Gall Bladder Removal DEPRESSION?

:-( I had my gallbladder removed 16 months ago and have been on and off depressed since. I have been eating a healthy low fat diet but I never know from day to day whether I will be OK or depressed. It is really hard to plan life and keep working. Any one any other ideas - I have tried every anti-depressant out there, acupuncture, homeopathic, worked with a nutritionist but cannot get on with my life. I have nothing to depressed about I love my life but it has been stolen away.

Hello, I have just found this topic and think this could be extremely relevant to what I've been looking for.
My Dad has just undergone gall bladder removal surgery. They intended to remove it with keyhole but when they saw the state of the infection they decided to cut him open. We knew that when we saw him the day after we were very likely to be confrunted with a vary spaced out Dad, but I don't think I'd quite been prepared for it. Since then he has seemed slightly more coherant, but has been very bi-polar - you're never quite sure if something you say is going to make him laugh or make him angry. He's been getting more and more aggitated by the constant amount of tubes and wires around him and he is more and more frustrated with not being in control.
Could this be related to depression? Will he be okay again any time soon? What should I expect from the next couple of weeks?

Also, on a side note, his entire stomach seems to have swollen up. Is this just a bi-product of the surgery on it's own, or could it be due to something having gone wrong in the surgery or perhaps just because he can't move around as much as he used to? I've been trapsing the internet in my worry, but would really appreciate some real people answers :-(

Well, after reading through all of the posts I am still a bit apprehensive about the surgery tomorrow, but feel that I don't have any other option. I know that I will find myself in surgery tomorrow because I was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon and I am writing from my hospital bed. I think I am mainly just nervous about possible complications after the surgery an/or the possibility that everything won't go as it should. I'm worried about the recovery as well. Does anyone out there have any tips for a pleasant and speedy recovery and what to expect as far as when I get out of the operating room?

Thank you for all your posting about gallblader. It helps me a lot. I do not have stone in gallblader. I have small polyp and low function gallblader. After I read many post about gallblader in many forum. I compare with my and use some herbal tea. It helps me a lot. My HIDA scan come out normal after a year I try herbal tea and change diet and excercise. I still have poly, but some how my polys turn out to be smaller than last year ultra sound. I countinue use herbal tea nad vitamine. Herbal does work for somebody like me.

Hi All, I am glad to hear that someone else is experiencing the same issues I have. I thought I was going crazy and the whole world was normal. I, too, have been experiencing a major depression including: constantly agitated, senseless crying, short-term memory loss, unexplained bouts of nervousness tremors, unable to complete thoughts or express myself. All of the above are wrecking my life now. I had gallbladder removal surgery in July of 2008 and I have seen a steady decline in the quality of my life. I went from being very capable to barely being able to function, not wanting to leave the house, not wanting to stay at work when I do get there, being very jittery and unable to stay on task... In most ways I know it would be best for me to quit my job, because I would be doing them a favor. On the other hand, I am knowing that I can't because I am a single mother and need to work. I have isolated myself in one way or another from everyone and damaged relationships that were once flourishing... for more than a year I have made the worst decisions imaginable and am struggling with separating this person with who I have always been. I have gone to doctor, after doctor for the last year or more and I have made some headway. I was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency and was prescribed 50000 IU of Vitamin D (once a day for 7 days and then once a week for 6 months) which I am still taking... I started taking it back in October of 2009 and it has made a difference in my ability to think... A couple of weeks ago, I was not able to pick up my refill and kept putting off getting it for a while... as time went on I found myself falling back to how I had been feeling for about 1 1/2 years.

I hope this help someone not to completely destroy their life before they get help... If you have never been on antidepressants, start by asking your doctor to test you Vitamin D levels... If you still need to adjust, then look at other options. My doctor kept prescribing antidepressants for me. I believe we live in a culture of pill popping and my doctor believed I wanted pills, when I am actually a person who avoids taking anything like the plague. Docs start serving your patients... To those wonderful doctors who do wonderful work... THANK YOU AND I DO REALIZE YOU EXIST... THANK YOU!!

