Need help - have to go super low-fat diet

jenlaw71
jenlaw71 Posts: 56 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
*Background*
March 30 had laproscopic hysterectomy with complications. April 8 I ended up in ER unable to breathe with a partially collapsed right lung - chest xray revealed issues with my gall bladder.

Had a follow-up with my regular dr this morning. It's not "if" it's "when" I will now be having my gall bladder removed. Last few blood workups my liver enzymes have been elevated - but she couldn't figure out why. Also, my bile duct is partially obstructed - my gall bladder is FULL of stones.

I've never had any issues with my gall bladder, but based on everything else both doctor and I feel best thing is just to take it out. HOWEVER - due to all the issues with my earlier surgery, I was out of work for 5 weeks. Financially I can't afford to miss at minimum another week. HOWEVER - until Dec 31, I've already met my out-of-pocket with my insurance - so now is the best financial choice...

All that being said - I would like food/diet suggestions for low-fat or no-fat foods so that I can possibly delay the inevitable......any suggestions?

Replies

  • Unknown
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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    This article is interesting: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/gallbladder-diet-foods-for-gallbadder-problems

    I don't have gallbladder issues myself, but had a co-worker who had the endoscopic surgery.

    Good luck!
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    My advice:
    (1) get it out as soon as possible, obstructed bile duct may me obstructed other parts -- duodenum? If I recall my anatomy
    (2) My experience: (yours may vary, and your doctor may say different) eat tiny 100-200 calorie meals once every 1-2 hours, preferably things I didn't really need to chew. If it contains fat, make sure there's also fiber of some kind to slow the fat digestion. For me, no nuts, seeds, oatmeal, saturated fats worked best awaiting surgery. Low-fat (ie tasteless) American cheese slices on wonderbread worked ok. Saltines. Not a lot of vegetables, for me.

    I essentially ate jello with fruit cocktail for the last 30 days before mine was out. Mine got pretty bad before surgery. Horrible diet, wrecked my blood sugar. But pain?
  • Rogstar
    Rogstar Posts: 216 Member
    edited May 2016
    I am so sorry you have to go through all of this. One thing after another. I don't have any tips on diet suggestions, other than it would be best to consult with a dietician.

    If it's a problem being out of work, depending on what you do, you might be able to go back less than a week after surgery in this case. My mother-in-law had her gall bladder taken out last year. She also had a partially obstructed duct and stones. She's 65 and owns her own accounting firm. She had her gall bladder taken out on a Friday and she was out of the hospital the next morning. After starting to work from home on Sunday (she's a little insane), she started going back to the office on Tuesday. Not saying you'll recover that fast, but it does seem to be faster than most surgeries.

    She has adjusted her diet, but outside of not drinking alcohol any more, it's not noticeable and I don't know what specifically she avoids. But let me tell you, once she had it removed, she felt so much better overall. She's had other issues with her digestive system (Ulcerative Colitis that has flared up off and on for the last 30+ years is the big one) but this one thing really helped her quality of life.

    I think if there's a problem with your digestive system, it's so much better to have a plan in advance rather than an emergency removal if something goes wrong. If the DR is OK with putting it off for a little bit with diet, then go for it. You could always plan it near a holiday (if that applies) and it may give you an additional day to rest.
  • markswife1992
    markswife1992 Posts: 262 Member
    my husband went on a very low-fat diet and ended up with his gallbladder almost rupturing; he had to have it removed. i hope you can get the surgery done soon.
  • WJS_jeepster
    WJS_jeepster Posts: 224 Member
    I had mine out laproscopically on a Friday and was back at work on Monday. Unless there are complications, it's usually done on an outpatient basis (don't stay overnight in the hospital).
  • jenlaw71
    jenlaw71 Posts: 56 Member
    "complications" - yeah - that was the name of the game with my "simple, routine" hysterectomy.............due to stage 4 endometriosis, I was under anesthesia for 5 hours.........my surgeon nicked my bladder so they had to call in a urologist - ended up with a catheter for 2 weeks. Was in hospital overnight (went home Thursday afternoon). Sunday morning woke up with INTENSE back pain - thought it was a kidney stone.....go to doctor Monday morning - get admitted again for observation -SEVERE muscle spasms and we discovered a partially collapsed lung!! Go home from hospital Tuesday afternoon. Friday evening have to go to ER because I couldn't breathe - lung had collapsed more....that's when we discovered the gall bladder issue!!

    I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and get surgery before end of the year most likely.....but now of course everyone is scheduling their vacations - and my boss and co-worker more than deserve their vacations for me being out. I did work from home the last 2 1/2 weeks I was out last time - just couldn't handle a full 9 1/2 hour day.

    Thanks everyone - I'm gonna talk to my boss this weekend about permission to have small meals at my desk throughout the day. I don't think it will be an issue - but don't want to be rude.
  • Annieway987
    Annieway987 Posts: 24 Member
    I went on a business trip something like 3 or 4 days after my endoscopic gall bladder removal. It involved flying most of the way across the country for a 1 week meeting. My doctor said it was OK. I was a little tired at the end of the day, but I managed just fine. I don't think you will need to miss much work.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    My fiance had his gall bladder surgery in an outpatient place and was back to work in two days. He said he could have actually gone to work the next day but used the surgery as an excuse to not.

    Sorry about your hysterectomy complications :( I'm hoping menopause will sufficiently shrink my fibroid so I don't need one myself. I'm almost 50. Hurry up hot flashes!
  • Madelinec117
    Madelinec117 Posts: 210 Member
    Hope the doctors gave you good instructions on what you can eat until you have the surgery. In my case, a small serving a coleslaw put me in the ER. They forgot to tell me to stay away from raw, hard to digest veggies. There are some cooked veggies which are easy to digest, such as green beans, beets, etc. You can also try lean ground turkey.
  • jenlaw71
    jenlaw71 Posts: 56 Member
    Well, I finally got an appointment with my surgeon - surgery is set for July 7. Assuming they can get the scope in and then up through the belly button (baring hysterectomy complications) it will be an outpatient surgery. It's set for a Thursday so hopefully back to work on Monday - Tuesday at the latest.

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