Gall Bladder Surgery?

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macpatti
macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just had my gall bladder removed last week, after finding out it was non-functioning. I've been told it's important to eat a non-fat, high fiber diet. Anyone out there have the same surgery? What are your experiences with food? Coffee? Alcohol? Any tips for me?
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Replies

  • CraftyGirl4
    CraftyGirl4 Posts: 571 Member
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    The cool thing about the human body is that your liver can adapt and produce a little of the bile acids that your gall bladder should have been producing. Now, that adaptation takes awhile so eating a low fat diet is extremely important because those acids that aren't being made help break down fat.
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
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    I had my gall bladder removed a couple of years ago.

    All the gall bladder does is regulate the amount of bile that's released into the digestive tract, proportional to the fats you consume, so without it, it's more or less a steady stream.

    So very low fat food or very high fat food might mean things are not being processed smoothly down there, but it's no big deal.

    I was paranoid about it for a few months, but now I don't think about it at all - until I saw your post!

    You can look at my food diary if you like - it's friends only, so send me a friend invite!
  • jeepwidow01
    jeepwidow01 Posts: 173
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    I had my gall bladder removed back in Dec. 2003. After if first happened, I found certain foods would go through me quickly & I needed to be by a bathroom right away :blushing: I still get that from coffee occasionally. Right now, I would definitely stick with the non-fat, high fiber diet they recommended. As your body adjusts to no longer having a gall bladder, it does balance itself out. However, I do still have occasional times when coffee still gets me. Good luck with your recovery!:smile:
  • syreetahasting
    syreetahasting Posts: 31
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    I had my gall bladder removed last yr. & the doctor told me that foods I use to eat I could gradually add back, like bacon well I tried it & well we all know what happened if you have had your gall bladder removed, so on that note I stayed away from it & haven't touched it yet, now I eat Turkey Bacon, now high fiber might also do the same thing to you, my advise...Try it at home for a few days (like on a wknd) & stay home that way you're close to your bathrm..Hoped that Helped Some :smile:
  • dayzeerock
    dayzeerock Posts: 918 Member
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    I have Lupus, and it began attacking my kidneys and gall bladder recently. I had to do a low-dose chemotherapy treatment in order to keep both organs. Much like with having it removed, I had to drastically up my fiber-intake. Low-fat, is good, but be sure that what you are putting into your body is naturally low-fat, not fat-removed ("skim" milk, processed "low-fat" foods, etc.), that way it is easy for your body to break those things down. I suggest low-fat over non-fat simply because your body needs basic fats to function properly. Your brain is made out of fat and water, and with a non-fat diet, you can be causing more harm than good.
  • symphonika
    symphonika Posts: 107 Member
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    I had my Gall Bladder taken out when I was really young...like 11.. at first I couldnt eat really fatty foods or they'd go right through me. Now I don't really have the same problems...every once in a while something really greasy gets to me but not at bad as the first year I had it out.
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
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    I'm SO GLAD I found this post!

    I have polyps in my gallbladder. The doctors say if I'm admitted to the ER again, they'll have to do a gallbladderectomy (when too much bile is produced, everything snags on the polyps, causing intense crippling pain).

    I can not eat any high fat foods, high salt, or super sugary foods. Dairy really throws me off now too (I used to be a milk-o-holic).
    Red meat is also a big no-no for me...all of these things go right through me and make me violently ill out both ends (TMI, I know)

    In a way, I'm told that it's almost like a blessing in disguise, as it forces you to eat better foods.

    Personally, I'm completely fine with liquor. I never drink coffee, so I can't really help you out with that...

    What lead to having your gall bladder removed, if you don't mind me asking?
  • cjw6
    cjw6 Posts: 94 Member
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    Your gall bladder doesn't actually make anything- it acts as a storage resevoir for bile salts (produced by your liver) which are needed to help digest and absorb fats. Fats stimulate the gallbladder (if you have one) to contract, which is painful if there are stones in it, or if it is inflamed. Without the gallbladder your body will be less able to respond to a fat loaded meal. If you don't digest fats well you get horrible oily smelly diarrhoea and bloating. There are no absolute do's and don'ts after a cholecystectomy- just follow the usual healthy eating advice and avoid massively fatty foods.
  • jennyonthespot
    jennyonthespot Posts: 98 Member
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    I had my gallbladder removed about a year and a half ago. I was eating french fries within about a week. Not sure how normal that is, but that was my experience. I do eat fairly healthy in general, but on the days I dont, I don't seem to have a problem. I did notice that after my surgery, alcohol had a tendency to go to my head pretty quickly. I am somewhat more burpy than I was before the surgery, but that's not a huge deal to me. I do have more bile in my stomach, so when I caught a stomach bug about six months after the surgery it was alarming to be throwing up bright yellow bile. I don't say that to be gross. I say that because I freaked out and called an on call nurse because I thought something had gone wrong! Best of luck to you.
  • fudgebudget
    fudgebudget Posts: 198 Member
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    I had my gallbladder out a year ago, and after about 6 months I could pretty much eat normally again. Some fats seem to aggravate my system more than others, but everyone is going to handle it differently. Give yourself some time on a low fat diet (don't go no fat, because the body needs fat to absorb a lot of important vitamins) and gradually test what you can and can't eat after some time goes by.

