I ended up in the ER yesterday with horrible stomach pains. They think it was my gall bladder but couldn't find any stone, and think I probably passed them. They also said I had fatty deposits on my liver and that may be causing the pain as well.

I don't know what to eat now. I am on my second week of phase 2 and am now worried about what to eat. I am wondering if too much fat "set it off"

The doctor said a change of diet could have caused it but never said anything bad about South Beach. I know most doctors have no idea about nutrition anyway. I pretty much had to explain SB to him. When I explained about adding back in good carbs and other fruit, he nodded and thought it was healthy. So he got some education as well yesterday

I think I am going to cut down on my fat intake. I don't know what caused it but I have been eating nuts and some cheese so I will cut back on that. I definitely don't want to feel this pain again.

Any ideas on how to make my stomach feel better? I think I am more sore from being poked and prodded and having 2 ultrasounds but the pain is still there and I am almost paralyzed, not knowing what to eat.

Hi Steph-
I had Gall Bladder problems for years before I knew for sure that was the cause of all of my agony. I had many sonograms trying to find gall stones but nothing ever showed up on them. It wasn't until my doctor decided to just take it out that he found a gall stone the size of an acorn! So just because they can't see it on a sonogram doesn't mean it's not there.

For me - fatty foods & sugar were HUGE triggers. Things like chocolate & ham for example. Sometimes I could get away with those foods & other times....well - you know the pain. I would just keep a log of the foods you eat & note any problems you may have. Unfortunately - the longer you wait, the more frequent & severe your "attacks" can get

As for managing the pain....sometimes drinking milk would help or using a heating pad on my abdomen.

Hope that helps!

i don't know about the pain but i have heard if it is the gall bladder it is better to eat small meals more often.

First of all gallstones dont pass like kidney stones. I had my gallbladder removed but fought the problem for a long time. Eating light meals helps, stay away from grease and spicy foods. Eat often not allowing your system to get empty. I also know my mom didnt have actual stones but her gallbladder was full of sludge. I have a friend who had no stones or sludge but hers just wasnt functioning right.There is a nuclear scan they can do that actaully tracks the work the gallbladder is doing.If you continue to have problems ask for the nuclear test.

I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago. the attacks started when I was pregnant so i didn't realize that's what it was. it wasnt until my DH made me go to the ER after ending up doubled over after eating a bunch of deviled eggs that I knew what it was. My gallbladder was 1/2 full of stones, 5 stones had fallen out into my common bile duct and 1 was crowning about to go into the duct. I was turning yellow from Jaundice and I didnt even realize it. First procedure I had done was a tube ran down to fish the stones out of the duct(i woke up mid procedure on this one, ick..lol), that was immediate pain relief then the next day I had the gall bladder removed

I know that too much fat can really make an impact on it- I did lots of research before finding out I had a kidney stone instead! BUT, On south beach you shouldn't be eating that much fat in the first place? Reduced fat cheeses and lean meats are whats allowed... 2tsp of olive or healthy oils shouldn't be too much for you... neither should a serving of nuts. Are you doing more just low carb or strict south beach? South beach seems like it would be healthy for someone with gall problems...

Thanks for all your responses everyone. My doctor's office called and wants to see me so I am a little worried that there is something else. I didn't think they usually want to see you after you have been to the ER but I haven't been since I was younger in university with no family doctor. So I am a bit worried


I thought SB would be healthy for gall problems as well and I am sure it is and this is a coincidence. To answer your question, I am eating purely SB. No extra fats, not overloading on nuts either. Only a small handful a day. I have been pretty much only eating chicken because that is all I like. Of course for breakfast I have eggs and canadian bacon so that might be a bit much for me. Or again, just a coincidence.

Thanks again for all your help. It definitely gives me something to think about because the doctor told me I could have passed the stones.

I have been afraid to eat so I should really get back to eating every 3 or so hours if an empty stomach is a bad idea.

I appreciate your help.

Hi, Steph,

Sure sorry to hear you're going through this. It's been nearly 12 years since I had my gall bladder out, but I still remember the pain of those attacks all too well!

