If I had it to do over again, when I got pregnant, I got gallstones, since I went from an all fast food/junk diet to not being able to tolerate fat, meat, or sugar for about 5 months, and I would adamantly have fought it out, since I suffer some of the side effects of having the gallbladder removed. I don't want to scare or gross anyone out, so I won't list the most traumatic of my side effects, but I will agree that time helps, if you can tolerate it.

I had my gallbladder out in December 2000, and when I jumped right smack into high fat, low carb, moderate protein in January 2015, I did not observe any fat related trauma (some can if it is too close to the removal surgery when the body hasn't been able to adjust). Good luck, whichever way you go to resolve this.

Aschindler412 wrote: »

I think I was one of the lucky ones. Had two major gall bladder attacks and went ahead and scheduled my surgery despite my reservations about having an organ removed. I enjoyed being an 'intact human' lol. Aside from a horrific hospital stay (the morphine would cause near instantaneous hour long dry heaves which are fab when you've just had abdominal surgery let me tell you, and the nurses were just awful at running IV's) and missing about a month of work (thank god for short term disability)... I'm perfectly fine. I have noticed zero difference before or after the surgery. And this was six years ago. I can eat a high fat meal and really... nothing happens. Apparently my liver was pro at picking up the slack or something.

@Aschindler412 I am completely jealous of all of this - except the horrific hospital stay. My gallbladder surgery was when my newborn daughter was 7 weeks old - and it took longer to bounce back from the surgery than it did from labor, stitches, and sleeplessness!

Aschindler412 wrote: »

I think I was one of the lucky ones. Had two major gall bladder attacks and went ahead and scheduled my surgery despite my reservations about having an organ removed. I enjoyed being an 'intact human' lol. Aside from a horrific hospital stay (the morphine would cause near instantaneous hour long dry heaves which are fab when you've just had abdominal surgery let me tell you, and the nurses were just awful at running IV's) and missing about a month of work (thank god for short term disability)... I'm perfectly fine. I have noticed zero difference before or after the surgery. And this was six years ago. I can eat a high fat meal and really... nothing happens. Apparently my liver was pro at picking up the slack or something.

The liver was always the one doing the work. The gallbladder is just a storage unit for the bile. Taking it out can screw with things, especially when you're adjusting, but as you noted, it doesn't really change anything in the long run.

vilenski193 wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I have been doing so well on this way of life I have lost 4.5% body fat in two months. (I don't check pounds because it frustrates me ) I have lost most of my food cravings and was ok with simple. And then I got what they think is gallstones. It was horrid. I waited it out had a doc evaluate me and order and ultrasound which i still need to do. I had all the typical symptoms and still suffer from back pain and nausea. They told me no more high fat food. They said they are not supposed that I got them so now I am lost. I don't know what to eat? How to eat? I'm so confused and still not feeling great. Any thoughts ? Ideas ? Support? Aviva

There's a mistaken belief that LCHF causes gallstones, but the actual mechanics don't really support that. What LCHF can do, though, is reveal existing gallstones. It's a somewhat subtle, but important, difference.

The purpose of bile acid is primarily to break down fats. If you follow the standard USDA diet, you don't consume a lot of fat. Since you're not consuming a lot of fat, the bile just kind of sits there, waiting to be used. Like oil and gas in a car that just sits for years on end, if the bile is not used regularly, it starts getting sludgy and can form stones (ever make rock candy? It's like that). They don't cause problems while you remain low fat, because they're just sitting the pouch that is the gallbladder. They have room to move around and everything is "fine." However, when you start eating more fat, that requires the body to mobilize the bile acid in the gallbladder. This pushes it down the duct to the GI tract. This is where things cause problems, because the duct is smaller than the gallbladder. It's like sitting in a room (lots of space), then trying to get out via the HVAC ducts (very little space).

The other two cases that are believed to form gallstones are too much cholesterol being sent to the gallbladder, or the body is breaking down too many red blood cells. In both of those cases, you probably have a bigger problem than the gall stones. When LCHF triggers it, though, the most likely cause is the sudden increase in fat intake, which increases bile acid use.

I definitely agree with your decision to not jump straight to the surgery (and kudos to you for seeing that doctor's "all the world's a nail" approach before it was too late), though it'll definitely be good to get the ultrasound to see if you need to take steps to break up the stones to help them pass, or if you can just ride it out. Riding it out sucks, for sure, but it's only temporary, and you'll come out with your gallbladder intact (which, in my opinion, is the favorable outcome).

It might be a good idea to back off on the fat for right now, until you get that ultrasound and find out how big the stones are. You don't want to increase your risk of a stone getting lodged in the duct and causing bigger problems. Reducing the fat temporarily will reduce the amount of bile needed, and keep things in a holding pattern.

I have gallstones and have yet taken the steps to have the gall bladder taken out. I am trying to be VLC or ZC, so I am eating lots of protein and fats. Definitely, if I eat something with high fat with high carb then I will get an attack. If I eat too much fat, I'll get an attack. For example last month there was the all ground beef for a month experiment. I was eating the 73%/27% ground beef with the oil that comes out during the cooking. I got an attack about a week into the experiment (it was milder than my previous attack, which was when I stopped doing LCHF). I still eat the 73/27, but I don't eat any of the leftover fat that is in the pan. Also, I think I need varied foods, meaning I can't eat the same food for all my meals. I can eat lamb, duck, pork, eggs, etc... throughout the day, but if I just stick just one type of protein then my body does not like it.

I am not sure exactly how effective it is but I have been taking ACV drink, 2-3 times a day. It helps with the digestion, and it supposedly help dissolve gallstones. I take especially if I feel maybe my meal was too high in fat and may trigger an attack. Like this weekend I had roast pig with pig skins. But I ate more than I should (it was buffet! needed to get my money's worth ), and my tummy was not that happy, had a shot of ACV and felt better. My tummy felt full even into the morning but did not get any pre-symptoms of possible gall bladder attack.

globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/benefits-of-chanca-piedra/

While I take Chanca Piedra to help remove calcium deposits and take a bit out of pain from my frozen ligaments as both a tea and tablet form most take it for stones. I have been on it full time for about 90 days. From studies I have read it is safe to use weed from the Amazon forest. I get it directly from Amazon. com.