Eating after gallbladder removal and how to treat symptoms
Posted , 6 users are following.
I'm 7 weeks post op now. I've been doing well and trying to introduce new foods into my diet with only one major mishap with pork 3-weeks ago.
yesterday I decided to eat some cottage cheese, low fat. Ive had a bad reaction with alot of stomach cramps and diarrhoea (now yellow water) for the past 12 hours.
I know we're all different and some people are fortunate to be able to eat anything while others battle to eat anything at all. there's no 'one size fits all' here.
My question is this: when you have a bad reaction to food, how do you treat your symptoms? for me the worst symptom is the constant tummy ache which moves around so no specific area.
I've tried Buscopan which didnt help. I'm drinking Chamomile tea.
I use a heat pad which brings some relief. I took an Ativan (Lorazepam) last night which at least helped me sleep a bit. I have something called Librax which is for IBS, anyone tried it?
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Beenthruit becky000
Posted
hi becky000
First some background: I'm now two and a half years post op. I had my gallbladder removed by open surgery after several months of the worst pain I ever experienced. On histology they found stage 1 cancer, which is so rare there is no protocol for treatment in the UK. My surgeon did a liver resection but I've had no radiotherapy or chemotherapy. All I have now are annual CT scans. I think it took about a year to recover.
During that year I was extremely cautious reintroducing all those fatty and spicy foods. I also avoided things like ox bile as I felt if it was beneficial, my doctors would have recommended it. I've had some minor issues but nothing major and I can now eat most foods in moderation. I was recommended to increase fiber in my diet. You'd think this might make matters worse, but fiber helps soak up any excess bile in the bile duct which would normally be collected in the gallbladder. Once the gallbladder is removed, bile drips constantly into the duct and this is often the cause of digestive issues. I keep a food diary still so i can tell what may have caused an issue. At 7 weeks post op I had no appetite and was still eating a very low fat diet in small quantities. its early days still and you have had an organ removed so be patient.
Having said all this, theres always the chance a stone has been missed during surgery. I would say that if you are still having symptoms a scan might be needed to rule this out? Over the counter medications are generally so low in active ingredients they only work for mild issues so go back to your doctor.
I hope you improve soon as its so miserable being ill all the time.