Gallbladder removal - beware

If you had your gallbladder removed - it is a wakeup call to change your diet & should begin excercising.  Having your gallbladder removed stinks - I've had mine removed a year ago and have nothing but digestive/bowel problems that I never had before.  I have always been an excellent dieter, but I have mercury poisoning in my system due to a donkey's ass doctor that was telling me I had many cavities when I didn't and it takes years to rid it from the system.  Now I'm afraid to go out to places unless I know there is a bathroom close by because there is no rhyme or reason on what makes my bowels go bazerk!  One day I can hardly make it fast enough to the toilet because it comes like an active volcano, the next several days I feel the sensations of wanting to have a bowel movement and nothing comes out so I get bloated and sick.  Doctors don't tell you this pretty side - they want to yank your gallbladder after one attack.  There are natural ways to remove gallstones, I did it and it worked but I had too many large ones (size of my thumb) and caused more problems.  I'm here to let people know not to be quick about removing their gallbladder - it doesn't remove the problem!

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I had a gall bladder attack in 1994 and the Doctors wanted to take it then. I was scared to death, because they told me my gall bladder was half full of stones. I did some reading and found out it is the most over-done operation in the USA. I used that as a reason to not let them operate.

The Doctors said, "See you next week, and I hope it doesn't infect and kill you next time."

I had no more problems for 11 years.

After 11 years I thought I hurt my back I thought I had pulled a muscle in my back or perhaps was out of alignment, and so I went to Chiropractors and did a lot of hanging upside down at home. It continued to get worse for three weeks, so I went to my GP and explained what was happening. He tried some medicine for Shingles, and ran some tests... and called a couple days later and said it was my gall bladder.

By that time, medicine had come pretty far, and they were able to extract it using three small holes for video scopes to find it, a trimmer to remove it, and something else.

I was getting around well after 4 days as long as I limited my activity to things that would not pull on the stitches. They say that teenagers can sometimes go back to school the same afternoon, but I was a little sore and the pain pills made me sleep all the time. What I didn't know was that the meds made my muscles and tendons weak. I was suppose to not lift much for a while, which I thought meant a few days.

A few days later I was back in the hospital with a broken bicep which required another immediate operation. I was in a splint for 8 weeks and it drove me crazy to have my arm immobile. The total bill was $14,000

As far as the gall bladder, I too had some problems like the person above. but it continued to get better as I changed my diet. The change in diet led to an improvement in my arthritis. The improvement in my arthritis lead me to read more. I eventually discovered my arthritic attacks, which would immobilize me up to 60 days a year... were being triggered by MSG, which also causes the digestive problems mention above.

It has taken a year or so to get MSG out of my life because it is used under 16 different names. I have gone from 60 days/year immobilized plus 60 more days/year limping around or on crutches.... to about 7 really bad days a year. I still get a little sore 30 days a year, but now the pills work a hundred times better so I can still manage to get around.

What I am saying is: If your gall bladder has stones in it, you have other problems too. And those other problems take a lot of homework, before you can figure out what is going on. I had seen 10 Doctors about my arthritis, but now I only see one so I can get my meds correct.

The post below did not allow me to re-edit, so I will just add something I left out:

The first operation was in and out, but they used injected a morphine based pain killer that day, plys used Barium in some of the pre-tests, and then had me on morphine based pills, supposedly for 2 weeks after the operation. I absolutely hated the stuff because it created anxiety, so I got permission to stop the pills after 4 days.

What they did not stress to me was: I was not suppose to more than 20 pounds for three weeks or more. Well I did more than that after only 4 days, but two weeks later I moved a 200 pound desk and my Bicep in my left are unraveled from my elbow and crawled up my arm. It stopped hurting after a few minutes but the next day I went to my Doctor because the shape of my arm had changed severely. Supposedly, if I had waited another week or two to move that desk, my muscular system would have completely returned to normal.

But like I mentioned below, MSG was effecting my health in a hundred different ways, and I am certain that it had prolonged the recovery time too. The things that food additive can do to some of us makes a list as long as your arm. It just depends on how allergic to it you become.

It is bad stuff.

I had mine removed in 1997. I had the same bowel problem, and still do, but a little better. The only thing i find that helps is an OTC med from Wal-Mart called Equate Anti Diarrheal. I was on prescrip pills, but found this is SO much cheaper, and works the same. If I know I'm going on a trip, I take 2 pills before I leave, it works all day. If I'm having problems, I can take just one pill, and that keeps it from bothering me to much (on a normal day). Good luck!

One important thing to consider, if you have gallstones, is that if you don't have your gallbladder removed, you can have VERY serious complications. My 17 year old son had gallstones that blocked his pancreatic duct. He spent over 3 weeks in ICU due to complications from pancreatitis. He has since been in and out of the hospital for the past year and finally had to have his bile duct cut, because the inflamation during the pancreatitis caused it to narrow. I had my gallbladder out 3 years ago and have never had any complications, but if you do, it is recommended that you eat a low fat diet. They make so many foods that are no fat or low fat these days. Thank goodness!

I'm sorry but I've never heard such nonsense about gallbladder removal in my life! In 1997 I had mine removed and I've been perfectly fine ever since. Eating a low fat diet is a no-brainer whether you have gallstones or not. If you're still having difficulty with your bowels I suggest you return to your doctor because there may be some other serious issues going on with your health that you're not aware of.

Actually, it's not uncommon to have "post-cholecystectomy syndrome" (cholecystectomy = removal of the gallbladder) which includes diarrhea, pain on the right side of the abdomin, flatulence, bloating, and or nausea. The diarrhea can be caused by too much bile acid entering the large intestine. You should speak with your doctor about this problem to rule out other things, and he can prescribe medication that will help bind or impair the absorption of bile acids. He may also have you cut down on some things like caffeine, dairy products, really sweet foods and greasy foods.

having my gallbladder removed has cause problems with my bowels like the other people... it is a side effect that is not pleasant to deal with... but the many painful attacks that bent me over in two because of pain.... well i sure don't miss those... and they were too frequent.... so even though i do find the side effect inconvenient ... but thank God no more painful attacks....

Please know that having gallstones is often due to a heredity factor and is related to the amount of stringent dieting you have done in your lifetime. People with cholesterol problems are subject to getting gallstones.
Drs. want to take the GB out because it could rupture or become inflammed and cause a host of problems. Know too that the liver takes up the job of the missing gallbladder, so if you are overloading your system with a high fat diet you could be having some big problems. A lot of the body's problems center around diet. Sherry

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