My recommendation to you is to see another doctor. Passing gallstones is bad business, because they can get lodged in the bile duct. That's when you may get an infection and die. So the symptoms you are suffering are more serious than you may realize. I had a doctor who misdiagnosed the problem and I suffered those horrid attacks for an additional 2 years before an emergency room nurse identified it correctly.

Fats can set off attacks, because extra fat in the diet is what triggers the response of the gall bladder to try and pump more bile into your stomach to digest it. But almost anything can set off an attack. And once the stupid thing goes wrong, it never functions properly. It's just a liability at this point.

Please let me assure you that the surgery to have it out is nothing to worry about. I honestly woke up from surgery and wondered when the heck they were going to get things underway. It wasn't till I felt my middle section and realized there were a few itty-bitty bandaids on it that I understood the surgery had already taken place!

South Beach is a great food plan, and I hope this doesn't deter you from your efforts.

All the best, Rae

Thank you so much raebear. I am seeing my family doctor on Thursday at her request so hopefully everything is ok. I'm glad to hear the surgery wasn't bad.

I thought it was the radiologist but it could have been a tech that told me they could pass in my stool. I wasn't sure if they could pass. But it does give me something to think about that they can get stuck. She said she was looking at my "duct" and saw nothing there. She said it is usually enlarged when there is a stone in it.

Hopefully my doctor will have some answers for me and hopefully it will only be good news. I get nervous with these things

I will not be detered from SB this time. No way no how. I believe this is the only way to eat for me so I will be right back to it when this all subsides. As it is, I am trying to make the best food choices but still not eating much.

Hi there -

Just had my gall bladder out two weeks ago today. I too suffered for the past several years - landing in ER a few times. It wasn't until one of my girlfriends, who has gall bladder problems mentioned her symptoms... that I suggested to the doctor that perhaps it could be MY gall bladder. I had an absolutely horrific attack - I thought I was having a heart attack and my family called for an ambulance. Finally - after many years of discomfort, they ordered an ultra-sound and found I did have gall stones & immediately referred me to a surgeon.

As mentioned by someone above - the longer it goes, the more frequent and worse the attacks become. It got to the point where I was basically afraid to even eat. Something as simple as an orange would cause me pain. Seems to be a problem with digestion as well - I'm of the mind (from my own experience) that staying away from fats/spicy foods isn't always enough. I think some of the healthier foods - that are perhaps a little harder to digest can aggravate the problem. Also, I agree - there is something to eating smaller meals more often. I'd end up NOT eating and would get pain from that too.

I hope that you get to the bottom of your problems. I can tell you this though - I would have the surgery again... in a heartbeat. I've had great success and am eating just about anything and everything with little problem. The only thing I do notice is - that if a food disagrees with me - my body will rid itself of it pretty quickly... better than all the horrible pain I had for too long!

Good Luck!

I have gall stones in my gall bladder. I had 2 really bad attacks a couple years ago. Honestly, I haven't had any attacks since but I generally keep my fat content low. It may happen again but for now I'm ok.

I used to have gall bladder problems more frequently before I started dieting in August, and I've only had one serious attack since (when I ate too much fatty foods). If it is your gallbladder, the best thing to do is just avoid too much fat (but you still need to have some!). I don't think you even really need to count your fat grams, just look at the box, and if it's more than 10 grams per serving, it's probably going to hurt you.

I hope you feel better.

Hi, I did the SBD about 3 years ago... made it through Phase1 and 2 no problem. And all of a sudden had a horrible gallbladder attack. For 3 years of occasional attacks my doctor thought it was a stomach ulcer then I just went into the Urgent Care because of horrible pain. They did a xray of my stomach and said in all the time they'd been there they have never seen a gallbladder that full of stones. I then went to the ER. My bloodwork came back wacky showing them it was starting to affect my kidney and liver and I was becoming jaundice. 10+ stones in my bile duct is what the MRI showed. So they did an ERCP and then the next day removed my gallbladder. Literally had to dig in and remove stones that were embedded in the tissues surrounding. That was 3 weeks ago. Change of diet and fatty foods also.. I lived on meat and cheese sticks definitely pushed my gallbladder to the breaking point. Soooo excited to get rid of my 5lb gallbladder and stones and now can start the SBD again without being scared of the attacks. (I had restarted SBD again about 6 months ago and put myself into a series of attacks for about 3 wks).