I've only been on low carb for a month and I have all the symptoms of gall stones. *geez* I have an appointment to see my doctor this afternoon and if this is what I have, I'll be so depressed. Apparently, gall stones occur when your diet is too high in fat or if you've suddenly lost a lot of weight (I don't think 15 pounds on a woman my size would be a factor but what do I know?). I thought I found a miracle with this way of eating. I don't think I could do this without cheese and eggs and steaks and real butter... dammit.
Gee, Nora. I hope your OK. Gall stones was a possibility my doctor mentioned when we agreed to modify the Atkins diet for myself. While I had lost 19 pounds in 9 weeks last year on Atkins, my blood pressure had skyrocketed for the first time in my life. Scared the bejeezus out of me!
I now am trying to follow a modified plan. I still eat high on the protein end but it's lean meats (chicken, fish, extremely lean beef, pork) and less fats (no more unlimited bacon, eggs, cheese, butter). I am also allowed some complex carbs (2 whole wheat bread slices; or 1 small yam; or 1 cup of wheat pasta daily) on top of my low-carb vegies. I'm (trying) to avoid refined, overly-processed, or high-carb items (white bread, rice, reg pasta, sweets, corn, peas, etc).
Make sure you go over the plan you are on with your doctor. Even if you don't have gall stones, a high-fat diet will make you a candidate for it later. Of course, Dr. Atkins doesn't point that out anywhere in his book (and I've read it twice to be sure).
Hang in there and keep us up to date on your condition.
Bummer, Nora. However, it can be the side-effect of a high fat diet. Maybe you need to modify your plan and lower the fat. (If it ends up that you have to have them out, I want them to make funky earrings for ya!)
Hope all goes well.
15 pounds would make a difference - be proud of yourself!
i'm not sure that gallstones can show up after only a month on this plan. maybe the LC made it worse, but i suspect you've had silent ones for quite awhile.
but i agree with jd... talk with your doc, and modify your plan if necessary. everyone's a little different, so what works for one person could be disastrous for another.
and, of course, the ever-present question is the portion sizes. if you're eating a pound of steak at a meal and a half stick of butter besides, well, that's not a good way to go about this.
it's one thing to use a pat or two of butter on vegs or in a sauce... and a couple of tablespoons of cream in coffee or in a sauce, but if you're actually drinking a glassful of cream ...
but obviously, you're doing something right. a 15-pound loss in a month is certainly something to be proud of!!!
Same thing happened to me...lost weight and 7 months into it the gall bladder attacks started...though I was eating very little fat in my diet...a lot less then I was used to anyway!
I fit the criteria...even with the weight loss that surgeons use...fair fat fertile and forty!
I am SUPPOSED to be getting my gall bladder out soon...and will be relieved when it is out and overwith.
Ugh!! What a horrible little organ to have and then it malfunctions and WHAMMO!! I felt like a steel band was being tightened around my middle, had pain in my back and abdomen, couldn't even breathe when I had my attacks.
I was only 23 and couldn't understand what was wrong. Yes, I was overweight but I hadn't been on a diet. In fact, I had just had a baby. "A BABY!!!!!" the doctor screamed. "That explains everything!!!" Apparently when your organs get shifted around to make room for the child, the opening of the gall bladder gets squeezed shut and the bile cannot get out. That makes it crystallize and there are your gallstones. I had 7 of them.
I had been having stomach-aches that felt like gas, where your stomach is bloated and pressing up against your ribs. That went on for months, my doc thought I was allergic to milk. Then I found out what pain is! My first attack was a trip to the emergency room, but by the time I was seen, the pain was gone. They had no idea what caused it. The second attack was a month later, and the doc pressed up against it, and I slugged him! Well, he should have known better!!
They scheduled my surgery for that day, and I was home the next day. The 4 incisions are pretty small, but did leave noticable scars. Afterwards I felt like I had done 1000 sit-ups, but it was gone in a week.
Every now and then I get a stomach-ache that feels like the same pain, only milder. Sometimes I wonder if they left the dumb thing in there!!!
