Keto after gall bladder surgery?
Thaeda
Posts: 834 Member
Howdy. I had an unexpected trip to the ER this past weekend which resulted in the removal of my gall bladder. Just got home from the hospital. I plan to stay keto if I can--- I did some reading around diet post gall bladder removal- it seemed mixed. Some said no fat, some said, no gluten, etc. Anyway, I figured as large as this forum is someone out there has to have had some experience with this--so, is continuing to eat keto going to be ok without my gall bladder?
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I had my gallbladder removed at the end of March. I was already eating low carb (less than 50), but not "keto". I found that if I stayed away from unhealthy fats/foods, I was fine. So, cheese, FF dairy, coconut oil, butter, etc. did not bother my stomach or...other things.
If I ate "off plan", I felt the effects.
I wasn't eating gluten, so I can't speak to that.0 -
Coconut oil does not require bile to be processed. You might try adding bile salts in with your meals if you're having digestive issues with higher fat foods.0
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I had mine out when I was 16! I'm 40 now. I've had no problems at all. As a matter of fact I feel like my digestive health is completely healthy and normal now as opposed to IBS and occasional, but rare, "phantom gall bladder attacks" I had before.0
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this can be tricky depending on your former long time diet. I had an emergency gallstone surgery ( stones blocked duodenum, almost died) and 6 months after ( while NOT doing LC) I had a high fat eggs benedict breakfast out with friends…almost wound up in the ER..the pain was intense..too much fat, too fast!!
But I slowly abandoned processed foods, and when i went full on LCHF I had NO issues with high fat at all..
without a gall bladder your body STILL produces bile from the liver, it just doesn't have a handy 'squeeze bulb" via the gall to inject it to intestines.
so go slow, no big change to high fat if you are now/were consuming carbs.
Some days I get over 130 gr fats via butter, coconut oil, nuts, etc…and never ever any pains or problems…. my GB is still there, butting, desiccated after years of LOW FAT eating which ruined it…lesson learned.
Fats help the gall function, and removes stones before they get big, low fat keeps them in the gall, and growing..trouble later.
My surgeon said most N.Americans are loaded with stones due to a poor, too low fat diet, but there is NO way to prescreen 200 million of us, they just wait for the ER trip, then operate. cheaper, but harder on the patient!0 -
My gallbladder is RIP, and I have no issues eating keto without it. In fact I had pains and diarrhoea daily after it's removal until I went keto.0
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KETOGENICGURL wrote: »this can be tricky depending on your former long time diet. I had an emergency gallstone surgery ( stones blocked duodenum, almost died) and 6 months after ( while NOT doing LC) I had a high fat eggs benedict breakfast out with friends…almost wound up in the ER..the pain was intense..too much fat, too fast!!
But I slowly abandoned processed foods, and when i went full on LCHF I had NO issues with high fat at all..
without a gall bladder your body STILL produces bile from the liver, it just doesn't have a handy 'squeeze bulb" via the gall to inject it to intestines.
so go slow, no big change to high fat if you are now/were consuming carbs.
Some days I get over 130 gr fats via butter, coconut oil, nuts, etc…and never ever any pains or problems…. my GB is still there, butting, desiccated after years of LOW FAT eating which ruined it…lesson learned.
This is all very good to know-- thanks. My diet "before"-- mostly low carb, went keto in June- had occasional high carb binges that lasted less than 24 hours. Right now food of any kind is so unappetizing. Blech. I am starting to eat a little here and there- so far today I had an egg and I just had some protein pudding (made from a mix). I am tolerating that well. Dr. said taking it slow would be wise, soncidering I had 2 surgeries in 2 days (gall bladder out and then another procedure to clear some duct next to my liver that was blocked).
Thanks to the other folks who answered-- I cannot imagine having to eat low fat the rest of my life-- that would truly SUCK.
