Gall Bladder Removal - Long Term Health Issues

true i was told the same thing that its for elderly people and i happened to get gallstones when i was 14. i found out in december and got it removed in march.

i too gain weight out of no where and loose it,

one day ill weigh ten pounds more and another i'll weight less.

its pretty weird.

Hi folks,

I had my gallbladder removed just a little over a year ago now, and I have to say that I am more than tired of having to have a BM 3+ times a day. In fact sometiems I have a BM, leave the bathroom and have to be back in there 20 minutes later.

If I had of know that this was going to be a side effect, I would have seriously considered other options. It was never once mentioned to me that this could be a side effect. In fact there were no side effects discussed at all.

Is there anything that can be done to help fix this problem?

As far as the weight gain goes, I've been great. In fact I've lost 50lbs after having my gallbladder removed. Now some of the quick witted people will say that it is related to going to the bathroom all the time (while that may have something to do with it), a lot of it had to do with the fact that I joined a gym and work out 3+ times a week.

I am a 43 year old male and play ice hockey 1 once a week in the summer and 3 times a week in the winter.

It wasn't impossible for me to do take out 2, 3 sometimes 4 times a day. Now I do take out once a week, if that. In fact even if I do take out it is usally something like a sub, rather than a fried chicken and greasy fries.

My energy level sucks so i would like to improve that too if possible.

So the good..........lost weight, and eat better
The bad......BM's 3+ times a day, and zero energy levels

Any suggestions would be most helpful.

Good luck to all.

My name is Melissa and my post wont look any different from the rest. I had my gallbladder removed 8 wks after my first child 7 yrs ago I was 24. I don't know which is worse life before or after both are bad. I have gotten so tired of the bloating, heartburn, nausea, gas, cramping, diarrhea within 20 minutes of eating, vomiting, I look like I'm pregnant all the time. Now the doctor tells me I have IBS, the scope proved that. I can't control my body and my family and marriage are suffering so bad. Everyday is a challenge. Most times I don't even care to eat cause the suffering afterward is unending. It forces you to eat right and exercise but sometimes that isn't enough. This is obviously becoming a popular problem. I thought it was weird when my mom and sister had there's removed around the same time period as me. Then I chalked it up to a genetic problem. Now, seems like its bigger. I wish a doctor could make a bile bag to hang on my side and pump it back like it used to be. I would try it anything has got to be better than being a fire breathing poop shooting monster.

14 years ago my gallbladder was removed due to gall stones blocking the bile duct. The pain was incredible before surgery, so was happy to be rid of it.

I am now experiencing some major malfunctions such as weakness, pain and neuropathy - at first in my feet, now my legs and arms. (so severe it is necessary to use a wheelchair for traveling more than 30 feet) Also have mild memory loss. After 5 days of tests at the Mayo Clinic, I was diagnosed with a severe B vitamin deficiency. MS was ruled out, fortunately.

When I returned home from the Mayo Clinic, I immediately starting taking a double dose of B vitamin complex. The pain in my legs, and their strength and have improved. Some feeling has also returned. (With numb feet, the ability to maintain your balance is impacted.)

I started researching in various areas. From a (Vol. 17,.issue 7)Nutrition & Healing newsletter, written by Dr. Jonathan V. Wright, I learned that those of us who have had our gallbladder removed, should be supplementing with bile salts whenever we eat fats, so that we can aborb water soluable vitamins from our food (that is what B vitamins are). It is too early to tell how effective they are, as I am only in my second week of taking the bile salts. I have always maintained a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, high fiber, low fat, no smoking or alcohol. Theoretically I should be a poster child for good health.

My health is so severly impacted that I am no longer able to work, since this June. It is rare for me to drive now as I feel I should be able to rely on my legs to control brake and acelerator. Typically when working, I drove 30,000 miles per year.

I had my gall bladder removed last month and it's been amazing. The hospital part sucked but I feel so much better. I think many of you are not eating the proper diet for having had something like this done but that's just my take on it. First I had functional gall bladder disease meaning mine just died slowly and I got blood poising and had to miss 10 weeks of work over the past few months and it really messed with my quality of life. I had blood poising which caused adhesion's connecting my intestines and gallbladder to my liver. My blood tests were all over the chart since March, never normal but no stones so everyone was baffled.

I have crohns disease so going to the restroom is no new thing to me. The difference between myself and those complaining out there are that I don't eat foods that cause inflammation and I noticed people on this forum that didn't eat many seemed to fair better. I don't eat wheat, dairy, corn, or soy so pretty much anything that isn't close to what it was doesn't enter my body. I have had crohns disease 13 years, if you want to complain look up other disease, gall bladder attacks suck but be happy to have a body and don't complain about weight gain at least your not wasting away or have a hole from your intestines to the outside of your body as some of my friends with crohn's have.

