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Organ lose! Food eat!

feebsiclefeebsicle a feebsRegistered User regular
edited November 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
Hello hi!

I just recently had my gall bladder removed. I am doing fine, but I am just wondering about eating afterward and if anyone has had any experiences with gall-bladder removal that they could share with me. It has been 4 days since the operation and I find that I continue to feel nausea after eating solid foods. I was told to expect this in the first couple of days, but it seems like it isn't really going away. Is this something anyone else has had experience with? If so, when were you able to eat comfortably again?

I've been eating jello, chicken noodle soup, and a home-made tomato sauce with mild italian spices on whole wheat noodles. I feel nausea after eating all of these things. It's fine if I drink apple juice or water. I am also taking medicine for pain, which could be contributing to the nausea. Is there anything you were able to eat that was totally fine?

As an aside, I have to watch what I eat as I also have IBS and can't digest a lot of foods. If anyone has any good low-fat, dairy free and red-meat free recipes they could share with me I would really appreciate it :)

Luv Feebs

feebsicle on

Posts

  • MidshipmanMidshipman Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Not personal experience, but an ex-girlfriend of mine had her gall-bladder removed. She wasn't able to eat solid foods for at least a week afterwords, but whether that was due to lacking a gall bladder or that fact that she was deathly ill for quite some time before undergoing full anesthesia surgery I can't say for certain.

    She was suffering from hard stones getting lodged in her bile duct, causing her liver to not function properly (got nice and jaundiced) and after they tried to laparoscopically nudge them free she started suffering from acute pancreatitis.

    Anyways, she eventually got better and was able to eat solid foods. She was told that she'd need to watch her fat intake and change her diet a bit, but I didn't notice her making any substantial changes over the next few years. Seemed pretty healthy the last I ran into her.

    P.S. I seem to recall that the lack of a gall bladder did substantially alter the frequency and consistancy of her bowel movements however.

    Midshipman on
    midshipman.jpg
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Midshipman wrote: »
    Not personal experience, but an ex-girlfriend of mine had her gall-bladder removed. She wasn't able to eat solid foods for at least a week afterwords, but whether that was due to lacking a gall bladder or that fact that she was deathly ill for quite some time before undergoing full anesthesia surgery I can't say for certain.

    She was suffering from hard stones getting lodged in her bile duct, causing her liver to not function properly (got nice and jaundiced) and after they tried to laparoscopically nudge them free she started suffering from acute pancreatitis.

    Anyways, she eventually got better and was able to eat solid foods. She was told that she'd need to watch her fat intake and change her diet a bit, but I didn't notice her making any substantial changes over the next few years. Seemed pretty healthy the last I ran into her.

    P.S. I seem to recall that the lack of a gall bladder did substantially alter the frequency and consistancy of her bowel movements however.



    Yeah that same thing happened to my sister, the pancreatitis and liver becoming infected :( Not fun stuff, but I'm glad she was able to recover well! I luckily didn't have that happen, but my gall bladder was completely inflamed.

    Thanks for the anecdote! I guess I'll just wait a week or two and see if the nausea stops. And yes, one good thing about this whole ordeal is that I'm pretty much forced to eat healthier. No more morning Starbucks for me :P

    feebsicle on
  • wmelonwmelon Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    feebsicle wrote: »
    Hello hi!

    I just recently had my gall bladder removed. I am doing fine, but I am just wondering about eating afterward and if anyone has had any experiences with gall-bladder removal that they could share with me. It has been 4 days since the operation and I find that I continue to feel nausea after eating solid foods. I was told to expect this in the first couple of days, but it seems like it isn't really going away. Is this something anyone else has had experience with? If so, when were you able to eat comfortably again?

    I've been eating jello, chicken noodle soup, and a home-made tomato sauce with mild italian spices on whole wheat noodles. I feel nausea after eating all of these things. It's fine if I drink apple juice or water. I am also taking medicine for pain, which could be contributing to the nausea. Is there anything you were able to eat that was totally fine?

