Gallbladder Surgery

local5784
local5784 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I'm just wondering if those of you out there in the MFP world have had gallbladder surgery and if you have or have not had gallbladder attacks since then?

A couple of years ago I had an ultrasound that revealed gallstones, and rather than surgery, I opted to do a Liver Cleanse which (I thought) worked. I havent had symptoms until just recently. I'm eating healthier than I have ever eaten...but when I "slip up", like last night...I get the symptoms back.

Once again an ultrasound showed gallstones (huge waste of money, but they had to check if the gallbladder was infected this time).

I've read reports about people STILL having those same pains without their gallbladder (because it's actually the function of the LIVER that is the issue), so my thoughts are...why get it removed then?
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Replies

  • darls25
    darls25 Posts: 151 Member
    My mom had gallbladder surgery top remove the stones and take the gallbladder out and she is fine. The only time she has pain is when she eats this one type of bread. Other then that she hasnt had any problems. She had the surgery when my little brother was born almost 13 years ago.
  • smartell2bys
    smartell2bys Posts: 22 Member
    I have had my gallbladder removed 7 years ago and I have never had any issues.
  • kristinaleanne1988
    kristinaleanne1988 Posts: 4
    I had my gallbladder removed 4 1/2 years ago and although I don't have the pain, there are some side effects of having it taken out. There are still many different foods I cannot eat without having " problems ' like most dairy products, pork, anything greasy. So even still I really have to be careful.
  • mikey1976
    mikey1976 Posts: 1,005 Member
    i haven't had any problems and i had mine removed.
  • insights2
    insights2 Posts: 52 Member
    Had mine taken out in 2006- no problems at all, only some short local pain about two weeks later that my surgeon basically explained as a small stone that was already out of my gall bladder in the duct to my liver. After that, no pain at all. I am able to eat whatever I want with no issues.
  • captnemo44
    captnemo44 Posts: 82 Member
    I had my gall bladder out 7yrs ago no problems since.
  • brookepenni
    brookepenni Posts: 787 Member
    I had mine removed in 2002 and haven't had a single bit of pain since. So glad I did, those attacks were torture.
  • mandycasey
    mandycasey Posts: 274 Member
    Hi i had my gall bladder removed last september - it was the best thing i done! sometimes i still get a dull ache but nothing like the pain i was in - defiantly recommend it xx
  • Ninatoots
    Ninatoots Posts: 192 Member
    I had my gallbladder out for pain. The gallbladder wasn't working right. The pain is mostly gone now.

    Nina
  • karo224
    karo224 Posts: 292
    i had the surgery about 6-8 months ago and i am VERY happy to say...i have had none of the pain or symptoms i had before. I would not wish that pain on my worst enemy. i do have some things that have a tendency to have a laxative effect now[higher fat things] but i will take that over the attacks i was having. all of my attacks started after my healthy eating started...so i knew i had no choice but pain or surgery. i wish you the very best....gallbladder attacks are worse than any pain i have ever experienced.
  • JadeRabbit08
    JadeRabbit08 Posts: 551 Member
    Really low calorie diets can trigger symptons too not just certain foods. When I was at 1200 calories a day I started getting gallbladder attacks. My quality food intake was the healthiest it had ever been. I went up to 1500 and they stopped.


    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000273.htm

    "The following also make you more likely to develop gallstones:
    Rapid weight loss from eating a very low-calorie diet, or after bariatric surgery"


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9665682

    "Gallbladder motility and gallstone formation in obese patients following very low calorie diets"



    http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/gallbladder/a/dietinggallston_2.htm

