[Donnajj73]

Hi there

There are a lot of links to gallstone formation and obesity, weightloss etc so I thought that I would let you know my experience.

I lost approx 70lbs between July and December last year which is an awful lost in a short space of time. However by doing this I gave myself gallstones as my gallbladder wasn't functioning properly as I restricted my fat intake so much that basically I never needed my gallbladder to release bile in order for the body to digest the fat.

There are lots of stories on the web about weight gain after surgery and horror stories about how you will feel. I can confirm that I am still losing weight, approx 2lb in the last week and I feel better than ever so don't believe all you read. Here is my story.

I had laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the end of May 07 so am just over 2 weeks post op. I have to be honest and say that it is the best thing that I have ever done. I was admitted to hospital in December 2006 whilst on holiday in France as I had Gallstone induced Pancreatitis. I managed to get them to let me fly home as it was less than a week prior to Xmas to then be admitted to hospital in the UK in January because I had cholecystitis. 8 days later after an ERCP where they did a sphincterotomy I was sent home and added to the NHS waiting list. During the four months on the waiting list I had several occasions where I nearly went back to hospital as the gallbladder attacks I was having were so bad. However I waited and continued taking Codeine and Cyclizine and spent the best part of the four months as a zombie. It really was one of the lowest times of my life. However, having had the surgery I feel like a new person and definitely the best thing I have ever done. I still have some slight muscular pain and the incision in my belly button is a bit tender but apart from that I am doing well. I spent the four months I was waiting for surgery looking on the net and was frightened to death about how I would feel after surgery as I had read nothing but horror stories about constant bowel issues, pain, nausea infact anything and everything negative but no positive. I am writing this to let you know that I have experience no negatives with my cholecystectomy so please do not be worried about forums you may read which tell you to the contrary. I think that the people that are on these websites are in the minority and the people who have had good experiences are out there getting on with their newly transformed lives so haven't the chance to write their positive experiences down.

So to anyone on this forum who has gallstones and is frightened of other peoples experiences, don't be. Everyone is different, I lived to tell the tale and feel better and have more energy than I have ever had. There is no link to gallbladder removal causing weight gain if you continue to follow a healthy balanced diet and exercise which if you are losing weight you should be doing anyway.

Take care and thank you for reading.

Donna

P.S If anyone wants any more info re my experience of this horrid disease please feel free to contact me.

[ayaussy]

Thanks, but my problem with gallstone removal isn't weight-related. What I've read and heard is people having intestinal/digestive problems with the gallbladder gone. I already have IBS and am unsure if I'd be adding to the problem.

Besides, this chick is chicken! :-O

[Melthesweetie]

Thank you for your insight on this surgery! I just had one yesterday, and googled post-op diets for this type of surgery. I am only 23 years old, from Chicago, USA area. I had gall stones, and had them removed, Thursday June 14th.
I am incredibly sore, and I dont believe all the gas has passed yet.. What is your story?
Thanks,
Melissa

[ayaussy]

Well, regardless of me being a chicken, it looks like I have no choice. VERY bad gallbladder attack yesterday and I've felt crappy all day today. Hubby is insisting, so I see the doc tomorrow to get in with a surgeon. Glad to hear IBS wasn't worsened by it!

[murphmitch]

My mom had her gall bladder out almost two years ago. She doesn't have the pain anymore but now suffers from severe bloating and indigestion making it hard for her to eat right sometimes. Her Dr. said this is normal and will go away, but I have talked to others after GB surgery and many people say they have never had normal digestion afterwards. Some suffer with diarrhea after eating higher fat foods, some with indigestion. When you think about it, your body has no place to store the bile anymore, so it is constantly dripping into the small bowel, instead of secreting it when the body needs it after eating fatty foods. Guess that is better than having gall bladder attacks. Too bad they can't dissolve the stones the way they do with kidney stones. They wouldn't remove your kidney just because of stones.

[HocusPocus]

I had mine out 15 years or so ago. I don't have any problems and never had any attacks after the surgery. I spoke to one person who still had pain after and her surgeon thinks that she has a stone that was in a duct? or somewhere on it's way out when her gallbladder was removed and it's still stuck. Does that make sense??

The is not much worse than a gallbladder attack.

[ayaussy]

Thanks for the encouragement! My last stay in the hospital from this was a disaster so I'm a bit gun shy of going there again.

My doc mentioned the stone-in-bile-duct scenario yesterday and said they'd check for one during surgery. Also, I tried the dissolution therapy for 2+ years. It only has a 50-50 chance of working and it didn't on me. :-(

[QuilterInVA]

I had mine out 30+ years ago and have been fine ever since. I don't digest fats as well, but that is a plus in my mind - we don't need the high fat stuff to begin with.

[ladybugnessa]

Originally Posted by ayaussy

Thanks, but my problem with gallstone removal isn't weight-related. What I've read and heard is people having intestinal/digestive problems with the gallbladder gone. I already have IBS and am unsure if I'd be adding to the problem.

Besides, this chick is chicken! :-O

I had my inactive gallbladder out April 2006 and went on South Beach diet may 2006. i've never regretted it or felt better.

I have minor IBS and it's not been a problem for me.

[ayaussy]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I stop eating tonight at midnight (needless to say, the diet is off today) and head in to hospital at around 11:00am tomorrow. The surgeon and I talked about IBS and he has a few medications he uses, plus a diet strategy (never eating a large meal, just small ones throughout the day) to help with any digestion problems afterward, so I guess we'll see...

[ayaussy]

Hey, just wanted to follow-up and tell you all it went well and I'm home already. Pain in the abdomen, of course, but the surgeon said that'll get better every day. Interestingly, I've had no IBS-like cramping or diarrhea, and the doc said the gallbladder was in bad shape. Now I wonder if it's been _causing_ my symptoms? I guess we'll see...

[murphmitch]

Hope you're feeling better!