Getting gallbladder removed today....

I don't have advice for you...I just wanted to wish you all the best. Get well soon! :flowerforyou:

ETA - post-surgery diet is probably something you should discuss with your doctor. For some people, this is pretty severe and requires a hard core change in diet. Some change their diet to avoid overloading their bodies because the gallbladder isn't there to do its thing. For others - most, it seems, but I'm not a doctor - they can slowly return to a normal diet.

I had mine removed in 2008. The only time I have any problems is if I eat something that has a lot of oil/grease in it or if I eat nuts. I can eat creamy peanut butter, but nothing with crumbled or whole nuts. I also can't eat popcorn. Some people find that they can no longer eat corn, beans, tomatoes, or other things with seeds or tough skins. Everyone is a little different. However, most people I know don't have to change their diet very much at all, except for the during the month after surgery.

Also, your doctors may neglect to mention some things involving pain and the area where your gallbladder once was. Some people never experience any of these things, but here are some problems that I have had.

1. "Phantom" pain for about a year after surgery. Not the entire "gall attack" kind of pain, but the ache you'd get beforehand. I would experience it off and on, a pain in the precise spot my gallbladder had been. In fact, I'm having it right now just from discussing this! xD It's all a mental suggestion.
2. Pain in that area when sneezing or coughing. This can be said after a lot of abdominal surgeries. Scar tissue forms and gets pulled when you sneeze or cough and it can be excruciating for half a second.
3. Pain when twisting too far left or right. Again, this has to do scar tissue forming and being connected to moving muscles.

None of these pains ever had me doubled over or crying, or even worried, so if you experience something worse than that post-op, be sure to call your doctor. Are you have a laparoscopic procedure? Those are the easiest to recover from.

ETA: I still eat fast food. I still eat bacon. Everyone is different, some people have to swear off the stuff forever. You'll have to experiment carefully when you feel better.

"dumping syndrome".

I like that phrase! :laugh: Sounds much less gross than some of the others.

Oh! There is one exercise I know you can do post-op. Walk! My doctor told me to get up and walking as soon as I was able, especially to help with the excess gas you'll have from being opened up. The day of my surgery I slept the entire day and night, but the following morning, I was walking around the hospital hallways. Very slowly and carefully, though. You'll be tired for a week or so afterwards, but you should walk around the house when you get home. Just don't tired yourself too much.

6 weeks?? I had mine out in 2006 and was back to work in one week, back to exercise in about 2-3. I had it done laproscopically, though. What a difference that makes!

I just feel sick if I eat greasy food, or too rich. That should be limited regardless, but that sick feeling really makes me think about something before I eat it. Is it worth it, yes or no.

Mine was taken some 8-9 years ago.
I was never told I needed more protein than usual.
I can eat what ever, I even eat bacon.
I was told I should avoid fat food and I did to begin with.
Now I can eat anything without any problems.

Good luck, rest and start again slowly when your wounds have healed.

"dumping syndrome".

I like that phrase! :laugh: Sounds much less gross than some of the others.

that is actually what the doctor's call it!! I tend to be an "early" dumper. I get the bloating, cramping, diarrhea, and fatigue. And not to be TMI, but there is generally a lot of bile in it, so it burns your bum

from wikipedia:
Gastric dumping syndrome, or rapid gastric emptying is a condition where ingested foods bypass the stomach too rapidly and enter the small intestine largely undigested. It happens when the small intestine expands too quickly due to the presence of hyperosmolar (having increased osmolarity) contents from the stomach. This causes symptoms due to the fluid shift into the gut lumen with plasma volume contraction and acute intestinal distention.[1] "Early" dumping begins concurrently within 15 to 30 minutes from ingestion of a meal.[1] Symptoms of early dumping include nausea, vomiting, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, dizziness, and fatigue. "Late" dumping happens one to three hours after eating. Symptoms of late dumping include weakness, sweating, and dizziness. Many people have both types.

I had mine out about a year and a half ago. I have never had any problem with any foods at all. I eat just the way I used to. Now that I think of it my Dr. didn't even talk to me about diet afterwards, which is odd. Good luck and you'll be fine. I'm sure you'll have to just try and see what your body says you can eat.

I had my gallbladder taken out over 2 years ago, and my eating has never been any different, honestly I never heard that it needed to be any different including portion sizes, the only thing that changed for me................sorry if tmi but is the frequency of when I had to use the restroom depending on what I ate but that's the only difference I've ever had after it, and don't be worried about it, it's really no big deal just about 4-5 itty bitty incisions it's really not that bad at all

I had mine removed almost 3 years ago - the diet thing depends on the person. I was very worried that I'd have to change my diet dramatically, but I was one of the lucky ones that can eat anything without issues. I also am no longer lactose intolerant - which my surgeon says does happen to some people... weird though. Anyways, I wish you luck and I hope you don't have to change much

The gall bladder's job is to store the molecules that help the fat we eat get from our intestines into our blood stream where they can be shipped around the body for appropriate use or storage. These molecules are made in the liver so even without a gallbladder some of them will be in the intestine and you will get all the fats you need. (Back in hunter gatherer days we did not eat much fat and the gallbladder helped make sure we got every little bit when it was available.) When fat hits your stomach it sends a message to the gallbladder to give a squeeze. If the tubes from the gallbladder to the intestine are blocked squeezing gets backed up and you have pain. Without the gallbladder this should be gone. You will have more fat than before left in your intestines and this can cause some cramping pain and diarrhea. Also the bile all goes straight into the intestines and can cause some color changes in stool and sometimes some irritation.
What this means is that there is not anything you can't eat after gallbladder surgery. But many people have changes in their stools, usually softer and more frequent stooling or more rapid after a meal, especially a fatty meal. Fat runs right through. The degree to which you have cramps or discomfort with certain foods is variable. So you have to try things put and see what works for you. A healthful diet is always the best choice.

Hope surgery was easy and you are walking and feeling much better soon!

I had my gallbladder out at 22 yrs old, after surgery I ate a fruit tray for 3 days. Make sure you don't drink out of straw for the first 4 days after surgery. I haven't had to change what I eat, only issue I have is eating to much spicy food.

Hope you have a fast recovery.

Taking in all information I can locate on this topic after a possible gallbladder attack last night and a few days ago. If it is the gallbladder it has happened twice in a one-week time frame. I will do whatever the doctors say I have to do. I really should have left the greasy food alone... I knew better. :ohwell:

one of my exes had hers taken out in her early 20's. Her diet consisted of ice cream, cheese, chocolate, cupcakes and pepsi (I am not exaggerating).

I didn't exactly watch her take craps or exam her stool though. I did frequently hear watery sounds in her gut when I would rest my head on her waist and she frequently complained of nausea.