Gallbladder Diet Ideas
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Gallbladder Diet Ideas
| Mon, 10-31-2005 - 2:53pm |
Last night I had severe pain in my stomach. I went to the urgent care, and they think it's gall bladder disease they said. I am going in today for an ultra sound to determine if it is. My question is in regards to food. The doctor told me not to eat fatty foods. I felt so bad yesterday, that I am afraid to eat anything today. I can not eat for another couple of hours, after my ultra sound. But what are some things that I can eat safely? I just don't want to have to go through that pain again.
Christi


Christi, Sorry to hear about your pain - everyone with GB problems here can sympathize.
Definitely stay away from fatty foods after an attack and cut back to help prevent another. The day after an attack, I found lots of clear liquids helped - broth, juice (not orange), water, tea etc. Try easily digestable things like toast and applesauce. Drinking lots of water and going to the gym for an easy workout helped me, as did making sure I got regular exercise.
I would avoid cheese, eggs, butter and red meat for the day after an attack. Different things set different people off. I had attacks after several days of bad eating, but no food in particular caused an attack. Other people can't do breads/processed flour, others find red meat or deli meats set them off.
Most of my attacks happened at night, so I would especially try not to eat a fatty dinner. And - this is easier said than done - try not to stress. I was much more likely to get an attack when I was stressed out.
Try thinking of what you eat the day of your attack and the days prior. You might have trigger foods or just notice a general pattern of bad eating for the days before.
Good luck, let us know how the ultrasounds turns out.
Hi Christie
Low fat is right - as previously mentioned different people are affected differently by certian foods. But the common thread is 'low fat'.
It's amazing how much fat we actually do consume - to put you exisiting diet to the test there is a free on line tool that you can use at www.fitday.com
Well, I had my ultra sound today.
Hi Cristie - there are a number other members who have had their gb removed - and even if you've had surgery in the past the anticipation of another one doesn't get any easier. I was a basket case before mine and the support that I receved here was amazing - so please feel free to vent if need be.
Christi,
I was you, literally 2 weeks ago. I had my surgery on the 19th and spent weeks beforehand questioning whether it was the right decision. For me, so far, it has been. As you can tell from my prior posts, I was very nervous not only about the procedure, but about the after effects. I am 24, never had any surgery either.
There is a link that really helped me that showed the surgery step by step. I can't find it now, but I'll keep looking. It went into more detail than my surgeon did.
I would Google "laparoscopic cholecystectomy" to learn as much as you can about the procedure. For me, the surgery meant one small incision along my belly button (where the GB was removed from) and three dot incisions where the doctor stuck in the camera and lights. I went into the OR at 4 and left the hospital around 8:30. It was general aesthesia. My gallbladder was apparently "very thick" but I had no complications.
I'll be honest - it wasn't the most fun I've had. But you get painkillers and that helped me tremedously. I took up residence on my couch for the next 2 days and slept. It hurt to bend over for a few days and walking was tough, but Saturday I was feeling much better and off the pain meds. I stayed home all the next week (because who doesn't like a little time off from work??) and went back to the office yesterday. Other people have gone back in a week or less.
I still have covers on my incisions, but they're coming off Thursday. It doesn't hurt to bend over or move around and I'm even ready to hit the gym --- and I had a turkey sandwich last night without worrying what it would do to me. I think that'll be the best part of this surgery :)
If your surgeon recommends removal, have some questions ready, like how many times s/he has done the procedure, whether they ever had to resort to an open procedure instead, whether there are complications that would prevent laproscopic surgery for you, whether the doctor ever had a patient with an injured bile duct, whether you can have this done outpatient, etc. Educate yourself as much as possible and remember even though this is a huge deal in your life, its one of the most common surgeries.
Once you have stomach and body problems-
Avoid fatty, greasy foods. They will give you pain because they cause the GB to contract to release the bile needed to break down the fat. Try doing a search on the internet for "gallbladder diet" or something to the effect of that. I found that anything bland and easily digested agreed with me the best (eg. Crackers, dry cereal, oatmeal, veggies, salads, plain pasta or with very light sauce--no meat, baked potatoes and fruits). I think bananas are a good choice too.
I had my GB removed in March and unfortunately I was one of the unlucky ones to suffer the consequences--ie. nausea, cramps, diarrhea if I eat anything high in fat. But I will say I am glad to be rid of the almost constant rib cage pain having a GB caused.
PS. I agree with Wren, keep a journal about your symptoms because some dr.s(mine for example) don't have time to sit and listen to a person try and remember all of their symptoms. I just hand my dr. a paper with a list and the next time I see him he lets me know what he thinks it might be. Simple!
Hope this helps!
Donna M