Pain 7 months after surgery

hi,

I had my surgery 8 weeks ago and like you have healed well and made a good recovery. My digestive system is functioning normally, and I am tolerating all foods well. That said, I did experience some minor stomach churning sensations after I ate some mayo, but it was not a pain. I have not eaten it since. Mayo has a high fat content, but low fat versions made with olive oil are available which might be easier on the digestive system.

Hello! I had my surgery 4 months ago and I'm doing great, but one thing I have trouble eating now is eggs, which I used to love. They make me incredibly nauseous now. They started to give me nausea before the surgery, and I thought I'd be able to eat them post-op, but still my stomach can't stand them. Sometimes after I eat eggs I get sharp pains too. I don't eat them anymore and I haven't had those problems since. I eat a lot of lite mayo and that seems to be fine.

Hi there, I had mine out about 8 weeks ago and have a different type of pain now but in roughly the same area, I also have other muscular pains in the hips and groin area which are new. I have had three bad attacks of trapped wind since the surgery too which were absolute agony, I'm hoping I'm still healing internally coz I'm a slow healer, and that in time it will all settle down. I'm a 44 year old Male who likes a drink!

Indeed you are feeding on bad foods. Dairy is a no no along with mayo. BOTH HAVE FATS! Switch to low fat mayo. Or a substitute. Either cut down on eggs or stop consuming them. They will make you sick. Read up on foods to stay away from. Also, start a food map to keep track of what foods that make you unwell.

I am able to tolerate dairy OK. I have semi skimmed milk, butter and yogurt without issue. Moderation is key though. When reading through forums such as this, it is plain to see that experiences of surgery, and of food tolerance post surgery, varies widely.

As I mentioned in another post just because you have had your gallbladder removed does not stop the production of bile and this can form gallstones in the bile duct. As others have mentioned you can't just treat your body to everything, and particularly things with high fat. You should go for a very low fat, low alcohol (more on that later) diet and see if that controls your symptoms. If it does you can then try adding back in things you crave slowly and see what, or what combination brings back the symptoms. Eventually you should find a diet that you can enjoy eating but that keeps them away. A food (and ideally other activities as well) diary will be a great tool to sort this out.

Someone also asked about Alcohol. Alcohol is basically a poison that needs to get processed out of the body by the liver. Drinking it, particularly a lot, forces the liver to work hard (which is why alcoholics end up with cirrhosis of the liver) and the waste products get excreted in the bile. Though some people can drink normally after the operation for others it will cause similar problems to fatty foods. Again I suggest you cut it out totally until your symptoms go away and then introduce it slowly back in to find out how much you can tolerate without causing problems. It is also a good idea to keep a food and drink diary as well as you may find it is a combination (e.g. alcohol might be OK if you avoid fatty foods) that causes the problems.

Though having one's gallbladder removed helps a lot of people get rid of a lot of problems it is not necessarily a panacea by itself.

i just wanted to say thank you to everyone who replied. it definitely eases my mind some. I am going to work on the low fat thing. i also think in my case over indulgence has been an issue since we have been on lock down. I don't drink, but i don't watch what i eat either!

2crh2015: It most likely is that and keeping a food diary is a good idea. My surgeon told me to eat a healthy and balanced diet and smaller portions. I was also told to avoid trans fats and vegetable oils, but olive oil is good as too is coconut oil. Many mass produced mayos contain the 'bad' oils and they also contain egg or some form of mass produced egg extract. For diary there are lots of semi and lower fat options available. Take a look at the ingredients on a bottle of mass produced mayo and you will be surprised!

You should not completely miss out any particular food group type without medical advice, as they all play a key function in our overall health, and you don't want to stir up issues elsewhere in your body caused by deficiencies.

In addition to the comments about alcohol, again this is a personal tolerance and moderation thing, because without a gallbladder the liver has to work harder. It stands to reason that we need to look after our livers so cutting out, or cutting down on alcohol can only be a good thing. I drink dandelion root tea which is very beneficial for liver health. I also enjoy the occasional glass of wine. You should also watch out for foods which contain grains for liver health- bread, cereals and that type of thing. Swap white bread for a good quality wholemeal and again, enjoy it but eat in moderation.

Best of luck with it all.