No Gall Bladder and problems with Greasy foods...TMI

hbrekkaas
hbrekkaas Posts: 268 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
I had my gall bladder out 2 years ago and have been struggling since then with diarrhea. For most of the first two years I ate like crap and just dealt with it when it happened. I could eat like crap for a week or more then have a bad day in the bathroom and just lived with it. I finally smartened up and changed my eating habits and now its worse! I went about a month mostly junk food free, there were one or two days where I had some junk, but just a tiny bit. But now I find that if I have anything greasy at all I am running for the bathroom within the hour. Am I just to never ever eat anything greasy again?

And I mean anything. If I share a small fries with my son from McDonalds, it goes right through me. Its like 10 fries. C'mon already!
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Replies

  • Wow, sorry to hear that! I'm considering having mine out, going through the testing now. Cant seem to eat anything but fruit and some veggies or I get sick. I have the diarrhea and the gassiness..its awful. My stomach blows up like I"m 6 months pregnant. What were your symptoms?
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
    This is actually a common problem with people after having their gall bladder removed. For some it goes away within a few months, others it takes a few years, and still others it ends up being a permanent issue. Id' talk with your doctor about ways to slow things down so you're not constantly running to the bathroom.
  • chrissyh
    chrissyh Posts: 8,235 Member
    I had same problem---once I really started focusing on a overall healthy diet, my issues since the gall bladder removal are SO much better.
  • Degator
    Degator Posts: 92 Member
    I had my gall bladder removed about 7 years ago, don't quite remember having those problems. It sounds more like irritable bowel syndrome which can be treated with antibiotics. However, the gall bladders is attached to the liver and concentrates the bile to break down fats. Hope this helped, good luck.
  • Flwrsme
    Flwrsme Posts: 39
    Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...BUT yes. This will happen for-ever. Well atleast its been three years now for me and it is still an issue. I can't eat greasy foods OR red meat. But on the positive, it helps a whole lot with staying away from the french fries. And only eating Chicken, Turkey and Fish is what helped initially get me down in wieght. But I do take a Digestive Enzyme and this helps alot. Good Luck.
  • natalie7015
    natalie7015 Posts: 55 Member
    My sister had the same problem and had her gallbladder out as well. I have also heard that sometimes the attacks are linked to the type of oils that fast food uses to cook with. I don't know if that is true, but there was this whole family that I knew that lack a gene and anytime that they ate junk food they would shortly have to run to the bathroom. They had to eat very health and watch all the oils that they consumed in cooking or eating. My sister had the bloating and as we call it, "bad gut" for years. She had her g.b. out and though occasionally still has attacks it is much less than before. She also had a lot of heartburn and acid attacks that would make her miserable. That part seems to be gone now.
  • Christina269
    Christina269 Posts: 110
    Sorry... I'm the same way... :o(
  • hbrekkaas
    hbrekkaas Posts: 268 Member
    Wow, sorry to hear that! I'm considering having mine out, going through the testing now. Cant seem to eat anything but fruit and some veggies or I get sick. I have the diarrhea and the gassiness..its awful. My stomach blows up like I"m 6 months pregnant. What were your symptoms?

    When I found out I needed it out, I had actually only had one attack. Just a terrible pain in my right shoulder and chest. They did the tests and took it out within 3 weeks. The surgeon told me afterwards that it was really large and distorted and the muscle was really weak, which was why I only had the one attack. It would have been much worse if it had been a strong muscle. I was really lucky that way. Sucks now though.

    I hope you feel way better after yours is out!
  • carpediem3
    carpediem3 Posts: 320 Member
    Ugh I feel for you, and I can totally relate! I had mine out in Oct 2002, and I STILL have the same side effects from food. I can have a few good weeks every 6mos or so but yea I hope you don't have to deal with it as long as I have, it just plain sucks! Check out "dumping syndrome." I've determined this is what I have, just don't have the time to check in with the dr about it.

    Good luck and I hope things get better!
  • NewVonnie
    NewVonnie Posts: 683 Member
    I had mine out 18 years ago and always had the same problem as you except it was all day every day. Once I started eating really healthy it cut down tremendously. Instead of 8 sometimes more a day its 1 or 2. If I eat something really greasy though I pay for it. So I guess thats what we have to deal with if we eat junk. Good thing we eat mostly healthy now, right? :)
  • hbrekkaas
    hbrekkaas Posts: 268 Member
    Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...BUT yes. This will happen for-ever. Well atleast its been three years now for me and it is still an issue. I can't eat greasy foods OR red meat. But on the positive, it helps a whole lot with staying away from the french fries. And only eating Chicken, Turkey and Fish is what helped initially get me down in wieght. But I do take a Digestive Enzyme and this helps alot. Good Luck.

