No more pigging out for you my friend. Well, on the fatty, greasy foods anyways. That’s not always true though, every person is different. I had my gallbladder removed on December 15th 2006 and I can tell you it has been a life saver as far as being pain free goes. But when I came home after surgery I found that even simple things such as soup were causing me, as I like to jokingly refer to it, ‘bathroom problems’.
It’s a little rude and embarrassing to have to jump up in mid conversation and run immediately to the bathroom. I won’t go into the gory details from there but I’m not alone in my post gallbladder bathroom existence. I fall into a small percentage (about 4%) of patients who have problems eating the things they normally did before the surgery. Fried or fatty foods are particularly bad for me and they can rear their ugly head about 10 minutes after I’ve finished the food.
I guess my doctor wasn’t kidding when he asked me if I had a bathroom near me at all times.
But I have found some tips out there if you have or are going to have your gallbladder removed. It’s pretty simple and so far has helped me loose 6 pounds. I’ve cut out on all the things I liked before the surgery such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Indian Food and my absolute weakness, Chinese Food and replaced it with some healthier foods like veggies and fruits and some blander foods. I’m also going to try the Special K challenge where you replace 2 meals with Special K. Making these changes has helped my problems some but I also find myself having to nail down what causes my problems and what is still ok for my body.
My doctor explained that these problems may go away in less then a year or they may remain a problem for the rest of my life. Either way I can live with it as long as the problems become less frequent. They were happening almost every time I ate for the first 2 weeks post surgery.
If you understand the underlying root of your gallbladder problems, even if it happens after the surgery it may help you to decide what the best diets or foods you should eat are. You certainly don’t have to go on a diet post surgery unless you choose to or it is recommended/required due to other issues, but it doesn’t hurt to try it and it helps your body recover from the trauma of having the gallbladder removed. Remember, it may not seem that traumatic to you but to your body it seems like a traumatic experience. My body and I have a pretty tight relationship and it let me know that the little guy was gone.
You will realize that most people are not out of the woods after surgery food wise and sometimes you just can’t go back to being able to eat anything
they like. Treat your lack of a gallbladder as you would any gallbladder disease and eat the same way. There are sites on the Internet that deal with gallbladder diet’s and foods that are good for the gallbladder (think “bile”) and liver
and foods that are hard on the biliary system. You still have a biliary system. Treat it gently and try to feed it nourishing
foods. Of particular importance is the understanding of good fats and harmful fats.
The more you understand and know about your gallbladder and what life is going to be like after it is removed the less you will have to worry about being put into my position.
