What happens after your gallbladder is gone?!

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quelyd
quelyd Posts: 11
in Motivation and Support
Hi, I am on my day 5 post-operation after an emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy. I have gallstones and my doctor decided to just remove the gallbladder instead of just taking out the stones. I have been doing my research since I got discharged from the hospital but, even as a nurse, it is never enough when it now concerns myself.

I will be honest, one of my worries is gaining back the weight I lost even before I started MFP as I have read that there are some weight gain issues after losing ones' gallbladder. I want to prepare for it and fight it head on. Another this is that will I be able to eat the same way again? For 5 days now I have only eaten jello, soup, cereals and crackers. And yes, right now I am wasting away because of it but I know it is not healthy either. How do you go back to eating regular foods? Do you just simply give it a try, see how it sits with you and just add it to the "never eat this" list if it doesn't?

I am just wondering if anyone has gone through the same procedure and if it is possible to share your experience with me, a month or six, or even a year down the road after the surgery.
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Replies

  • missyme10
    missyme10 Posts: 38 Member
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    Hi, I had my gallbladder removed about 7 years ago. Prior to removal I was eating a diet very low in fat and like yourself I continued after removal for a short while. I then started to eat what I wanted, but I didn't go over the top at first. I kept portions small. Within 3 months I was eating just the same as I used to. There is nothing I can't eat, and it has had no impact on my weight after removal.

    I too was worried at the time, but those worries were soon gone when I realised you can still eat what you want. I think you just have to take your time and not dive right in.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I'm heading for a removal but not there yet, but I hear from family who have had them removed that you need to watch the fat intake afterwards, mostly because of heartburn or other gastrointestinal issues.

    I've read up on it, because at the moment my gallbladder gives me awful heartburn and there are some really good medical resources on the net that go through it in detail.
  • lemur_lady
    lemur_lady Posts: 350 Member
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    In for answers. I am meeting to talk with my surgeon about this on friday.
  • cbhubbybubble
    cbhubbybubble Posts: 465 Member
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    Every person reacts differently, from what I understand. I had mine out about 3 years ago and have not noticed any difference in what I'm able to eat. If I put any weight on after, it wasn't significant and likely more from my continued bad diet and overeating than my gall bladder specifically.

    I have a friend, however, that really has to watch her fats since having her gallbladder out. If she doesn't she needs a bathroom nearby.
  • quelyd
    quelyd Posts: 11
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    Thanks for the replies. :)
  • LynneW1983
    LynneW1983 Posts: 1,161 Member
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    Had mine out 2 weeks ago. I have had spicy food and fatty food both been fine. I have had a great recovery, been walking for an hour plus from 2 days post op. You won't know until you try. I have had no bathroom urgency after any foods. Good luck with your recovery. I have stayed within my calories and have not gained weight.
  • MichiganJen
    MichiganJen Posts: 40 Member
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    My experience was the same as the other posters...mine came out 7 years ago after having my first child - which I then found out was pretty common! I had no issues with food, and I was able to lose 40 pounds doing the old diet and exercise thing.

    Sadly, I was also able to find those 40 pounds again! But it's coming off again slowly but surely.

