It was recommended that i get my gallbladder removed since I have gall stones and had an attack 2 months ago which caused pancreatitis. I need a no BS answer about what I can eat and if any other things are affected. I know you guys that had it done will be able to help.
Thanks

I had mine removed 10 years ago and now wish that I hadn’t removed it. Now knowing that high carb low fat traditionally recommended dietary guidelines are mostly debunked, it’s a struggle to consume the right amount and types of healthy fats, without the gallbladder & concentrated bile there to help break them down (and extract the important fat soluble vitamins like A,D,E, & K). Do yourself a favor and research from the standpoint of how to eat differently and keep all parts of your body Jason Fung, Thomas Delauer, and Eric Berg are all excellent resources. They are mostly keto and fasting advocates, but have a collective treasure of health and dietary info, even if keto isn’t your thing.

My wife had hers out around 25 years ago.
She never made any changes to her diet. The only thing for her is that if she eats a meal with fatty food, she's going to need a trip to the bathroom in 30-45 minutes.

Several years ago had a problem with constant nausea. Went to a specialist and after test showed that I had multiple gall stone, he set me up for gall bladder surgery. Meanwhile, a friend of suggested I contact his chiropractor/aletrnative medicine Dr.
After check up, Dr. suggested that I take (and gave me) Phos Drops. Said it would dissolve the stones and stated she had saved many people from unnecessary gall bladder removal surgery. I took the drops and have had no problems since. You can get the drops from most health stores. Also, Phos Drops supposed to be good for kidney stones.

My 17 year old daughter just had her's removed earlier this year. She said the only thing that bothers her is really greasy food so she stays away from it now.

I had mine removed ~12 years ago. Nothing about my diet has ever changed, I eat whatever...same as before. Though I do realize not everyone is so lucky.

Best Surgery I ever had. Don't wait, Do it. It solved 30 years worth of pain for me. Waterbury Bob's wife and I have had the same experience.

^^^ What outnumbered said.

Pancreatitis can be fatal. If you have another attack of pancreatitis you will not be asking for second opinions. You might not even get a chance.

I don't think it's that necessary, and here's why:

My wife (36 years old) was having some abdominal cramping issues a few months back. She went into the doc and he couldn't find anything, so he ordered up some imaging. When she went in for her follow-up appointment, he told her everything looked normal, and was showing her the pictures and going over everything. At one point he mentioned "see, no gallbladder" and then started moving on to something else. My wife was like, "wait, what? What do you mean no gallbladder?"

Turns out, when my wife was 2 years-old she had liver surgery and they removed her gallbladder. She knew about the liver thing, but never knew they had removed her gallbladder too. We asked her mom at Christmas, and she said, "oh yeah, I guess they did take that out." Gee, thanks mom!

My wife went through 34 years of life without knowing she didn't have one, so it can't be that important. She did used to be kind of sensitive to certain foods...nothing serious just some digestive discomfort here and there. Now that she knows, she's been watching her diet a bit closer, and taking probiotic supplements. She says that has improved her digestive issues...not sure how much of that is fact and how much is placebo, but either way she survived for 34 years without knowing.

Your gallbladder needs to go. The gall stones can cause your gallbladder to become perforated and that can be lethal. Mine was unbeknownst to me and was removed.

I have had a few minor gall stone attacks over the past 6 years. They never required hospitalization but were quite painful.
About 2 years ago I decided to try a Keto diet (for other reasons). During my last physical (June) there were no signs of stones on the MRI and my liver enzymes were back to normal.
While not all gall stone issues are equal, my experience suggests to me that a healthier diet makes a difference, and Keto is one such option.
FWIW I also lost 20lbs, and my blood pressure is normal after having been a little high for years.

Had mine removed. A hida scan revealed that it had zero function. I had a lot of problems prior to that, constantly running to the bathroom. Removing it fixed a problem but created new problems. If I remember correctly it was called dumping syndrome. My Dr prescribed something called chlolerestamine which is a resin that soaks up the bile. As long as I take that daily, I have no problems. I was at my wits end with my digestive problems but I am in a good place now.

Don't just yank it (or leave it in) because someone here says so.
Get a couple opinions and include some diet/exercise options as well.
It is a permanent decision to cut it out and if a proper diet and health plan can fix then you are better off.
It also matters on a plethora of factors that only Professionals can sort out.
Still Low-Carb diets have helped many and even if you do yank it still consider it.

My wife had hers removed about 9 years ago.
Her issue, if I'm remembering correctly, was that the flow through it was too slow/too thick & was causing some digestive issues.

She had to take a hiatus from greasy/spicier foods, but has pretty much gotten back to 'normal'/pre-ectomy eating.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Pancreatitis can be fatal. If you have another attack of pancreatitis you will not be asking for second opinions. You might not even get a chance.

What? You mean people shouldn't get internal medicine and gastroenterology advice from a chiropractor?

The hell you say.

First let’s define gallstone pancreatitis. The pancreas produces enzymes to help with digestion in addition to insulin and other substances our body needs. In this scenario the digestive enzymes are the issue. They’re made in a stable form that is activated when they encounter food in our digestive tract. In gallstone pancreatitis the duct that drains these enzymes to the intestine is blocked by the stone and they become activated in the pancreas causing a significant inflammatory reaction which you’ve encountered. (Since this is a gun forum let’s call it a barrel obstruction). Typically the stone passes on its own vs having to be removed surgically or endoscopically (special type of EGD called ERCP -endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography). In the meantime the patient is treated with IV fluids, pain medication and time.

Gallstone pancreatitis is a serious situation. The standard recommendation for years was to remove the gallbladder (the source of the stones) as soon as the pancreatitis improved because the risk of a second bout of pancreatitis was significant and is often worse than the first episode. Naturally this depends on the patient’s overall health state and ability to tolerate the operation. These days the majority of gallbladders are removed minimally invasive ie laparoscopically or robotically (small cuts and camera). Sometimes the larger incision is still required but that’s typically less than 1% of people.

I tell patients that they will sometimes face difficulty with fatty greasy foods after removal of the gallbladder which can last a few months to a lifetime. My experience is about 10-20% experience this short term but very few experience long term intolerance. I tell them they’re going from hot water tank to a tankless system. The liver still produces bile but no longer has a reservoir to store it. The body adapts over time as the bile duct enlarges so that more bile can be delivered “on demand”. Since there is no way to determine who will and won’t experience the symptoms (fatty greasy food leads to urgent diarrhea) I tell them to do a trial run a few days after surgery when they’ll have access to a restroom rather than picking up a cheeseburger on the windy roads of Southern West Virginia.

Naturally you need to make the best decision for you. There’s no crystal ball to determine if you will ever experience gallstone pancreatitis again but one way to significantly reduce the risk is to remove the gallbladder. Like everything in medicine there are no guarantees and everyone’s body responds differently. Hopefully this information helps and I pray regardless of your decision you don’t experience gallstone pancreatitis again.

My wife has hers removed about a decade ago. She has no issues and has not made any changes to her diet.

That gall bladder full of stones is NOT your friend!! It will raise it's ugly head sometime in the future.....maybe tomorrow. I got an infected gall bladder and was heading for ascending cholangitis(something to avoid). I had my "bag" removed as an emergency with a scope. I have not altered my diet in the least. That was 11 years ago. Don't fool around with this problem, when it is so easy to correct....with a very low risk involved.

quote:

What? You mean people shouldn't get internal medicine and gastroenterology advice from a chiropractor?

The hell you say.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To whom are you referring?