    Boooo! I guess its a great incentive to start eating even better then.
  • icerose137
    icerose137 Posts: 318 Member
    You will most likely always be plagued if you eat greasy foods. The reason.

    Fat is one of the more difficult foods to digest. Your galbladder was a central player when breaking down fat. It creates concentrated bile to break down fat. When it's gone you have a super difficult time digesting fat so instead it slides on through. Some people's liver can step up and start producing enough bile to break down some fat, but it's doubtful you'll ever be able to eat a plate of greasy food without it coming back to haunt you later.

    My husband has IBS and had to give up all red meat, whole nuts, fats, eggs, dairy, soda, corn syrup and other forms of fructose, whole grains, raw veggies and even many cooked veggies unless they are mush. Dietary changes aren't easy but they are possible.
  • As the others have said - for some people it is a consequence of the gallbladder removal, I was told around 10% of people will have those problems.

    I had my gallbladder out 3 weeks ago, and havent really had much fat in my diet since before my hospitalisation 2 months ago - I've been ultra cautious as I'm really nervous around food now, the pain was so bad.

    But tonight I had some pizza - nothing bad in the toilet dept, but I do have pain in my chest - right where the gallstones pain was. I'm thinking that I might need to avoid fat forever too now.
  • bxangelgirl
    bxangelgirl Posts: 6 Member
    I had mine removed 2 years ago. I've been having the same issues ever since. I did however lost 30 pounds after surgery. Just had to change my diet. Mostly stop having fried and fast food. If you do that things should get a little better.
  • Tuffjourney
    Tuffjourney Posts: 971
    I had my gall bladder out 2 years ago and have been struggling since then with diarrhea. For most of the first two years I ate like crap and just dealt with it when it happened. I could eat like crap for a week or more then have a bad day in the bathroom and just lived with it. I finally smartened up and changed my eating habits and now its worse! I went about a month mostly junk food free, there were one or two days where I had some junk, but just a tiny bit. But now I find that if I have anything greasy at all I am running for the bathroom within the hour. Am I just to never ever eat anything greasy again?

    And I mean anything. If I share a small fries with my son from McDonalds, it goes right through me. Its like 10 fries. C'mon already!


    I had mine removed in March 2011 and I get those symptoms also. So, I still have to watch what I eat.
  • Trixtabella
    Trixtabella Posts: 471 Member
    I've had mine out but I don't have any issues like this, but I don't eat alot of greasy food anyway. Maybe you should go see your doctor.
  • I haven't gotten mine removed yet but definitely have problems with it and I can't seem to handle fried foods at all. I think it's just something you might have to live with and really weigh the consequences if you decide to have something fried. My mom got hers taken out a couple of years ago, since then she's completely changed her diet and doesn't eat any fried or processed foods. She says she doesn't have any issues now, though, and I think it's just not worth it to her to have any fried stuff anymore.
  • freeloaves
    freeloaves Posts: 281
    Had mine removed a year ago, only problems I seem to have is rancid farts. And unsure what causes them too ... I have a feeling it's yogurt for me, cos dairy was always what set me off for an attack.
    I'm fine with greasy foods.
  • mistyaiken
    mistyaiken Posts: 13
    i had mine removed april 1 of last year , i found that since the surgery i can not digest any sort of meat or greasy food i would have terriable pain. so i started eatting a vegiterian /vegan diet and it has helped out the alot no more pain. my doctor told me that it would be alot of try and error on the foods i could actually eat ,so the food that made the problem worse i had to learn to avoid them . or pay for it later.
  • taco_tap
    taco_tap Posts: 152 Member
    I had mine out when I was 19. Im 24 now, and had all the same problems as you mention. This is how the function of the gallbladder was explained to me. ( I could be wrong.) Bile helps digest fat. And your gallbladder stores the bile needed to digest the fat. After you get it removed, you no longer can store the bile, so its dumped into your track. Meaning, it isnt around when its time to go to work. So you cant digest it.

    Really watch what you eat, the less fat, the better digestion is for you. Also, I have added fiber, and lots of it, to my diet. Seems to be working wonders. But every body is different. Also, there are medicines your doctor can prescribe for you if you cant find any relief. You arent alone, nearly everyone I know who had thiers out, had some kind of issue like this. It does suck. And if adding fiber doesnt help, same with cutting fat, see the doctor. You got your gallbladder removed because you didnt want to be uncomfortable anymore.
  • In the first few weeks after the operation you can get diarrhea because without the gall bladder the bile constantly drips into the intestine and can irritate it. This is the diarrhea the surgeons talk about clearing up within a couple of months. If it hasn't cleared up after then its probably due to your bodies inability to digest fat and thats permanent.

