Gall Bladder Removal and Weightloss

I had my gallbladder out in November. I ended up being out of work for 2 weeks because of some uncommon post-surgical side effects. I gained weight after the removal, but more because I just didn't care about my diet. I continued to have some GI issues post-surgically, but once I added a probiotic in February those issues seem to have remedied themselves.

I had mine out in 2008. I had temporary weight loss due to diarrhea and then a post-op infection which essentially blocked anything from moving through my intestines and forced it back up. I was only out for a few days with the surgery, the infection and drain tube had me down for a couple weeks.

LaceyBirds wrote: »

Just FYI, something doctors never tell you is that 10 - 15% of people who have their gallbladders removed develop Post-Cholecystectomy Syndrome, which is basically chronic diarrhea with minimal warning, along with chronic gastritis. I have this, and it's made my life miserable. I have to take drugs every day for the gastritis, and I'm housebound a great deal of my life due to the diarrhea (basically Dumping Syndrome). Eating less fat since I found MFP helps, but it is still a regular occurrence.

This is really interesting. I was never told about this, but I would definitely say I have this. When I complained to my GP about these symptoms several years ago (a couple years after surgery), she said it was abnormal and tested me for celiac disease (don't have it). The first year was the worst, in which pretty any meal and especially anything greasy would send me to the bathroom within 5 minutes of finishing. My stomach is still really sensitive to mood. This issue is really bad anytime I am stressed, anxious, sick.... Last week I lost a couple pounds thanks to diarrhea because I was really stressed.

In general, having my gallbladder removed has had no appreciable long-term impact on my weight.

One note to OP, as well as other respondents:

I understand & sympathize with those who've had negative side effects or recovery issues with this surgery. It's a good thing for someone who's going into it to be aware of these possibilities, and you-all have the best understanding of them.

But, specifically for OP, I want to add a reminder that on a thread like this, it's likely that you may see "selection bias" - that is, the population who reply on the thread aren't statistically equivalent to the general population who've had the surgery. Those who had "no problem" surgery and put it behind them are somewhat less likely to reply, in that it didn't make much ripple in their lifestyle. Those who've sadly had more difficult recoveries are probably more likely to reply.

If you're concerned, you may want to ask your surgeon about the incidence of worrying side effects (i.e., ask what percentage of people experience them).

Again, not trying to minimize anyone's negative experiences at all, and I fully support your sharing them here. But I don't want OP to worry beyond the appropriate amount, either.

I had my gallbladder out last Wednesday and took 6 days off the elliptical and am now back at it 90 min workouts.

Or you can use a product called Stonebreaker by Herbpharm and avoid surgery all together. I have more then a dozen friends who were having gallbladder issues and put a stop to it by going through two rounds (two 30mL bottles) of the Stonebreaker. Several were actually scheduled for surgery and cancelled it after using this. GB problems are exceedingly painful (BTDT. Had a gallstone cause pancreatitis while I was 13 weeks pregnant), but one does not need to have their GB taken out to fix the problem. Digesting fats and having runny stools are a lifelong issue for a lot of people who have their GB out. It's there for a reason......

If you do use the stone breaker - it is NASTY tasting stuff, my friends have found it most tolerable in purple grape juice.

I don't need everyone elses crap for suggesting this. You all gave her your medical information, I'm offering a non slash and cut route. She's old enough to research and choose, so please kindly skip the nasty comments. Whatever you do, OP, I do wish you well and a speedy recovery!

I lost 25lbs before having mine out because it felt like I was being stabbed whenever I ate. Not s recommended diet! I was out of work for a week. I work 12 hour shifts, on my feet, moving patients. I did have increased swelling/bloating on work days for about a month. Still had some pain but it resolved over a year. The worst part for me was the gas they use to inflate your abdomen. When you sit up, the gas travels up and lodges under your clavicles. Painful to breathe! Laying back down resolves it. Took a couple of days for that to go away.

ronjsteele1 wrote: »

Or you can use a product called Stonebreaker by Herbpharm and avoid surgery all together. I have more then a dozen friends who were having gallbladder issues and put a stop to it by going through two rounds (two 30mL bottles) of the Stonebreaker. Several were actually scheduled for surgery and cancelled it after using this. GB problems are exceedingly painful (BTDT. Had a gallstone cause pancreatitis while I was 13 weeks pregnant), but one does not need to have their GB taken out to fix the problem. Digesting fats and having runny stools are a lifelong issue for a lot of people who have their GB out. It's there for a reason......

If you do use the stone breaker - it is NASTY tasting stuff, my friends have found it most tolerable in purple grape juice.

I don't need everyone elses crap for suggesting this. You all gave her your medical information, I'm offering a non slash and cut route. She's old enough to research and choose, so please kindly skip the nasty comments. Whatever you do, OP, I do wish you well and a speedy recovery!