    "Why Does Weight Loss Cause Gallstones?
    Researchers believe dieting may cause a shift in the balance of bile salts and cholesterol in the gallbladder. The cholesterol level is increased and the amount of bile salts is decreased. Going for long periods without eating (skipping breakfast, for example), a common practice among dieters, also may decrease gallbladder contractions. If the gallbladder does not contract often enough to empty out the bile, gallstones may form.
    Are Some Weight Loss Methods Better Than Others in Preventing Gallstones?
    Possibly. If substantial or rapid weight loss increases the risk of developing gallstones, more gradual weight loss would seem to lessen the risk of getting gallstones. However, studies are needed to test this theory. "
  • mdcjmom
    mdcjmom Posts: 597 Member
    I had mine removed almost 2 years ago and there are still certain food I can not eat. Anything too greasy will make me sick. Too much tomato can cause me to get ill. So can alcohol and citrus. So just be careful.
  • vikir2018
    vikir2018 Posts: 1 Member
    I had mine removed about 4 years ago. No real problems or attacks since. I do need to be careful about eating anything "too greasy", but that's really not that bad since I try to watch that anyway. I didn't have gallstones. Mine just quit working. I was at about 15% of normal function. Hope this helps. Never an easy decision to have surgery.
  • krisrpaz
    krisrpaz Posts: 263 Member
    I had mine removed almost a year ago and I haven't had any attacks since. It took about 6 months for my digestive system to completely recover. Initially I could hardly eat more than a few grams of fat without running to the bathroom. I've been on low Carb (high fat) for 6 months now and my digestive system has never been healthier!
  • katya73
    katya73 Posts: 464
    I had my gall bladder removed about 5 weeks ago now and I have never felt better ... However gall stones had never showed up .. .. I ignored previous attacks ..thinking it was just bad heartburn or something ... I have a relatively high pain threshold soo.. I just shut up n put up .. this however was not a wise move .. Last attack I had was that severe I could move and was violently ill.. I was rushed to emergency .. My gall bladder had ruptured which is pretty rare ... I was 3-5 hours from death .. Yikes... Bonus is I ve lost 4 kg since I took it out too :)
  • farmgirlsuz
    farmgirlsuz Posts: 351 Member
    I had my gallbladder out in 1991. One year later I was having the same pains. After several visits to the original doctor who removed the gallbladder he finally told me "Sometime your stomach changes and you just have to watch your diet". The next week I visited a gastrointerologist who did one blood test and said "you have stones in your bile ducts that the original doctor failed to remove and your liver is shutting down". After a quick outpatient surgery and removal of SEVEN stones I have been completely pain free since!

    One note though-as another poster said, there are certain foods that seem to just go right on through without stopping-so just keep that in mind. Thankfully those are foods that I probably shouldn't be eating anyway (greasy, fried, especially McDonalds!). And it has gotten better with time.

    I would definitely do the surgery again though-with a different doctor! :grumble:
  • s0ready
    s0ready Posts: 99
    i've had mine removed about 6-7 years ago and have had no problems since!
  • agirltoremember98
    agirltoremember98 Posts: 24
    Both my parents have had their gallbladders removed. No problems since.
  • hdlb123
    hdlb123 Posts: 112 Member
    I had mine out 3 years ago today, and I do get pains if I eat really badly. I also cannot even look at a French Fry or chip without running for the bathroom. Major side effects for me.
  • justplainoleanne
    justplainoleanne Posts: 38 Member
    My gall bladder ruptured last summer AFTER giving me a royal case of pancreatitis. No issues with the removal and eating now, but pancreas is still not right. Don't wait too long!
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
    I had mine out in 2002 and aside from if I eat foods that are too fatty or greasy I get sick, but the pain is gone now, thankfully
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
    I just had mine removed. The only problem I've had was I get nauseated if the fat content in my food is too high. I find that a vegetarian diet sits better. Other than that I've been fine. I also lost about 6 lbs since the surgery
  • Birder150
    Birder150 Posts: 677 Member
    When I was 26, I went on a very low fat/ low calorie diet and consequently lost my gall bladder. (I rapidly lost 30 lbs in one month and my doctor gave me holy hell for it)
    Eating eggs caused severe gallbladder attacks before I had it removed.

