Supposedly Losing Weight Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

toddgaines
toddgaines Posts: 130
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
One on my friends that has recently lost a lot of weight just called me to let me know they just got back from emergency surgery. I guess his Gall Bladder ruptured. The doctors asked him if he recently lost weight and he replied yes, and they said that would likely be the cause. I guess obese people that lose a significant amount of weight are at a highly increased risk of developing gallstones, which if bad enough can lead to a rupture. Don't want to scare anyone away from losing weight, just if you happen to be losing a lot of weight and you get some pain in your upper right abdomen, you might want to get it checked out. Here is a link to an article that summarizes all the information on this issue:

http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/gallbladder/a/dietinggallston_2.htm

Replies

  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    Thanks for the info. Mine has been gone since 95, don't miss the pain of passing stones at all!
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member

    http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/gallbladder/a/dietinggallston_2.htm

    It's not the losing weight that is the problem, it is how a person is chosing to lose weight. RAPID weight loss was the culprit not weight loss. According to the article.
  • Scorpiomom222
    Scorpiomom222 Posts: 1,462 Member
    If ANYONE is losing a significant amount of weight, they should be checking in with a doctor AND a therapist. A doctor, because they can identify anything that may pop up, and a therapist, because alot of people have trouble coming to terms with actually having lost the weight and other issues and it could lead to an eating disorder or a continued eating disorder or make one that they already have worse. Good to know about the gall bladder, though!
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Our fat cells store toxins. That's all they do. When people lose a great amount of weight at a fast pace without any form of detox done they put themselves at risk. This puts more work on the kidney, liver, and gall bladder. Many people think that detoxing the body is crap. They say that our body is designed to detox on it's own. in normal situations our bodies do detox just fine. The obese individual has more toxins stored than normal.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    If ANYONE is losing a significant amount of weight, they should be checking in with a doctor AND a therapist. A doctor, because they can identify anything that may pop up, and a therapist, because alot of people have trouble coming to terms with actually having lost the weight and other issues and it could lead to an eating disorder or a continued eating disorder or make one that they already have worse. Good to know about the gall bladder, though!
    You make a very good point Hon, a therapist is invaluable to helping us deal with the reality of our new selves.

    I'd heard gallstones are caused by being overweight... but fortunately never had that issue.
  • myownweaknesses
    myownweaknesses Posts: 5 Member
    Omg...thats crazy. I would have never expected that. Did they lose alot in a years time or was it less?
  • Shirley61
    Shirley61 Posts: 7,758 Member
    No gallbladder here, had it out years ago. LOL
  • Scorpiomom222
    Scorpiomom222 Posts: 1,462 Member
    If ANYONE is losing a significant amount of weight, they should be checking in with a doctor AND a therapist. A doctor, because they can identify anything that may pop up, and a therapist, because alot of people have trouble coming to terms with actually having lost the weight and other issues and it could lead to an eating disorder or a continued eating disorder or make one that they already have worse. Good to know about the gall bladder, though!
    You make a very good point Hon, a therapist is invaluable to helping us deal with the reality of our new selves.

    I'd heard gallstones are caused by being overweight... but fortunately never had that issue.

    Us Becky's are smart ladies. haha I'm just glad I never had to deal with anything serious except for staph infections.
  • bridgett28
    bridgett28 Posts: 41 Member
    One on my friends that has recently lost a lot of weight just called me to let me know they just got back from emergency surgery. I guess his Gall Bladder ruptured. The doctors asked him if he recently lost weight and he replied yes, and they said that would likely be the cause. I guess obese people that lose a significant amount of weight are at a highly increased risk of developing gallstones, which if bad enough can lead to a rupture. Don't want to scare anyone away from losing weight, just if you happen to be losing a lot of weight and you get some pain in your upper right abdomen, you might want to get it checked out. Here is a link to an article that summarizes all the information on this issue:

    http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/gallbladder/a/dietinggallston_2.htm

    That is the reason why most weight loss surgery patients need to take medication to help reduce that risk of gall stones during increased/rapid weight loss.

