Does gallbladder removal cause weight gain?

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Replies

  • lavendah
    lavendah Posts: 126 Member
    edited February 2015
    sarahKhristan wrote: »
    Did you have the surgery laparoscopically? I did have some swelling afterwards, simply because you have to remember you had instruments inside of you, pulling and tugging and whatnot. I wouldn't be concerned right now.

    Yes..Ikr lol I'm just worried if it'll ever look the way it did pre op

    Also,I think found the cause of constant weight gain.The doc has put me on cefuroxime axetil which is known to cause fluid retention/weight gain :\ Can't wait to be done with these *kitten* meds lol
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    lavendah wrote: »
    sarahKhristan wrote: »
    Did you have the surgery laparoscopically? I did have some swelling afterwards, simply because you have to remember you had instruments inside of you, pulling and tugging and whatnot. I wouldn't be concerned right now.

    Yes..Ikr lol I'm just worried if it'll ever look the way it did pre op

    Also,I think found the cause of constant weight gain.The doc has put me on cefuroxime axetil which is known to cause fluid retention/weight gain :\ Can't wait to be done with these *kitten* meds lol

    Fluid retention is nothing. And if your TOM is coming, you have the water weight from that too. Avoid the scale until you're off the meds.

    Should you still be restricting calories as you heal? Does your doctor know you're doing that?
  • lavendah
    lavendah Posts: 126 Member
    edited February 2015



    [/quote] Fluid retention is nothing. And if your TOM is coming, you have the water weight from that too. Avoid the scale until you're off the meds.

    Should you still be restricting calories as you heal? Does your doctor know you're doing that?[/quote]

    You're right.I hate how obsessive I am,I get bothered even when I know it can't be fat gain :s

    Actually,I'm not restricting anything.I eat however much I want,I just calculate calories at the end of day if I feel like it. Since I've been told not to eat fatty stuff,I naturally end up eating just around my maintenance

  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    Okay, just make sure you're eating enough calories. Your body needs more to heal. http://surgery.about.com/od/aftersurgery/ss/EatAfterSurgery.htm#step-heading
  • lavendah
    lavendah Posts: 126 Member
    obscuremusicreference wrote: »
    Okay, just make sure you're eating enough calories. Your body needs more to heal. http://surgery.about.com/od/aftersurgery/ss/EatAfterSurgery.htm#step-heading
    Thanks for help! :)
  • lone_wolf_bmw2006
    lone_wolf_bmw2006 Posts: 2
    You can always try aloe vera tablets to help with your digestive system for a bit. It was recommended to me by my nurse. Figured what would one more pill hurt. they never put me on any meds for infection though.
  • lavendah
    lavendah Posts: 126 Member
    lone_wolf_bmw2006 wrote: »
    You can always try aloe vera tablets to help with your digestive system for a bit. It was recommended to me by my nurse. Figured what would one more pill hurt. they never put me on any meds for infection though.

    I really don't have any digestion issues yet :)

    But its been more than a week and my doc still has me on antibiotics :\ Though he changed it to a different one and reduced the dosage..this one doesn't seem to be causing fluid retention though :)
  • AmigaMaria001
    AmigaMaria001 Posts: 489 Member
    NO! But overeating does cause weight gain.
  • amenok
    amenok Posts: 116 Member
    edited February 2015
    well..you can always try those cleanses too i heard to avoid surgery. I had my gallbladder removed and it had no effect aside from not handling fats on super rare occasions.

    To be honest, you should be worried more about what you eat after for colon cancer reasoning(ex. avoiding red meats) since now that bile is now constantly going to your intestine.
  • lavendah
    lavendah Posts: 126 Member
    amenok wrote: »

    To be honest, you should be worried more about what you eat after for colon cancer reasoning(ex. avoiding red meats) since now that bile is now constantly going to your intestine.

    Is this colon cancer thing true? Increased risk due to bile? :s I don't eat meat anyway,I'm vegetarian
  • amenok
    amenok Posts: 116 Member
    edited February 2015
    I don't mean to scare you though, but i think that's something to be aware of, especially if your family has history of colon cancer. It's great you're a vegetarian though.

    If you need to do the procedure, by all means don't suffer since we all know its very painful. I just rather offer a heads up as a long term thing to be aware of- since doctors leave that part out. Especially if your family has history of colon cancer, just be aware.


    Quick summary for you:
    Bile is made all the time, and stored in gallbladder. The gallbladder holds on to it, until fatty food is eaten. Without it the bile(very acidic) keeps falling instead into intestine and will irritate it since its very potent. You increase your risk of colon cancer especially if you eat higher fatty foods since it keeps irritating the intestine with nothing to dilute it(a main reason why cancers occur is due to chronic inflammation).

    I'll pull out a references for you:
    1) http://coloncancer.about.com/od/cancerresearch/a/09302005.htm

    2) http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/712494_4

    edit: i'm sorry i misread. you already did the procedure ><. Just avoid eating high fatty foods and check your history. Have a safe recovery. In a few week i'm sure you'll be bouncing back up


  • gandydancer
    gandydancer Posts: 171 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    I milked it for a whole week off. But mowed the lawn 4 says post. Easy surgery. Relatively. ;)

    @mhausler93‌ we must be from the same gene pool. Mine (& every female on my dads side) was the same way. Dang thing just quit.

