Meals for when you don't have a gallbladder?

californiansun
californiansun Posts: 392 Member
edited December 2 in Food and Nutrition
I do not have a gall bladder, and my surgeon never gave me any diet help whatsoever.

I have acid reflux, IBS, and gastritis. I cannot eat a lot of fat in one sitting (eggs and avocado sometime hit me), and I should limit dairy even though I've never had a problem.

Can anyone give me any ideas? I'm running out, my old faithfuls are boring me! I am not a picky eater. I work a lot in a very active job, so they need to be quick and/or portable.

Thanks!

Replies

  • PDReader
    PDReader Posts: 24 Member
    I don't have a gall bladder, and I eat just about any **** thing I want. I have more problems with the acid reflux than I ever had after I had my gall bladder out. Which was a relief, since before my cholecystectomy, I was having horrible pain and puking a lot...
  • PDReader
    PDReader Posts: 24 Member
    Sorry you have so many issues. I am on 40 mg Nexium in the am and 40 mg protonix in pm and depending on what I eat I STILL have reflux. I can't imagine gastritis and IBS on top of that.... :(
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    I do watch my fat intake and could not eat ice cream for about a year after my GB surgery. There is no special diet except to avoid what bothers you. I was happy to lose my GB no more pain after many years.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Same here. The only issue I have is that big meals tend to sit with me longer. I eat all the same stuff I used to.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    I have no clue what bothers me. One day I can eat an egg, fine, next day... I'll be in the bathroom for hours.

    It's very annoying. My doctor gave me a low dose of acid reducers when needed, and told me to eat activia.

    I guess I'll throw something together. I get scared to eat with all of my problems.
  • Merrycherryo
    Merrycherryo Posts: 24 Member
    edited May 2016
    How about eating lots of small meals throughout the day? I had acute pancreatitis in the past and my doctor suggested I have my gallbladder removed. Once I switched to a pescatarian diet (no meat except for fish), I felt a lot better and my flare-ups went away for the most part. Have you thought about limiting your meat intake? That may help. And good luck! I know how you feel! :smile:

    Just realized I didn't answer your question about meals.... Wraps are portable (but sometimes messy), sushi (Cali rolls are a favorite), baked sweet potato with some spray butter, frozen grapes, fruit salad, couscous.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    When I got my gall bladder removed in '04, I suffered for several years from horrible IBS and dumping syndrome. When I started eating more fiber, and generally eating better, the dumping syndrome was gone. I still have a lot of intestinal/stomach issues, but I don't think it relates to the gall bladder any more.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    Lotusrain wrote: »
    How about eating lots of small meals throughout the day? I had acute pancreatitis in the past and my doctor suggested I have my gallbladder removed. Once I switched to a pescatarian diet (no meat except for fish), I felt a lot better and my flare-ups went away for the most part. Have you thought about limiting your meat intake? That may help. And good luck! I know how you feel! :smile:

    Just realized I didn't answer your question about meals.... Wraps are portable (but sometimes messy), sushi (Cali rolls are a favorite), baked sweet potato with some spray butter, frozen grapes, fruit salad, couscous.

    I have time for maybe 1-2 meals per day. I work full time, go to school full time and take care of a disabled family member full time. Eating isn't on top of my list in all honesty! I'm lucky if I can eat breakfast.

  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »
    When I got my gall bladder removed in '04, I suffered for several years from horrible IBS and dumping syndrome. When I started eating more fiber, and generally eating better, the dumping syndrome was gone. I still have a lot of intestinal/stomach issues, but I don't think it relates to the gall bladder any more.

    I'll eat more fiber. Dr told me take a supplement and that doesn't help me AT ALL. Thank you for your response!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    My gall bladder was removed, my surgeon gave me no dietary restrictions, and I'm doing fine. He said if diarrhea was a problem, take metacmucil.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    Had mine out 06. I can relate, so sorry. It does get better. Like you know and others said it's sometimes related to fat intake.

    I was stupid so don't do as I did at first. I Tried to eat through the problem, greasy bar food. Bad things happened!

    Short term my doc gave me a script for Zegerid, bring your wallet! Helped a little, for maybe 6 months. I got much better with no meds and eating a banana with greek yogurt. I avoided the foods that always made me sick(I know it's hard to say, takes time, MFP could help you see patterns). It got better over the first year.

    When I completely changed how I ate, I have no issues at all, greasy, Habeneros, cheese whatever, within calories. I have no problems. My diet today is full of fruit, veggies, whole grains, lean meat, fish... (you know the drill).

