The Impact of Not Having A Gallbladder and Digestive and Systemic Health

Gall bladder surgery has become one of the most common surgical procedures, but it isn't always medically necessary.  While in some cases, gall bladder surgery is necessary, too often, even surgeons themselves will say that gall bladder surgeries happen more often than they should due to a lack of understanding and the unfortunate financial realities in our healthcare system.

And if you talk to people who've had their gall bladders removed, you'll often find they still suffer from pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea and other symptoms that they thought would be "cured" by gall bladder surgery.

What To Expect After Gallbladder Removal

If you have had gallbladder problems and need to have your gallbladder removed, there is a chance you could experience uncomfortable symptoms from living without a gallbladder.

Living Without a Gallbladder

Obviously, when you’re living without a gallbladder, it can no longer store bile, as designed.  Bile is a liquid that helps you digest fatty foods. The gallbladder releases it into your small intestine. But, when you are not eating for a long period of time, such as at night when you are sleeping, your gallbladder stores the bile.  However, when you remove the gallbladder, you remove the reservoir, so even though you will have the same amount of bile in your body, you will not have as much bile in your intestine after your gallbladder is gone.  The bile is constantly being delivered into your intestine instead of being stored, this means that you will not digest food as well.

Digestion Changes After Gallbladder Removal

In the first few weeks after your surgery, your doctor probably will recommend that you eat a mostly low-fat diet while your body adjusts to living without a gallbladder. After that, 90 percent of people go back to eating the way they did before, the most common symptoms is people have include:

·                                                Chronic diarrhea. Some people who did not previously have more than one bowel movement per day will find themselves having more frequent bowel movements after gallbladder removal. These can sometimes be loose and watery, and be accompanied by a sense of urgency. Recent studies have found that men younger than age 50, especially if they are obese, have the highest likelihood of long-term diarrhea after gallbladder surgery, but a significant number of people without those risk factors may also have diarrhea for months to years after surgery. Eating a low-fat diet may help lessen symptoms, and treatments with medications which bind the excess bile acids — which are thought to be the cause of this bothersome symptom — often alleviate the problem.

·                                                 

·                                                Temporary constipation. Some people become constipated from the pain medications they take after gallbladder surgery. Eating a diet that is rich in fiber — beans, bran, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables — can help prevent and perhaps relieve constipation. Your surgeon may prescribe a stool softener to help you.

·                                                 

·                                                Retained stone in a bile duct. In some cases, a gallstone will remain in your common bile duct after gallbladder surgery. This can block the flow of bile into your small intestine and result in pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and jaundice soon after surgery. You may need an additional procedure to remove gallstones that are retained in your common bile duct.

Intestinal injury. Although it is rare, the instruments used during your gallbladder surgery could damage your intestines. Your doctor will take measures to minimize the risk of this complication during the surgery. If it occurs, you might experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Any post-surgical symptoms like this require immediate medical attention.

Managing Digestive Problems After Gallbladder Removal

The body has amazing abilities to heal itself but to restore balance, some people need to take medications or make lifestyle changes to help manage their symptoms. 

Some of the lifestyle changes that can help ease digestive symptoms when you’re living without a gallbladder are:

·                     Adopt a healthy, well-balanced diet (Including some fats)

·                     Avoid eating large meals of fatty foods, such as fried foods

·                     Eat smaller, but more frequent meals

·                     Avoid eating a very large dinner after fasting all day

Gallbladder surgery can cure gallstones and help relieve pain, but this procedure is not without risks. In addition to the more immediate post-surgical risks of bleeding, fever, and infection, having digestive problems is a potential risk after gallbladder surgery.

If you have any of the above post-removal symptoms, the best thing to do is consult a doctor to determine your condition and discuss your options for treatment.

If you are considering having your gallbladder removed, know that there may be other options to surgery, so explore them all before you decide which step to take.

Your Liver And Your Gall Bladder

Did you know that problems with your gall bladder may be caused by a weak, insufficient or overactive liver?

Your liver is a filter of toxins, a biliary organ and an endocrine gland. It plays a key role in your digestion, formation of blood and guarding against infection.

During digestion, your liver secretes bile into your small intestine, lubricating your intestinal walls. Bile is stored in your gall bladder between meals.

After eating, your gall bladder releases the bile. Bile is important because it regulates the level of your friendly bacteria, destroys dangerous organisms, helps you digest fats and other nutrients and stimulates peristalsis to move fecal matter out of your body.

When your liver is not able to remove toxic substances from your body, toxic bile is secreted into your small intestine, creating what is referred to as leaky gut.

In Asian medicine it is well understood that when your liver and gall bladder are impaired, energy is drained away from your spleen, pancreas and stomach meridian - organs that are also important for your digestive health. Your intestines, too, are affected by the health of your liver and the bile it produces. Because so many organs are impaired you will experience many different kinds of symptoms and this makes it more difficult for your doctor or naturopath to give you an accurate diagnosis.  The belief of Asian medicine is that your liver and gall bladder are paired. This means that anything you do to strengthen one will strengthen the other.  Often, once balance is created, symptoms start to go away... you may even find that the surgery you thought you needed is no longer necessary.

Start Feeling Good Now

It's never too late to empower yourself with great health. But great health, unfortunately, does not have a quick fix in the form of a pill or a surgical procedure. Like all things worthwhile, it takes commitment and an investment of time to see the results.

Most of the time, it's the simple desire to feel good that motivates us to change.

Somewhere deep inside, we all KNOW that feeling good is possible with some small changes. And that with each small step we take, we can experience a greater shift over time. Your health is worth it and YOU are worth it!

Start with one small step today and you'll feel the difference tomorrow.  Contact Living Proof Institute for a consultation today!