    Coffee stimulates the bowels - and, without your gallbladder dosing out bile when you ingest fats, you get a steady stream of it into your intestines. What this means is some possibly not pretty BMs if you drink a lot of coffee without also eating some high fiber foods with it. (sorry for that imagery, but it is what it is). Didn't have any problems with alcohol.
  • jennyonthespot
    jennyonthespot Posts: 98 Member
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    Oh and I drink coffee daily, so that seemed to work out ok for me too. :smile:
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
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    I'm SO GLAD I found this post!

    I have polyps in my gallbladder. The doctors say if I'm admitted to the ER again, they'll have to do a gallbladderectomy (when too much bile is produced, everything snags on the polyps, causing intense crippling pain).

    I can not eat any high fat foods, high salt, or super sugary foods. Dairy really throws me off now too (I used to be a milk-o-holic).
    Red meat is also a big no-no for me...all of these things go right through me and make me violently ill out both ends (TMI, I know)

    In a way, I'm told that it's almost like a blessing in disguise, as it forces you to eat better foods.

    Personally, I'm completely fine with liquor. I never drink coffee, so I can't really help you out with that...

    What lead to having your gall bladder removed, if you don't mind me asking?

    I was having pressure in my chest and felt like food was "stuck". Then I was getting nauseous and having diarrhea after eating. They did an ultra sound and ruled out gall stones, so it took about a week to find the problem. I had a hyda scan done and they found that my gall bladder wasn't functioning at all. Two days later, they removed it. It's been 5 days and I'm finally feeling okay. I've been eating low fat foods, very bland, fruits and smoothies. No meat yet. No coffee (which I really miss). Still cautious about what to add and when to add it to my diet. I appreciate all your replies!
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
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    Oh and I drink coffee daily, so that seemed to work out ok for me too. :smile:

    I'm soooo missing my coffee! I haven't had any in 4 weeks now. I'm just hesitant to try it. Guess I'll give it a few months.
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
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    Your gall bladder doesn't actually make anything- it acts as a storage resevoir for bile salts (produced by your liver) which are needed to help digest and absorb fats. Fats stimulate the gallbladder (if you have one) to contract, which is painful if there are stones in it, or if it is inflamed. Without the gallbladder your body will be less able to respond to a fat loaded meal. If you don't digest fats well you get horrible oily smelly diarrhoea and bloating. There are no absolute do's and don'ts after a cholecystectomy- just follow the usual healthy eating advice and avoid massively fatty foods.

    Thanks!!!!
  • gritgirl
    gritgirl Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm about to get the ultra sound to diagnose gallstones. I've been getting a sharp pain in my upper right side after I eat a fatty meal. Yesterday the pain was so bad, I broke out into a cold sweat. I can't do anything about it until I'm done with traveling for work in the next month, so I'm going to have to be very, very careful about the amount of fat I eat.

    My hope is that it's not bad enough to take the durn thing out and that they just tell me to keep the fat content lower in my meals. Frankly, that kind of a pain is an incentive for *me* to eat healthier. Ugggh.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,186 Member
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    Oh and I drink coffee daily, so that seemed to work out ok for me too. :smile:

    I'm soooo missing my coffee! I haven't had any in 4 weeks now. I'm just hesitant to try it. Guess I'll give it a few months.

    Won't know until you try! :drinker: After I had mine out in 96 I went right back to my regular diet with no issues at all. I have never been big on greasy stuff (even fatty meats), but I have always had my coffee. Some people have issues after surgery, some don't. Maybe you will be lucky like me?? :tongue:
  • fudgebudget
    fudgebudget Posts: 198 Member
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    I'm about to get the ultra sound to diagnose gallstones. I've been getting a sharp pain in my upper right side after I eat a fatty meal. Yesterday the pain was so bad, I broke out into a cold sweat. I can't do anything about it until I'm done with traveling for work in the next month, so I'm going to have to be very, very careful about the amount of fat I eat.

    My hope is that it's not bad enough to take the durn thing out and that they just tell me to keep the fat content lower in my meals. Frankly, that kind of a pain is an incentive for *me* to eat healthier. Ugggh.

    Just make sure you don't put off getting it checked out for too long - I kept postponing the follow-up with my doctor and ended up with a stone lodged in the common bile duct. It was not fun.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    I had my gall bladder out about 8 years ago and eat whatever I want. I tend to do a low carb/higher protein & fat diet and have no problems whatsoever. I only eat coconut oil, olive oil, butter or fats found in foods (avocado, meat, etc.) Even before I cut out the vegetable oils though I didn't have issues.

    ETA: I drink strong coffee with half and half everyday with no issues. I also have no trouble with alcohol. When I got mine out I just ate like normal and haven't ever had any issues.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I had mine out in December of 2010 after living for a few years with a stone about an inch in diameter. No pain, but that stone wasn't going anywhere on its own.

    Since then, it doesn't matter what I eat, my bathroom habits are the same. I've tried low fat, low carb, balanced, it's always the same.
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    I had my gall bladder out when I was 11 or 12 (i'm 31 now), i've always just eaten whatever I wanted. Every now and then i'll eat something that doesn't agree with me, but I think that happens to most people from time to time. I guess take it easy as you heal, but don't feel like you're stuck eating that way forever.

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