Gall bladder challenges

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jenmccoy1
jenmccoy1 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My boyfriend had his gallbladder out about 4 years ago. He continues to have dumping issues especially when eating the good things he's supposed to eat like vegetables and fruits. The stuff he can eat with minimal problems are the high carb breads and pastas.
Which is making losing weight very hard.

Does anybody have any insight into a workable weight loss diet with these kinds of challenges working against him? Or how to make ingesting veggies easier?

Replies

  • chellekoren
    chellekoren Posts: 273 Member
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    I'm not sure I understand. Sorry. I thought the gall bladder processed fats. Why would vegetables and fruits be an issue?

    Adding flax and chia seeds to his diet, high fiber things, should help absorb the fats and oils in his diet. Without a gall bladder, you have nothing to cleanse out the fats and oils.
  • mel_issa1717
    mel_issa1717 Posts: 29 Member
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    Get a digestive enzyme that contains ox bile. I have mine out too
  • Notaphase
    Notaphase Posts: 81 Member
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    I had my gallbladder taken out 9 years ago and I still get an upset stomach (I'd take that over the pain of gallstones any day). After a year of ibs I went to (supposedly) the best gastroenterologist in the city and without doing any tests he gave me a prescription for antidepressants and told me to avoid fiber. Wtf! You just have to be patient and mindful of your body and figure out what foods help and which hurt. For me, coffee's a no no, bananas are super helpful. And exercise really helps.
    My personal, non-medical theory on why your boyfriend's having stomach issue while eating healthier food is that his body is used to providing a certain about of bile for the portions he used to eat (without the gallbladder to store the bile the body just guess how much to make). Now that he's eating less he has too much bile in his system. It will take some time for the body to catch on and start producing less. Stay consistent and healthy!
  • snavemom
    snavemom Posts: 56 Member
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    I was in ER Tuesday night with pain in my stomach and back - a few tests later (Ultra sound) they found out my gallbladder is full of stones. Now I am waiting for my doctor to refer me to a surgeon. I've lost 2 lbs since Tuesday. Food has become my enemy. When I eat, I get nausated. I'm following the BRAT diet for now, and that doesn't even help. What can I say, I'm miserable.
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
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    I had mine removed seven years ago and still have "episodes" occasionally. They have gotten less frequent over time and almost stopped since I started losing weight. But then today I ate a chicken Caesar salad for lunch and... boom. Not a pleasant afternoon at work. Lots of pain.

    It just seems so random anymore. I used to be able to pinpoint it but it's gotten more difficult to know ahead of time how I'll react
  • pdxwine
    pdxwine Posts: 389 Member
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    I had mine removed more years ago than I want to think about.

    At first, roughage and coffee set me off. As time has passed, nothing seems to bother me. I am no longer much of a coffee drinker and sometimes it will cause me to have the runs.
  • Lorny01
    Lorny01 Posts: 6 Member
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    I had mine out 8 years ago. Before my surgery I was ok if a meal had less than 4g of fat. After my surgery, I still followed that for a while because if I strayed, it wreaked havoc on my system. Now I know what I can and can't do. I have to strongly avoid beef and egg yolks definitely. I also have a difficult time with high fat foods and any type of milk that isn't skim. Tums are a godsend for a gall spasm.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    It does seem a bit random. My MIL has to avoid beef and bananas as well as fatty food, and has trouble with cheddar cheese but not red Leicester despite almost the same fat content. Nobody seems to know why.
  • acbraswell
    acbraswell Posts: 238 Member
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    I had my gallbladder out 5 years ago. I don't have any real "problem" foods, but I know that I need to be near a restroom when I'm having a greasy or fibrous meal. To be a little indelicate, when I get in the recommended (25g) of fiber, I may go to the bathroom 4+ times a day, but I know that about me and plan what I eat accordingly. I tend to eat most of my veggies in the evening when I'm at home. Best of luck to your boyfriend.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    I had mine out going on three years ago. Fats bothered me at first, now I'm OK with everything. I average a little over 30g of fiber per day, and about 65g of fat per day. Judging from everything I've read, people's post op experiences vary wildly.

    Your boyfriend might look for some gall bladder support groups; he might find someone who's had a similar problem there. Try searching for "gall bladder support group" in Google or Bing.
  • krythie
    krythie Posts: 84 Member
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    I have similar problems with vegetables and fruits. After looking at various websites, I learned that cooking vegetables and fruits helps with their digestion. Do not eat raw or dried fruits/ veggies. Avoid seeds and nuts, also chocolate and caffeine.

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