“Look, here’s how you handle not having a gallbladder.
What does not having a gallbladder mean? It essentially means:-
a) that your body is now unable to emulsify fats as well as it did previous to your surgery.
b) that you will have a steady trickle of bile which is roughly 8 times weaker than other peoples’ running through your small intestine.
c) that the pH of your digestive tract will become more acidic (bile is an alkaline substance), altering the balance of your intestinal flora.
This is why after having their gallbladder removed, people suffer from diverticulitis, IBS, indigestion, reflux, nausea, ulcerative colitis and various other unpleasant illnesses. Together, the milder of these symptoms are known as post-cholecystectomy syndrome. Sadly, the current medical paradigm does not acknowledge the long-term negative effects of this surgery.
But, if you change one or two things in your lifestyle/diet, living without a gallbladder can be peachy:-
a) Start supplementing fish oil (as a poster above suggested) – you’ll need to supplement a lot; 2g in the morning and 2g in the evening. If you have a heart problem, don’t do this; at high doses fish oil has been known to f**k with the electrical impulses governing the heart muscle – talk to your doctor. Eating fish will not cut the cheese because you really need this fat now that it’s even less bioavailable, and chances are you aren’t going to want to eat fish every day.
b) 5 or more small meals per day. Don’t binge, because you’ll get sick, fat, or both. Also, leaving too long between your meals means that the bile which in now always (and I stress this), always running through your digestive tract, has time to irritate the walls of your intestines, meaning that when you do eat you’ll have violent cramps and most likely diarrhea (in time your body will adjust). Healthy snacking will also help keep you from feeling like you need to binge eat at lunch or dinner time.
c) Don’t sleep for too long. Many people have issues with retarded peristalsis after gallbladder removal, which means the food just sits there and doesn’t move. This is bad for you. Max 8 hours, and try to be as active as possible.
d) Stop eating filth. Don’t eat a salad covered in dressing and kid yourself it’s healthy. Your small intestine needs to be treated very gently now; use your brain. You may find yourself unable to eat certain things now, it’s different for everyone. No more fast food. Even if you’re thin, it doesn’t mean the fat is not building up inside you and poisoning/constricting your organs.
e) Probiotics. Not for everyone, but with the new digestive ratio that has been created in your guts you may find that these supplements offer relief from certain symptoms. If you’re having problems with gas, diarrhea or bloating now, a regimen of probiotics may help. No, not yoghurt; many brands are little more than just sugar and milk. You may find that these bacteria will also help you break down certain foods that you are no longer capable of digesting effectively.
f) Fiber is important. It’s even more important now. It won’t prevent bowel cancer, that’s a myth, but it will help your body to move food through your intestines and allow more efficient digestion of the nutrients you’re (hopefully) getting from elsewhere in your diet. Don’t eat too much – try to make sure you eat soluble fiber rather than wheat bran etc.
What I’ve written here is not for everyone, but I feel it’s a rough guide for how to deal with what many people will be going through. I’m sick of reading about people having problems after gallbladder removal and seeming so lost, and worse, extremely sick. Good luck. ”