Oh- and I am kind of freaking out because I have gained about 15 pounds since Saturday when I had my gall bladder attack. My stomach is bloated, my fingers look like little sausages..it is even harder for me to cross my legs---OMG!! I have eaten next to NOTHING for 4 days-- how the hell did this happen?!0 -
The first couple of months I had problems with fats. Would get a horribly upset stomach and diarrhea if I ate ANY fat. I'm now a couple years out and no problems for the past year and a half.0
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My gallbladder was removed in 2012. I haven't had any problems being LC and ZCHF.0
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Btw: I hope you are recovering well!0
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"I have gained about 15 pounds since Saturday when I had my gall bladder attack. My stomach is bloated, my fingers look like little sausages..it is even harder for me to cross my legs---OMG!! I have eaten next to NOTHING for 4 days-- how the hell did this happen?!"
Sounds like water retention.. meds/anesthesia in the system, you KNOW you have NOT eaten enough to GAIN that much weight..logical, right? your body cab hold gallons of water in the cells….just breathe slowly, relax…..<grin>0 -
KETOGENICGURL wrote: »
Sounds like water retention.. meds/anesthesia in the system, you KNOW you have NOT eaten enough to GAIN that much weight..logical, right? your body cab hold gallons of water in the cells….just breathe slowly, relax…..<grin>
I know... I had 2 surgeries in 2 days.. one was gallbladder, one was some liver/duct-thing they had to clear out. Anyway... I am an emotional mess and hardly able to put 2 straight thoughts together right now. Sorry for the panic. Thanks much.
A supplement. Can also be called ox bile. Amazon or vitamin store.
Thanks for this.
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I had my gallbladder out in December 2000 when my daughter was 7 weeks old. I find that 98.5% of my post gallbladder removal complications are mitigated or completely resolved by eating low carb high fat/keto. The only issue I have is if I go way too long without eating (more than 12-14 hours conscious or sleep plus 7-9 hours, I hit a point where the constant trickle of bile (since we no longer regulate that with GB) causes a painful bathroom reaction (after solid waste in the body is removed) that makes me go #2 with not much but bile...and it can go one from once to up to 4-6 hours...progressively getting more...tender/sore/burned back there... So until you adjust to normal LCHF eating again, I would NOT suggest IF... (Hugs) Other than that, I agree with most of the rest of everything above!0
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »I had my gallbladder out in December 2000 when my daughter was 7 weeks old. I find that 98.5% of my post gallbladder removal complications are mitigated or completely resolved by eating low carb high fat/keto. The only issue I have is if I go way too long without eating (more than 12-14 hours conscious or sleep plus 7-9 hours, I hit a point where the constant trickle of bile (since we no longer regulate that with GB) causes a painful bathroom reaction (after solid waste in the body is removed) that makes me go #2 with not much but bile...and it can go one from once to up to 4-6 hours...progressively getting more...tender/sore/burned back there... So until you adjust to normal LCHF eating again, I would NOT suggest IF... (Hugs) Other than that, I agree with most of the rest of everything above!
Very good to know-- TY!0 -
I had mine out in 1992 at 19. Three days after surgery I had pizza without problems, but I was younger then. I've done keto on and off over the last 20 years without a problem. I did start having issues with gluten about 12 years ago, but never attributed it to the fact that I didn't have a gallbladder. I do have a problem with coconut oil, even though it's supposed to be easier to digest. Butter, cream cheese, and other oils are no problem. I also have a problem with IF, much like the reaction KnitOrMiss has. Not as bad anymore, but I just have to make sure I don't fast too long.0
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I had mine out in 2003 and apart from having to rush to the toilet an hour or so after eating a very high fat meal its been fine. Actually it can be a help sometimes with this woe if my bowels have been a bit sluggish,lol.0
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So far, so good. I have been able to eat meat, butter, cheese, almond butter, and yogurt (full fat) without a problem. My meals are rather small at this point- I only had surgery 4 days ago- but my appetite is slowly returning.