    As an aside, I have to watch what I eat as I also have IBS and can't digest a lot of foods. If anyone has any good low-fat, dairy free and red-meat free recipes they could share with me I would really appreciate it :)

    Luv Feebs

    I had my gall bladder removed a little over 4 years ago. The first few weeks I was still having some nausea but that gradually subsided. It also didn't help that I had just a few months prior found out that I have celiac's disease. I would recommend avoiding anything with lots of salt or anything that's fairly acidic like tomato sauce at least for a few weeks. I mostly ate rice and potatoes with chicken or turkey for the first few weeks. I occasionally still have issues when I eat something with a high fat content, but for the most part my body has adapted to the situation.

    Oh and I'm not sure if you've had a BM since the surgery, but it's perfectly normal for it to be green. I freaked out when I saw that as my doctor hadn't warned me.

    wmelon on
  • ThundyrkatzThundyrkatz Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I had my Gall Bladder removed in January of this year. I had no apatite for the first few days after the surgery. The doctor had me on an extremely low fat diet for the first 2 weeks, I think it was something like less then 2g of fat per serving. So mostly soup and jello graduating to low fat bread and tuna sandwiches and low fat cereal. After the 2 weeks were up and I got the go ahead from the doctor I have been able to eat anything I want with no side effects.

    My understanding of the situation is that you can have a couple bad situations post surgery though. without your gall bladder to concentrate your bile, you may not be able to adequately digest fats after the surgery. This will result in the runs anytime you have a high fat diet, my doctor said that you will know if that is the case almost immediately after eating. This can be resolved by eating less fats

    The second is that your body will produce too much bile and your intestines will not be able to reabsorbed it, resulting in irritation to the bowels and again.. runs. This can be resolved with medication that reduces the amount of bile you produce.

    There is also a infinitesimally small chance that you could produce some gall stones and have problems even after the bladder is out. Though this is almost unheard of.

    Give it a couple weeks, and then start adding things back in. Keep a food diary and if you see a trend talk to your doctor. Most people go on to live perfectly normal lives without the gall bladder.

    Thundyrkatz on
  • ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I had my gall bladder out about 6 or 7 years ago, and for the most part it hasn't been a big deal. I do have issues with fatty foods causing the runs, but as long as I eat reasonably it hasn't been a problem (or at least known where the nearest facilities are before I settle into a meal that I might want to think twice about).

    The one instance that I don't think I'll ever forget was when I was visiting a girlfriend in the states, and we ate at Red Lobster. I enjoyed a little too much of their various shrimp dishes, and made the mistake of leaving pretty much right after dinner. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I began to feel a bit rough intestinally. By the time we were on the highway, my digestive system was in open revolt, and things were starting to look bad for our hero. Luckily, we found a McDonalds in the nick of time just after we got off the highway again and I bolted into their washrooms like ravenous hellhounds were on my heels, to the point that an employee ducked in to check if I was okay. I was. Oh jebus, I'd never been so happy to see the inside of a McDonalds washroom before.

    Thankfully she was a good sport about the event, but let's just say that I make sure to have a bit of cash on hand in case I ever need to duck into a random store/restaurant to use the washrooms (for customers only, you see).

    Forar on
    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
  • kneelingyakkneelingyak Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    On the no red meat front I have picked up this cheap cookbook and made a bunch of things from it. Everything I have made so far has been received well by my wife. It has no pictures which some people don't like but they are all pretty simple and if you can cook at all they shouldn't give you any trouble.

    No Red Meat

    It doesn't necessarily focus on dairy-free but it's not like every recipe has dairy either. All of the recipes also have nutrition information so you can decide if it is low-fat enough for you.

    kneelingyak on
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Wow, thanks a lot everyone!
    This all helps a ton. I really appreciate it!

    feebsicle on
  • MrOlettaMrOletta Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    What were the symptoms that led you to go get it checked out and subsequently get it removed?

    Lately I've been having a stabbing pain in my upper right abdomen (right below my ribs). It's sharp pain for about 2 seconds, disappears, then comes back about 60 seconds later and repeats the cycle for about 10-20 minutes. It then goes away for a few hours only to return.

    I've tried keeping a consistent diet and changing things, but it doesn't seem to be the culprit. Thinking of heading the the DR soon to get a professional diagnosis.

    MrOletta on
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    MrOletta wrote: »
    What were the symptoms that led you to go get it checked out and subsequently get it removed?