    I had the operation in July 2010 and have the same problem. Any fast food, anything with fat = diarrhea. Just normal dietary fat makes me have wind that smells really bad. The main relief for me has been to stick to my pre-surgery diet which had around 15g of fat a day, sometimes I do splash out and go over and on those days I make sure take diarrhea tablets while I'm having my meal.
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    i had mine out a while ago and had the same problem - plus really bad heartburn. talked to an alternative practicioner and she told me to eat more vinegar (pickles and such) for the heartburn, but that IBS was a very commmon thing after having your gall bladder out. seems like she was right on both counts - but i do find that eating more dark green veggies helps. maybe b/c they're lower in fat, maybe b/c the high fiber. but it doesn't hurt to try and more veggies are always good.
  • CHOLESTYRAMINE. I had mine removed 10 years ago and still deal with this issue. After about 2 years, I sucked it up and asked the dr about it. She put me on Cholestyramine. It is a wonder drug, and it comes sugar free! It is a powder that you mix with water, though I now just take it in dry form as sometimes I didn't have water with me. I carry a pack with me wherever I go. One in my car, one in my purse, one in my desk at work, etc. I find it takes about 10-15 mins to work and then I'm good. Somedays I don't need it all. I only take it when needed. A box has 30 packs in it, and I take an amount equal to the size of a dime in my hand, so a box can last me 6-9 months, but I went thru them a little quicker at first
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
    Reading all these posts makes me want to just keep chugging the Vicodin when I have an attack (which hasn't been in forever since I started eating right).
  • taco_tap
    taco_tap Posts: 152 Member
    CHOLESTYRAMINE. I had mine removed 10 years ago and still deal with this issue.

    Do you need a prescription for that? My friend has been searching for something. She is one of the cases where nothing seems to work for her.
  • angshep
    angshep Posts: 3 Member
    I know exactly how you feel. I had mine out in June 2009 and suffered from diarrhea terribly, as well as sometimes having horrible/painful cramps similar to a GB attack. In Dec 2010, I was hospitalized for a severe bout of food poisioning, but they recommended that I take a probiotic to help with digestion. Since taking that almost daily, it has helped a lot with my digestion system. However, I still get bouts of the horrible diarrhea, but it is less frequent. I also started suffering from acid reflux (beginning of 2011) to the point where the lining in my throat was wearing away, so I had to be put on Nexium. I don't want to be on any type of pill, but when the lining of your throat wears away, you are more likely to suffer from throat cancer, so I take my nexium everyday now. I'm hoping that once I lose more weight, I'll be able to wean myself off the Nexium and hopefully not have any problems. I hope yours go away because the endless diarrhea is NOT FUN!
  • Yes, its by prescription, yup here in Alberta, I only pay about $28/box without insurance
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    I also started suffering from acid reflux (beginning of 2011) to the point where the lining in my throat was wearing away, so I had to be put on Nexium. I don't want to be on any type of pill, but when the lining of your throat wears away, you are more likely to suffer from throat cancer, so I take my nexium everyday now. I'm hoping that once I lose more weight, I'll be able to wean myself off the Nexium and hopefully not have any problems. I hope yours go away because the endless diarrhea is NOT FUN!

    i had the acid reflux too - srsly i know it sounds like an old wives' tale, but vinegary foods really do help. try eating pickles - just make sure to drink enough water b/c the sodium is terrible. the few times i get an acute attack now - aweful as it tastes, nothing works faster than a shot of apple cider vinegar. disgusting but WORKS. i'm off prescriptions totally for acid.
  • Babrao
    Babrao Posts: 152 Member
    Well, I had mine out in 1999 and I only experienced that for the first couple of years and I didn't eat very well at all back then. I don't seem to have this issue anymore at all since I've been making my "lifestyle change", now I don't go #2 half as much as I use to and when I do, it is "normal". Have hope. Like someone else said, sounds more like Irritable Bowl Syndrome.
  • dewgirl321
    dewgirl321 Posts: 296 Member
    TRY A LIVER CLEANSE! Seriously! I have tried this and passed on the info to friends and family. It really works. It's basically cleaning out your body's filter, and it makes you feel so much better. If you have trouble with greasy foods, and feel sick / nauseous / or have diarrhea after you eat them, this helps. It can also help acid reflux-like symptoms that occur with greasy foods. Honestly, it can even improve your skin and all sorts of other things.

    http://curezone.com/cleanse/liver/huldas_recipe.asp

    It isn't too bad, and it only takes a day. Totally worth it!
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