    That was almost 26 years ago and I've never had symptoms since no matter how crappy I've eaten.
  • llangkilde
    llangkilde Posts: 10 Member
    I had Mine removed Last June.. And Havnt had any Issues Since..
    The Procedure was very Straight Forward, And I believe its a lot better than having it removed after you have an Infection. (the Diffrence is between 4 small scars and a Huge Scar..
    I def. have not regretted getting this done, I had 3 Major attacks (with a month between them) prior to getting the galbladder removed. And thats not an Experience I wish to relive..

    With that said, My Understanding is that the Glablader stones could get created in the Liver, after the Galbladder is removed, if you choose to Eate the same Crap as before you had the Galbladder removed.. So a Change of Lide Style is Still needed after the Removal..

    Also, Prior to my surgery, I did a lot of Reasearch (Primarely Google), and Some of the Horror Stories out there really Freaked Me out prior to My Surgery.. :)
    But as said, The Surgery is Not a Decision I have regretted. (just make sure you dont Believe the Stories saying you can go back to work after a Couple of Days.. I Didnt go back for a Week.. (Milk it for what its Worth.. :) )
  • anarose13
    anarose13 Posts: 222 Member
    i had mine removed at the beginning of last year. it was an emergency surgery, mine was on the verge of bursting. its really not a big deal, the recovery period isnt that bad and it doesn't stop me from eating different foods or drinking alcohol. i am actually healthier now then i was before. my dr said that after the surgery your body can act funny and you can get phantom pains up to a year or so after the surgery and that i can relate to. sometimes my side twinges if i eat different foods. like cheese burgers or anything that's high in fat. its not painful, just uncomfortable. there is a diet that i could stick to but right now i see no reason.
  • OriginalWhatTheHelen
    OriginalWhatTheHelen Posts: 22 Member
    I had my gall bladder removed 12 years ago. To my surprise, I developed gallstones again 4 years ago and had to have another outpatient procedure to remove them.
  • llonka
    llonka Posts: 76 Member
    I had my gallbladder taken out when I was 17. Could only eat fresh veggies and those slimfast type shakes for a long time but finally got back to normal. Only thing that really bothers me now is really greasy or oily foods.

    Good luck!
  • ohpretty
    ohpretty Posts: 58 Member
    This is my post taken from a previous topic on the same matter (edited a bit):

    "I had my gallbladder removed March two years ago. In order to talk about the diet I was on post-surgery, I feel the need to explain a little bit about what happened pre-surgery.

    About a year before I had my surgery, I had my first "attack." I was still living with my mom (20 years old at the time, if that makes any kind of difference), and we had absolutely no idea what was going on. I can't remember what I ate, but it was the thing to set it off (as is the case most of the time). My ribs were hurting and after I calmed down a bit, it went away. Then the attacks started happening more frequently and we found out that it was because of the food I was eating and my gallbladder needed to be removed. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have insurance at the time.

    So a year passed and things got worse. It started out with me cutting out dairy products (cheese was my worst nightmare), fatty junk foods such as pudding or greasy chips, fried foods, etc. As that year progressed, things got worse and worse. It got to the point I couldn't even eat lean meats or believe it or not, unseasoned/buttered vegetables. Drinking a glass of water would set me off. The hospital didn't want to take it out unless I had insurance, paid upfront, or set up a pre-paid payment plan (which would've taken longer). Finally, the very last attack I had I could not tolerate it anymore. Pain killers were not helping me and I was at the end of dealing with it. So my mom drove me out of town to a hospital known for it's donating services and I ended up getting the surgery needed. Ironically enough, the doctors were amazed it wasn't taken out sooner as I was at a very high risk of developing more serious health problems. "

    Now? The only time I have any kind of problem is if I sit and eat a bunch of fried food. And I'm talking a huge amount. Otherwise, I'm just fine.
  • Kimharbath
    Kimharbath Posts: 29
    I had gallbladder surgery 17 years ago and two days later after the mild soreness went away, I felt better than I had in years.
  • fj211
    fj211 Posts: 95
    I think the reason they suggest removal is that you don't want to wind up in a situation where an obstruction ( stone) causes an infection. Then the situation becomes a whole lot more critical.

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