    Lately I've been having a stabbing pain in my upper right abdomen (right below my ribs). It's sharp pain for about 2 seconds, disappears, then comes back about 60 seconds later and repeats the cycle for about 10-20 minutes. It then goes away for a few hours only to return.

    I've tried keeping a consistent diet and changing things, but it doesn't seem to be the culprit. Thinking of heading the the DR soon to get a professional diagnosis.


    It was a long process for me.
    Basically, I started a year ago with some pain that eventually went away. I had an ultrasound and a gallstone was confirmed, but the doctor decided it wasn't worth looking into since the pain went away (this sometimes happens with gallstones I guess).

    Then in July of this year, I had some extreme pain in my torso that started on the right under my ribs, and then radiated towards my back and into my shoulders. It was extremely painful, kept me awake at night, and lasted for hours on end. I was told it was muscular, and took a ton of pain medication and muscle relaxants that didn't do anything. I realized it happened in patterns, after I had eaten certain foods, and the pain usually was at its worst at night as I was sleeping. Had a couple trips to the ER when the pain got really bad. I was losing my appetite, barely ate a thing, and lost a lot of weight in a small amount of time.

    Finally another doctor diagnosed me correctly, prescribed me with buscopan which I took for about 2 months while I waited for my surgery. Basically my gall bladder was becoming inflamed every time I ate, and causing the surrounding digestive organs to contract. Buscopan helped to counter the contractions, but it didn't always work.

    In those two months, it got much worse. It got to the point where it would become inflamed if pressure was applied. I am so glad to be done with all of that.

    feebsicle on
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator mod
    edited November 2010
    I had my gall bladder out last year. It wasn't its own procedure or anything; it was more like "we're going to be in there anyway and it's looking at us funny so let's take it out." They did, and I certainly haven't missed it, but I was on liquids for quite a while afterward because of the main surgery.

    I probably wouldn't worry too much until it's been a week, and then just call your doctor and make sure he knows. He might have advice for you, or he might tell you to come in.

    I would say that you should not eat any of the things you listed just yet. :P Try a low-sodium, weak chicken broth with no noodles or chicken or anything interesting in it. Also try cranberry juice (and you should probably water this down a bit), and other clear liquids. If you can't read a newspaper through it, it's not a clear liquid. You are probably bored out of your skull with this stuff, but if anything more is bothering you at the moment, some nutrition is better than none.

    Also, if you think you have any shot at keeping them down, it might be a good idea to pick up some chewable multivitamins to nibble on with your water and juice. It's not calories, but you really want to make sure your body is getting something in the way of nutrients so it has what it needs to heal, especially if it's been so long since you've eaten properly.

    ceres on
    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    ceres wrote: »
    I had my gall bladder out last year. It wasn't its own procedure or anything; it was more like "we're going to be in there anyway and it's looking at us funny so let's take it out." They did, and I certainly haven't missed it, but I was on liquids for quite a while afterward because of the main surgery.

    I probably wouldn't worry too much until it's been a week, and then just call your doctor and make sure he knows. He might have advice for you, or he might tell you to come in.

    I would say that you should not eat any of the things you listed just yet. :P Try a low-sodium, weak chicken broth with no noodles or chicken or anything interesting in it. Also try cranberry juice (and you should probably water this down a bit), and other clear liquids. If you can't read a newspaper through it, it's not a clear liquid. You are probably bored out of your skull with this stuff, but if anything more is bothering you at the moment, some nutrition is better than none.

    Also, if you think you have any shot at keeping them down, it might be a good idea to pick up some chewable multivitamins to nibble on with your water and juice. It's not calories, but you really want to make sure your body is getting something in the way of nutrients so it has what it needs to heal, especially if it's been so long since you've eaten properly.