    It sure is hard not to worry, though, isn't it? I went through the same thing with that and when I had my Thyroid removed. Just rememeber, WebMD is not always your friend! :)
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
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    I just had mine out April 11th so not even 2 weeks ago, had gall stones as well they removed entire gall bladder.
    I was told it can take one to three months to get back to eating as you had. So far though less than 2 weeks post op I haven't had any issue with any foods after 5 days I began to eat regular foods in small portions, stick to lower fat, avoid high gas foods like broccoli for a while. I also have not heard of anyone gaining weight after, and every single woman in my family has had theirs out.
    My daughter has lost weight as well. We both had gained with the gall stone because you have poison building up and bloating your body from the back up of bile and inflammation. I am now back on track and losing weight since surgery. Not sure your instructions my surgeon said other than walking, no cardio, no weights, no swimming (or baths just showers) for one month then I can resume as normal. Good luck to you on your recovery. I don't think you will gain weight from it, it wasn't working correctly to begin with and might of been the cause of your weight gain as my dr told me my stone has been in there 20 years so I should notice a lot of energy once I am back to 100%.
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
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    I will add though as far as my eating I haven't tried ALL the foods I am trying to lose weight so fried foods and super fatty things haven't been something I have tested because I am avoiding them for my health so I don't know if they would upset me to eat them.
  • archadtz
    archadtz Posts: 33 Member
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    I had my gall bladder out almost 10 years ago. I haven't found weight loss or gain specifically related to the gull bladder. For me, personally though, I find if I eat anything with any fat (even coffee with cream) first thing in the morning (like before 9:30 am), I have to hit the bathroom post haste. Extremely greasy foods, like bacon, even in moderation, will upset my system. I just have to be mindful, and as you can see, everyone is different, so keep doing what you are comfortable with and you'll find what's right for you.
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
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    had mine removed in january with no problems. like others i was up and walking for an hour a day within days of my operation. off pain meds within same amount of time (saving them for later!!!! lol) I actually get to enjoy fats and fried foods MORE, since they dont give me massive pains afterwards anymore. I have never heard that stone removal was an option, but according to my surgeon, my gallbladder was super sick and within days of busting. poor gallbladder, i treated it really bad for 48 years and then i think the sudden weight loss really threw it for a loop. it was like huh? whats happening?
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I had mine out several years ago and was not as lucky as most who responded but I also have IBS and had it before the surgery. So I had to avoid high fat foods, dairy and raw veggies for years or stay really really close to a bathroom. I didn't gain any weight though from the surgery or after the surgery. My surgeon and my GI doc said my bathroom issues were from the combination of the surgery and the IBS.

    I have been able to slowly integrate those trigger foods back into my diet in the past two years and been fine. It's been over 10 years since my surgery.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    I had my gallbadder removed 4 years ago and have not had any problems with what I can eat. I ate bland food for a couple weeks, but that was mostly just loss of appetite. I was back do light cardio after about 10 days and back to normal routine in the gym in about 4. I was actively losing weight at the time and didn't gain anthing back. I lost some in the week right after the surgery (it was when I hot my 100 pounds lost mark, very anti-climactic) and gained about half of those pounds back, but other than that, life as usual.

    I was worried about eating spicy food, I read that people couldn't tolerate that as much, but I am still good :)
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
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    I had mine out about three years ago.

    First, recovering from the surgery itself was pretty painful. Mine was laproscopic also, just 3 tiny incisions under my ribs and a larger incision in my navel. They apparently gave my poor navel a time of it, stretching it all all, so I had about 8 inches of purple and yellow bruise across my stomach for weeks. The incisions were worse, though. My doc told me that I was slower healing there because my abs were tight, so there was constant tension against the stitches. It took about a month for the pain to go away.

    Second, I've never had a problem eating anything afterward. I will say that without a gallbladder to store bile, some people have problems with their liver dumping bile whenever they eat really greasy foods. This causes them to have to take a *kitten* pretty much immediately. I rarely had that problem, and it went away over time. Just be aware, and don't eat fried chicken on a picnic in the woods until you know how your body will react.
  • JacksonMomto3
    JacksonMomto3 Posts: 42
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    I had my gallbladder taken out October of 2002, I was 22 years old, and had a 4 and 2 year old. I was deathly sick, in a matter of 4 months (first attack to surgery), I lost 30lbs from being that sick. Day of surgery I weighed in at 96lbs. I had a very swollen gallbladder and liver as they found during surgery, and I had A LOT of stones, including several in my bile ducts (which were also very swollen).

    After surgery, it took about a year to recover completely, but I had complications during surgery, and was anemic, so it took awhile for my body to get back to what it was before my first attack.

    Eating wise, I was on a low fat diet for a few weeks after surgery, and that was because my body needed to learn how to process fatty foods again, without a gallbladder. After that, I went on a regular diet. Now I will say, some foods...you will run to the bathroom within 20 mins, wondering if your going to make it or not. But for the most part, you can pretty much eat what you want, as you did before your gallbladder went bad. I do, from time to time, have phantom gallbladder attacks. It has gotten better throughout the years (the first couple of years, the pain brought me right back to when I had my gallbladder). Typically I know what triggers the phantom attacks now (when I get too hot or hungry) so I can fix it before the attacks happen.

    In 2004, I got pregnant with our third child, I was 128lbs (I am 5'2), so I was at a healthy weight again. However, at my 6 week post appt, after he was born, I was 146lbs (I only gained 24lbs during my pregnancy). So I had only lost 6lbs after my son was born. I didn't overeat when I was pregnant with him, I exercised, I was busy with a 6 & 4 year old. So needless to say I was baffled, because I had lost all my pregnancy weight, plus some with my first two (pre-GB surgery).