    If I had to do it all over. I'd change my diet first. Add fruits and vegetables, basically fiber. My system loved Oatmeal, the real stuff you cook. Probably simple meals without a lot of ingredients or sauce, gravy... you know, boring food. Look at your diary, what foods are fatty and may make you ill ? You should see a pattern. I'm of the belief that we're all a little unique, but there's some stuff that's similar. Look at the majority of the replies and pick out the common items from each I believe there's a pattern. Good luck.
  • rosecropper
    rosecropper Posts: 340 Member
    Everyone seems to respond to gallbladder removal differently, but I would suggest getting more fiber more often.
    Especially as you have no gallbladder & since you eat so infrequently, that bile is just draining into your GI tract with no food to use it up. It can cause digestive issues. If no time to eat, carry around a fruit/veggie smoothie to sip on between meals.
  • pdxwine
    pdxwine Posts: 389 Member
    I had my gallbladder removed many, many years ago.

    At first, I would have bout of the runs, especially after having coffee or roughage. As time went by, it got better. Of course, no one told me that this could happen.

    Now, years later, I do not have any issues with foods. Whew! I have heard others say that, with time, the problems do go away.
  • tigernikki
    tigernikki Posts: 23 Member
    I see that you're busy but what works for me is to eat little but often. Even if it's just a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts, i have to eat something every 2-3 hours throughout the day. If i'm not feeling too well i drink either mint or ginger tea. Have you tried them?
  • Debbie_Ferr
    Debbie_Ferr Posts: 582 Member

    Having your gallstone removed, might have caused you to be lactose intolerant ? It's possible.

    http://patient.info/forums/discuss/lactose-intolerance--455196

  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    tigernikki wrote: »
    I see that you're busy but what works for me is to eat little but often. Even if it's just a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts, i have to eat something every 2-3 hours throughout the day. If i'm not feeling too well i drink either mint or ginger tea. Have you tried them?

    Mint tea made me vomit and ginger gives me heart burn! :( I'm going to try and sneak in some snacks at work, or bring a smoothie with me and sip on it when I get a moment.

    I didn't have gallstones, I was in an accident and the impact of being hit (I was a pedestrian) exploded my gallbladder. But my doctor said to give up dairy, which I did and didn't see an improvement. I still don't eat it (besides her recommended yogurt), just because I don't miss it.
  • all_in_the_game
    all_in_the_game Posts: 39 Member
    edited June 2016
    Eat lean protein (fish, poultry) in small amounts, mostly vegetables, fruits and whole-grain bread. You must increase the amount of fiber in your diet, but gradually, it will help with the IBS. You might know all this already by now.
    californiansun wrote: »
    Mint tea made me vomit and ginger gives me heart burn! :( I'm going to try and sneak in some snacks at work, or bring a smoothie with me and sip on it when I get a moment.

    Use fruits, or kale chips, roasted chickpeas as snacks if you must.
  • 1992fx3
    1992fx3 Posts: 35 Member
    californiansun wrote: »
    ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »
    When I got my gall bladder removed in '04, I suffered for several years from horrible IBS and dumping syndrome. When I started eating more fiber, and generally eating better, the dumping syndrome was gone. I still have a lot of intestinal/stomach issues, but I don't think it relates to the gall bladder any more.

    I'll eat more fiber. Dr told me take a supplement and that doesn't help me AT ALL. Thank you for your response!

    An easy way to get more fiber is eating Kellog's All Bran Buds, 1/3 cup is 51% of the RDA.
  • Merrycherryo
    Merrycherryo Posts: 24 Member
    Do you like overnight oats? I mix together vanilla almond milk, old fashioned oats, a little peanut butter, a little maple syrup (for sweetness), and a sprinkle of chia/hemp seeds. In the morning you can grab it and go. Adding fruit is always good too.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    I do make it sometimes. But when I have a gastritis flair, all I can eat is oatmeal and filtered water. I kind of lost my spunk for it. I don't really care for it anyways, lol. I'll add some new stuff like you suggested and I'll give it a go!
  • kvab
    kvab Posts: 6 Member
    I had mine taken out 20 years ago. I had all those issues until i went Keto. Now i can eat dairy, high fat etc. No problems.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    kvab wrote: »
    I had mine taken out 20 years ago. I had all those issues until i went Keto. Now i can eat dairy, high fat etc. No problems.

    I don't do keto, the high fat is a problem (majority) for me, plus the lack of fiber (I have to eat a lot for my digestive issues) isn't good for me either. I study nutrition and it's against my personal beliefs, lol. I'm glad it's working for you though!
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