Gall Stones -- related to new diet?

cflorkie · January 2011

Hi, I'm a new vegetarian (with the exception of a delicious bacon double cheeseburger the other day :blushing:) I have been a vegetarian for 3 months. Mostly for the health benefits, I don't do well with high fat meats.

Last night I had to be rushed to emergency with my husband with severe chest pains. I had no idea what was going on, thought at first I had pulled something at the gym, but moving didn't change the pain at all, and so down we went.

They suspect that I have gall stones. I am on a liquid diet today.

my question -- does anyone know if these can be related to the vegetarian diet, or a diet high in protien (I am trying to build muscle)

I have also started taking a multivitamin fairly faithfully for the first time in my life. Could this have anything to do with it?

These are all questions I will be asking my family doctor if the attack worsens now that I am on pain medication. I was also told it could be an isolated event and to wait it out and see if it's better tomorrow. I'm just wondering if it's something I have in my diet that's triggering it, and if it is, that I could prevent it from occuring again?

thanks for your ideas. Another suspected possibility is: pancreatitis.

lutzsher · January 2011

The only actual scientific study I have read about is how losing a lot of weight quickly can bring on galbladder or other issues. I do think that radically changing your diet can have an effect on you though . . . I have just become VERY lactose intolerant in the last few months so I am wondering if this could have been brought on by the radical changes I have made myself??????

ernurse77 · January 2011

Usually gallstones are connected with a diet high in fat. Also, if you have a family history of gallstones you have a higher chance of having them.

There is a saying that I learned long ago that relates to gall stones....Female, flatulent, fertile, flabby, forty. These are usually associated with gallstones.

With that being said, you may have had them for awhile and it has just taken until now for them to become bothersome. Feel better soon!

klmmoore · January 2011

Most likely you already had issues with your gallbladder but didn't know it. I had mine removed 2 years ago after being in pain for 6 months. High fatty foods definitely contribute to it. Good luck, you'll feel better soon!

cem789 · January 2011

Gall stones are common on diets. i know you haven't been on a weight loss diet as such but i know they can develop when you burn fat. Being on a high protein diet with exercise means you will have been buring fat. I think (think) fat develops in the gall bladder causing the stones. If you google diet with gallstones lots will come up.

Hope you feel better soon

Kalee34 · January 2011

I had gall stones for 4 years before I eventually had my gall bladder taken out. I would go weeks without an attack and then one night it would just hit me. I noticed that anything really fatty, anything spicy, and anything ruffage like(lettuce and greens) were causing my attacks. They just decided to take mine out. The reason I waited 4 years was because I did not have insurance. OH, they also told me that being pregnant also irritaited it. I had my gall bladder taken out after my 2nd child in 2 years.

fitoverfifty · January 2011

Well.....I'm not a doctor, but I believe most of our medical problems are caused by what we eat.

One movie i was watching talked about how eating healthy will cause your body to get rid of built up toxins fast....putting some strain on your liver and pancreas... They suggested making sure you drink large amounts of water te help flush out the toxins.

Not sure how much help your doctor will be, as they seldom even ask us what we eat. For them it's mostly about diagnosing a problem and then medicating it, or surgically fixing it.

I hope you feel better soon.

superwmn · January 2011

Your symptoms are different from mine, but here's my $0.02:

I was suffering HORRIBLY from gallstone related symptoms. A lifetime of abusing my body with extreme weight loss and extreme weight gain was to blame. I passed a ton of gallstones in my stool after doing an organic apple juice fast for 3 days (drank one gallon of apple juice each day) followed by this cleanse:

http://curezone.com/cleanse/liver/Are_You_Stoned.asp

I'm not recommending you do the fast/cleanse as I am not a medical professional. Your Doctor will likely tell you not to, but my doctor said I didn't have gallstones (since they didn't show up on a sonogram). I then passed dozens of superball-sized gallstones and my symptoms have all but disappeared. I got my life back thanks to this cleanse.

Good luck and keep us updated on your health!

Charmagne

cflorkie · January 2011

thank you for your answers! :flowerforyou: I have never had any gastro issues with the exception of stress-related reflux/ulcer way back in highschool.

These are all things I'll bring up to my doctor. For the meantime I'll stay away from fatty foods (snack foods are my weakness)

Thanks for the tips everyone!!

Ely82010 · January 2011

Hi, I'm a new vegetarian (with the exception of a delicious bacon double cheeseburger the other day :blushing:) I have been a vegetarian for 3 months. Mostly for the health benefits, I don't do well with high fat meats.

Last night I had to be rushed to emergency with my husband with severe chest pains. I had no idea what was going on, thought at first I had pulled something at the gym, but moving didn't change the pain at all, and so down we went.

They suspect that I have gall stones. I am on a liquid diet today.

my question -- does anyone know if these can be related to the vegetarian diet, or a diet high in protien (I am trying to build muscle)

I have also started taking a multivitamin fairly faithfully for the first time in my life. Could this have anything to do with it?

These are all questions I will be asking my family doctor if the attack worsens now that I am on pain medication. I was also told it could be an isolated event and to wait it out and see if it's better tomorrow. I'm just wondering if it's something I have in my diet that's triggering it, and if it is, that I could prevent it from occuring again?

thanks for your ideas. Another suspected possibility is: pancreatitis.

Something for you to read.

Gallstones Diet, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment on eMedicineHealth.com
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/gallstones/article_em.htm

dancinggirl81 · February 2011

I have had my gallbladder out for about 9 years now (I'm 29). I had been suffering with gall stones due to my EXTREME dieting, food restriction and over-exercise in my late teens. Everyone was really pretty shocked at me having gall stones at such a young age.

The gall bladder attacks were the worst pain I've ever had in my life.... but if I learned anything.. it's that If I do anything to my body that's too extreme, too quickly ... I risk injury or health problems down the line.

Now, I'm trying to do things right. Slow and steady wins the race.

Shirley61 · February 2011

Gallstones are definitely related to poor diet.
I had mine removed years ago because of a
high fat diet. So I made some changes.
Today my changes have drastically become
healthy changes. I don't think your vitamin is
the culprit. My daughter is a vegetarian and she
never had that problem before. I know for sure
the cheeseburger was not a good choice for
gallstones. Anything with fat will set off an
attack. I remember eating a peanutbutter
cookie and I had an attack. Talk to your doctor
about your options. Good luck

Gall Stones -- related to new diet?

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