Any complications from gall bladder surgery?

[Songwriter]

I have gallstones. Only option they gave me was surgery in a few days. Anyone know if a low-carb diet would be problematic after removing gall bladder?

[SherryJ]

It hasn't hurt me in the least, Songwriter. I had mine taken out almost a year ago, and feel much better without the constant "heart" pain. Some say that fat can't be eaten after the gallbladder is removed, but again, it's not been true for me.

It was a relatively simple surgery... I could have gone home the same night, but with two little boys, I elected to stay in the hospital, and let my husband have a chance at a good nights sleep! ;)

I'm glad I had it done, and would do it again, for sure.

Sherry

[Songwriter]

Sherry, what did your "heart" pain feel like?

I don't know if I have any real alternatives. I have read some things that look like quackery, not sure.

I don't really have trouble now with diet, I eat what I want. Which I would hate to have to change. My problem has been SEVERE pain every few months. It has to be a passing gallstone, it's so bad.

But I do have a pretty constant "pain" over my heart area and cardiologists have said my heart is okay now. (Stent placed a year and a half ago. Another cath showed arteries clear.) But... whatever this "heart" pain is, it's disconcerting. I don't like the anxiety it gives me. I don't see how it could be gall bladder but I suppose it's possible.

[SherryJ]

Bill, I swore I was having a heart attack, but after tests, and being told my heart was "great", someone here on the board suggested checking out my gallbladder.

I had to FIGHT to get it done, but they found a stone stuck in the duct, trying to get out. Since I'd complained of this pain before, they agreed to the procedure. Surgery over, no more pain! :D

Sherry

[laughingW]

Got an interesting take on gall bladder from ND Garrett Smith: this was in response to a woman who couldn't digest fats.

"I'd hazard a guess (more like I know) your client has had her gallbladder removed. I see this issue all too often. Set it up, knock it down. I actually ask my middle-aged female patients if they have their gallbladder early in the interview!

Liver makes bile, gallbladder stores bile, bile is squirted out as necessary for fat-containing meals. The gallbladder DOES have a function, as is evidenced in these situations!

If the liver is overloaded, the bile is full of "toxins" (I don't like the word either, it is a necessary evil). A normal route of the liver's detoxification is through the bile (and hence through the stool). Over time, these "toxins" marinate the gallbladder, resulting in gallbladder issues (attacks/cholecystitis and stones/cholelithiasis).

With nearly any GI issue these days, conventional doctors do not hesitate in any way to remove people's (especially women's) gallbladders. The gallbladder "group" is the 4 F's--Female, Fat, Forty, and Fertile. Removal of the GB does not fix the problem that the liver has (in terms of being overloaded and creating toxic bile) while removing the body's ability to store bile for use with fatty meals (one is left with a trickle of bile versus a big bolus). Thus we have a giant segment of the population unable to digest fats (that's on top of the fact that most people are eating rancid/hydrogenated/plasticized fats).

So, these people need bile. Ox bile is what is commonly used. I provide it to my patients in the form of Hypo-Gest from Priority One. Typically 1-6 tablets (this is determined black box style by the patient) taken in the MIDDLE of a meal. This will often remedy problems immediately. For example, I helped a patient relieve her gallbladder pain (and vomiting with fatty meals) that radiated to her back (classic!) with 1 tablet per meal.

Such a simple solution. Too bad it doesn't make Big Pharma any money or more doctors would actually know about it.

BTW, the liver is overloaded b/c nearly everyone's guts are compromised--the portal vein takes all of the "stuff" from the intestines directly to the liver to be "processed". Got bad guts, you got a bad liver. Gotta fix the gut if you ever want to fix the liver. Want to fix the gut? Get the Body Ecology Diet book by Donna Gates (www.BodyEcologyDiet.com (http://www.bodyecologydiet.com/)). For those of you on this board who think I know what I'm talking about, this book has finally put together many of the missing pieces (yes, even the Paleo/Zone has holes one can drive a truck through) for me. "

[Songwriter]

So, if anyone knows... what alternative does someone like me have? Excruciating pain every few months, apparently from gallstone movement.

My grandpa, mother, brother and niece have had theirs removed. They haven't had problems. They are all glad they did it because before, they were having much trouble. As I said earlier, I don't have so much trouble with meals, my problem is severe, almost unbearable pain that lasts for several hours. Actually, mine is much worse, I suppose, because if a stone gets lodged, you can die.

[Gaelen]

I had my gallbladder removed two years ago when surgeons placed an hepatic arterial infusion pump to deliver chemo to my liver. BTW, I don't have much in the way of a portal vein, due to some genetic and surgical reorganization of the veins that service my liver. My liver had nine tumors which were pretty much eradicated by thirteen 28-day cycles of some kick-butt chemo delivered directly to it, enough steroids during the chemo to choke a horse, etc., etc. Then after that, the same surgeon cut out half my liver and it regenerated into a healthy, disease free organ.

I can pretty much eat whatever I want in the fats department. Fats are not the food pyramid group that gives me a tough time. Now cruciferous veggies, or raw veggies...well, that's another story.

Bill, your choices are to follow your doctors' advice, or ignore it. If they're recommending gall bladder surgery, with all of your other health complications, I'd at least give their suggestions the weight of their experience and the fact that they know your medical history and current physical conditions a lot better than any of us do. YMMV.

[Songwriter]

Bill, your choices are to follow your doctors' advice, or ignore it. If they're recommending gall bladder surgery, with all of your other health complications, I'd at least give their suggestions the weight of their experience and the fact that they know your medical history and current physical conditions a lot better than any of us do. YMMV.

I could write a book about this. It's a state hospital. These docs and nurses seem to be conscientious but this is not great health care. Like, last week, they lost me for two hours. I finally went out and said "Hey, does anyone know I am in here?" They didn't. They forgot I was in the room.

I'm a very good patient and I try to know what is going on but seeing a different doc each time you go in is not a good thing.

EDITED for rant behaviour. :p

[Dodger]

I had my gall bladder removed prior to low carbing and I found that there were no problems at all when I did low carb and increased my fat intake.

[SherryJ]

EDITED for rant behaviour

Thank you, Bill! :)

Sherry

[lizi145]

I had my gallbladder removed about 4 years ago because the gallstones were causing acute pancreatitis. I haven't had any complications.