gall bladder operation

See, mine was the other way around. I had mine removed about 5 years ago, and because of the way the gallbladder works, I couldnt (and still cant really) eat anything greasy, fried, dairy or spicy without an upset tummy. I had to know where the bathroom was if i was eating anywhere but home, because within minutes, I was in there. I have re-accustomed myself to spicy stuff (and it still gives me trouble, I just love spicy food) I had lost some weight before I had it done, but I lost about 30 lbs in the few months after I had it out.

I had mine out a few years back. The doctors lie when they say you don't need it. The reality is you can live without it, but it does serve a function. It aids in how your body digests fats. Your body will bypass where your gallbladder was and will still break down fats, but it is NOT the same. I wish I had known that before I let them remove it at the ER. I would have chosen to at least try to manage my condition with good diet choices first, and then opting for surgery if that didn't work. Now any time I eat something remotely bad for me, it is a 911 find a bathroom situation, which can be flat out embarrassing. However, it does help weight loss in that regard because you are much more conscious about what you are putting in your body, because you know bad foods will lead to bad things.

I had mine out about a year ago. For me, it has actually made me feel better than I have in years. Mine did not have stones, but had just gradually stopped working. I didn't have to change my diet much, because I was already avoiding most of the foods that cause problems. It did not effect my weight loss and has made me feel so much better.

Keep in mind that while some people have trouble after surgery, it varies greatly by individual. I was eating, walking, and functioning normally within hours after surgery. I never had any pain at all. I had to make a conscious effort to take it easy because there was no pain to remind me.

I just had mine taken out on Tuesday so I don't know how it will affect me in the long term but the recovery hasn't been so bad. Mine was removed laparoscopically...only two small incisions. One in my navel which I haven't seen yet and a small (1/2") a little higher on my abdomen. For the most part I feel like I'd done gazillion sit-ups and then let Jillian Michaels kick me in the stomach.

Given that mine had all but stopped functioning (4% ejection fraction) I figured that having it out wouldn't make so much difference.

My mom has always had problems with dairy, spicy, fat etc. so it wasn't a suprise when this continued after hers was removed. I am just going to take it nice and slow and use the potential side effects as motivation to stay on the straight and narrow.

funny story...i suspected i was having gallbladder troubles, went to doc's. he asked if i could be pregnant. 'maybe' was my answer b/c i was nursing a 9month old & not on birth control. before he sent me for a gallbladder ultrasound he made me take a pregnancy test & sure as s**t I was. not only was i pregnant but i had to learn to manage my gallstones. who wants to have surgery while pregnant? not me. So manage i did, for 5 years. i finally had it removed & its been 7 years now. I still have trouble eating greasy & fried foods. But you learn what you can and cant eat. like someone said you'll need to know where the restrooms are.

I had mine removed when I was 15. The only difference I noticed was my body had a hard time with fried food. Something I stay away from for this reason plus it's not a good choice of food.

I had mine removed in August because it wasn't functioning at all. I have problems with red meat, greasy, fatty, fried foods. Nothing serious, just goes through me quickly.
Best of luck to you!

Mine was taken out in August. No impact on losing weight at all. Big impact on not feeling like I wanted to die for 12 hours at a time once in a while.

I had mine out when I was in high school. I had no problems with the surgery and was able to eat whatever crap I wanted both before and after the operation. My dad brought a double cheeseburger value meal to me in the recovery room and when the nurses tried to take it away saying it would make me sick he basically said "No it won't, I know my daughter" and sure enough, I ate the whole thing, didn't get sick, and they sent me home straight from the recovery room. I did, however, gain 100 pounds. I was underweight before the operation...apparently my sick gallbladder was making me skinny in spite of my very unhealthy eating habits, so once it was out I blew up like a balloon. Since you are already tracking your calorie intake and watching what you eat I doubt you'll have that problem though.

