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Help From Experience
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I’m reading this and I just feel so sad for many of you who have had your gallbladders removed. there is a book called the amazing liver flush by andreas moritz. In the book he outlines this flush and good eating and living habits, what we should avoid and whatnot. He has recently passed away, but don’t let this deter you from the vast amount of information he has dedicated his life to finding. I have had the worst skin condition which has caused to look up a way to rid myself of this disease and this is what I stumbled upon. It has helped me in so many ways, I feel so much more clear, my skin is improved, i’m not angry all the time. The gallbladder stores bile, without it your body cannot effectively break down fats. Your liver is forced to produce bile immediately when you eat anything with fat in order to digest it, but unfortunately it is not enough bile. I encourage you to try going without fried foods, without oily products, dairy products, and without meat. It sounds crazy, i know, but try it out to see if it helps your situation.
“I’ve been reading through the last few pages of posts and I can say that for some people, there truly are problems post gall bladder removal. Up to 40% of people who have their gall bladders out will experience side effects (for some, they last months, for others, a lifetime).
So for those of you who are lucky to not experience any problems, go ahead and post comments about your own experiences but I would urge you not to make blanket statements telling people that nothing will happen and that everything will be fine. For 2/10 people, that will not be the case. And those people need to be forewarned so they can make an educated decision about whether to have the surgery.
Like those who have previously posted issues, I too have had issues post surgery. I had always been very slim but since the surgery I have steadily gained weight in my stomach area (10 lbs/year), despite no changes to my diet.
It has been 10 years since I had my gall bladder surgery and I am still experiencing digestion problems (alternating between constipation and chronic, painful diahrreah). I seldom have a regular BM. When diarreah occurs, I have hot flashes lasting 15 minutes until the BM is over, and severe abdominal pain. There is also a visible grease line in the toilet bowl and I can see where the fat is NOT breaking down. When I have constipation, I experience bloating, exhaustion, and blurred vision.
I have been told these reason this occurs is because the bile is no longer being regulated when released into my intestines. The gallbladder facilitates and regulates the flow of bile in your body. So when that facilitator is taken away, quite often that the flow will be not as efficient, ie. too much at one time, or not enough.
Without the gallbladder, the bile is not as readily secreted in the body, and the liver can become overwhelmed when faced with large amounts of any fats, especially saturated fats and hydrogenated fats. For some people even small amounts of fats can cause discomfort.
One of the side effects of gallbladder removal can be the dumping of bile which can send someone running to the bathroom immediately after eating. On the flip side, your body can also sometimes experience a decrease in the secretion of bile which results in weight gain as fat is not broken down.
If you think of your problem as a biliary (bile) problem as opposed to a “”gallbladder”” problem you are more on the right track to understanding how to take care of it.
IS GALLBLADDER SURGERY EFFECTIVE?
The answer to all of the above is “”sometimes””.
Abdominal pain, nausea, gas, bloating, and diarrhea are common following surgery. Postcholecystectomy syndrome (after gallbladder removal syndrome) may include all of the above symptoms plus indigestion, nausea, vomiting and constant pain in the upper right abdomen.
Sound familiar? You’re right — gallbladder attack symptoms. Up to 40% of people who undergo gallbladder surgery will experience these symptoms for months or years after surgery. How is this possible? You no longer have a gallbladder and that was the problem, right?
Look to the whole biliary tract. Now that the gallbladder is no longer present to act as a reservoir for bile, the common bile duct may expand as the bile backs up in the bile duct between the sphincter or muscular opening at the small intestine and the liver from which it flows. If it drips constantly into the small intestine this can cause problems of a different kind. However, this syndrome with accompanying pain appears to have the flow of bile obstructed by either a narrowing of the sphincter or a malfunction of the sphincter.
“”Functional biliary pain in the absence of gallstone disease is a definite entity and a challenge for clinicians.”” which is to say that at this point in time, they don’t really know what to do with gallbladder problems that aren’t related to gallstones (2) and “”Often, following cholecystectomy, biliary pain does not resolve…”” (2) which means after gallbladder surgery you may just be stuck with the pain.
So in conclusion, your best bet may be to try and fix what is wrong if that is possible, before taking it out. Sometimes, that is just not possible. ”
“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. ”
“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. ”
“I’m so glad not to be alone with this problem….5 years ago I got my gallbladder out and started having problems just like you. Cramps, nausea, diarhea….oh my!Here’s some things I have found out because I have a very cool doc:
A pill called Colestid can slow diarhea
There are anti-spasmodics that can help significantly so I don’t have the extreme cramping after eating (they are way better than the **** you buy at the store)
Restaurants use vegetable oil on their grills. It changes properties when it is heated and can cause the “”dumping reaction”” that we all seem to suffer from. We basically can be allergic to it.
Use olive oil.
