Diet to prevent gallstone attack

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So, this is my second gallbladder attack this week this one sending me to the ER. I can't have my gallbladder removed until late next month.
I was wondering if anyone knew of a good resource for recipes that will prevent an attack until then. Many sites mention general foods, but I am looking to a much more specific list preferably with recipes. I have lost 108 lbs in 9 months, but apparently my body thought that was a bit too fast. I was not trying to do a low fat or any other specific diet, just low calorie. I went from eating McDonald's every day to actual, you know, food so I don't think my gallbladder could downshift quickly enough. My regular diet is already very low in fat and red meat is rarely eaten simply because of calories and cost, but with the holidays, I indulged in Prime Rib and Yorkshire pudding the night before the first attack and Boudin last night before this morning's unfortunate adventure to the hospital.
Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

Replies

  • Cherie1n2n3n4
    Cherie1n2n3n4 Posts: 46 Member
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    You'll have to reduce fat as much as possible.. I know you mentioned you're not trying to do low fat, but after surgery the doctor will advice you to reduce/eliminate fat for a period of time.
  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Both of the things you ate before your attacks are not low fat and could be what triggered them... You should probably take it easy on fats until you can do the surgery.
  • rand486
    rand486 Posts: 270 Member
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    Medical advice is something I really dislike on online forums - ask your doctor.

    People on here are usually well-meaning, but there is so much urban myth floating around on forums like this that I would be concerned if you took any advice, regardless of how true it sounds.
  • bkerr30
    bkerr30 Posts: 131 Member
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    I had my gallbladder removed about 6 years ago, with no typical risk factors other than being female. The doctors told me to reduce fats and oils as much as possible leading up to surgery but even then i was having at least one attack a day. :\ good luck and just try to reduce as much fats and oils as possible, even olive oil was triggering attacks in me.
  • FortWildernessLoopy
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    Thank you all. Not looking for medical advice, Rand, merely recipes. Already got the advice from the Doc this morning.

    As I said, I already have a diet low in fat anyway and the two things I mentioned are what triggered attacks precisely because I don't eat them regularly. I mentioned my old eating habits because both rapid weight loss and an extreme change in diet can cause the biliary colic and once it's there, there is no way to remove them outside of surgery.

    I really just need ideas for recipes to avoid another attack. For instance, today I have eaten rice. Not exactly high on the yummy scale. I am a bit gun shy because the pain is debilitating and two attacks in a week are quite enough TYVM, lol. The nauseated feeling from the pain meds is still lingering so I am not overly hungry today, anyway but for this next month, I really don't want to be stuck on the BRAT diet.
  • duckykissy
    duckykissy Posts: 285 Member
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    I had my bag of marbles er gallbladder in for 2.5 years before I was able to get it removed (not urgent therefore I spent 1 year on the public health waiting list :angry: ) Anyway I had to almost go completely vegan. I could handle 80 grams of cooked chicken breast (steamed only), and 100 grams of WHITE fish a day. No other meats. Trace of eggs or dairy put me in agony. Nuts caused awful nausea. However, I seem to have been more sensitive than a lot of people I've met with gallbladder problems. But I really recommend cutting medium-high fat meals and being careful about using a scale. I found I needed to eat under 300 calorie per meal in order to survive. I spent most of the time grazing on food and had as few as 1 mild attack every month. I saw a dietician but she didn't know what to do with me- her advice "Do what you need to just get through this. It is temporary." Personally, I think that's good advice- you've got a month until it comes out. What is a month in the grand scheme of things?

    Meals I recommend are mostly steamed. Steamed greens, steamed chicken breast, steamed fish, poached egg whites. Don't use oil. Flavor them up with basil, mint, dill, parsley, vinegar. ( I couldn't use anything spicy because that would set me off). Stay clear of anything that you ate 0-1 hours right before a gallbladder attack. I had to stay on that diet for 4 months after I had mine out, and even then too much fat at once makes me sick. Another thing you can do is look up vegetable soups. To get away from the BRAT diet, perhaps try 200-300 calorie meals several times a day. I also found ginger pills, pepto bismol, and pms pills helped with some of the symptoms of "oops, shouldn't have eaten that" (particularly nausea, gas, and bloating). However, this is just what worked for me, you might be different.

    Good luck!
  • alltheweigh170
    alltheweigh170 Posts: 287 Member
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    I got mine out last October. Da Vinci Procedure. Good luck with your upcoming surgery!

    A low-fat diet was prescribed before surgery for me.
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
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    When I had gallbladder issues, I know I had to avoid: eggs, cheese, red meat, alcohol, and anything else with a lot of fat in it (sauces and such). Even certain things like peaches caused problems sometimes. I basically ate a lot of low fat crackers when it would flair up lol.
  • azev314
    azev314 Posts: 6 Member
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    I had a few bad attacks and someone told me flaxseed pills, they come in gel form, with warm water or tea !2-3 times daily. I did that for a few months Haven't had an attack in 2 years.
  • Th3Ph03n1x
    Th3Ph03n1x Posts: 275 Member
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    The gall bladder diet is crazy limited. I wish I could help I sure sympathize and hope someone can help you.
  • madammariposa
    madammariposa Posts: 19 Member
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    I'm in the same boat, except an estimated year out from surgery (not an emergency, yet!). I've found that keeping my fat below 20 grams prevents some of the symptoms. Alas no eggs, cheese (or most dairy, seem to be able to tolerate 0% greek yogurt), booze, caffeine or oils. I eat a lot of clear soups and have nestle breakfast drink with almond milk if I need nutrition but feel like eating would be a poor choice. I've found some super lean ground chicken and made a shepherd's pie type thing with sweet potato, have also made a mild chili with it. I've found I can tolerate baked chicken breast (no skin or fat) so also do that with herbs or bbq sauce. These are getting quite repetitive though so I too am on the lookout for more recipes.
  • FortWildernessLoopy
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    I just talked to the surgeon today and I have an appointment for Feb 2nd. Hopefully, surgery the week after. I am hosting a Mardi Gras dinner for my family on Fat Tuesday, so I need to be able to be on my feet by then. Due to complications from previous surgeries, he may have to open me up instead of laproscopic :(. I hate surgery with a fiery passion of a thousand suns, but I looked at my menues this week and they are super 'beige'. I have a current fear of anything spicy, cruciferous or in any way yummy, lol. Tonight is Swedish meatballs (made with greek yogurt) and green beans. I am positively craving tacos, cheesy calzones, breakfast casserole, and doughnuts of all things *eyeroll*
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    The only thing I thought was the same thing they told you - low fat. If they think it can wait, I guess it can. But there really isn't any way to 100% prevent another attack.

    Just do what they tell you. It's the best you can do. :)