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Food to avoid till operation

Posted , 4 users are following.

nenisea
nenisea

Hi,

I've just been diagnosed and waiting for a date to have it removed. Until then I am really careful and have some diclofenac suppositories (which actually seems to work better than codein). But I still struggle to limit my consumption of fat food. Today I had cooked salmon and some nuts, which I thought was fatty but not excessively so I would be ok. But nope I had an attack that finished just now. So what are your trigger food?

Definitely for me cheese, fast food burger or pizza type, salmon and nuts now. Milk seems to be ok for me.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • susan22821
    susan22821 nenisea

    Posted

    Hi there

    I would recommend that you avoid all fats as much as possible.  Nuts are high in fat, as is salmon.  The gallbladder does not differentiate between the types of fat.  What happens when you eat is that the gallbladder contracts to excrete as much bile as the food you have eaten requires, hence more fat the more it works to produce the needed bile.  However, I was on a low fat diet anyway and it seemed the attacks started for no apparent reason, so this is not an exact science.  Keep your food portions small and eat little and often, rather than big blow out meals.  If you have stones, any time the GB is active you run the risk of a stone moving and wedging in the outlet duct, which is what causes the excruciating pain.

    Other than that, and the painkillers it really seems to me to be a case of taking things easy and hang on till the op, which I hope will be soon for you.

    Good luck.  Let us know how you progress.

  • nenisea
    nenisea

    Posted

    Thanks for your answer! I thought salmon would be ok as it is similar than chicken but I guess I had a bit too much. Im gonna make portion smaller.

    What do u eat then? Apart from vegetables and fruits obviously lol it seems that my entire alimentation was based on fat lol so now I really struggle to find things to eat and that are a bit nicer than a carrot stick lol

    • susan22821
      susan22821 nenisea

      Posted

      I admit before my op I got to the stage were I was afraid to eat for fear of triggering an attack, but they happened anyway.  Everyone is different but I kept to my low fat diet and tried cutting down on the fat I was eating.  I like oily fish, mackerel and salmon for instance but these can trigger a GB attack so those were avoided, as was chocolate and ice cream.  I could eat zero fat yoghurt, Greek is best as it has lowest sugar content.  I had no trouble, as far as I could tell, from my high fibre breakfast cereal with soya milk.  Steamed white fish and chicken should be OK, along with loads of green veg.  To generalise, bland foods are best, mashed potato, no added butter and boiled rice is ok for some, as is pasta/ noodles.  You won't starve but it is likely to be pretty boring on the menu front and even then no guarantee an attack won't be triggered.  If you need to lose weight, now's the time!  You do need trial and error, because as said before, everyone is different in their reactions.
    • susan22821
      susan22821

      Posted

      Forgot to say, stick to skimmed milk, lay off the alcohol and spread bread with low fat mayo and not butter, that's if bread doesn't turn out to be a trigger for you.  Roast dinners are probably a no no for now.  If I think of any more cheerful news, I'll let you know. 😆
  • sarah50457
    sarah50457 nenisea

    Posted

    Hi,

    Firstly, sorry to hear you're suffering too.

    I think everybody's trigger foods are different, but for me I avoid breaded chicken (regular chicken seems to be fine), chocolate after about 4pm, and not too much of it during the day. Any pork will trigger an attack, except for thin sliced ham which I keep in as a later eve snack if I get hungry. Takeaway Pizza is usually a no go, unless I know the takeaway uses the rollers not the pans filled with grease, and even then it can be hit and miss. I was also advised by a friend who had these problems for 25 years that tomatoes were bad, but I find regular cooked tomatoes to be ok, but I have avoided ketchup for a month now. Any fast food will usually set me off. No cooking/olive oil whatsoever, and definitely no garlic.

    I find that I'm eating plain food, if I need a sauce I use Mayo. I've lowered my bread intake, but use tortilla wraps, a very lean steak is usually ok, coco pops with semi skimmed milk, beetroot, venison (new discovery,very good for bbq season!), wholewheat pasta with a tomato sauce. Plain chicken, cheese works for me, but I only eat small amounts anyway. Store bought pizza seems to be ok. 

    As I say, this is just what works for me. I also use a set of pans called "spider pans" which don't need any oil to cook with and won't stick to the pan, which is super helpful. Check the fat content of everything! I hope you find something to eat, I've been living off coco pops for the last month!

  • jayne2806
    jayne2806 nenisea

    Posted

    Hi Nenisea

    my main things to avoid were blackcurrent, drinking choc, choc, (though white was ok)', spicy foods (onion bhaji big No no), too much cheese, berries,  a I could take codeine before op (last wed) bun a huge no no afterwards....

    feeling much better now I have had the op, fingers crossed for you too 😊

    ps I was on lansoprazole morning and  just before evening meal and renitadine mid morning and bedtime -seemed to work when I spread them like that with graviscon in between but not within two hours of the lanz..

  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 nenisea

    Posted

    Yes cheese is a no no. Also pastry, ice cream, sausages, anything fatty really.

    Also be careful once you have had your gallbladder removed.

    People are very different and it is a question of experimenting.

    Take care and keep in touch

    Sarah xxx

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