So, anyone else in here not have a gallbladder?

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  • claire7090
    claire7090 Posts: 67
    I had my gallbladder removed in 2004 5 months after having my son, the gallstones were formed due to a liver problem I had when I was pregnant and started giving me severe symptoms 9 weeks after my son was born.

    I can honestly say that life without a gallbladder is better than with one that has gone wrong! I have to be careful not to have too much fatty food eg if I had a fried english breakfast on holiday one morning I would then be very sensible about choosing low fat choices for the rest of the day, but to be honest that is what is good for my health anyway! So on the same basis if I know I am going out for a meal in the evening which is going to contain alot of rich fatty foods I eat sensibly all day that way I can enjoy the meal in the evening.

    My one request to my surgeon when I had my operation was that I wanted a piece of chocolate cake for my birthday (2 days after the surgery) and when I saw him after he said I could have piece of chocolate cake but not to expect my body to like the whole cake! I guess what he was saying is that the rich fatty foods have to be in moderation.
  • Miss53
    Miss53 Posts: 1
    I had mine out in 1972, the doctor said I would always need to watch how much fat I ate. He was very correct. Kaopectate has become my best friend. I am very careful of how much fat I eat but I'm not perfect so do stray sometimes. I also develped a gluten intolerence just to complicate the issue. I wonder if instead of our lack of a gall bladder being the problem with fat or certain foods maybe the CAUSE of the gall bladder problems for some of us are connected to tendencies toward these sensitivities?
  • Reckabek
    Reckabek Posts: 487 Member
    Had mineout 8 yrs ago! Due to sluggish, i started to lose weight cause it would hurt to eat fatning things! Therefore after losing alot of weight i still kept it in, i kept it in until i couldnt eat at all and was throwing up bile. I was told it had turned gangreen and i was put onto antibiotics and had a longer hospital stay! I have not had any issue with eating, it felt so much better! I had continued to lose weight for about 3 yrs, then i started a new med and piled on 100 lbs! I am now down 95 of that! Woohoo! But no, no complications that i can remeber, i was happy i could eat without pain!
  • jbakerak
    jbakerak Posts: 73 Member
    I agree with a lot of what has been said here. I had mine removed about a year and a half ago I think. Had a hard time tolerating fat, milk products, heavy breads and certain peppers (mostly pickles jalapenos). My doctor said my body should return to normal in about a year. For the most part, it was. Still can't eat too much fat with nothing else in my stomach, or with heavy bread (heavy breads or starches like noodles make my stomach muscles freak out, it's weird, but I don't like it). One or the other in the same meal is best. Sometimes espresso latte's, I'm guessing from the warm milk. The weirdest is egg yolks that are not fully cooked. Those still make me sick really fast! I could eat red peppers and fresh jalapenos, but now I can eat pickled jalapenos. I just limit them (just in case), and try not to eat them with too much fat. As much as I have improved, I can only assume it will keep getting better, praise God. If it's bothering you, a healthy diet will ultimately fix that. I ate REALLY healthy right after it was removed. 1. Because I didn't like pain or getting sick 2. I wanted to clean my liver because the fluid had backed up due to stones
    If my stomach hurts now, it's usually because I somehow swallow more air? Not sure, but I'll just take a couple of tums and I burp lol, but I feel much better!
  • StephL0711
    StephL0711 Posts: 141 Member
    i had mine taken out july 09. best thing that ever happened!! i had pain since i was like 12 and the doctors didnt know what it was so i lived with it for like 10 years. and thankfully no problems at all after it was taken out!
  • nixirain
    nixirain Posts: 448 Member
    Hiya,

    I had my gallbladder removed two years ago, unfortunately docs had left it so long i got a liver infection. My doctor said that i was the youngest person he had ever done the procedure on for some reason that didn't scare me at all and i continued to eat bad up until joining MFP. However, I've been suffering with diarrhoea, sickness and intense abdominal pain after a bad weekend..the doctor kept telling me I had IBS but after doing my own research it's the fact that i don't have a gallbladder any more and when in taking all this sugar my body can't handle and that's how it will react from now on.

