Gallbladder Health Part II: Prevention and Natural Treatment of Gallbladder Problems
It’s always easier to prevent a problem rather than treat it, and this is especially true when it comes to the gallbladder problems. But how do you know if your gallbladder isn’t functioning up to snuff? You don’t want to wait for a gallbladder attack to tell you something isn’t right. In Part I, I discussed some of those more subtle signs and symptoms that many people have that aren’t normal – but a warning that the gallbladder isn’t all too happy. Now here in Part II, we’ll look at how to lower your risk factors for a gallbladder problem. We’ll also consider some natural treatments that may help you out whether you’re at the point of just not feeling perfect or at the other end of the spectrum – about to have your gallbladder removed because you’re just sick of all the trouble it’s giving you.
Gallbladder Risk Factors: Lower Your Risk For Gallbladder Problems – (Prevention!)
The medical risk factors for the gallbladder are known as the 4Fs – Female, Fat, Forty, and Fertile. Though overweight fertile women are more susceptible for gallstones and gallbladder problems, there are many other risk factors even in those who aren’t fat, and for you guys too out there.
Diet is the number one reason for a poorly functioning gallbladder. Don’t let anyone tell you that diet has no relationship to the gallbladder. Ample research tells us that our diet not only affects every cell in our body but obviously those of digestion. Even before the insulin link to the gallbladder was discovered just a few years ago (discussed in Part I) many natural physicians recognized the importance of diet on metabolism. So – Dietary and Lifestyle Risk Factors:
1) Bad fats – these include the obvious partially hydrogenated “trans” fats but also those refined polyunsaturated vegetable oils that so many think are good to eat – corn, soy, canola, safflower, sunflower, peanut, cottonseed, and grapeseed. Deep fried foods are especially terrible for your gallbladder. Stick with the good fats please – coconut, eggs, extra virgin oil, fish and flax, butter and heavy cream (moderation) and raw nuts and seeds (moderation there
too).
2) Refined carbohydrates – these, along with the bad fats, are where the oxidation (free radical damage) and the inflammation comes from, and it can take its toll on the gallbladder because its effect on cholesterol. Read the cholesterol article I wrote for more on this. High fructose corn syrup – it’s the worst.
3) Smoking – Unhealthy for your entire body and really takes its toll on the gallbladder too.
4) Excess caffeine – yeah too much caffeine can stress out the gallbladder. How much is too much? That depends on the individual. For some it may be three cups of espresso and for another it may be one ounce of chocolate per day. If you’re having gallbladder problems just stop all caffeine until it’s better.
5) Alcohol – again this is individualized but obviously too much alcohol is not healthy for your liver, gallbladder, or the rest of your body. Ladies – I don’t agree with those who say that it’s okay to drink two glasses of wine (red or white) per night. That’s excessive and I almost always see health problems with it. Stick to one max – and hopefully not every night. Pretty much the same rule applies to men too.
6) Aspartame (Nutrasweet) and other excitotoxins (MSG) – this one is huge and I can’t tell you the number of patients I’ve seen who were diet soda addicts who had their gallbladder removed, (before seeing me), yet didn’t see any connection.
7) NSAIDS – and other anti-inflammatories can take their toll on the liver and gallbladder. Other meds can too but NSAIDS more often, especially for chronic users.
8) Birth control pills (BCP), hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and yes even the intrauterine device (IUD) – hormonal regulation and metabolism is a major factor when it comes to the liver and even the gallbladder – that’s why the “Fertile” is part of the medical risk factor. Estrogen dominance has a huge impact on the health of the gallbladder. Considering that estrogen and the mineral copper closely parallel one another, many women have copper toxicity problems due to estrogen dominance and then gallbladder problems because some of those bile salts are copper salts – that’s where the bile gets its green color from – copper! You don’t have to be on The Pill or taking hormones to have a gallbladder problem related to your hormones – it can be from inefficient hormonal detoxification. Guys too – you can have testosterone and estrogen problems.
- And women who have gone the route of an IUD for birth control, (which I feel is the worst form of birth control ever; they’re always a problem but that’s a story for another time), then the copper or the hormones in the IUD will impact the gallbladder – and the impact won’t be good. I’ve seen women who have unfortunately had their gallbladder removed because of gallbladder problems resulting from their IUD, both copper and hormonal types.
Self Help For Your Gallbladder
If you’re having gallbladder problems and it’s not an emergency situation, (let’s all use common sense here – don’t wait if you’re in dire straits – again, discussed in Part I), then the first thing to do is to follow the advice I just mentioned – change your diet and lifestyle and assess your risk factors.
Lemons, Beets, and Ginger – Oh My!
Lemons and beets are great foods for your liver and gallbladder – they help to keep bile healthy and non-viscous. So eating these foods regularly can be beneficial.
During an acute and uncomfortable, “attack” you can try sipping some lemon juice. Take one-half of a fresh squeezed lemon and mix it with about 6oz of water and sip it (don’t gulp it down) over the next 30 minutes. If it works, keep doing it until you’ve received full relief. Ginger works well too for some people, but more for nausea. Try to use real ginger root not those rolled in a lot of sugar. You can add it to a smoothie or juiced drink. Though if you only have access to some Ginger Ale that may get you by.
Hot or Cold?
You can also try a cold pack over the area of your gallbladder – the upper right quadrant of your abdomen. Place the cold pack about half way over your ribs and half over the abdomen. Don’t put ice directly on your skin or you may burn – but wrap in a paper towel or put over your clothing. Leave the ice on long enough to get a “numb” feeling and depending on the relief you get from it. If any area of your skin in the upper right quadrant of your abdomen feels warm to the touch, that is exactly where you should try to cool it down.
