Gallbladder symptoms after gallbladder removal? How is that even possible? Well, technically, it’s not. The gallbladder can’t hurt if it’s not there. However, there can be pinching or pulling in the area of the surgery where scar tissue forms, or in the remains of the cystic duct. That symptom can be helped with the application of castor oil packs.
The best part of gallbladder removal is the end to painful gallbladder attacks.
However, although not common, attacks can occur in some people who form stones in the ducts or had stones there that were not removed with the gallbladder. The most common symptoms that remain are dull ache, gas and bloating, feeling of fullness and stagnation of food. Constipation or diarrhea are also common. Heartburn often gets worse with bile reflux often adding to the problem.
So let’s address those common gallbladder symptoms and what to do about them.
Gas and Bloating
Gas and bloating are often a result of poor digestion of fats and removing the gallbladder which controls and secretes a 5x more concentrated bile than you are now getting straight from the liver doesn’t help. So supplementation with Bile Salts is recommended. It’s kind of like souping-up your own bile supply by increasing the bile salt to cholesterol ratio. Vegetarians may also take Digestive Enzymes to help with gas and bloating. Either way, anyone who has digestive symptoms at all following removal should supplement with something to help with fat digestion.
If the Bile Salts alone do not resolve the distention, take Choline with the Bile Salts. We pack them together in what we call the Gas and Bloating Kit because they are so effective in tandem.
Gallbladder Pain
As for the symptoms of pain, however mild, and heartburn, my experience over many years has proven that more often than not there is a food sensitivity if not an actual allergy involved. Research shows that simply removing gluten from the diet can reduce symptoms of heartburn, for example.
Try the Three Week Allergy Elimination Diet wherein you remove the most common culprits, giving the inflammation and other symptoms a chance to calm down. During this time people usually experience reduced digestive symptoms or none at all, better mental clarity and focus and the added bonus of increased energy levels. If that happens for you, it’s essential that you remove those foods from your diet entirely if you want to be symptom-free and healthy.
Know the Root
Understanding what got you into trouble in the first place can be the place to start to remove symptoms. So even if the gallbladder is gone, you can still use that information to help with the rest of your health. Did it start with an undiagnosed low thyroid, insulin resistance, hormone replacement therapy? Or simply a couch potato lifestyle coupled with refined foods and hydrogenated fats (like potato chips)! Stress? Of the many causes or risk factors, the more you can eliminate or manage, the better chances you have of turning your health around.
For more information visit our page on Symptoms After Gallbladder Removal.
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