Without offering an opinion on the product:

Note that not all gall bladder surgery is for gallstones or "sludge". OP didn't specify.

For example, mine was done because of symptomatic adenomymatosis, a thickening of the GB wall that is associated with increased risk for malignancy. Because of my history of cancer, they wanted to remove it & send it to pathology just in case. There was fairly extensive inflammatory damage & cholesterolosis - all related to my (then) poor health practices as far as weight & diet. There were actually holes through the gall bladder wall. No pill is fixing any of that.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

ronjsteele1 wrote: »

Or you can use a product called Stonebreaker by Herbpharm and avoid surgery all together. I have more then a dozen friends who were having gallbladder issues and put a stop to it by going through two rounds (two 30mL bottles) of the Stonebreaker. Several were actually scheduled for surgery and cancelled it after using this. GB problems are exceedingly painful (BTDT. Had a gallstone cause pancreatitis while I was 13 weeks pregnant), but one does not need to have their GB taken out to fix the problem. Digesting fats and having runny stools are a lifelong issue for a lot of people who have their GB out. It's there for a reason......

If you do use the stone breaker - it is NASTY tasting stuff, my friends have found it most tolerable in purple grape juice.

I don't need everyone elses crap for suggesting this. You all gave her your medical information, I'm offering a non slash and cut route. She's old enough to research and choose, so please kindly skip the nasty comments. Whatever you do, OP, I do wish you well and a speedy recovery!

Without offering an opinion on the product:

Note that not all gall bladder surgery is for gallstones or "sludge". OP didn't specify.

For example, mine was done because of symptomatic adenomymatosis, a thickening of the GB wall that is associated with increased risk for malignancy. Because of my history of cancer, they wanted to remove it & send it to pathology just in case. There was fairly extensive inflammatory damage & cholesterolosis - all related to my (then) poor health practices as far as weight & diet. There were actually holes through the gall bladder wall. No pill is fixing any of that.

True, true. Probably more common that it's stones then what you had, but yes, there are other reasons for GB surgery for sure.

DancingDarl wrote: »

I had mine removed through belly button laproscopically. It took me a full two wks to walk and move with ease and after a month half i was able to dance. Unless it must come out asap i would suggest overhauling your diet do a liver and colon cleanse at least..
My gallbladder attacks (pains) continued after surgery and recently my new doctor has discovered paracitic infections that would have explained my gallbladder issues coming out if nowhere. Eating vegetables and fruit while cutting the crap processed foods sugars will help you recover and who knows surgery could be avoided. I know i wish i never had mine removed and i wish doctors these days could explain what causes these issues so people can learn to avoid them.

When I went to my surgical consultation, the surgeon told me that once you have a gall bladder attack, there is almost 100% chance that you will have another attack. My MIL was told she needed to have hers removed about 5 years ago. She refused and is eating as clean as she can - she has pretty much cut out all processed foods, eating organic, gluten free, etc, and she will still have attacks weekly.

Plus, not all gall stones/kidneys stones can really be prevented. My gall stones and kidney stones were caused by Hyperparathyroidism. One of my parathyroids was producing too much PTH and it caused my body to leech calcium which caused stones. I had to have the parathyroid removed.

choppie70 wrote: »

DancingDarl wrote: »

I had mine removed through belly button laproscopically. It took me a full two wks to walk and move with ease and after a month half i was able to dance. Unless it must come out asap i would suggest overhauling your diet do a liver and colon cleanse at least..
My gallbladder attacks (pains) continued after surgery and recently my new doctor has discovered paracitic infections that would have explained my gallbladder issues coming out if nowhere. Eating vegetables and fruit while cutting the crap processed foods sugars will help you recover and who knows surgery could be avoided. I know i wish i never had mine removed and i wish doctors these days could explain what causes these issues so people can learn to avoid them.

When I went to my surgical consultation, the surgeon told me that once you have a gall bladder attack, there is almost 100% chance that you will have another attack. My MIL was told she needed to have hers removed about 5 years ago. She refused and is eating as clean as she can - she has pretty much cut out all processed foods, eating organic, gluten free, etc, and she will still have attacks weekly.

Plus, not all gall stones/kidneys stones can really be prevented. My gall stones and kidney stones were caused by Hyperparathyroidism. One of my parathyroids was producing too much PTH and it caused my body to leech calcium which caused stones. I had to have the parathyroid removed.

Your MIL is an exact case for using Stonebreaker. If it works like it has for all of my friends the have used it, two weeks will usually take care of the issue. Once in awhile a 3rd week might need to be added but two usually does it.

HyperPTH can definitely be an issue but had they ripped your GB out and not found the cause you'd still be having health issues b/c HPTH causes so many other issues as well. Nice that they were able to find this! When a friend of mine had her PTH gland out for it she improved significantly health wise! Hope that's been the case for you as well!