Avoid large amounts of pasta.(lots of fat)
Avoid caffeine, spicy foods, micro-beers (LOTS of fat)
Take Flax Seed Oil (2-4 a day depending on your tolerance) It decreases gas, pain, colesterol, etc. It is also very good for your heart. You can get it at GNC or other health food stores.
Drink lots of waterAbout 30% of all gallbladder removals create people like us. There is very little they can do at this point since their are so many variables to diet, etc.
I can’t eat red meat anymore, it makes me very sick. I can eat chicken, turkey, pork (if its not too fatty), and ham. I eat lots of vegetables (steamed)and rice and potatoes.
I have the further complications of my stomach not dumping correctly and my pancreas doesn’t produce the enzymes I need to digest food. So now I get to take 5enzymes every time I eat and take 2cc of erythromyacin (a smaller dose than even infants) to force my stomach to dump correctly. I have also had 5 procedures on my bile ducts and pancreatic ducts becasue they have become blocked. The Flax Seed will help prevent that from happening again. I am a medical nightmare….. ”
“The gallbladder is connected to the spleen by nerves and is also closely connected to the liver. Anyone with gallbladder problems or with gallbladder removed should avoid or minimize foods that weaken the liver or spleen such as white flour, white sugar, caffeine, chocolate and deep fried foods. According to Chinese medicine, cold foods, cold drinks, citrus fruits (unless you also eat the outer skin, which is not advised unless the fruit was organically grown because pesticides often sink into the outer skin), tomato, banana and even salad should also be avoided or minimized because they weaken the spleen and kidneys.
If you already had gallbladder surgery
The gallbladder stores, concentrates and secretes bile which is produced in the liver. The bile is necessary in the intestine for the digestion and absorption of fat. It is also important for lubricating the intestinal wall. Once the gallbladder is removed, the bile lost its storage space and tends to accumulate in the liver. The result is reduced bile flow because the liver does not contract to squirt the bile into the intestine like the gallbladder does. The reduced bile flow usually causes indigestion, constipation or diarrhea. When the accumulated bile becomes congested in the liver, it weakens the liver functions and may even lead to depression. According to Chinese medicine, depression is a sign of blocked liver energy. The combined effects of liver congestion and intestinal sluggishness may also cause sleep disorder, insomnia, or bad breath. Furthermore, the reduced bile flow could weaken the spleen and pancreas so much that diabetes may result. The spleen is connected to the gallbladder by nerves. When the gallbladder is removed, the spleen is out of balance and becomes weakened. According to Chinese medicine, the spleen provides energy to the heart. A weak spleen therefore results in a weak heart. Indeed, the statistics do show that heart attacks are more common among people without gallbladders
”“Hello, I found this in the book “”Back to Eden”” by Jethro Kloss. This is what he said about Gallstones:
Symptoms: In advanced cases there is pain the region of the liver, which is located under the right lower ribs. The pain may extend to the right shoulder blade and violent pains may occur in the abdomen. Ther is often jaundice because of obstruction of the bile duct. There may be chills, fever, nausea, or vomiting. These symptoms are not always present, but they are brought on many times by dietary indiscretion.
“”Heavy eaters who live on a high calorie, high fat diet are much more apt to develop gallstones. They are more commonly found in middle-aged females, especially those who are overweight.
People with gallstones should be on a low-fat diet, and should not eat greasy or fried foods, such as mayonnaise, eggs, highly seasoned foods, cheese, salad dressing, pork products, rich pastries, and high protein foods, such as red meats. There are certain foods that some people tolerate very poorly, and when this is found to be the case, these foods should be omitted from the diet. Examples of such foods: beans, onions, cucumbers, cabbage, turnips, radishes, sauerkraut, and spicy foods.
There may be associated constipation and liver trouble. If the liver is overloaded, it will not be able to perform its work of eliminating the poisonous waste matter that comes to it. A fruit diet for a week or two is a wonderful medicine for the liver. Laxative herbs will help move the bowels. One that helps move the bowel three times a day is recommended.
Even if you had your gallbladder removed, you can still develop gallstones, since they gallstones frequently form in the bile ducts; either in the small bile ducts within the liver or the large bile duct that leads from the liver to the small intestine.
Medicinally, lenons act as an antiseptic, an agent that will prevent infection or putrefaction. They are also antiscorbutic, which means a substance that will prevent scurvy. Lemon is a wonderful stimulant to the liver and is also a solvent for uric acid and other poisons. It liquifies the bile and is very good in cases of rheumatism, and gout. Those who have a tendency to bleed or have uterine hemorrages. We find that the lemon contains certain elements that help to build a healthy system and then to keep that system healty. A teaspoon of lemon juicein one half glass of water will relieve heartburn.The question may be asked: How can one with an inflamed or ulcerated stomach partake of lemon juice? Would not a strong acid like that of the lemon act as an ierritant? That wouild depend on how it was taken. If in quantity, yes but if taken very weak at first, diluted with water, it will eventually cease to burn. The sufferer afflicted with an ulcerated stomach has to use great perseverance to effect relief. The gastric juice in the stomach in four times as strong as lemon juice.””