I had mine out about 18 months ago because of gallstones that I didn't even know I had. At the time I was being screened to be a kidney donor for my mum and was having every test known to man when they found them. I had my gallbladder out because the doctors said it would be best for me in the long term. I had never even had an attack until AFTER I had it out!! I still get them now and again but the doctors can not determine what is causing them as they said there were no stones left behind in the ducts. I have since found out that I can not stomach codeine in any painkillers after having the op. I've had really bad attacks from that. Other than the codeine, I can usually eat what I like. I soon know if I can't eat a certain food because it's off to the rest rooms pretty much straight after. Good luck

I had mine removed. The surgery went smoothly. The recovery was quick. Once I'd recovered, I felt so much better than I had before the surgery. I've never had a problem since- not even when I eat spicy/high fat foods. I've never noticed any difference with my weight loss either.

I had mine out in the morning and went to work a few hours later. I was so miserable before surgery that I felt 1000 times better afterwards. Recovery was a breeze. The only problem I had was an allergic reaction to the surgical tape. It made my incisions itch like crazy. I had no down time whatsoever from my ADLs.

I had mine removed on November 22nd, about a month ago. I had 5 laparoscip (can't spell it) incisions, but i live in Australia, so they may do it differently. I was in pain for my 2 days at the hospital, but never took one painkiller after I got home, even though it hurt a bit moving....no big deal though.

To answer some of the other people's issues:

I had gallstones and was told that therefore my gall bladder would no longer be working, so had to be removed or I would have further gall bladder attacks (much more painful than the recovery from the surgery) and possibly pancreatitis which can be very painful and possibly fatal. So getting it removed is the best idea and should make very little difference.

As far as having further stones they didn't find, I had a scan and ultrasound and camera procedure done during the operation to ensure there were no stones lodged anywhere else, and were all removed when my gall bladder was removed.

I had to rest and not drive for one week. I was home alone and managed fine so that gives you an idea how capable you will be. I could not do any heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for two weeks, so my daughter helped me with my grocery shopping and I left the housework alone. I took one week off work but apparently should have taken two.

I was also very tired for a number of weeks afterwards but that could have been the particular anaesthetic they used.

I was told I couldn't take codeine, but they gave me panadeine forte (contains codeine) as my standard painkiller in hospital, so I'm assuming I can now...must ask my doctor.

As far as scars go, I am using stretch mark creme on my tummy as I read on here that it can also help with loose skin after weight loss.

I was told to eat a low fat diet for one month after the operation, which I did. I am back to a normal diet now (dairy, etc) but have always eaten low fat so that hasn't really been an issue (trying to avoid cancer, which is in the family, and heart problems). I went close to my fat limit on MFP on Christmas day but had no problems. I have not had to rush to the toilet once since the op...nor did I before very often....but have noticed, on the positive side, that the flatulence I was experiencing before the op has completely gone (the doc told me there was no relationship, but this is what has happened for me). I have never been able to eat cream or cheese without a toilet reaction so will continue to stay away from them...healthier to do so anyway.(In fact, if anything, I go to the toilet less). I haven't had a fast food meal (because I am dieting) but am happy to leave greasy food alone from here on in for health reasons. So I am planning to leave that type of food alone.

As far as weight loss goes....the first week after the operation, which included hospital food (which was fattier food than I would normally eat and way over calories) and no exercise, I lost 600 gms. The second week I lost 400 gms. This was much the same as it had been before. I have gained 600 gms since but that is totally because of Christmas....lol.

I wish you all the best with it. But it should be absolutely fine. I was really nervous about mine and it was perfectly OK....much easier than I expected. And I am much better with food now than I expected I would be too. I would say to just take it a day at a time afterwards as far as food is concerned, stay away from fatty food if only for health reasons, and hopefully you will be fine...you will learn over time what you can and can't eat anyway. Most people have to avoid some sort of food for various reasons so I don't think that's such a big deal...you'll have a really good reason anyway. It'll be fine. Good luck! :happy: