After Gall Bladder Surgery

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2004
After Gall Bladder Surgery
16
Fri, 02-11-2005 - 7:09am
My husband had his gall bladder removed about ten months ago and ever since he has had diahrea, or times when he has to rush to the bathroom. We are slowly figuring out what foods are the worst - anything greasy, some meats, etc. - but it does affect the quality of his life. Have any of you experienced this after having your gall bladder removed and what are some of the things you have done to help? Thank you so much.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Sat, 02-12-2005 - 6:29pm

Hello Jo

thflowers-hahd23222.gif picture by Wren53B

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 02-13-2005 - 3:00pm

Wren wrote: Now have you always eaten like that?

Prior to GB situation my eating habits weren't great - but certainly not as bad as they could have been (comparing myself to co-workers, friends, etc). I rarely ate fast food - I don't care for it that much and I'm cheep! I used to skip meals (which I now know is hard on the digestive system) and eat one big evening meal with dh - so that would include meat or poultry. I was never one for sauces - but loved butter on my veggies. I also enjoyed bread - I really miss it - but it causes some other problems (female type) to flare up so best avoid it. I also ate cheese for snacks a lot - miss that as well. I have some from time to time but dairy causes bloat & diahrea so I really have to snack in moderation. I don't think that has anything to do with the GB - but after eliminating dairy for several months than eating it again I can really see a reaction.

wren wrote: Now you must be cooking 2 ways one for you and one for hubby..

It really isn't that much of a challange - he's happy with a hunk of meat covered in either bbq sauce from a bottle or seasonings from a jar. So just a matter of tossing something on the grill for him - and the side dishes / veggies are the same. I just add some beans to my meal for protien. I never tried to change his eating habits - but he actually does enjoy some soy dishes - but I don't think he'd eat soy more than once a week.

wren wrote: Do you eat any kind of meat at all?
Not really - I sometimes have a fork full of what dh is eating - but I've never really liked meat so it isn't much of a sacrafice for me.

Wren wrote: Now what is your opinion on calcuim pills? Do you take vitamins?

I take a number of supplements. Great info on the calcium pills. I knew that ca carbonate was not well absorbed - but I didn't know any of the other information. Being female & 43 time to start learning about calcium - particularly since I rarely eat dairy.

Always lots to learn - and I love to learn from the experiences others have had,

Jo

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Sun, 02-13-2005 - 3:21pm

Jo,

thflowers-hahd23222.gif picture by Wren53B

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Sun, 02-13-2005 - 5:48pm

Jo,

You would be a really good person to give the calcium a try. You do not do dairy and your way of eating would be hard for most to follow. I was very much like you when I had my gall bladder removed. It seemed the first bit of food that went in came out and I just felt sick to even eat at all. But you gotta eat. I tried all kinds of things bland, veggies, no dairy and nothing seemed to help much. I just tried to live with it for the most part and did not eat if I had to be someplace.

The calcium helped me from the very first day. And I had been suffering for 23 years. It was amazing. The pain spasms and bloating and gas just did not happen. Now calcium can relax muscle and calcium is used for gas so it seems right that it could help. It was finding out that the magnesium that is in most gas relief products and vitamins only made me worse. So with trial and error taking calcium over the day at regular intervals with my food and working up from 1/2 tablet with each meal to a full tablet with each meal has maid such a difference in my eating life.

You really need to stop all meds and over the counter things that you can to give the calcium a good try. Play around with the dose which can be a combination of 1/2 tablets and full tablets to find what may help you. It is no cure but it sure is a control that works well.

If you do not take it the diarrhea returns but after a bit the insides heal and you feel so much better and can eat what normal people eat without much of a problem if you can get it to work. I would be very glad to assist anyone wanting to try it I have lots of feed back from many users. Just send me an email if you like.

It is sort of obious the bile freely flowing since the GB is gone is pretty much of an irritant and if you can have something like calcium carbonate soaking it up this has got to help.

Linda

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-13-2005
Sun, 02-13-2005 - 6:09pm
Hi! I had my gallbladder removed a little over a year ago. I got the whole "you dont need your gallbladder anyway" speech from the doctor but always suspected that i wouldnt HAVE an organ if I didnt really need it for something. In any case, the surgery was incredibly easy to recover from and I was really excited to be back to my old food-eating-without-fear-of-crippling-attack-pain again. However, shortly after i noticed that certain foods gave me diahrrea, and that almost EVERYTHING gave me heartburn. The diahrrea went away after a few months (i can still eat things that trigger it... i think its just a matter of getting to know whatyour triggers are) However the heartburn has not gone away, and I was just diagnosed with really bad reflux. They did a barium swallow test and saw that i had a lot of damage. I cant help but think the reflux and the gallbladder removal are related as it didnt start until after I had it out. Im still trying to work through it, with the nagging suspision that having your gallbladder out really is a bigger deal than what they say.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2004
Sun, 02-13-2005 - 6:56pm
Thank you so much to all of you that shared your stories and your thoughts. It has meant so much. We are indeed trying the calcium and will let you know how that goes. Works for both of us - him for his gall bladder surgery and me for my bones - not bad!!!! I really wish though that doctors would do more than doctoring. I little education would go a long way in helping people understand what to expect and how to deal with it - even making educated decisions. The surgery is over - goodbye! Somehow that does not seem like right. Anyway, thank you so much for your help and concern. It is so good to reach out and find help.

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