[Fluffenstein]

Hey everybody!
So I am 4 and a half months out of surgery RNY bypass. I have lost tons of weight, my high weight in October 2009 (about a year ago) was 285-290. I was 178 on the doctors scale yesterday. So yay for that! but for over a month I have been feeling sick when I eat, at first I couldn't keep anything down, now I can eat solids but I have found I can't eat dairy or beef and loads of other seemingly random things. I went to my surgeon's yesterday and they pressed on parts of my stomach area. one area really hurt and they said I need an ultrasound of my gallbladder(easy test, had it before surgery). They think that I have stones/blockage(samething really) and that I may need it taken out.
I am not worried about it, it might actually solve a lot of problems since I have had to cut out so many foods. Plus I have heard it is fairly common for people to need their gallbladder removed after a lot of weight loss.

so here's my questions

1. Does having you're gallbladder removed effect your digestion in any way?
2. Does it make weight loss harder/easier/no effect
3. Do you have to take medication or avoid foods permanently after gallbladder removal?
4. If I do have problems with it, will I no longer have stabbing pain after eating?

I always ask so many questions, hehe =^.^=

Hope everyone is doing well, and thank you in advance.
lots of <3
- Shrewi

[MsVickie]

Yes honey its a common side effect when you lose alot of weight fast to have your gallbladder to act up on you.

Once they remove it you should have the pain from it go away almost immediatly. Its done by laproscopic also. You dont have to be placed on pills the rest of your life because its gone. Mine has been gone now for over 20 years. My son at age 11 I think it was has his removed for what they called sludge. The kid recovered in 4 days and was back in gym in that short of time without my permisson but with his surgoeons. LOL. It should not have no effect on slowing down your weight loss.
What the gall bladder does is excrete bile to help aid in digestion with your liver. So it helps but we dont need it.

There are no foods you have to advoid afterwards however before you have it removed or they pin it down I would suggest you not eat anything spicy what so ever. Not even a bite. Even one tiny bite of a taco would set mine off. Just the mildly seasoned meat. If it is it let them go ahead and remove it.

I had dieted when I was mm like 24 and lost 100 pounds really fast and mine started acting up and I had no idea what it was and it litteraly killed me when it would act up. Under my Right rib the pain would hurt up front and even run up my back into my shoulder at times. It would leave as fast as it come. The attacks would last longer each time they come. And i would beg for relief when they hit. WHen they got mine out it was full of stones. He said it was like a bag of tiny marbles just simply full of them. Somtimes like my son sludge devlopes and starts it up. My son has never been over weight and certianly didnt lose weight for his to act up and still to this day have no idea why his did but he long and lean still today at 25. To look at his tummy you wouldnt even know he even had any type of surgery ever. Good luck sweetie.

[Fluffenstein]

Thank you ms.vickie!
Good stuff to know, and that is exactly where they poked me on my right side below my rib in the front. owie. I had heard it is a fairly minor surgery and is done laproscopically. I'm not worried about having surgery, I've had my fair share of brain surgery and I know I will eventually need more. the Brain surgery is the only kind that seems to scare me any more.
Congrats on your weight loss as well! you look fantastic!

[Tupper_Mom]

I had mine out laproscopically years ago (back when there was still an option of having done lap or open...LOL) I had it done on Friday and I was back to work on Monday...no lie!

For me the gall bladder attacks would literally take my breath away, it would hit and I would be doubled over, panting, gasping and crying. My mom once told me once that you can't really explain GB pain, other than to say there is no pain on earth like it...have one and you'll never have to guess if you're having a second one!! I'll second that...I had 3 c-sections, and the pain was nothing compared to GB attacks!!

For me there might have been foods that triggered it, the one "biggie" that I remember was Tylenol...if I took it on an empty stomach, I could guarantee a gall bladder attack shortly afterwards (usually a 1/2 slice of toast with just butter or some crackers would quiet it for me.

As for avoiding stuff, far as I've noticed I don't really have to, although I have had one or two attacks since the surgery, but when i thought back it was mainly a tylenol thing, fixed it up and went on. (I was told by my Dr. that even after surgery I could still wind up having the odd attack here and there, because the organ (the actual gall bladder) was gone, but what actually produced the gall stones wasn't. In saying that, though...in probably 20 years I've had maybe 2 attacks, and that's it.

You'll be fine, we'll all be anxious to see you when you get back

[DocSanae]

Aw (((HUGS))) Sorry for the pain. You won't miss your gall bladder in any way, though, once it's out. No extra meds, no restriction on foods, no new rules etc.

[Perfesser]

The doc took mine out when I had the RNY (2 operations for the price of 1!), and it hasn't affected my life in any way. The ultrasound showed it was full of gravel. I'd never had an attack, but when he told me that it wasn't a matter of IF I had it out, but of how much pain I wanted to go through before I did, I told him to go ahead and pull it!

My wife was one of the earliest lap GB surgeries in the US (I think she was #310 or so). She went through major pain just staying functional long enough that the lap procedure was covered by insurance. It was only a few weeks after the FDA approved the operation for the public after the clinical trials, so there were very few surgeons in the country qualified. It was rough, but that was a couple of decades ago, and things are so much smoother and better understood now.

You'll be fine. RNY is FAR more disruptive to your digestive system than losing your GB.

CT

[mj2903]

My kids both had their gall bladders out when they were in high school - they just stopped working. They do not have any restrictions as Doc says, but one daughter does have to be careful with spicy food as it can cause her gastric distress. As for missing the GB, neither have ever mentioned it.

It will be fine. I wished they would have taken mine out during surgery, but my surgeon said he wasn't going to be in that area and that it left one other area to worry about if there were complications.

[Perfesser]

Unless your GB was diseased, there is no way within medical ethics that he could have removed a healthy organ, no matter how convenient it might have been.

Insurance wouldn't have covered removal of a healthy organ, either.

CT

[starting a new life]

GB surgery is nothing compared to RNY. You'll be just fine. I actually had my GB removed 5 years ago -- I was on Weight Watcher's and had lost about 70 pounds. I was scheduled to start a new job, and had to postpone it for 2 weeks. I was ready to go less than a week later. You'll be fine.

[kaytijo]

I had mine removed in 2001 after I had my first child. I actually was having the attacks while pregnant but too dumb to ask if the pain was normal...After I had the baby I knew something was wrong cuz I couldn't be pregnant again.

Honestly the recovery was nothing compared to the GB attack pains, I felt so much better simply took tylenol as needed and got back to work quickly.

I think spicy foods were a little hard at first but after a few years I couldn't tell the difference anymore. It was also a same day surgery, so I got to go home that night so no hospital stay (yay).

Good luck and if you go through with it we will be thinking about you!!!