Sorry for the novel, but I wanted you all to hear my story. Nora, did you recently give birth?? That could explain your problem.
jdoneil1, I'm looking into alternative ways of eating as well. Eating high fat *and* high carb is what got me into this great big body to begin with so I can't go back to that... I just had all my blood work done (before the gall stones hit) and my blood fat levels are all perfect. My thyroid was a tad underactive but the doctor didn't seem terribly worried about it, she said we'll just keep an eye on it.
Roofie, I definitely do have gall stones but the doctor says that they might make their way out of whatever narrow little spot they've wedged themselves in and maybe I won't need to have my gall bladder removed. I'd like to hang onto the nasty little bugger for as long as I can... if it comes out though, I'll make a real purdy set of earrings for you. LOL!!! Isn't that what UO had? I remember some grotesque thing in a bottle that she kept shoving in my face.... LOL!!!!
Jiff, I was actually following the plan (PPLP) to the letter. I was eating 10x my body weight in calories (approx 2500 cal a day) and sometimes a little less. I think that's how I was able to lose the 15 pounds.
liz, apparently your body needs a balance of bile and fat in order for your gall bladder to work efficiently. It's been suggested to me that I eat a little fat every 3 hours or so just to keep the bile/fat ratio in balance. I just don't know about that, you'll have to ask your doctor...
goodforme, you are describing my present pain almost to a tee. I don't know how much longer I can stand this, I hope it either gets waaay better or waaaay worse fast. I'd like to have this over with. No recent child birth here, that's my darling granddaughter in the pic with me. Here's a better pic of wee Heather and me... ain't she sweet?
I'm a sucker for little girls, what can I say?? And you have the most beautiful smile!!!!!!!! What a nice thing to see on a Saturday, I bet you are a joy to be around!!
Hope your tummy feels better real soon, believe me, I feel your pain!!!!!
Many years ago I had gall bladder problems bit time! It was awful and I had to watch my diet very well. Everytime I ate anything the least bit fatty, I'd have an attack. Well, I followed my low fat diet until the attacks happened no matter what and, oh how I craved KFC. I finally had the surgery and went home. Guess what I did! I got some KFC and ate THREE pieces. OMG, I thought I was going to die! I bloated and f*rted and suffered. but, that was the best chicken I had ever tasted.
By the way, don't do this as it isn't a good idea right after the operation.
Thanks, Goodforme and Ruth... you're too kind. I do love my li'l Hevver. LOL!!!
Thanks for the info on how the gall stones affected you, Tippy and liz and goodforme... The attacks have subsided for me, I'm still very sore but it's more like a mending thing now, rather than what felt like a ripping thing. *yuck* I've been eating lots of high carb stuff but good protein stuff and I'm sure that I've gained back what I lost in the last month. I'm too chicken to weigh myself today but today is the day that I go back on the low carb Protein Power but with less fat and more protein (I hope). I just have to spend some time looking for lean protein recipes instead of the fatty pork side ribs and bacon and stuff like that. It'll be better for my poor, skinny DH, too. He's a type 1 diabetic and has to take 4 needles a day and food is one of the big things that can mess up his blood sugar in a big way. Oddly enough, he and I both had our cholesteral levels checked in the last couple of weeks and his was too high and mine was perfect. You'd think that some of the PP would have shown up in my cholesteral levels if it were that bad. *geez* I also have a borderline underactive thyroid but not so underactive that I need meds for it. Man, sorry for the novella. I'm going to shut up now and see how the rest of all y'all are.
I ended up having my gall bladder removed about 10 years ago ... the attacks came on after years of different crazy dieting (I had done Nutrisystem several months before onset of the attacks). As someone else said, I, too, don't believe the stones could develop so quickly, after only about a month ... the essential culprit may be further back, or the pregnancy as mentioned before.
Oh, I forgot to mention -- advice that was given to me when I started having the attacks really bad: either be VERY careful with your fat intake FOREVER to control the attacks and avoid emergency surgery OR have that thing removed ASAP lapriscopically. I had the laser surgery, and while it was no walk in the park, I understand it was loads easier than recovering from the emergency section. I had pain for about 5 days (and my surgeon wouldn't give me any decent pain meds).
Anyone have trouble with gall stones?
My gallbladder!
Well, he should have known better!!
She's a cutie!
I do love my li'l Hevver. LOL!!! 
...now I am scared...Liz