Be grateful, get off your ass and walk if you feel fat, eat food that are healthy, obviously if your gallbladder isn't there to digest fat why eat it. Cook lots of beans and rice to get all your amino acids, eat fresh fruits and veggies. Grow a garden, a victory garden that produces year round and be happy you alive. I promise you will feel better. Oh and multivitamins are great for making expensive urine, eat colorful foods and you can use that money on veggies. Eat a rainbow of colors everyday.

Go to a hospital and volunteer and than maybe you will be grateful for what you have and eat properly and see what happens. And again garden, or join a garden coop, or buy the not perfect looking half off veggies and make soups, hearty ones. Eat things you haven't eaten before, veggies that look strange, you might be amazed at your energy level after a month of no wheat, dairy, or corn. Keep the soy if you want, eat blue corn if you want, have oatmeal everyday for breakfast but stay away from the wheat and dairy!!!

Oh and Dr's are practicing medicine, practicing. They don't say anywhere there curing it. Be respnosible and figure things out youself, don't blame the Dr's there like a cook making a different meal every day. Only you know your body and only you should blame yourself if you think you made a mistake. If you visit a surgon of couse there goign to say surgery, use your brain before you compain about that.

If you can complain her you can search the world for other options. Don't blame a Dr, you are your own advocate and you have to agree for anything to be done. If you have incredible pain look up adhesion's, there common from surgeries and maybe that's the problem. If you sh*t all the time maybe you had norovirus (the cruise ship illness as it's nicknamed) which causes a huge percentage of its victims to get irritable bowel syndrome. Take Micro-lax everyday and it will bulk you up and make you regular. But mostly, go the Dr and complain to them, if everything looks perfect and you don't feel it is get a second opinion from yourself on the internet and than go back and present what tests need to be done to check for it.

Good luck everyone, eat healthy and you won't get fat, eat healthy and donate blood regularly and you will feel better about yourselves.  

I had my gallbladder out when I was 15. Of course I knew nothing about the long-term effects, and had absolutely no choice in the matter. I've since suffered with chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, diarrhea, stomach pain, intolerance to alcohol, and excess weight around my middle. I'm now 28. None of my doctors ever attempted to make a connection between the loss of my gallbladder and these symptoms. I never received any support or practical solutions of any kind from my doctors at that time. Traditional western doctors simply mask problems by prescribing everything under the sun and never getting to the root cause of your suffering. After years on anti-depressants that did nothing to "solve" the problems, I have since taken charge of my own health and seek the advice and recommendations of a naturopath, nutritionist and accupuncturist. I've had tremendous success with the regimen I was prescribed both from a mental health aspect as well as physical. There are many direct links between diet and mental health and CLEARLY physical health. I now follow a high protien (from plant sources and organic meat, not dairy), high fiber (from fruits and veggies), and very low carb diet. Check out ***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed or do your own independent research. But most importantly, know that you are in control of your health- sometimes all you need is INFORMATION! Seek the help and support of a naturopath to get you back to where you were meant to be. Lifestyle changes in conjunction with natural remedies (you can even heal the energy left behind by your missing gallbladder) will be the solution to your misery. I believe it and I'm living proof!

also, probiotics have been very helpful to me for maintaining regularity and immune system support

I had my gallbladder out June 2 of this year. I had horrible attacks I couldnt walk coouldnt talk its was nasty!!!! So I had my GB out. I was home for a month WITH SERVER pains. I cannot eat anything with out my stomach growing 3 times its size. (I am not a big person 107pds) I get dizzy and sweaty i throw up and have to run to the bathroom everytime I eat. I have tried eating healthy and the same thing happens. I live on rice and chicken. thats it. cup a soup even causes pain! The DR has sent me for about 25 boold tests I have had HYDA scan CAT scan 2 ultrasounds been tested for Celiac disease lactose and I dont even know what else! Seems they can find nothing wrong with me. I am tired alll the time and live on pepto and immodium everyday and sometimes they dont even help.
At this rate I am going to weigh next to nothing and never going to enjoy food again. Please help

I had my gallbladder removed in August of 2008, for the first few months no problems, after that I has pain in the same place my gbladder was, I would also get this pains that were not like anything I have ever felt before, the pain was under my shoulder blades.. OMG.. hurt so bad that they had to put me Oxycontin. After doing several research I found a post by a Dr. that had his gbladder removed and he said that the reason people still get acid reflux is because of the bile that is constantly going through our digestive tract, he recommended a product called LYPO GOLD, I bought it at the health food store, I also experienced weight gain, I went from 183lbs to 210lbs.. the pounds started coming off after I took the Lypo Gold and he also recommended FLAX SEED OIL, I take 9 pills a day. Since then, I have had NO problems, NO PAIN and I am down to 190lbs. I am not a Doctor nor do I am I authorized to give medical advice, this is what worked for me.

Another issue.. Why are so many people in their 30s having their gallbladder go bad? Everyone of my cousins have had their gblader removed, there are 10 of us!! I had no gal stones, mine just quit working.. it became enlarged and hurt so bad..

