Life after Gallbladder removal

[AnneG 7]

I'm wondering how those who had gall bladder removed are doing with

low carb eating. I had mine removed 3 weeks ago and I'm not really back

to my normal self. I'm really tired and not digesting food well.

Not used to having to be near the restroom frequently and keep getting

conflicting info about needing to eat more grains and carb laden low fat

foods that are completely contradictory to how I've been eating with my sleeve.

I'm down over 125 lbs since sleeve surgery but I've gained 3 lbs since

I had my gall bladder out and I feel bloated and icky.

I'd like to just go back to eating the way I was- I'd like to hear from

others who have had their gall bladder out and how they managed.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[CCRNonherway 78]

I have yet to have my sleeve. However I had my gb removed years ago. The purpose of the gb is to store bile which helps to breakdown fat. If I eat a high fat meal the bile pours out and rips up my intestines. I have never had anyone tell me I can't eat carbs. I would think the post sleeve diet would be ok for you post gb.

[JerseyGirl68 1,172]

I had my gallbladder out 1 month prior to sleeve surgery, in November 2012. I was already on a low carb/low fat diet so I did not have to alter that. I did feel a little bloated and made frequent bathroom runs for a few weeks, then had the sleeve and was on liquids for a bit. Now that I'm a little further out, no problems at all.

[HoosierGirl 780]

Will be sleeved next week, but I did have my gall bladder removed about 10 years ago.

Never had any problems with particular types of food making me feel badly (carbs, fat, etc.). However, to this day, I still have some bowel sensitivities. Seems that if I skip Breakfast, I need to have a bathroom handy right after I eat lunch. Regardless of what I eat, the bile really flows and causes awful/loose BM's. My mother and brother have the same trouble. Doesn't happen all the time, but UGH, when it does, look out.

What I do recall after the gall bladder surgery was just a general feeling of 'yuck' for about a month and then I started to feel better....maybe I should say, I started to feel healthy again about a month after.

My opinion is that you just feel nasty after having anethesia and surgery.

[keldolbeth 262]

Oh no! My gallbladder is coming out Monday. Until now I was really looking forward to it! Well, I still am looking forward to being done with the pain and attacks. I was puking today. Ugh! I am 7 months post-op from my VSG and my weight loss has dramatically slowed lately. I was hoping after surgery I would stop feeling crummy all the time and it would kick start my weight loss again. I know I always have trouble with anesthesia and feel lethargic for a while after.

One thing I liked about the sleeve was that it more regulated my bowels. I know Constipation is typical, and has happened to me, but I had a lot of diarrhea and stomach problems pre-sleeve. So you're telling me that's going to happen again? Is it just for a short period after surgery or forever? What kind of foods should I stay away from? I'm off work for a week then working from home for another week but I'm now nervous for when I go back... I work in a small place so everyone knows where I am and what I'm doing... Plus, the bathroom is kinda far away. Ugh!

[Foxbins 625]

I had my gallbladder out 10 months post-op and went back to eating high protein/low carb. No problems at all and I feel great.

[Queen In Me 36]

I had my gallbladder removed when I was sleeved on 1/3/13. I am in the soft food stage and i've had a few horrible moments with food that I believe has to do with my gallbladder being removed. The first one was baked ricotta and the second one was with eggs and lean sausage. Those are the closets things i've had that is consider to be greasey and about 10 minutes after I was done eating I got sick to the point where I started throwing up. So right now, I avoid all grease stuff.

[ebthompson2010 126]

I have to get mine out in July and right now I'm 8 mos post op almost. Every time I eat right now I feel icky and like my food won't digest. Is this because of my gall bladder and will it hopefully get better after removal? I'm tired of dreading having to eat

[Ms24 8]

My doctor gave me a medicine called Prevalite, It's basically a powder. I had the same problem I had to stay close to the bathroom. This really helped. I hope it helps you too.

[Lissa 2,631]

I'm about 2 months out from my gallbladder removal and 19 months post-VSG. The first month after my gallbladder removal was touch and go on whether something would cause me to go to the bathroom RIGHT NOW. I had a couple of close calls because I drive so much with long distances between rest areas, but it's definitely improved now. My big changes to my eating habits are the I'm eating much more low fat food and avoiding fried foods. I've recommitted to Water and low fat Protein and stayed the same on my carb goals, which is little to none anyway. I saw the recommended eating plan after GB removal and laughed at it because most of it won't work for Rex anyway. I have noticed that anything acidic or too spicy is bothering me once again, but I have never really returned to orange juice or jalapenos since the VSG anyway. Good luck! I think the worst of the side effects are temporary, possibly because we learn how to eat with the GB gone. As for whether to have it out or not? I count having my GB out as the second best thing I've ever done, next to my VSG. I didn't even realize how much pain I was in until it was gone!!

[Jolls 6]

I had VSG almost a year ago and had my gallbladder out just last week. I was told to go back to my normal bariatric diet after a couple days of "taking it easy"; so that means going back to high Protein 80+/low carb -100. With the exception of the first 2-3 days, I have had no issues with food and the subsequent bathroom issues. The only things you should be having issues with are fatty or greasy foods....which we shouldn't be eating anyway. I've gone back to all my spicy stuff including Sriracha on everything and its all good. No problems at all.

It is common go to have loose stool for up to a couple months after GB removal since you now have a direct bile line between the liver and intestines....so it constantly drips in and it takes the body some time to get accustomed to that. Luckily mine did it in a few days but as I said, some can take a couple months. Normal bariatric diet is all you need, its just your body may need a longer to adapt is all.

[mistysj 1,940]

If you are more than a month out from gall bladder removal and still experiencing diarrhea every day or multiple times a day, do a google search for "bile acid diarrhea". Some of us make too much bile and it draws Water into the intestines, triggering osmotic diarrhea. There is no cure, but if you have bile acid diarrhea it will be alleviated by taking a type of medication called a bile acid sequestrant. Common bile acid sequestrant are Questran, Cholestyramine, Colestipol, and Welchol. These medications don't get absorbed by your body, but bind with excess bile in your intestines to make it inactive. When it is inactive it doesn't pull Water into your intestines and you get normal stools. The condition is common but under-diagnosed, often masquerading as IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D).

I had diarrhea for 3 months straight several years ago, and 7 months straight after my surgery. I had every test, took antibiotics and anti-parasitics. Was treated for bacterial overgrowth just in case. Took high doses of Probiotics. Tried eliminating dairy and gluten. Was tested for lactose, fructose, and gluten intolerance. Had a full endoscopy and colonoscopy. Nothing.

I had a gall bladder until a couple months ago, but it had basically shut down. Removing it stopped my gallstone attacks but the diarrhea actually got heaps worse. As soon as my doctor put me on Questran I had relief the next day. I have had relatively solid stools ever since. I switched to colestipol because it is a little stronger so I only have to take it once a day. If I miss a day I know it the next day. It's possible I will have a remission from this, in which case the medication would start causing Constipation.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

acupuncture was very helpful to me post gall bladder removal. i highly recommend it. (i did it after vsg surgery too) it helps balance everything back out again.