Feeling rather wiped out much of the time, but minimal pain. I keep having headaches, though- they started a few days before the gall bladder attack that sent me to the ER and have continued. They are migraine-esque in that I am sensitive to light and the pain is worst at my temples. Thoughts on that?0 -
most migraines are hormonal, and as long as your stress level stays high post surgery (surgery itself is a stressor), I don't know other than meditation and all that??? I have only had migraine-level headaches, not migraines themselves...
One other word of warning. I tend to be sensitive to diarrhea following 1) too much coconut oil, 2) too many pickles or too much vinegar, 3) much smaller combinations of the too. Causes an internal reaction similar to the baking soda and vinegar volcanoes of our youth! I have to have about 4 hours between even 1 -2 tsp of CO and 1 pickle or 2+ oz of pickle juice...0 -
My migraines are all hormonal - I can guarantee that I'm ovulating when I get 2 per day for a few days in a row. Not sure about a relation to gallbladder stuff.0
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »most migraines are hormonal, and as long as your stress level stays high post surgery (surgery itself is a stressor), I don't know other than meditation and all that??? I have only had migraine-level headaches, not migraines themselves...
One other word of warning. I tend to be sensitive to diarrhea following 1) too much coconut oil, 2) too many pickles or too much vinegar, 3) much smaller combinations of the too. Causes an internal reaction similar to the baking soda and vinegar volcanoes of our youth! I have to have about 4 hours between even 1 -2 tsp of CO and 1 pickle or 2+ oz of pickle juice...
TY on both counts- you are right- probably body-stress related. Very much appreciate the head's up on the vinegar- I was considering adding apple cider vinegar to my regimen as it is supposed to be good for cleansing/healing-- but will steer clear of it.
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I don't use apple cider vinegar, but if you get the one that is "with the mother" I'd still do that for the health benefits, and just be careful not to do it near coconut oil...0
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Headaches can be a booger! Ice packs on your head, perhaps? I can say that the magnetic necklace, recommended by Carly (Knitormiss) has been amazing at helping my headaches! Good luck! Btw: I ordered them from Amazon.0
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Headaches can be a booger! Ice packs on your head, perhaps? I can say that the magnetic necklace, recommended by Carly (Knitormiss) has been amazing at helping my headaches! Good luck! Btw: I ordered them from Amazon.
I'm so thrilled to hear that the necklace you got is helping your headaches still!! Definitely not psychosomatic effect this far in.
That is awesome... Totally made my day to hear this. (hugs) 0 -
The headaches appear to be getting better slowly... less pain every day. I think they were just from my body being so out of whack. Very little pain from the surgery, but man do I tire out quick. Looking forward to getting my energy back-- and my appetite. Just don't feel like eating. I do it, but it takes effort. Blech.0
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I began having gall bladder attacks when I converted off low fat processed foods to real foods. They were intermittent for a few months but said no to the surgery (it was the surgeon that actually provided official diagnosis as he was trying to schedule a date!) Anyway I was worried that going lchf would start the attacks back up.... not a single one. Recently ran across this: http://www.dietdoctor.com/gallstones-and-low-carb0
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Headaches can be a booger! Ice packs on your head, perhaps? I can say that the magnetic necklace, recommended by Carly (Knitormiss) has been amazing at helping my headaches! Good luck! Btw: I ordered them from Amazon.
I found this stuff in Walmart that is great for migraines. The only thing that ever helped mine. Its called Stopain Migraine. Its a gel that kind of feels and smells like Bengay. You rub it on both sides of the back of your neck and in about 15 or 20 minutes the worst of the migraine is gone. There's still a very small, kind of dull ache but at least you can function. Its also homeopathic.
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Thank you @LindaSmith108! I'm always willing to try different things for my headaches. @Carley. You're an amazing person who cares about other's, and it shines through! Thanks again! Sorry OP for the hijack!0
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Thank you @LindaSmith108! I'm always willing to try different things for my headaches.
Anytime. I hope it works as well for you as it does for me. Migraines are sure miserable.0 -
I also heard somewhere that if you put an ice pack on your throat and your feet in hot water it helps headaches too but I haven't tried it. Sounds kind of like an old wives tale to me.0
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