What happens after your gallbladder is gone?!

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Replies

  • quelyd
    quelyd Posts: 11
    Thanks for all your replies!!! I am one week post-op now and just yesterday I felt dizzy just by staying on my feet for a period of time (while changing my dressings). I have sore throat and have coughing spells when I am about to sleep at night. Anyone else had this? I also have lost 7 pounds since the surgery.

    Another question though, for you sushi lovers out there, how are you tolerating it? I am not really a beef or pork person so I can live without that. One of my big worries is not to be able to eat my sushi and sashimi again! :P
  • quelyd
    quelyd Posts: 11
    Also, when did you start working out?
  • sc003ro
    sc003ro Posts: 227 Member
    My fiancee had hers out...you will find certain foods will go right through you..mostly the fattier ones.....so the goods news is it will keep you away from them...the bads news is you have to figure out which ones bother you .... She will can still have bacon once and a while but any deep fried foods bother her ...fries etc ....eating out if they use certain oils etc....

    The getting sick part is just running to the bathroom ....
  • sc003ro
    sc003ro Posts: 227 Member
    You will be fine with sushi
  • sc003ro
    sc003ro Posts: 227 Member
    You will get this from time to time for up to a year ..then it goes away
  • sc003ro
    sc003ro Posts: 227 Member
    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.

    Thanks for this!!! I have been feeling it on my right shoulder and was worried about it.

    Younwill get this for up to a year ...kristen did ...then it stops
  • Xingy01
    Xingy01 Posts: 83 Member
    I had my gallbladder removed about 7 weeks ago. My doctor told me I could eat anything I wanted after the first day. I did just that. Although I retained about 10 extra lbs of water weight after surgery, it fell off after about 3 weeks. I haven't had any problems losing weight since then.

    The reason most people gain weight after gallbladder surgery is because their eating was limited by pain. That limitation goes away after surgery and they eat more. Having your gallbladder removed doesn't directly cause weight gain. If anything, it would cause a loss because of a reduced ability to digest fat. The fat would end up in the toilet instead of being used for energy.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Also, when did you start working out?

    That will be a very individual thing. Is your surgery laproscopic (tiny incisions to stick instruments through, instead of opening you up)? The recovery from that takes a lot less time, but you still have to be conscious of those little incisions under your ribs. Let pain be your guide. Walking should be ok after a couple of weeks, but anything that will put tension on your abs should wait until you have zero pain there.
  • jbella99
    jbella99 Posts: 596 Member
    I only have to watch really greasy foods. They sit for a long time it seems and I feel ill. Other than that most foods are fine. It's been 2 years for me now
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
    My good friend had his out with emergency surgery. Like others said, he had to be careful for about 3 months and is pretty much back to normal eating. On a plus side, his liquor bill has gone down because he is now a "lightweight" when it comes to "holding his liquor" :drinker:
  • quelyd
    quelyd Posts: 11
    I can't express it enough. Thanks so much for all the replies!!! :)
  • shereje
    shereje Posts: 1
    I actually have Gallstones now. I am terrified of surgery. I was diagnosed 3 months ago when I was rushed to the hospital for the unbearable pain ( why they didn’t just knock me out and remove them at that time is beyond me). So far I have been really watching what I eat no fatty foods , I cut out dairy products all together. If I’m not sure about than I don’t eat it. I have read all the replies to everyone’s gallbladder removal and it’s making me wonder if I should just bit the bullet and do it. Thanks for the encouraging replies ..
  • quelyd
    quelyd Posts: 11
    Also, when did you start working out?

    That will be a very individual thing. Is your surgery laproscopic (tiny incisions to stick instruments through, instead of opening you up)? The recovery from that takes a lot less time, but you still have to be conscious of those little incisions under your ribs. Let pain be your guide. Walking should be ok after a couple of weeks, but anything that will put tension on your abs should wait until you have zero pain there.

    It's over a week past for me and yet I still can't stay on my feet for too long without having a headache or feeling dizzy. Then again, I am not eating enough yet so I am hoping once my appetite is better I can at least go for multiple short walks. I am doing my best to do light chores at home just so I am moving.
  • quelyd
    quelyd Posts: 11
    I actually have Gallstones now. I am terrified of surgery. I was diagnosed 3 months ago when I was rushed to the hospital for the unbearable pain ( why they didn’t just knock me out and remove them at that time is beyond me). So far I have been really watching what I eat no fatty foods , I cut out dairy products all together. If I’m not sure about than I don’t eat it. I have read all the replies to everyone’s gallbladder removal and it’s making me wonder if I should just bit the bullet and do it. Thanks for the encouraging replies ..

    I know people who is fine with stones in their gallbladder. One of them actually managed to somehow lose it after the diet change, some herbal meds and drinking crazy amount of water daily. I too was scared about the surgery but I knew I had to do it right then because I never want to feel that pain again. Hope things works better for you, if it has been three months and you haven't had an attack since then the change in diet is working! :)
  • yellowlemoned
    yellowlemoned Posts: 335 Member
    I had mine taken out in 2009. Everybody told me "you can't eat this or that anymore" but I honestly haven't notice any difference since before I had mine taken out (except for a few scars on my stomach)

    I can still eat greasy burgers and pizza, and spicy mexican and indian food which I've heard are the hardest for most people.
  • Royan33
    Royan33 Posts: 10
    I had my gallbladder removed two years ago. Everything went fine, I had some pain in the shoulder due to the gas but that was not too bad. I have no any problem since that. I can eat everything, nothing cause any problem. :)
  • quelyd
    quelyd Posts: 11
    I had mine taken out in 2009. Everybody told me "you can't eat this or that anymore" but I honestly haven't notice any difference since before I had mine taken out (except for a few scars on my stomach)

    I can still eat greasy burgers and pizza, and spicy mexican and indian food which I've heard are the hardest for most people.

    I hope same goes for me as well. I just survived my first roll of sushi for lunch today so at least I can add that to my new food list. :)
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Also, when did you start working out?

    That will be a very individual thing. Is your surgery laproscopic (tiny incisions to stick instruments through, instead of opening you up)? The recovery from that takes a lot less time, but you still have to be conscious of those little incisions under your ribs. Let pain be your guide. Walking should be ok after a couple of weeks, but anything that will put tension on your abs should wait until you have zero pain there.

    It's over a week past for me and yet I still can't stay on my feet for too long without having a headache or feeling dizzy. Then again, I am not eating enough yet so I am hoping once my appetite is better I can at least go for multiple short walks. I am doing my best to do light chores at home just so I am moving.

    Yes, the first week and a half or so was awful, I was so sore. I couldn't even stand up completely straight because it put too much tension on my abs. The last half of the second week, the pain started to subside and become more specific to the incisions instead of all-over ab pain, and then it was easier to stand up and walk. After the first couple of days of getting over the anesthesia, I had no problems eating. Definitely make sure you eat enough. Once the anesthesia is out of your system, you have no reason to be lightheated.
  • jewol
    jewol Posts: 74 Member
    I had my gall bladder removed some 20 years ago and discovered that I could actually eat more types of food than before the surgery. (Eating tomato based products in the period several year prior to surgery, for example, would send me into an agony that would keep me awake all night.) I remember waking in recovery after the surgery with the nurses asking, "On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate your pain?" I almost laughed because I could detect no pain. In fact, mystery pains that I had had in my back in the decade before were suddenly gone. Had I known I would feel so good afterward, I would have had the surgery years before … instead of putting it off like a stubborn mule.

    I don't believe that losing your gall bladder will make you more prone to weight gain. My weight issues existed before … and after surgery. Of course, that is just my experience.

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