Drink the recommended amount of water- 8 glasses a day, to help the bile smooth and moving.
If you can, go to a Nutritionist, or Homeopathic practioner. They will help you with the right laxatives to help clean the liver and colon. I this helps
”“http://www.celiac.com/articles/119/1/Gall-Bla dder-Disease-and-Celiac-Disease—By-Ronald-H oggan/Page1.html
Gall bladder disease is well researched to be closely linked to celiac disease.
While your gall bladder has been removed, that you experience persistent vague abdominal symptoms that resolved significantly with fruit and water (which, while I am not a fan of such fasts, certainly involved being gluten free for those two days.)
If you were tested for celiac disease at the time of your gall bladder removal and it was negative this could be because false negatives are not uncommon, or you have since developed active celiac disease as a result of the surgery.
To be clear, gall bladder surgery does not cause celiac disease. However, if you have the genetic markers for celiac disease they can be activated by things such as hormonal changes, intestinal illness and surgeries.
You may want to have the celiac disease blood test. Make sure you are eating a gluten-filled diet prior to the blood test as it will not provide any results if you are already on a gluten-free diet.
Or, if you simply want to attempt a gluten-free diet and see if this resolves any lingering gastrointestinal symptoms you’ll find plenty of information on http://www.celiac.com.
When you review the symptoms of celiac disease, please note that there are no common symptoms, just a very broad array of symptoms. Some patients simply have anemia and no gastrointestinal symptoms. Others have acid reflux, or gurgling or constipation, or diarrhea, or cycling constipation and diarrhea. You could have bloating, or not. You could have skin conditions, or not. There can be neurological symptoms; diabetes type I, kidney stones, gall bladder disease, malabsorption of nutrients…and on it goes.
Abdominal symptoms persist in about 40% of patients after they have had their gallbladders removed. Sometimes this is due to an underlying illness (such as celiac disease, ulcers or acid reflux). There can also be anomalies of the sphincter that allow for bile to enter the intestine (sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is its name) however this underlying condition involves continued pain.
Bile leakage after gallbladder removal is not common and it creates immediate post-operative nausea and abdominal pain (usually about 4-5 days after surgery). The same is true for unretrieved peritoneal gallstones that occur during surgery — if there are any complications at all from the spillage, then it will occur in fairly short order after surgery.
If, within five years pain reoccurs, it is possible to have developed stones in the bile duct. However as you are not describing pain in your current symptoms, this too seems unlikely. Also, it does not sound as though your gallbladder was removed due to stones, but rather complete organ failure.
I’m hoping this background gives you a bit more direction. Feel free to message me if you have further questions.
“My Success Story
I never believed I’d be on here writing one of these, but I managed to get my symptoms nearly completely under control. I used to spend hours on here desperate to find a solution that was just a little bit better than what I dealt with.
I have bile reflux from having my gallbladder removed. Starting before the surgery, I had violent diarrhea, nausea, terrible headaches any time I had a flare, terrible sinus issues, heartburn, GERD, and literally had the chicken pox three times, then I had shingles. The headaches were the worst, and nothing got rid of them. Most days I was too afraid to leave the house, and I wouldn’t go anywhere where I didn’t know what the bathroom situation would be. The surgery helped some, but I continued to have flares, with days where it all returned. They got worse again, more regular. I tried everything – paleo, low fat, low carb, barely eating, probiotics, all sorts of supplements, calcium, SCD, and what helped the most was low-FODMAPs, but nothing really helped me back to normal.
About four months ago, my gastroenterologist put me on Welchol after I had an endoscopy and it showed large amounts of bile in my stomach. Welchol helped some of the symptoms, but I still had quite a few. I was still doing low-FODMAPs, and decided to try out probiotics again. Within a week, my symptoms subsided to a manageable level. After three weeks, I had normal bowel movements, no headaches, and felt like a totally different person.
What I believe happened was that I had SIBO with leaky gut, but the bile reflux kept probiotics from working in the past. It took Welchol to clean up the bile and ease the leaky gut before the probiotics and the low-FODMAPs diet worked. I believe low-FODMAPs gave the SIBO less to eat, and that’s why it helped more than anything else, but the bile reflux was keeping my stomach inflamed and unable to repair itself. The probiotic I took was Raw Probiotics Vaginal Care. I took two a day for three weeks, then went down to one a day. It was crazy expensive, but I’m downgrading to a cheaper one today, and going to see how that goes. All of them together fixed the problem.
I added gluten back two weeks ago, and feel fine. I can eat fruit again, even higher FODMAPs fruit (though I’m still afraid to try fruit like apples and pears). I’m keeping a low-fat diet to help the Welchol keep the bile reflux in check, but I’m eating normally and feeling normal.
If there’s even one person that reads this and it helps them, it’s worth it to share my tale. I hope everyone finds something that makes their lives easier.
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