    Yep, it is called Dump Syndrome. It is a common side effect to the surgery that some doctors don't tell you about. I had mine out in 2005. I cannot over eat or eat fuzzy's tacos without having to have a bathroom near by within 20 minutes of eating it.

    Gaining weight is a common side effect that I have noticed with people whole have had theirs out as well. I think it is a combo of being able to eat without hurting and the way you body processes food after not having a gall bladder any more.
  • runbyme
    runbyme Posts: 522 Member
    I had mine out 32 years ago when I was just 22. I asked my Dr before he scheduled surgery if there would be limitations to what I could eat without it and he said no! I have never had any trouble eating anything since it was removed.

    On that note...the procedure was way different back then! I have a 7" scar. I was in the hopital 7 days or until I could fart! Honest! A tube hanging out that drained bile into a bag. Every day they would shut it off for 2 hours to see if I could handle the bile in my system. Came home with the tube still in and a heavy metal clamp hanging off the end of it. Still had 20 metal staples holding the incision shut. 2 weeks later, time for the T tube to come out. My Dr put a paper towel on my belly and as I asked "how" he was going to remove it, he pulled it out like someone pull the cord on a chainsaw! Bile went everywhere! Good times! :sick: :laugh:

    Now you have 2 little cuts and they send you home the same day! Nice!
  • determinedhealthy
    determinedhealthy Posts: 199 Member
    Mine was taken out by emergency in July 2005. It was a great relief to see it gone. I had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time (4 months) prior to the getting pains from my gallbladder. My surgeon told me that is what caused mine to "give up". I got bad pains especially after eating pizza and greasy foods the pain would not allow me to lay flat, therefore I couldn't sleep. I couldn't take it anymore so I went to the hospital. I had an extra cut in my side for a drain b/c it was infected, yuck! No issues with eating now, not sure it's a good or bad thing :)
  • determinedhealthy
    determinedhealthy Posts: 199 Member
    I had mine out 32 years ago when I was just 22. I asked my Dr before he scheduled surgery if there would be limitations to what I could eat without it and he said no! I have never had any trouble eating anything since it was removed.

    On that note...the procedure was way different back then! I have a 7" scar. I was in the hopital 7 days or until I could fart! Honest! A tube hanging out that drained bile into a bag. Every day they would shut it off for 2 hours to see if I could handle the bile in my system. Came home with the tube still in and a heavy metal clamp hanging off the end of it. Still had 20 metal staples holding the incision shut. 2 weeks later, time for the T tube to come out. My Dr put a paper towel on my belly and as I asked "how" he was going to remove it, he pulled it out like someone pull the cord on a chainsaw! Bile went everywhere! Good times! :sick: :laugh:

    Now you have 2 little cuts and they send you home the same day! Nice!

    LOL I had to do the fart thing too! Thats my main memory of the whole hospital visit. Wow I had the tube too, but they went through my belly button and one small cut where the pain was plus the cut for the bag/drain. Did go home same day.
  • jabbaknight
    jabbaknight Posts: 10 Member
    I had mine out about 15 years ago. Fortunately, I only had one bad night of pain. Drove myself to the emergency room, and they took it out the next day. The doctors couldn't believe it hadn't been bothering me for quite awhile.

    You know, I never realized until reading this thread that having my gall bladder out and my need to be close to a bathroom after eating out at some restaurants were related. I just thought I had a weird stomach. Fascinating.
  • weightloss43154
    weightloss43154 Posts: 203 Member
    I had mine removed on friday the 13th January 2006 and have not had any problems since
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
    I had mine out about 15 years ago. Fortunately, I only had one bad night of pain. Drove myself to the emergency room, and they took it out the next day. The doctors couldn't believe it hadn't been bothering me for quite awhile.

    You know, I never realized until reading this thread that having my gall bladder out and my need to be close to a bathroom after eating out at some restaurants were related. I just thought I had a weird stomach. Fascinating.