Hi! I had my gallbladder out the end of Nov. of 2009 and I have lost my energy, and am often feeling tired, and even depressed. I am going to try B-complex vitamins and to eat some more liver and greens with more iron. I hope that helps. Wish I knew what that naturopath was suggesting to take! I will also try D vitamins. I will go to my herb store and ask about things that help the liver (melancholy---black liver---wow, what a concept!) I wish the best to all of you, and do try herbs and vitamins first...they can really work wonders---before you even think of trying anti-depressants, which mess you up almost more than they are worth!
Marcia in Utah

I thought it was just me, in regards to depression after gall bladder surgery.

About 6 weeks ago I had a terrible gall bladder attack, it seem to pass, and even though I still didn't feel very well, I didn't even realize that it was caused by my gall bladder. Then about 3 weeks ago, the pains became so intense I ended up at the hospital in emerg, they right away diagnosed the issue, and even though it meant surgery, I would have done anything to make the pain go away. Well routine surgery that it was suppose to be turned out to be a lot more intense, my gall bladder was gangrenous, and if had been left, another day or 2 it probably would have ruptured, I quickly realized that I was very lucky, because it could have been life threatening. I ended up in the hospital for 6 days, and I have to have a drainage T-Tube in my bile duct for a total of 3 weeks, plus they had to do more surgery to put a stent in the bile duct, to help stop with the leakage and help it to heal. Bottomline is everything seems to be coming along the way it should be, but I just find that as each day goes on, I just feel more tired and depressed. As much as I hate to hear that others are suffering with the same depression from the gall bladder surgery, it makes me realize how common this seems. I think I will speak with my family doctor to see what options there are to treat this. I thank everybody for sharing their experience, it has helped me immensely!

I am a 36 year old female had my gall bladder removed about 6 months ago. now i suffer from sevier depression! I have been in and out of mental health places for 6 mos now. i have tried every med for depression and nothing works? I was not like this before i have three children and a wonderful hubby and i have no reason to be this sad.... i cant even get out of bed i have had lots of wt gain. thoughts of killing my self and it wont go away someone please help seams like a lot of people have this depression will it ever get better??:-(

I am in the same boat as you! it has been four weeks and i am on suicide watch i want to die but i know i dont want to i dont know how to feel better will antidepressants help?

Guest wrote:Hello, 

My girlfriend had her Gallbladder removed 2 years ago and she has not been herself since. We have been trying to watch what we eat and keep healthy active lives but lately she has been depressed out of the norm. She would not talk to me about anything, but finally last night she broke down and was telling me that she does not feel like herself and does not know what is happening. It had gotten to bad she quit her job(and these are hard times). She said she has been having bad dreams and also thoughts(even thoughts of breaking up with me). My girlfriend is my world and want to be with her forever, we just are trapped and do not know where to go from here. The Doctors say there is nothing wrong with her. Sad thing is the only time my Girlfriend is back to her old self is when she is on "Handle-bars" or anti-depressants

Are you still depressed?  Have you taken anything to help you?  What is your condition today?

its the pain killers

im a 24 yr old male an i had my gull bladder removed just b4 my 24th bday because of long term pains due to 2 very large gull stones(witch i kept) since then i lay in bed to 12 every day because for som reson im sceard of the world now i still have friends but none knw that im very sick or very deppressed most of the time i do take a 20mg Loxamine tab everday ...... iv since lost everything i cant play with my daughter in the park cause of strong pains i get from making the wrong action my misses has since left me an it pushed me to the edge iv tryed to kill myself, i get angry at nothing now an have been arrested 3 times since, i feal im jus getting lower an lower. advise plzz....

im in the same boat if you can get yr hands on cannabus smoke it up i feal 10 times beta when i do

cannabus will help alot