6 months out and now having gallbladder removed!

[jayepea 3]

Hi!

Had VSG in December and at the time my gallbladder bladder was in great shape. Last Tuesday however, I had just eaten almonds and I had the most horrific pain imaginable for about 45 minutes. I was rushed to the ER by coworkers because I was also getting really red in the face, arms, face, and neck. It looked like i was having an allergy attack.

Got to the hospital and after about 45 minutes I felt normal again, just tired. The ER doctor still insisted I stay for an ultrasound on my gallbladder. Glad I did that because I now have a gallbladder full of stones.

I saw my VSG surgeon the day after and an appointment was made for this coming Friday for removal. My surgeon is also going to do an endoscopy to ensure my stomach hasn't stretched (I relapsed on Easter candy ), but also to check the hiatal hernia he repaired back in December. He told me that losing weight can also cause the hernia to be "tightened."

Has this happened to anyone else??

Thanks in advance!!!

[Jewels501 11]

I 'd be interested too. I have hiatal hernia . My doctor reccommended by pass instead of sleeve due to the complication of heartburn . I have maybe 100 lbs or less to lose. Bypass sèems more extreme to me

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[Berry78 4,261]

Gosh, that sounds so painful Hope the get you fixed up soon!

Just out of curiosity, what has your diet been like since surgery? Low fat, low carb, moderate, etc?

[jayepea 3]

My diet has been **** to be honest. I'm not a big meat eater and I have to force myself to eat meat for Protein. I've recently gotten over my aversion to Protein Shakes, so I've incorporated those back into my diet, as well as Protein Bars.

But I do eat a lot almonds, fruit, eggs, Greek yogurt. Eating protein first has been very, very difficult for me. I've lost about 37 pounds since December and while I'm happy about it, my surgeon and I agree that i should have lost more by now. However I went in with a lower BMI and I'm at 174 right now. He doesn't think I should go lower than 160-155. I was approved for surgery because of very high triglycerides for years, documented diets that did not work for years, and a family history that has been dying by 50 of a heart attack. So happy with my decision to get the surgery, but I'm to blame for not sticking with the right nutrition.

[LittleLizzieLilliput 919]

My gallbladder tried to kill me for about a year. I had it taken out with the VGS. Also had a very large hiatal hernia repaired. Good luck! I'm glad you didn't get sick for long. My gallbladder threw a stone, caused pancreatitis, I'm now diabetic, my liver and kidneys were affected and I was in ICU for 7 days at one point and a separate 7 day hospital stay. All because they couldn't figure out what was making me so sick and they had to deal with the primary side effects of my pancreas, kidneys and liver. The sooner you have this done the better. And be careful with your diet till the surgery to avoid another attack. I was vomiting at least 3 times a day and was dying till I had it taken out.

[Sullie06 1,030]

I'm currently pending a HIDA scan for GallBladder issues. My Ultrasound did not show any stones but my surgeon said that doesn't mean they are not there or that my Gallbladder is functioning properly. I had surgery 12/30 and haven't had issues since an attack 2 weeks ago. I get transient pain now.

[AmandaWho 158]

My future brother in law had the sleeve 2.5 years ago and is actually getting his gallbladder out today. [emoji20]

[Berry78 4,261]

Jay..you sound like you are being too hard on yourself. fruit, yogurt, nuts.. sounds like wholesome food maybe the gallbladder has been holding you back.

I'm actually curious whether high, moderate, or low fat is beneficial for the gallbladder. So many people that lose weight have problems, but I wonder whether it's the low fat diets that people frequently use that create problems, or whether dietary fat intake has no bearing and that it is some other mechanism at work...

[lylasmom 6]

16 hours ago, Berry78 said:

Jay..you sound like you are being too hard on yourself. fruit, yogurt, nuts.. sounds like wholesome food maybe the gallbladder has been holding you back.

I'm actually curious whether high, moderate, or low fat is beneficial for the gallbladder. So many people that lose weight have problems, but I wonder whether it's the low fat diets that people frequently use that create problems, or whether dietary fat intake has no bearing and that it is some other mechanism at work...

I too would like to know if there is a way to prevent gallbladder issues postop. I know kidney stones are a result of not enough water/fluids but not sure about the gall...

[GMen88 70]

Sleeved on march 30th. Had my gall bladder removed and hernia repaired. Haven't had any heartburn at all. I wanted to wait to get my gall bladder removed but thank goodness my surgeon talked some sense into me to get it removed At the same time

[LittleLizzieLilliput 919]

19 hours ago, Berry78 said:

Jay..you sound like you are being too hard on yourself. fruit, yogurt, nuts.. sounds like wholesome food maybe the gallbladder has been holding you back.

I'm actually curious whether high, moderate, or low fat is beneficial for the gallbladder. So many people that lose weight have problems, but I wonder whether it's the low fat diets that people frequently use that create problems, or whether dietary fat intake has no bearing and that it is some other mechanism at work...

Good question. I'm not a doctor but my understanding is this:

The gallbladder works like soap making it easier for your body to move and digest fats. The more fat you eat the more cholesterol and liver bile goes through the gallbladder which can collect and form gallstones. But gallstones are only a symptom of a diseased gallbladder that is overworked.

When we lose weight rapidly it functions the same as a high fat diet because now all the fat your are losing is entering the bloodstream, being directed through the gallbladder thus putting MORE strain on an already possibly poorly functioning organ. Remember, a high fat diet will put major strain on the gallbladder, so most obese people have a diseased or partially diseased gallbladder already before going through rapid weight loss.

[Berry78 4,261]

Ok, this is different from my understanding. I have understood the gallbladder stores and concentrates the bile. When a fatty meal is consumed, the gallbladder releases some stored bile. If no fat is eaten, the bile can continue concentrating more and more, forming stones.

So since we are looking at this from opposite perspectives, the treatment/prevention would absolutely be different.

Guess I have more research to do...

[LittleLizzieLilliput 919]

22 hours ago, Berry78 said:

Ok, this is different from my understanding. I have understood the gallbladder stores and concentrates the bile. When a fatty meal is consumed, the gallbladder releases some stored bile. If no fat is eaten, the bile can continue concentrating more and more, forming stones.

So since we are looking at this from opposite perspectives, the treatment/prevention would absolutely be different.

Guess I have more research to do...

You could be right! lol! I'm no doctor and all of this is just what I tried to gleen while very sick.

I think that there are two types of Gallstones. Cholesterol and bilirubin. I believed the cholesterol, or fat, was filtered through the gallbladder but who knows. lol! I just know that everything I ate anything remotely fatty I was getting violently ill. The exact mechanism of that process was less of a priority. lol

[bossportsgal 136]

Omg as I sit here in the ER with rule out gallbladder. Reading your story is exactly the same as mine. I did have my hernia repaired but Di have a family history of gallbladder. I'm in so much pain. I knew I shouldn't of ate that cheese of a slice of pizza. Argg.

[tanyamann32 84]

I am in the hospital now waiting for my coumadin levels to go down so that I can have my gallbladder removed. I am in soooo much pain.[emoji27][emoji20]

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