I guess I came here for the same reason everyone else did. I'm 47 and have always been in excellent shape. A big guy at 6' 6" and 287 lbs average normal weight with no belly, just good shape. I just had my gallbladder removed as well and after surgery especially with a strong metabolism that I have I lost 30 lbs. It was a bit slow after surgery but I really started losing fast in the last 4-5 days post surgery. The crazy thing is that I weighed myself noticing this huge loss of weight and two days later still being on a very low to no fat diet (mostly liquids) and very little to eat still recouping I oddly enough gained 10 lbs a day over the next 3 days. I kind of leveled out at my regular body weight but within a week after that I've put on another 10 lbs and I still do not eat breakfast, rarely eat lunch but if I do it's maybe a regular sandwich and for dinner I eat half of what I would normally eat in the past and I'm pretty health concious so not super high in fat content.
Where is all this body weight coming from?
I was a body building instructor and all I can think of is my sodium level did go up and since I cut out all soda, coffee, tea and anything with sugar or caffeine from my diet sticking primarily only to water with maybe a glass of non-fat milk a day, it's possible it's water weight but doesn't feel that way? I plan on seeing my family doctor this week for a followup but just checking to see if others experienced the same issues I was having after the GB removal as well?
I had my gall bladder removed laparoscopically 4 years ago. I have had no side effects or any problems since. As far as how bad the surgery is, recovery time, etc., that is fairly subjective, and will vary from person to person. The soreness following surgery was NOTHING compared to the excruciating gall bladder attacks I suffered for several years before the surgery. The abdominal soreness was really not that bad, and was negligible after 3 days. The worst pain following the surgery was actually in my right shoulder. I was told this was due to CO2 or whatever gas they use to inflate your abdomen during the surgery (to give them room to work). Pain is very subjective, so it is hard for anyone to tell you how bad it is. I can only tell you in relative terms. I had my spine fused in 1995, and the post-surgical pain from that operation was brutal (I had a 19-staple incision, about 10" long in my lower back). And as I said earlier, the gall bladder attacks were much, much worse than the pain from the surgery. Will you have pain? Sure. You won't sleep too well for the first two or three nights after surgery, but it gets better pretty quickly after those first few days.
I have something similar, but I have not had my gallbladder out. I was having attacks a year ago. The surgeons wanted to take it out but my homeopath suggested I wait and do further testing. Turned out I had norovirus. I have not suffered any gallbladder issues since this was discovered. Not sure what to make of this. I too have gained a lot of weight 40lbs. I know some of it can be contributed to diet and exercise, but 40 lbs seems a bit excessive. I also have issues losing the weight. My mid section feels bloated and full all the time, and get heartburn a lot. This has me stumped!
I also feel the same way as you do, i also had mine removed sometime in August 2012. Sometimes i even think that I'm pregnant but then tell my self that it is just not possible because I just had my period a week ago. Before i would sleep I would feel my stomach blown up and big and heavy but then again when I wkae up in the morning only to realise that has gone away and also now just started with heartburn. I am also lost, I dont know what is happening with my body anymore. Is this normal and for how long will this go on, is there anyway of makeing this to go away cause it is really not healthy to live like this.
Hi Kayla, i hope you are well, i have just read this post and can see you did it 3 years ago. I just wanted to see how the long term weight loss/gain has affected you. i am due to have my op any time now :-(
No. Having your gallbladder taken out does not cause weight gain. I finally had my gallbladder taken out not too long ago. I am going to nursing school so I know that you always have to do your own research on your condition and ask questions. When your gallbladder is taken out, you have to change the way you eat. You can live without your gallbladder because your liver can do the same thing. The gallbladder stores bile, which helps digest fats. The liver creates the bile that digests fat. Since you don't have your gallbladder, you body cannot hold bile like it used to. You still have it you just dont have a gallbladder to store extra until its needed. This means you have to eat less fat. If you do this and exercise you should be okay as far as weight. Later on, you may be able to add a little more fat but for a while its not a good idea. Your body needs to get used to it not being there. But a low fat diet will help a lot.
Hey. Thank you for replying to my question. I researched a ton prior to making the decision to have my gallbladder removed. I suffered w/ attacks for almost 12 years before I finally had to have it removed. During my pregnancy with my son, particularly during the third trimester, I had an attack at least 4 times a week. And then about every other day after I had him up until I had it removed. Since you are in nursing school I am hoping you might be more knowledgable regarding weight gain than anything I am able to research. I understand watching my daily fat content intake. I have been on the same "diet" forever. I eat fairly healthy, rarely indulging in anything high in fat let alone "junk" food. That is why I am stumped. I exercise even more than I ever have (and that is saying a lot since I thought I was busting my *ss before!) and I am eating the same types of food as before. I have never been one to gorge on food. I just do not eat regularly. However, I have always been like this. I never eat breakfast & most of the time i skip lunch. I will eat dinner tho, but not what most people consider dinner. My serving sizes are the recommended serving sizes, not what most people think are "normal" sizes. So i guess my question is, could it be the Mirena insert? I literally had Mirena inserted about three weeks after i had my gall bladder removed. I had my gallbladder removed three weeks after I had my son. Between the birth of my son & the removal of my gallbladder, i was back down to my normal weight of 117lbs. When I was weighed prior to having Mirena inserted, I was still only 119lbs. BUT about 2 months later I was weighed again when I had my yearly physical & I weighed 138lbs!!! Umm, I only weighed 142lbs when I gave birth to my son!!! And he weighed a healthy 7lb 4oz!!! I am completely lost on this. All of the info states gallbladder removal does not cause you to gain weight, however, whenever I put two n two together it equals my gallbladder!! UNLESS it is the Mirena???? I am 28 years old, not sure if that matters at all. I am 5'4 and i am NOT "fat". (quoting that *diot above who said doctors base removal on the 3 F's! Whatever to him b/c I do not fit 2/3rds of his requirements! *I am obviously female tho!! LOL) Any insight would be very appreciated. Thank you so much in advance!!!!
I guess this makes it official! You are now an FFF Fat, Farty, Female. Welcome to the club!
I am totally having the same problem. I measured my waist last night-a year after the surgery and I am 4 inches thicker and 10 pounds heavier. Like many of us, I exercise, eat well and am totally frustrated! but i'm not alone! thanks for the info
yes it sure does, I am so careful and on the weight watchrs diet and exercise and am slowly gaining and find it impossible to lose any weight, it is so frustrating.