  • gandydancer
    gandydancer Posts: 171 Member
    I cannot believe people say the weight gain comes from over eating or eating the wrong foods, so not true, t is a nightmare and makes losing weight almost impossible. I watch everything I eat and it just doesn't matter the weight slowly piles on and it is because you just threw a bomb at your digestive system
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    gandydancer wrote: »
    I cannot believe people say the weight gain comes from over eating or eating the wrong foods, so not true, t is a nightmare and makes losing weight almost impossible. I watch everything I eat and it just doesn't matter the weight slowly piles on and it is because you just threw a bomb at your digestive system

    Stop making excuses. Many of us have lost more weight after a cholecystectomy.
  • North44
    North44 Posts: 359 Member
    I had mine out a few years ago and it had no effect on my weight or my ability to lose weight.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    gandydancer wrote: »
    I cannot believe people say the weight gain comes from over eating or eating the wrong foods, so not true, t is a nightmare and makes losing weight almost impossible. I watch everything I eat and it just doesn't matter the weight slowly piles on and it is because you just threw a bomb at your digestive system

    Weight gain comes from eating more than you burn.
  • SunflowerCat74
    SunflowerCat74 Posts: 258 Member
    I actually lost weight before surgery because I was terrified to eat and then afterwards because any fatty food had me running for the bathroom for a year.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
    I had gallstones for 8 years. Had my gallbladder removed in December of 2013. I lost about 8kg after it was removed. I kept having attacks though and after a further procedure to remove stones from my bile ducts, I did put the weight back on. I only gained again because I went crazy eating pizza etc which I couldn't do before.

    I used to think I had chronic diarrhea since having the gallbladder out but that has vanished since going low carb.

    I've lost 25.9kg this year with no gallbladder :-)
  • charlieandcarol
    charlieandcarol Posts: 302 Member
    Regarding the bloated/distended abdomen. If you have any abdominal procedure laproscopically they usually fill your abdomen with carbon dioxide so that things separate and they can see clearly. Usually takes a week or two for your body to reabsorb the gas. Also post op temporary inflammation and swelling will result in fluid gains on the scale that will go after you have fully healed. Your body is an excellent healing machine but it is not that good that it can fully recover from an anesthetic and surgical procedure within a couple days!!!
  • beth557755
    beth557755 Posts: 13 Member
    edited April 2015
    I had my gallbladder removed about about 3 years ago. Right after surgery I couldn't eat much except for bland foods which is expected. After some time I found out I could eat normal foods without any problems. I did end up gaining weight. It had nothing to do with the surgery though, it had more to do with the fact that I could actually eat food even high fat foods without being nauseous and without bowel reprecutions. So I was eating the foods I could never eat before and kind of went crazy with it and it wasn't going right through me anymore, so I ended up putting on a lot of weight. It's like being sick with my gallbladder stopped me at times from eating as I was too nauseous or in pain to eat anything. I also have IBS so things were pretty *kitten*...figuratively and literally lol. I of course wasn't trying to diet or lose weight at the time. If you eat the proper amount of calories for you to lose weight, then you shouldn't have a problem. I have no problem losing weight when I eat right. It's the junk food that does me in and not being without a gallbladder.
  • lavendah
    lavendah Posts: 126 Member
    It has been 5 months since the surgery.. Can confirm, it does not affect your ability to lose weight at all..don't know where all these rumors came form.. I do not have any digestive problems either.
  • Blondiez73
    Blondiez73 Posts: 33 Member
    lavendah wrote: »
    Getting a surgery for gallbladder removal this week..
    Had no idea about the weight loss thing unless I heard it from a friend and subsequently googled it.And bam.Countless people crying about how they have uncontrollably put on leaps of weight no matter how much and what they eat and what kind of lifestyle they have..
    The reasoning is that since gallbladder no longer helps in the breakdown of fats,the fat gets accumulated.. Doesn't make much sense to me because doesn't that imply that eating fat = getting fat..

    But this is indeed scary and I'm questioning my decision (though there is no going back now).

    Want to know the experience of all gallbladderless people.


    No. Get it out if you need it out. I had mine removed a couple of years ago and it was one of the best things I've could've done. Your liver will still secrete bile to break down fats, it just won't be stored in a pouch (gallbladder) instead it will empty into your intestines. Your doctor should have went over this with you at your appointment. Yes, fat does make you fat. Many things can make you fat though. You eat too many calories you can get fat. You eat too much fat it can make you fat, etc. Not having a gallbladder won't make you fat. A gallbladder doesn't have an appetite, but a human does though. Don't be sad. It really was not that bad of a procedure. Hopefully you will feel so much better, as I did. I certainly do not miss being in pain for hours on end after eating a heavy fatty meal. That, I do not miss and I am glad it is out.

  • Jillish23
    Jillish23 Posts: 226 Member
    edited July 2015
    I had mine removed as an emergency approximately 13 years ago. It wasn't the removal of my gall bladder that caused my weight gain over the years, it was eating more than I burned (proven by my healthy weight loss since joining MFP).

    On a personal note, I have to eat as soon as I'm up in the morning or I can feel pretty unwell by later in the day. Also can't eat a lot of fatty foods because this triggers an upset stomach too. I wasn't given any advice or guidance after I had mine removed and suffered for years before getting things *relatively* under control. ❤
  • 1966spen
    1966spen Posts: 33 Member
    Having my gallbladder removed is best decision I ever made. No more nights ruined and ending up in A & E. Had attacks about once a month but really bad. Now absolutely fine. Took about 6 months to settle and now lost 23 lbs in 6 months.
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