Who's had their gallbladder removed?

[JLC]

There's a good distance between gall stones and an actual gall bladder infection. An infection is serious and scary, but having stones doesn't mean you're doomed to get an infection....they're just horribly painful. (And that coming from someone with a very high tolerance for pain.)

You don't have to starve yourself, just don't eat high fat, greasy, or spicy foods, and you should be fine. Well, and don't stuff your stomach too full either. But you should be able to eat healthy fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats without a problem. Maybe not quite as tasty as the greasy stuff, but nothing to get all weak and wobbly about.

I was nervous between diagnosis and surgery as well, but being careful kept the attacks away, and the one or two I had in the meantime were mild compared to the ones I had when I wasn't being careful about what I ate.

[dsirkle]

Only 2% of people have complications from gallbladder surgery. 98% are removed laprascopically with no problems and you could be back to office work after 2-3 days or less if you really need to work.

[Mike41793]

I didnt think to add this but one of the people i know who had theirs removed was my grandpa. He had it done when he was in his late 70s and within the week he was back to his normal daily routine. No issues whatsoever.

[sorraia]

You don't have to starve yourself, just don't eat high fat, greasy, or spicy foods, and you should be fine. Well, and don't stuff your stomach too full either. But you should be able to eat healthy fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats without a problem. Maybe not quite as tasty as the greasy stuff, but nothing to get all weak and wobbly about.

So far that's pretty much been my diet this week, but I'm finding any kind of meat (even lean, skinless, boiled chicken, haven't tried fish though - I'm afraid!) is giving me pains. Not a full blown attack, but enough pain to worry me and have me swearing off all meat for the time being. My metabolism is high enough that fruits, veggies, and grains just don't seem to be enough, unless I'm sitting around literally doing nothing all day except snacking. If I'm up moving about and using energy though, or at the office where I can't eat all day, I need something more substantial. I'm experimenting to see what I can get away with, but so far I am left feeling weak and wobbly, despite what I'm eating.

I did manage to find low-fat and nonfat Greek yogurt at the store though! So I'm going to snack on that to see if my body is ok with it. If so, that's a little extra protein that can help me out.

[Samantha.]

Thanks for this! Although you are the minority I appreciate hearing it. Turns out my initial consultation isn't even for 2 more weeks, and then surgery can be scheduled after that. After having experienced 3 attacks in 2 weeks, this makes me very nervous for the next 2 weeks. I'm not only worried about more attacks, but also worried about something like what happened to you. Even if during the ultrasound 2 weeks ago they did not see any inflammation or infection, that doesn't mean something hasn't changed, and especially after my last attack which was the most painful. And besides all of that... my diet is now extremely limited to try to prevent another attack, which is leaving me extremely hungry and without much energy or strength at all. I've also felt some level of pain almost constantly, just not always a higher level of pain. Today I'm feeling better than I have for the last 2 weeks, but I'm still able to feel twinges of pain now and again in my right side.

So again, thank you for sharing your experience too!

And welcome to the forum!

The big issue I've had after is that I have a really hard time eating anything at all haha. Whether it be healthy or not, I have good days and bad days, but I still get sick just the same. I like live at my gastro now.

Good luck and I hope that you have a normal experience with yours! Haha.