    Thanks so much! I will definitely go back to the clear liquids for a few days and see if that helps.

    feebsicle on
  • ihmmyihmmy Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    my best friend had her gall bladder removed long before I ever met her, but she has a hard time processing high-fat foods as a result. Not a big deal for her since she loves tofu, yogurt and veggies more than fatty stuff but it has restricted her diet a bit in that way. I'd vote for nibbling on raw veg before heavy pasta and acidic (tomato) sauces

    ihmmy on
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator mod
    edited November 2010
    I would just like to re-stress the vitamins, if it's possible for you. If you're not eating right and haven't been then your body needs those, and you will probably actually feel slightly better just from having some of them in your system.

    ceres on
    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • Regina FongRegina Fong Allons-y, Alonso Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    ceres wrote: »
    I would just like to re-stress the vitamins, if it's possible for you. If you're not eating right and haven't been then your body needs those, and you will probably actually feel slightly better just from having some of them in your system.

    Maybe try one of the gummi vitamins for kids.

    Regina Fong on
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    ceres wrote: »
    I would just like to re-stress the vitamins, if it's possible for you. If you're not eating right and haven't been then your body needs those, and you will probably actually feel slightly better just from having some of them in your system.

    Maybe try one of the gummi vitamins for kids.

    Maybe someone should invent gummi vitamins for adults.

    feebsicle on
  • AphostileAphostile San Francisco, CARegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    They have them!

    I believe they are called Vitafusion and should be available near youuuuuu.

    Aphostile on
    Nothing. Matters.
  • mullymully Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    there's also chewable ones that don't taste TOO bad and might be easier than just swallowing a full pill

    mully on
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Aphostile wrote: »
    They have them!

    I believe they are called Vitafusion and should be available near youuuuuu.

    ohh yess!

    feebsicle on
  • WildEEPWildEEP Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I had my gallbladder go bad and turn septic - it destroyed a lot of my stomach and part of my intestine. After making it through emergency surgery - I came out the other end with one major side effect.

    Sugar.

    I can't handle anything over like 10 mg of sugar at one time. I'll feel like crap...I won't die but I'll wish I had.

    Check the labels of what you're eating and look at the sugar and carb content. If its really high that might be a reason for your symptoms.

    WildEEP on
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    WildEEP wrote: »
    I had my gallbladder go bad and turn septic - it destroyed a lot of my stomach and part of my intestine. After making it through emergency surgery - I came out the other end with one major side effect.

    Sugar.

    I can't handle anything over like 10 mg of sugar at one time. I'll feel like crap...I won't die but I'll wish I had.

    Check the labels of what you're eating and look at the sugar and carb content. If its really high that might be a reason for your symptoms.

    I will definitely look into this. Thanks!

    feebsicle on
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator mod
    edited November 2010
    I think the sugar thing is more likely due to the damage to the stomach and small intestines, but at this point maybe just start trying things.

    It's been a few days... is it getting any better?

    ceres on
    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    ceres wrote: »
    I think the sugar thing is more likely due to the damage to the stomach and small intestines, but at this point maybe just start trying things.

    It's been a few days... is it getting any better?


    Yes! It is. I had some solid food yesterday, some rice crackers and I actually tried a bit of goat cheese. I really shouldn't have tried that, but it turned out to be ok. Nothing bad happened! Mully and Ten are coming over tonight and making gnocci...not sure if I'll be able to digest that but I'm going to try it and see what happens.

    feebsicle on
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator mod
    edited November 2010
    90% of your problems at this point can probably be solved by eating slowly and chewing carefully. :)

    ceres on
    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    ceres wrote: »
    90% of your problems at this point can probably be solved by eating slowly and chewing carefully. :)

    Good to know!! Thanks again. :) All of this really helps.

    feebsicle on
  • mullymully Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    How'd the gnocchi do? Did it stay down?

    We really need to find you a gall friendly cook book. I don't want to serve you boiled lettuce with a side salad of more lettuce and lettuce jello for dessert.

    mully on
  • feebsiclefeebsicle a feebs Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    The gnocchi was fine. I couldn't eat a whole lot of it, but that's another thing. My sister told me to expect to not be able to eat full meals. I have to eat lots of small meals through the day.

    There are a lot of things I can eat besides lettuce. As long as it is very low fat (preferably fat free), dairy free, red-meat free, and not spicy. Kochikens gave me a great vegan cookbook with tons of stuff I can probably eat. :)

    feebsicle on
  • KochikensKochikens Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Aww yiss
    and I talked to the author and he told me a ton of alternatives and substitutions

    Kochikens on
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