to know that you feel better after just a few weeks.

    @anjelevil: Enzymes help, but they don't fix all of my digestive woes. They do help a little, though.

    I've been good about logging what I have been eating, so I can go through and try to figure out what the worst culprits are.

    Thank you both for responding. It makes me feel a lot better knowing that this will most likely get better.
  • skwidlund
    skwidlund Posts: 117 Member
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    Stacy from the Paleo Parents has written quite a bit about this (paleoparents.com). This one in particular turned on a lot of light bulbs for me: http://paleoparents.com/featured/how-to-enjoy-bacon-without-a-gallbladder/. There are a few other posts if you dig around, and lots of links off of this podcast: http://paleoparents.com/featured/tpv-podcast-episode-16-the-gallbladder-show/

    I had mine out 14 years ago and can now eat fats (coconut oil, grassfed butter, avocados) without problem if I keep my carbs a little bit higher. Oils, however, go straight through me in a rather nasty manner. I've been following my paleo framework for almost 18 months now, and it's the best I've ever felt...and I just keep feeling better!
  • Tanja_CHH
    Tanja_CHH Posts: 216 Member
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    I'm not sure if you can take digestive enzymes but they have been a life saver for me.Also understanding what foods make you feel awful(for me it's almost all pork)and not eating them.It's trial and error but you will get there in the end.

    These digestive enzymes you take, did you go to your doctor and they prescribed them to you? Im not personally taking anything and I dont suffer from any direct pain, however my food tends to not digest as it did before my gallstones, even though it has become better eating following the Paleo Principles :)
  • babymaddux
    babymaddux Posts: 209 Member
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    i'd be interested to know how things progress for you. i have gallstones that affect me maybe once or twice a month (TOTM usually) so at the moment i'm not too concerned. but if things do get worse, i'd like to know what i should be prepared for.
  • justaspoonfulofsugar
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    for me,I was noticing I was having a really bad problem digesting a few things..they can be bought in your local health food store and can either be plant based enzymes or ones that have animal enzymes.
    I have been taking them now for about 3 months and I have noticed a significant difference.