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Hello, in October 2008 I was well into menopause but had no real issues with belly fat or overall weight gain. Then I had my gallbladder removed due to painful attacks of my common bile duct, as well as gallstones. I am appalled at the weight I have gained since the surgical procedure. In fact it is so upsetting (none of my clothes fit) that I feel at times clinically depressed. I've never had to fight weight gain before. Now I have an "unsupportive spine" as well, and must take occasional bouts of oral steroids to control the inflammation. I also have had two spinal epidural steroid injections, and wonder if these injections could cause me to gain weight. Any comments would be most welcome. Thank you!
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Hi we don't need our gall bladders if yours is giving you problems get rid of it. My mum died recently of gall blander infection. My brother had his out yesterday after nearly dying with a blocked bile duct. I had mine out 15 years ago. Key hole surgery is nothing these days.. a couple of not so nice days that's all. Weight!!! we all want to blame something for our weight gain. That fact is we eat too much don't exercise enough, and enjoy food that is not good for us i.e. sugar fats. I too put weight on following my op. Why because I could enjoy the food I could not eat before. Enjoy life put a maximum weight limit...if you reach it diet. Otherwise enjoy life...you are alive are you not.
February 11, 2015 - 12:16pmThis Comment
Hey, sorry to hear about your upcoming surgery. I had mine about s year ago and regretted it. I mean I only had three gallstones I heard of women at 50 getting it out with like 10 gallstones. I'm sure if would have justvsaid no and changed my diet I could gave had a normal life still and my gallbladder still breaking down the fat in my body helping me. I was young and foolish and believed I didnt need my gallbladder but living it no I'd take it back if I could.
January 25, 2015 - 7:14pmThis Comment
You will have some pain for a few days (the doctor will prescribe pain medication), but after that, the recovery is pretty quick:) You should listen to your doctor, who will tell you not to exercise or lift anything for two weeks. You will feel well enough, but do not push it:) Although the gallbladder is a small organ to remove, it is still surgery. Take the time to relax and catch up on some tv, movies and books or magazines! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
January 23, 2015 - 12:53pmThis Comment
http://mirandajorgenson.com/2014/07/is-your-gallbladder-or-lack-of-stopping-your-weight-loss/
This was a good article! It really breaks down what's going on in our post gallbladder bodies. I am 22 and 5'7 and am currently 235lbs. I had mine removed almost a year ago, and that along with a switch to high dose birthcontrol pills caused me to gain almost 30 lbs within 2 months! So frustrating, I just ordered the supplements that this article suggests and I will let y'all know how it goes. I am also joining yoga. Fingers crossed this helps!
Also, for those of you that still have your gall ladders and are having painful attacks, I found drinking a swig of Apple cider vinegar helped the pain a TON. i just kept it by my bedside.
Lizzy.
December 28, 2014 - 7:36pmThis Comment
Hi everyone, I have been reading through the threads and have been very enlightened with all the information and feel for you all. I am going for testing tomorrow because my Gastro is telling me that I most likely have to have my gall bladder removed due to biliary dyskinesia. I've been to the er in agony twice recently. I also suffer from acid reflux and IBS. I'm already experiencing weight gain no matter how much I watch what I eat (everything bothers my stomach). It's also embarrassing to be in meetings when my stomach is constantly making gurgling noises lol. Can someone advise as to how I can avoid gall bladder surgery? I'd like to see if I can heal myself holistically.
December 4, 2014 - 6:33pmThis Comment
The pain that you are having is from fat in your diet. It does not mean that you are eating more fat than a normal diet, but that any amount of fat may bother you. I found that I was pain free sticking to about 0-15 grams of fat a day. But that is not such a healthy way to live. You do need some fats in your life to have a healthy and balanced diet. I found some pretty good fat free foods like yogurts (frozen yogurt is almost as good as ice cream), fruits and veggies, plus some fat free processed foods. I was really good with my diet early on, especially since I was so afraid of having another attack. But soon I found myself eating a lot of foods that were low in fat but high in carbs. No good. I started to gain some weight because I wasn't getting the right balance of foods in my diet. It was killing me. All I wanted was a spoonful of peanut butter on my crackers instead of eating them plain. I decided to add more fats to my diet. I was pain free with 0-15, what was 5 or 10 more grams going to do? Um ruin my life. Adding those extra grams put me in a world of pain. I couldn't deal with the pain waking me up every night and I couldn't live on my bland low fat/fat free diet. I have recently had the gallbladder surgery to remove mine and I am already loving it. Besides a few days of post surgery pain and fearing that I would burst open whenever I sneezed, I am doing very well. I haven't gone crazy with adding fat to my diet again, I am going slow so my body can figure its new situation out. If you ask me, I would recommend the surgery. It is the only "cure" to stop the pain of gallbladder attacks. But if you are really not into getting the surgery, your best bet is to have a very low fat diet. It will take some time to figure out how much fat your body can handle because everyone is a little different. Try it out. If you can live on the low fat diet you should be pain free. But if you want a more normal diet and no fear of a painful attack I highly recommend surgery. Hope I helped a little and good luck!
December 12, 2014 - 2:17amThis Comment
hi everybody, lastweek I found on this site your information on how to lose weight fast and maybe that is natural is not pills or medicines that may harm you if you are interested belly can enter
November 19, 2014 - 2:45amthis site here: http://weightlossmiss.com/lose-weight-fast/
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Thank you so so much! Love this website and all the tips. I'm at a good weight...but I'm scared I may gain weight after my gallbladder is removed Monday.