    I had to take the prevention pill 3 times a day for 9 months after my surgery. Ridiculous! Worth it though, I am down 114 lbs and haven't had any gallbladder issues.
  • Shash27
    Shash27 Posts: 172
    Mine's been gone for a year and I don't miss the pain at ALL :-)
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    Btw, just losing 1-2 pounds a week is enough to trigger gallstones.

    I had mine out in '89 after losing 70 lb. on Nutri/system. It took me 9 months to lose that weight and I was in a supervised program, but the ER doc said that, as far as the body is concerned, that's still rapid weight loss.
  • mirenner
    mirenner Posts: 205
    the fact is that you do not develop gall stones from losing weight... you developed gallstones from the unhealthy lifestyle you lived prior

    also, if you don't use an organ, duct, etc... as often as you used to, it does reduce in size...

    therefore:

    high fatty + high cholesterol foods = gallstones
    cutting down on said foods = gall bladder size reduction due to it's lack of work/need

    gallstones + smaller gall bladder = complications

    everyone has gallstones/kidney stones ... your eating lifestyle and organ efficiency determines their size and it's ultimate severity
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    They can happen from rapid weight loss combined with a low calorie diet. Gall stones are typically made up of either cholesterol or an overabundance of bilirubin in bile. The gallstones made caused by bilirubin are most likely the kind that form during rapid weight lossas bile is what helps the liver break down fat.

    So the lesson here is that normal weight loss from eating a healthy diet and getting exercise is perfectly healthy, while fast weight loss, either from gastric surgery or other causes, is not healthy and can cause not only gallstones but a host of other medical problems.
  • lastchance2010
    lastchance2010 Posts: 494 Member
    yeh i had a dead gall bladder that was on it's way to killing me but i didn't have gall stones cuz of losing weight...it was cuz i was consuming to many greasy fried foods. N e time I ate chinese I'd be hunched over in pain, pizza..the same thing but I was preggers and they couldn't do surgery so i stayed away from it as much as possible til i had a bad episode couldn't eat and the pain was like childbirth and then i was rushed into to emergency surgery to have it removed and if I had kept dealing with it it was def gon rupture so thank goodness that was over with! Hope your friend is better!! gall stones def should not be taken lightly.
  • MichelleFirestone
    MichelleFirestone Posts: 212 Member
    I had my removed right after I had my second child in 09. The doctor told me my gallstones, most likely were caused from my pregnancies. Something about the hormones, and also genetics.
  • lastchance2010
    lastchance2010 Posts: 494 Member
    Mine's been gone for a year and I don't miss the pain at ALL :-)

    amen..right there with ya!!! mine was taken out in 07!! Dont miss the pain AT ALL EITHER!!!
  • CaptainJim157
    CaptainJim157 Posts: 390
    Mine was taken out in 2008 :P When I was 17 years old :S
    I don't miss the pain either :P
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    I'm getting the idea that people are glad that they got gall stones removed, but don't seem to know what caused it in the first place. It seems that no thought is taken as to what type of lifestyle led to something from their bodies to be removed. :indifferent:
  • toddgaines
    toddgaines Posts: 130
    He lost about 60 lbs over the course of a year, so nothing too drastic, it was a pretty healthy rate of loss. He's also a bit older though (mid 50's), and had been bigger for a long time, so I am sure that factors into it as well.
    Omg...thats crazy. I would have never expected that. Did they lose alot in a years time or was it less?
  • mirenner
    mirenner Posts: 205
    yes please don't let this article and thread deter you from weight loss....


    yes, lose weight in a controlled, healthy manner...


    we all have these stones and sometimes they aren't even stones, they can be gall bladder sludge from the gall bladder being sluggish due to a low fat diet
  • Dom80
    Dom80 Posts: 146 Member
    I had mine removed after going on a starvation diet about 5 yrs ago.....
  • kaymiller2
    kaymiller2 Posts: 26
    I have gallbadder issues, right now. I get attacks if I lose weight too fast, so I am taking it slow. I do have to deal with some minor pain and other effects, but if i only have a 1/2 - 1 lb loss per week goal, I am ok. I can't afford to have it taken out. No insurance. I guess we all have to do what works for us.

