Gallbladder Removal - Life After: What Can You Do?

Author's Bio: Marcie Vaske, MS, LN, CNS

Hi, and welcome back to our channel.

Today we're going to talk about gallbladder removal and what is life afterward.

So first we'll cover the topic of what is gallbladder disease, discuss different kinds of gallbladder stones, and then move into different complications of gallbladder removal or what it's like after surgery, and then followed up with what kind of diet and nutrition tips are there to follow after you have your gallbladder removed.

But before we dig into the topic, my name is Marcie Vaske and I'm a functional medicine nutritionist with Oswald Digestive Clinic. And at Oswald Digestive Clinic, I do see a lot of individuals who struggle with digestive health including gallbladder removal.

And I'm going to link our website here where you can easily make an initial appointment if you are struggling with digestive issues or know someone who is. I'm also going to link our free guide, which is Five Ways to Improve Your Gut Health.

So as you move through this topic today of gallbladder removal, if this resonates with you, please share our video if you or someone you know is struggling with this.

[Video Transcript Below Video - it is the same information]

So today, back into our topic,

Let's start off with understanding what Gallbladder Disease is

And oftentimes this is characterized by the formation of gallstones within your gallbladder due to the gallstones in the gallbladder oftentimes does lead to the removal of the gallbladder.

But as we'll discuss today, we're going to talk about different gallstones and understanding different gallstones can really be helpful in making that decision of do you need to keep your gallbladder or can you, or do you need to have it removed?

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So what are some different types of gallstones?

And one is cholesterol stones, another is mixed stones and pigment stones. And understanding which one you have, you can help make that decision if you can keep your gallbladder or if you need to have it removed. Now, if you do choose to keep the gallbladder and it's one of the stones of you've understood that we talked about, there are natural remedies that can help to decrease gallstone pain.

Diet

So one of the first ways is of course, looking at your diet and making sure that you're removing damaged fats from your daily intake, as well as adding more fibers into your diet. So more fruits and vegetables, and getting rid of processed and packaged foods.

Herbal Remedies

A second remedy can be the use of using herbal remedies. So things such as milk thistle and dandelion root have been found, be very supportive in decreasing gallstone pain and relieving that.

Castor Oil

Also, you can try castor oil packs. Castor oil packs have been around for many, many years, and in recent years has become more popular. And this is where you would have a specialized cloth that you put castor oil on and lay it over the affected area.

In this case, you would put it over your stomach and gallbladder and liver area. Let it sit there for 30 minutes up to an hour just resting and letting the castor oil seep in. This can really help to bring down the size of the gallstone and perhaps then you would be able to keep your gallbladder.

But if it has been determined that you do need to have your gallbladder removed,

Gallbladder Removal - Life After

What happens and what can you expect after? So because the gallbladder's primary function is to store bile that is made in your liver and stored in your gallbladder understanding what happens to that bile, where are you going to store it now?

So what happens is that the bile actually just goes from your liver right into your stomach instead of your gallbladder for storage. So with the removal of the gallbladder, the bile now is going to be taken from your liver by the bile duct and put into and is then put into the small intestine. Now this can cause issues and that's what we're going to talk about today.

So let's first understand exactly what the gallbladder and bile do.

And as I mentioned, normally the liver makes the bile, it's stored in the gallbladder. And so anytime that you eat a fatty food, the gallbladder actually puts the bile into your stomach to help the digestion of those fats. So herein lies the problem is if you no longer have the gallbladder, it's not able to put the amount of bile in your digestive system to help digest foods and metabolize them. And now it's just going right into your small intestine where that amount can be altered.

So what are some common complications that we do see after gallbladder surgery?

Bile Reflux

And one is called bile reflux, and what happens here is that the bile from the liver is going directly into the small intestine, but that can get backed up into the stomach. And this really leads to a lot of discomfort, bloating, nausea, and really giving you some pretty severe digestive issues.

Diarrhea

Another very common is diarrhea. And what happens here is that there's a sudden influx of bile into the stomach or into the small intestine when you eat a fatty food. And because it's not able to be better managed because you have no longer have a gallbladder, a lot of watery stool can occur, cramping, and then of course the diarrhea.

Constipation

And on the opposite spectrum of that, we do see constipation. So instead of the bile issue causing more diarrhea for people, sometimes it really slows down digestion and some people really struggle with a lot of constipation.

And lastly, there is always a risk for gallbladder sludge or even stones.

So even after you have the gallbladder removed, stones or sludge can be left over in the bile duct, which of course is going to be potentially causing more issues and more of the same symptoms.

So how can you manage this with diet and nutrition?

And because the bile ultimately breaks down fats in your foods, it is recommended to just be mindful of how much fats you're eating. Not that you can't eat them, but having a very fatty dinner or lunch or meal is oftentimes going to give you a little bit of discomfort. So keeping those at a more of a moderate amount and comparison to the protein and the carbohydrates that you're consuming can be really helpful.

And again, making sure that you're getting in fibers, vegetables and fruits are going to be also very supportive. So if you've changed your diet and you've made some eating more healthy, more balanced meals, moderating your fats well, and you're struggling possibly with diarrhea or constipation or even acid reflux, which we do see quite often after gallbladder removal. And so what you may want to look into is supporting your digestive system or your digestion with types of digestive enzymes.

So those digestive enzymes can help keep things digesting well and not just fermenting in your stomach causing more acid reflux. It helps to kind of keep that balance of how, because it will have some lipase in there, which will help to digest fats in addition to any of the bile that's also in there from your liver to help with the fat digestion.

But sometimes acid reflux can be really a complication that we see. And along with that, as I mentioned, diarrhea and constipation using digestive enzymes can be really helpful even for those symptoms. And so while you can live a full and great life after you have a gallbladder removal, just with some dietary changes, and if you are having symptoms, it may best to work with a gut health expert such as myself or us at the clinic or any healthcare practitioner.

I think that you shouldn't have symptoms to have to deal with the whole rest of your life. If you've had your gallbladder taken out for reasons that it needed to be, definitely things can be done to make it much more manageable. And maybe it is just dietary, but maybe there is a place for you where supplements can be supportive or just getting more information on helping your digestive health overall.

So again, if you are struggling with digestive issues, I've linked our website down below where you can easily make an initial appointment, and I hope that this video will help you make better decisions about your health and your gut health. Thank you.

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If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic. We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.