December 27, 2014 - 3:26amThis Comment
What a relief to know that I am not alone! After having emergency gallbladder removal in June 2013, I have gained a whopping 20 extra pounds that I cannot get rid of! I too have become vegan as my body responds better and I can digest these foods better than meat and high protiens. I was always a low carber but I cannot tolerate the high fat content of these foods. Vegan works and although I am eating clean and exercising again, I cannot move the numbers on the scale. I refuse to buy bigger sizes and I don't recognize myself anymore. I just turned 50 and I never thought that I would be 50lbs. overweight with no solution. I have become desperate and considered weightloss products. I eat a less than 1200 calories a day and I cannot lose a pound.
November 18, 2014 - 1:57pmThere must be some solution. I want to have an appetite again and enjoy foods. I eat to live only.
Frustrated!
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Oh my.. like so many have said...so happy to find I am not alone. .. and sad so many are going through the same frustrations.
September 24, 2014 - 11:11pm2 years ago emergency surgery to have my gallbladder out...but only after the surgeon kept cancelling my appointments over and over.. my eyes turned yellow,.. my skin looked like I painted a tan on..the incredible itching..living on only a few soda crackers a day..and my urine looked like Iodine used to disinfect wounds...I had finally broke down and took myself to the ER... they said I wouldnt have been alive by morning if I had not come in...i had to be emergency transported to a larger hospital across the state.
I had to have two surgeries... one.. to go in and clean out my bile ducts to rid all the stones stuck in the ducts....the surgeon said I had a strange set up.. my common duct that enters the intestine (the nipple he called it) was the size of an infant.. and it didnt enter my small intestine in the normal area but from behind.. I thought, wow.. would that explain the horrible bloating i have had for 20 years?.. I would bloat so bad it looked as if i was ready to give birth a month ago.. and received more stretch marks from the bloating then when I was with child!..
Needless to say, the bile back up caused pancreas to digest part of itself,.. and liver was endangered as well as kidney..
On a good note.. prior to surgery I had to really watch my sugar as it ran high .. so diet and exercise were always top priority because I did not want to take insulin. .... now i am the opposite.. hypoglycemic.
The next day... gallbladder surgery.. since the 20 years of watching everything i ate.. or not eating at all (i felt better if i didnt eat) .. finally .. i was able to eat without some negative response with my body... yay right... nooooo
80 lbs gained in two years... back problems.. knee problem... swelling in my legs... exercise right.. to help the back.. the knees.. circulation... nope.. dont help at all... low fat diet.. nope ... bile salts ... all those suppliments.. nope.. chronic loose bowels... awful..
Then the depression... loss of motivation.. foggy brain.. I dont feel like doing anything physical.. some days are better.. some days are bad.. i procrastinate horribly now... I am the opposite of who i was two years ago.. as two years ago.. up at 5 am and didnt stop moving till midnight...i didnt sit.. i was a get er done girl.. what can be done now is best done now.. not tomorrow... .... not these days, now i put everything off.. dont go anywhere.. dont feel like doing anything but what takes the least amt of energy.
7 doctors... SEVEN... wanted to give me pills.. pills for back.. knee.. the swelling was causing high blood pressure so pills for that.. muscle relaxants... Neurotin.. which cause me to have even worse antidepressiants, narcotic pain killers.. I hate pills..unless they are natural.
One doctor told me i had "Hand to Mouth Syndrom"... another doc i told to check my liver and kidney counts.. as well as test my thyroid...told me that I dont tell him what to do... He is the doctor..... another took blood and said everything is fine...except my cholestrol was a bit high...another said it was menopause (I am 49) and that is causing my weight gain and wrote me off...One said depression causes weight gain as well as body aches (which i have so bad sometimes I can barely move.. i gained 80 lbs but I am 6 ft tall and now 270.. i had always been in shape )
The other two would take blood they said if they feel something is wrong and one gave me a pap smear and the other sent me off for a mamo... all looked at me as if i was out of my mind about the gallbladder sugery and common weight gain...all telling me the same as what so many of you have heard.... but the last doc did humor me and did some blood work and said i had low vit D count and B count.. said to me to take some suppliments and get out in the sun.. I live in northern michigan.. we get nice sun maybe 5 months out of the year i swear.. lol... and with no gallbladder from what i understand .. the supplements arent going to do a bit of good ..
I do feel overall better if i sit in the sun three times a day for half hour each time.. the body aches go away some and my motivation goes up.
so that is good..
probiotics helped my stomach bloat.
But what really gets me...I have all the signs of underactive thyroid.. blood tests say they are a little low but ok...the swelling in legs get bad , real bad at times.. that is sign of liver failure, kidney issues (which could be the problem considering what i went thru).. or con heart failure.... the burning , stinging, pain in my lower back.. slipped disc? herniated disc?.. ...my left knee hurts bad.. i cant straighten it.. .... out of seven doctors do you think one.. just one of them would have took some deeper views into any of these issues.. an xray on the knee.. its twice the size of my right knee.... how about a look at my back?... really check my liver counts?.. nada. NOT ONE doctor did any tests other then a little blood work..... they all want to just give me pills and look at me like i am a hypo.... I could see it if i ran to the doc for every little thing.. but I practice natural medicine..I do not go to the doctors unless it is something serious.. and this is all serious that we are going through with post gallbladder issues.
What the heck is going on with doctors these days? I am so angry and frustrated it isnt funny.. I sure hope someone has the luck in finding a way , a system .. anything to help us get the weight down lol.. i gave up killing myself with exercise and diet.. infact.. once i stopped I am not gaining it as fast.. now I yo yo the same 10 pounds without gaining more. .. and milk thistle, dandelion and burdock , magnesium, as well as a multivitamin, sunshine and an idodine tablet few times a week seems to help tremendously.. I dont take the pills the doctors prescribe unless my sciatic nerve acts up bad or my back muscles spasm.
Someone told me to go to Canada to see a doctor.. lol.. I just might!
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