    I have read from others though, that gaining weight, post GB surgery is pretty normal. So is having a bloated stomach.

    For the next 9-10 years I gradually gained weight. Granted I didnt exercise, so of course gaining weight is going to happen. So I dont completely blame not having a gallbladder on that, gaining weight is my own doing from lack of exercise.

    Fast forward to present time. I am now 34 years old, my starting weight 2/24/14 was 175lbs. I cut out soda completely, lost 5lbs within a month. On 3/24/14 I started Focus T25 Alpha, I am on W5D4 on that (tomorrow is my last day on Alpha, then I move onto Beta for the next 5 weeks). I am having a rough time losing the weight (I am currently going back and forth between 167-170lbs), but have lost several inches in the process. Bloatiness in my stomach is still there, not as bad, but its a slow process. Eating wise, hasnt changed throughout the years, I can still pretty much eat whatever, but again, certain foods will trigger a run to the bathroom within 20 mins.

    Thats pretty much my experience with having gallbladder surgery, hope that helped.
  • ncl1313
    ncl1313 Posts: 237 Member
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    I had mine out two years ago, two weeks after giving birth. I had been on a liquid only diet for 4 days prior to surgery, and continued it for 2 days after. I lost like 15 pounds during that week, and of course gained it all back once I started eating actual food again. I did struggle with urgency issues at the beginning (and still do on occasion), usually if I had eaten a very large meal, particularily if it contained a large amount of fried food or fiber-rich food (raw veggies are still not my friend). I also used to consume quiet a few sugar-free sweetened items and not had a problem, but I do now. Everyone reacts differently, though.

    As far as adding foods back, take it slow. Definitely stay away from very high-fat foods for the time being. You can gradually add them back in, but I wouldn't go out and eat a bucket of fried chicken right away. You kind of have to experiment. If a food makes you ill or immediately sends you to the bathroom, don't eat it for now and try again later in maybe a smaller quantity. Good luck and speedy recovery!

    ETA: As far as the actual recovery, I had a difficult time, but probably because I was also still recovering from my c-section. The worst was the 3rd day. My chest was super tight, I felt very short of breath and bloated, just couldn't get comfortable. They told me that was because they fill your chest cavity with CO2 when they do a laproscopic removal and that's just it leaving. I also react badly to surgitape which they used instead of stitches, so I was very itchy around the tape sites. Plus the location of the incisions was not very comfortable for breastfeeding my newborn, but that was another issue all together.
  • Hannahhime
    Hannahhime Posts: 52 Member
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    I had gallstones last October and had to have my gallbladder removed as well. I gained back 20 lbs but just recently I was able to shed the last little bit of it that I had left. Just be careful with exercise! Don't overdo it.
  • blondageh
    blondageh Posts: 923 Member
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    I had mine out 20 yrs ago when I was just 15.. I too had lost too much weight too quickly, had stones, was pretty sick. I didn't notice any weight gain once it came out. I did have an upset stomach for years, but I thought it was because I ate lettuce or something. I was just young and never knew it might be because I didn't have a gallbladder. I to this DAY still get "gallbladder attacks" on occasion. Very painful. Tends to happen when I drink hard alcohol so it might be my liver or something but feels just like an attack. Sharp pain in the back that lasts about 20 minutes.

    Oh and I will add..the WORST part about the recovery was the air as said above that they put in you. I got a pocket trapped in my shoulder. That was the worst part pain. Not the actual surgery pain.
  • lf4179
    lf4179 Posts: 37 Member
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    I had mine out the day before New Years and I have had no issues. I actually feel SOOOO much better since it came out but I will admit I was very nervous. The weight that I have lost so far shown in my ticker has all been since it came out. Probably slower than most but I am also hypothyroid. I will totally agree w/ the previous post though.... The worst part for me was the gas trapped in my body. My shoulder hurt so bad and it hurt to breathe. Doesn't sound like a big deal until you experience it. lol. That lasted about 2 days though and then I was ok. The surgery and incisions itself were no biggie.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    I will totally agree w/ the previous post though.... The worst part for me was the gas trapped in my body. My shoulder hurt so bad and it hurt to breathe. Doesn't sound like a big deal until you experience it. lol. That lasted about 2 days though and then I was ok. The surgery and incisions itself were no biggie.

    I had this also, I was very thankfully that they warned me of this or I would have freaked out and thought I had some other problem.

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