I think our generation (between 35 and 45) received something in maybe a vaccination that is the common link to all of the gallbladders going bad.

Anyone else have theirs go bad and NO galstones?

Hope everyone feels better.. and I did not have a choice not to have mine removed.. :-(

King of Pain
7 Herniated Disc in my spine and one vertebrae that is starting to invert... with arthritis ..... Tickles!

I have been told I have gallbladder sludge, not stones. But from what I have read, it causes me the same problems as stones, just maybe not as bad. I have been told I need to get get the gallbladder out but also then read about all the problems associated with getting it out. I am wondering if sludge can be "cured" through alternative methods. I have tried gallbladder flushes and they seemed to work for awhile but the duration of feelign good is getting shorter ever time I have done another one. I also am carrying around baby weight and wondering if this could be affecting my efforts to lose this weight and my energy levels seem to be decreasing. It sounds like these are problems people have AFTER they get there gallbladder out, but I am wondering if this could be the case with a non-functioning sludgy gallbladder. Thank you

I am a47 w/f who just had a ruptured umbibical hernia repaired , while under the dr. informed my husband that my gallbladder was very inflammed w/ stones, it needed taking out, so I awake in the most terrible pain from surgury, But just today learned that the female hormone PREMARINE containes horse urine , which is forigien to the natural human ; Does any one know if there is any lawsuites revolveing from this cause, No one has ever informed me that there was such terrible side effects until today, and it came from my daughter who will soon be 18, sad but true...when I had my hysterectomy almost 2 yrs ago , I was put on Premarine &the highest does , since I had the begining stage of cervical cancer, this is also prescribe for men to help stop prostate cancer ...Highly concerned ...if anyone has any comments relating to these issues...R.B Sweetwater, Al

My daughter is 12 and she has been having problems since October and just in the last month has gotten alot worse to the point where she is doubled over and throwing up after she eats. A hydra Scan confirmed that she has no stones but its only working 17% so surgery is scheduled in one week. My best friends brother was talking to me about trying her on some food enzymes and barley green to help her digestive system. Im so scared by everything that I have read to have them take her gallbladder out. especially since she is so young. I do know that when people have their gallbladders remover they must take food enzymes to help digest their food because of all the changes in the body with the gallbladder not being there to do its job which is more than just storing bile.

I was Diagnosed with a poorly functioning gall bladder 8 Months ago. ( I am 47) Test showed it functioning at about 25%. After a lenghty conversation with my Internist and GI doctor. I stopped all my Cholesterol and blood Pressure medicines. Then radically changed my diet. No beef or pork. eating only vegtables and fish or bonless skinless chicken. whole grains with every meal. making our own breads. Juices not soda. Grapefruit, apple cider and once a day a mix of 2oz lemon and 4oz pure unsweetened cranberry. cutting out as much pre processed foods as possible. and using only olive oil in everything. light excersize and i have dropped 45 pounds starting to tolerate more fats in my diet. pain has all but went away. Had second test done on Gb last week as GI doctor is concerned. function is about 60% now. So I am not letting them remove mine. sticking to the regimen i have laid out. and it is getting better. though at first the pain was horrible, No stones just not functioning correctly. Also my bllod pressure has returned to normal and cholesterol is dropping.

I am amazed at the range of reactions that people have after the gall bladder is removed- wow! I do have about half of the people I have talked to say that all is well. I mean maybe we only write on these forums if our gall bladder has problems and in reality there are many removals that work out just fine?? So far I am not missing my gall bladder. Or as my 4 year old daughter says " Mommy how is your "cold platter"?" And my  6 year old son who says "Mom, do you still have your rock??" I had an attack the day befor mothers day wha hooo! And my gall bladder was horribly infected and filled with stuff because I was told the last time (1 year ago) I went to the hospital that I just had heart burn, so this time I suffered through horrible pain for 14 hours while throwing up anything that I drank or looked at. But now my gall bladder is gone. And I feel great so far now that recovery is over- that was nooo fun. No one told me that the air in my whole torso would hurt as bad after surgery as the attack. And I gained 15 pounds, yes 15 from Saturday to Monday. I was on the Hcg diet and had just lost 18 pounds in 3 weeks...and then I ate chocolate cake and cheesecurls and my body said that is NOT ok. I feel after one week like I am not as interested in food. Before I craved fatty starchy stuff. I am hoping that part stays with me. I am on probiotics, fiber, vitamin D, omega 3 fish pills, and a multi, and a great liver nutrient support pill from the health food store. So far so good!I have also heard of some great liver, kidney cleanses you can do since I read that the liver can get bogged down with the same stones that used to be in our little "cold platters". Apparently you can actually see the stones in the toilet which somehow seems gratifying, like maybe WE get to win this time you little rascals!!

Celiac decease. Many of you state symptoms from celiac or better known as gluten reactions.