Hi all.

Newbie poster, long-time lurker here.

I've been following the boards and member journals on 3FC for the past 5 months for inspiration. I haven't posted 'cause I'm kinda shy. I've lost 22 kilos in that five months (but still have a long way to go), and me staying motivated is owed in a great part to you guys.

After experiencing acute recurring gastric pain I was admitted to hospital on Sunday night and underwent emergency gall-bladder removal.

One of the things that I've since been told is that gall bladder problems can be caused by rapid weight loss. *sigh*

Has anyone else experienced this - had their GB removed after rapid weight loss? Any idea what I can expect with eating - does it restrict your diet and your dieting radically? Any advice or shared experience about what I can expect would be very welcome. I am feeling pretty clueless

My walking and weight loss progarm is on hold and I have to admit I'm feeling very sore and sorry for myself. Any help would be gratefully appreciated...

Harrington - I have no clue about diet w/respect to the surgery, but I have a question for you.

My sister had her gallbladder out this a.m. and I called to check on her and her husband says she's complaining of the same pain she had prior to the surgery. The nurses keep telling her it's the air they pumped in and it will go away. Did you have any similar issues. I'd like to be able to tell her it's normal, but it really doesn't sound like it. I hope they didn't just remove the wrong problem.

Any help would be great.

Hi guys!

I had my gallbladder out too I had acute gallbladder attacks that would drop me to my knees in a second and I would just lay there screaming at the top of my lungs. I had several "attacks" after my surgery and they actually did an endoscopy to see that I didn't have any stones lodged in my ducts. They also mentioned that bile could be getting pushed up the duct causing the duct to spasm which could also cause gall like attacks.

Kerri for awhile I thought they had removed the wrong thing too lol. I haven't had an attack in 4 months or so, it also helped by not consuming fatty foods. So tell her to stay away from rich foods. I'm sure her doc already told her this.

Harrington - Your surgery shouldn't affect your diet, meaning the food choices you make, if anything if you are eating healthier it will help you recover faster! But exercise of course you need to put on hold for a couple weeks to ensure that you heal properly. I was on bed rest when my GB was removed, so I didn't worry about exercise at all lol.

Summing up, just make sure you are eating healthy, cutting fat, and Kerri tell your sister to report any thing that she feels isn't "right" to her doctor, there could be an underlying problem, such as stones lodged in her ducts, or stomach ulcers.

Good luck to both of you!
Michelle

I developed my stones during my pregnancy with my second child. They also say that pregnant women are at a higher risk for having gall problems.

Hey Lisa

I am SO glad that I read the messages posted in this forum! Recently, I developed a disturbing tendency to throw up everything I eat. I also have a systemic endocrine disorder (basically, there are very few hormones in my body that do what they're supposed to do from reproduction to insulin to thyroid). My weight gain was rapid and the result of the endocrine disorder kicking in. In any case, the initial thought was that it is the medication... then after it continued, they decided it might be the gall bladder. When they got the medication right last summer, I started losing weight... I've lost at least 60 pounds, perhaps more because I've been doing weight lifting and swimming, so I've put muscle in places I didn't have it before... since October. So, I'm seeing a GI doctor tomorrow and we'll see.
I don't have any pain, though... I just throw up all the time. I think the part that bothers me the most isn't even the throwing up but that I haven't lost very much weight during 6 weeks of eating under 1000 calories because I've been too sick to eat!

yep totally know the feeling lisa!! I would just lay on the floor vomiting and screaming at the top of my lungs for someone to help me! I have demerol now in case I get another "attack" lol
Michelle

Hey - please give your sister my sympathies.

The CO2 they pump into your stomach does hurt a lot - very crampy and pinchy. It also caused pain in my right shoulder (weird). But it felt different to me from the pain of the gallbladder. If the pain is the same, then I would say that it is something more than just the CO2 gas. The Dr told me that you can get stones in the ducts, even after the GB is removed.

I hope she is feeling much better by now - I'm sending her happy thoughts. It's been 5 days since my surgery and I am feeling better, but still quite ouchy and pinchy. But, hurray for Codeine!

I got some advice that lying on your left side and drawing your right knee up towards your chest can help relieve the pain from the CO2. It worked for me, so might be worth a try for your sister.

-Harrington

Hi all -

Thank you for your replies!

My sympathies to everyone who's been through this, and to all who are going through it. It is the most horrible pain ever, but once the GB is gone, it goes away.

I am looking forward to resuming my walking - I'm going kind of stir crazy here. I'm pleased though, even with everything that happened this week, I still lost 1/2 a kilo (I suspect that it was muscle, not fat, but still).

I'm going for a little walk this afternoon - it still hurts to walk, but it is what is good for getting better.

Glad to hear that the surgery leaves your diet and dieting unaffected.

I really wish that the information about rapid weight loss often causing GB problems was more widely publicised. I did a ton of research before I started on my weight loss program, and not once did I come across any mention of it.

Thanks again to all,
-Harrington

Okay, dumb question...what does a gall bladder attack feel like? I have a whole bunch of gall stones. They are too big to ever pass. I only know I have them because I had 8 kidney stones in the past 4 months, so I am real familar with xrays. I hear the pain is very similar in intensity. Can anyone discribe where and what it feels like so I know it if I have one and do not confuse it with something else. Some docs say get it out, but as it doesn't bother me, I am hesitant to go into surgury. Plus I have to get 2 surgeons say it is medically necessary for ins to cover it. Thx

In my case it felt like someone had skewered me on a sword right through the middle of my upper abdomen and through my back. Sometimes the pain is only in the middle of the back, between the shoulder blades ("referred pain"). I had had some mild attacks prior to the acute one that sent me to the hospital. I have also had kidney stone pain, and I would say kidney stone is a bit worse, but both are quite bad enough.

I was told that I need to drink a lot of water, and I'm sure you have been told the same.

Yeah Jayell pretty much summed it up like you are just being stabbed it starts just under your ribcage on the right hand side and kind of radiates out! I know when I had mine I would start vommiting immediately and just lay there and scream because they were so severe!! I think it was worse than labor, for me anyway, at least while in labor I could breathe through contractions but this it wasnt possible to do so I was rushed to the hospital and given mass doses of pain meds and sent home! I was pregnant at the time so they didn't want to give me another surgery while I was still pregnant as I had a few surgeries during my pregnancy. In my case I had thousands and thousands of small stones that kept causing my frequent attacks!
HTH
Michelle

Thanks you guys! My sister is feeling MUCH better. She did just have a baby, so maybe she did develop them during pregnancy. Yucky either way. I also passed along the information to her just in case. Hopefully this is the end of the worst.

Thanks again!

I had my gallbladder out five years ago and if I eat fatty foods (like onion rings, bacon, etc.) I sometimes get pain along the "gallbladder meridian" so it's best to be careful what you eat. If you have any weird pains, tell the doctor. You can get gallstones from rapid weight loss and many medically supervised weight loss programs recommend you take Actigal, which is a medication that dissolves small stones, while you are on a program. Anyone concerned should discuss this with their doctor.

hello,I am new at this, I also have been diagnosed with gallbladder stones, I started dieting last september 2003 lost 20 lbs from 163 lbs with low carb diet, then I started getting the acute pains, I was told by my doctor I cannot go on a low carb diet because eating too much protein is not good idea. I have not had any pain since April just bloated all the time. Does anybody know what king of diet I can go on now? I want to lose another 20 lbs.