Gall Bladder Diet?

bethsumnerfairweather wrote: »

I don't know what else to eat!

Following random advice on the internet could have serious consequences. Either get advice from your doctor, or ask them for a referral to a Registered Dietician.

I think it differs from person to person and depends on severity, so I would have this conversation with your doctor. I had one single, huge gallstone after my son was born. 9 years later, I still have my gallbladder, but cannot eat fried seafood without fear of death. I cut out all fried foods for a while and that worked for me. Best regards to you.

I regret having my gallbladder removed last June. Not everyone needs to have it removed.

I recommend reading Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It, by: Dr Sandra Cabot MD.

Amazing book and only reason I had my removed is because I did not know about proper dieting or MFP. One I got my weight under control all pain went away and had no issues with most foods. My trigger foods was beef and anything with caffeine, and was able to eat / drink these types of foods after losing weight, albeit on a lesser quantity.

Removed mine because I was not able to lose any more weight and began to gain all of it back, which in-turn caused the pain to come back. Didn't know about counting calories, etc.

IF you look around the great wide web one learns quickly gallbladder surgery is a lucrative business and almost no doctors mention that an individual can changer their diet. However it all depends on severity and you can always ask for a second opinion and have other tests to find out how bad it is.

Four weeks after having mine removed my wife's was removed. Her gallbladder completely failed due to both pregnancies and had nothing to do with gallstones. They did some special tests to find out if it was actually working properly because the first doctor stated it was gallstones but she was not displaying the typical location for pain, etc.

Edit: Liver has everything to do with the gallbladder. Also forgot to add why it should not have been removed and let me first say that it is different for everyone.

I can drink all the caffeine I want as long as I am close to a bathroom. Movie Theater popcorn is a no go and DOES NOT digest at all for me. It will sit in my stomach and go bad eventually leading to about 24-36 hours of violent puking. I can only eat about 4-6 ounces of any type of beef in a 12 hour period. Anything spice has issues digesting as well. However with this said, my wife only has issue with milky products like ice cream.

All people are different and @Akmauser is definitely right that not everyone needs their gallbladder removed. Trust your surgeon but also ask questions.

My gall stones led to pancreatitis and I had to have an emergency removal. In my case it was life or death so I am very thankful that removal was an option.

However, I still have pretty severe side effects from the removal almost 4 years later. I deal with vitamin deficiencies and also dumping syndrome issues.

My personal triggers are: salads, fibrous leafy greens, even iceberg lettuce (but not spinach), fried foods, foods that normally encourage bowel movements like raisins, dates etc,...

What worked for me was eating a diet that was full of lean meats, non- leafy veggies, fruit, cheeses, full fat dairy, quinoa and other starches that have protein sources like pasta made with lentils or beans. Also eating small meals and not having any liquid with my meal. I also realized that I could eat certain trigger greens like kale and celery as long as they were in green smoothies. My vitamix did a good bit of the digestion/mastication ahead of time and I make sure there is protein so it slows the dumping into the small intestine.

Basically things that are recommended for gastric bypass patients have worked very well to control gallbladder removal/bile issues for me. I suspect the same way of eating would have also helped when I had a problematic gallbladder

Best of luck with your appointment!

I had mine out about a year ago and I've felt much better since. The only side effect that I had is what some people call "dumping" and misunderstand to be a reaction to fat. It's actually an effect of the bile dripping consistently into your intestines/bowel, and it's easily managed with a cholesterol binder like Questran/cholestyramine. I get some indigestion (bloated and gassy) if I eat something with too much fat, but I have no bathroom issues since being on cholestyramine. As I had IBS symptoms for years prior to surgery, this has been a very positive change.

17 years ago I lost my husband because of a gallbladder that went ignored for too long. He ended up with pancreatitis.

I won't go into gory details but this is not something to mess about with. Please take care of yourself.

bethsumnerfairweather wrote: »

...I am still terrified of having another attack. I still have pain in my back and in my shoulder tip, but pain in abs has gone away except for twinges...

I know all about that! Lived with pain 24 hours a day for 8 weeks before they figured out my gallbladder needed to be removed.

I had my gallbladder out in 2011. My attacks got way worse when I lost a bunch of weight quickly. I would have pain in my upper abdomen that would radiate to my back, miserable. I was in the ER one time and they gave me something for pain that helped. I dont have any eating issues now. Im glad its out. I had pain for years before they figured it out. No one thought a teenager would have the problem... but i did!

@bethsumnerfairweather This brings back memories of 20 years ago. On a subsequent visit, my doctor was reading back through my old notes and smiled and said he noticed I hadn't returned for surgery yet.

My Gall Bladder situation took my weight down from 182 to 130 but I finally beat it with a lemon juice purge and a course of herbal medication. Now I've returned to normal, but the fat free eating became a lifestyle change which I still partially maintain.

My gal bladder was enflamed and filled with stones , so I was in pain 100% of the time before it was removed. My diet did not effect the pain at all. The only comfort was if I pinched my right side a bit. I walked like that for 3 weeks before I had it out!

I have not had any ill effects. The only thing I cannot eat that I ate before is McDonalds cheeseburgers. They will do me in.