    Yep. For me it's a must to be near a decent restroom if we are eating out. Usually I'm cool... especially with my newfound health kick. But there are certain restaurants that my husband will want to go to, and for me it's like "ah, great...."...

    But yes, I just have to watch the fats & fried foods... which I should veer away from ANYWAY...

    My dr. said that the bathroom thing should go away... some people never get it, some it goes away after a few months, others a few years... they have medicine for it; but the stuff is so awefull - I'd rather deal with the bathroom issue.
  • blissfuldrake
    blissfuldrake Posts: 128 Member
    I had mine out in 2006. I had gravel, not stones...LOL That's the way they explained it to me. Anyway, it wasn't working, so they took it out.

    I've never had a problem eating anything that I know of. I do have IBS, and that acts up sometimes. Can't trace it to any specific food intake, though.
  • scottishprincess66
    scottishprincess66 Posts: 4
    i had mine out about 25 years ago the main thing i can say don't eat greasy food it will kill you ....i have to say Maalox was my friend for a long time ...I'm much better now tho
  • AmandaM15
    AmandaM15 Posts: 28 Member
    I had mine removed in September of 2011. I haven't had too many problems BUT... I don't eat meat, I'm lactose intolerant and allergic to wheat. So I guess I'm not eating very many fatty foods to test it out. The times I have eaten french fries or chips I mostly just have major bloating, nausea and will be needing to stay near a bathroom. :P I'm toally ok with this though because it helps keep me in line. ;)
  • tinyrah
    tinyrah Posts: 32 Member
    Had mine out a couple of years ago- no problems with any foods
  • hisgirl86
    hisgirl86 Posts: 142 Member

    for a while i had to really watch the fatty foods, or be close to a bathroom >.> but now i can eat what i want.


    ^ this right here, for the first few years after having it out, I had TERRIBLE stomach cramps and URGENT needs for a bathroom if I ate the wrong thing. These days ( 8 years later) I can eat anything, and only have trouble out of a few things, but not consistently.
  • lsjd2000
    lsjd2000 Posts: 287 Member
    had mine removed 6mths after having my son in 2003 - i can't eat really fatty/greasy foods without being near a bathroom but other then that most foods dont bother me too much
  • hellotina
    hellotina Posts: 147 Member
    I had mine out in 2001. The crazy thing is that since then i have stedialy gained weight. I have talked to others that have had theirs out also and most have had the same problem. My dr says he doesnt think it would cause weight gain but I beg to differ. The purpose of a gall bladder is to store bile to break down fatty foods. Well if we dont have them broke down then what happens? I am sure a large part is getting older and more sedintary but i still think it plays a roll.
    I have had a few episodes that feel like a gall bladder attack but im not sure what it was. I was in horrible horrible pain a few different times and it finally subsided and havent had anything lately but who knows!

    i am with you, i totally think it can cause weight gain. i went to the ER last mother's day & had to have mine removed. from then until i started MFP in november 2011 i gained 17lbs rapidly, i was in shock & horrified- that was also my push to change my lifestyle.

    as far as diet goes, for 6 months after i had mine removed i had horrible stomach issues no matter what i ate it seemed like. lets just say i use to be one of those people who would only go to the bathroom (#2) at my own house.. well i was forced to get over that fear. lol i even had a colonoscopy/upper gi scope because i was so freaked out with how my stomach/bowels were. it was horrible. now its almost been a year since it was removed & its better, but i still have those completely random stomach issue days. i'm just learning to live with it i guess.
  • DottieNewton
    DottieNewton Posts: 112 Member
    I had mine removed 3 yrs ago. I only have the occasional problem. When I eat McDonalds is is of those times. I rarely eat there anyway. I have noticed I don't tolerate fried foods very well. Guess, that is a good thing. So thankful that the pain is gone.You CAN still form stones without a gallbladder. So, for some of you who are continuing to has severe problems perhaps you need to have it checked out.

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