    As far as what caused it - well, its actually more hormonal than you may think. I have ate home-cooked, from-scratch food all my life, and LOTS of veggies, etc, pretty healthy. But after my 4th baby, I started having bad attacks. The Dr. told me its a common hormonal problem with women who have had several kids. or with overweight people. I actually became overweight because of it. I was so afraid of the pain if I lost baby weight, that I just made sure to eat lots. now I have started to try to lose slower, so the attacks aren't too much to handle.

    please don't assume that someone doesn't care about their bodies, just cause they have health issues that you may, or may not be acquainted with...
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    Wow. Definitely something to think about. I used to eat a lot of crap and have been obese for 5 years.

    In September, I cut all of the "crap" food out and now I:
    A) eat significantly fewer calories than I used to
    B) eat much more nutritious, wholesome foods such as fresh fruits & veggies, whole grains, and lean protein
    C) drink at least 12-16 cups of water every day
    D) rarely eat anything with cholesterol in it
    E) eat mostly lean proteins
    F) Exercise almost every day for at least 30-45 minutes (or more)

    So, here I thought I was just doing my body a favor -- which I certainly am -- but I never realized it would actually put me at risk for more problems. I just have never even thought to talk to a doctor about my weightloss. I mean, I go to the doctor when I am sick or injured, I've never even considered going to one when I'm NOT sick.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    I had my gallbladder removed 20 years ago. The gall stones were bascially caused by my diet (I've been a hefty girl all my life) but genetics probably played a role - most of the women in my family have had to have theirs removed, including the skinny gals.

    I agree with everyone on one thing though - the surgery was awful (at that time they cut you open, no laproscopic stuff) but to get rid of the pain - that was so worth going under the knife. It wasn't continual pain but when you get a gallbladder attack it is debilitating!
  • TaraMaria
    TaraMaria Posts: 1,975
    I had my gall bladder removed less then a year after my son was born. I don't know exactly how much weight I gained the last two weeks I was pregnant with him as I was very sick, but three days after having Grady I got on the scale and weight 215 pounds. I'm 5'3" if that gives you an indication. 9 months later I was down to the 175 range and sicker then two dogs and a cat. They ran a test and found my gall bladder was functioning at 6%. No stones, just had stopped working. So loosing 40 pounds may have played a part, I'm not sure. At that point it was probably the quickest I had lost weight and the most I had lost to date. I got it removed post haste.

    Don't miss it one bit! I'm sure leaving it in the dust made these last few pounds a breeze! :wink:

    Now to get that therapist... :tongue:
  • Scorpiomom222
    Scorpiomom222 Posts: 1,462 Member
    I had my gall bladder removed less then a year after my son was born. I don't know exactly how much weight I gained the last two weeks I was pregnant with him as I was very sick, but three days after having Grady I got on the scale and weight 215 pounds. I'm 5'3" if that gives you an indication. 9 months later I was down to the 175 range and sicker then two dogs and a cat. They ran a test and found my gall bladder was functioning at 6%. No stones, just had stopped working. So loosing 40 pounds may have played a part, I'm not sure. At that point it was probably the quickest I had lost weight and the most I had lost to date. I got it removed post haste.

    Don't miss it one bit! I'm sure leaving it in the dust made these last few pounds a breeze! :wink:

    Now to get that therapist... :tongue:

    Got that right! Get that therapist, girlie! lol Speaking of....... Is Grady's iPad going well? I saw him using it in your blog video! It was so cute!!!
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