Obviously with the recommendations here if you keep having to do the same things over and over (ice or lemon juice) then you’re not figuring out the problem and just getting by with temporary relief. If the pain gets worse and worse – either that same day or with each subsequent attack – you should seek medical attention – right? (Answer = yes)
The Liver – Gallbladder Flush
I’ll briefly discuss “the flush” since I know many will ask about it if I don’t. It’s called the gallbladder flush though some call it a liver flush too. Some say they’ve saved themselves from surgery by doing a flush and many feel a lot better by cleaning out their liver and gallbladder with a flush. Others think the flush does nothing but give you diarrhea. I’ll let you be the judge. There are plenty of flush recipes out there and I have my own which I share with patients and I will not share in detail here. Do I think they work? Definitely, but not all the time and they’re not as necessary as you may think. But if you’re at wits end, “What do you have to lose?” Well not much unless you lodge a stone in your duct during the flush (rare) then you’re off to surgery. In my fifteen years of practice I’ve only recommended the flush a few times because of the way I approach digestive problems – treating, advising, and figuring out why the patient is having a problem, so I rarely need to go the flush route to see improvements. (And I have never had to have a patient have their gallbladder removed either.)
Yeah I hope hands were washed after…
Typically a flush is something like this: the patient drinks four glasses of pure organic apple juice per day for five days, then on the fifth day they fast briefly – 8 hours. Next they take a certain amount of magnesium or disodium phosphate. Finally they drink one-half cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice mixed with one-half cup of extra virgin olive oil just before bed. Then they sleep laying on their right side with their knees tucked into the chest for at least 30 minutes. The next morning, they have a bowel movement where they may pass a number of green and brown pebbles/stones said to be stones flushed from the biliary system – and some people catch these in a colander and post them on-line for other to see (unnecessary but true). They may pass several very large stones or thousands or small pebbles – or nothing at all! Fun times.
That’s a general idea of a liver-gallbladder flush. Try it if you see fit but remember you still need to change your dietary and lifestyle habits to resolve your gallbladder problem(s) but hopefully you will not be another victim who is told they “definitely need to have their gallbladder removed but it’s okay because it’s not a necessary organ”.
Thanks, Dr. G., for the great advice. It’s too late for me, but maybe others will be able to save their organ. I had been living a pretty healthy lifestyle and still lost my gall bladder to my gluten intolerance. No doctors could tell me why I always had indigestion and nausea, lack of energy, etc. I wish I had known then how to solve this problem. I could have avoided surgery and avoided Hashimoto’s. Jill
Hi Dr G, Thank you for your good sound advice. I was recently told that I have gallstones and should have surgery I do not want to have surgery I want to keep my green little buddy do you think a flush would be helpful for me. Thank you
That’s your call. I can’t advise you since you’re not my patient. I’m just providing the information. But think about it – if you covered everything else yet your gallbladder was still a problem – what would you choose: the flush or surgery? Does someone else want to answer this for Diane?
Hi, Diane,
I have not had gallbladder problems but I got the book The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse by Andreas Moritz. After reading it, I’ve done the cleanse 3 times so far and have a 4th one scheduled. In the book, he explains what conditions the cleanse is good for (many more than the good doctor here said). He also gives very specific instructions on how to do it. He also explains why it should be done several to many times. I found the book to be a wealth of information and the cleanse is so easy to do. Just follow the instructions exactly.
There are others out there with their own protocols, which I can’t speak about. FYI Andreas Moritz has a website; just do a search on him. There’s a lot of information there, too. Good luck.
Namaste,
Diane W.
Thanks Dr G. this is a really interesting article. My auntie recently had a gallbadder attack and has been told she has gallbadder stones. I am a big fan of the paleo diet and I’m trying to persuade her that it would be worth following. The only issue is that she has been told to avoid fats like eggs, butter and coconut, all of which feature a great deal in the paleo diet. Would eating paleo be beneficial tp her or should she avoid these fats?
Also I wondered what your views were on herbal remedies like peppermint and milk thistle for gallstones treatment? Thank you very much for your help. Natasha
Yes that is the conventional way of treating with the gallbladder. Of course I don’t agree with it as people with gallbladder problems very rarely have them from eating those high fat Paleo-Type foods (I can say I’ve never seen it). It’s all the other things I mention, diet and hormones especially, that cause the problems. But once the problems are there then often that person just can’t go right into a high fat type of diet because their gallbladder is so stressed out, so for my patients I recommend they ease into it slowly per their comfort and tolerance level. I’ve never seen issues this way, only success.
Milk thistle (silymarin) is more of a liver detox herb and I haven’t had much experience with peppermint so I can’t comment on that.
Thank you for you’re articles, they have been very informative. Do you find that fatigue, stress or aggrivation occurs when someone is having a gallbladder issue?
Yes, emotional problems can cause and especially aggravate a gallbladder problem.
Dr. Gangemi,
Thank you for this article. I had begun to think all doctors just like to cut people! I had ultrasound screen done showing no stones, and a HIDA scan done and it showed 50% function – my doctor suggested removing the gallbladder. I am frequently nauseated, and have a lot of gnawing pain along the lower rib line. (Endoscopy didn’t show any hernias or ulcers). I am completely against taking out the gallbladder, but I have to do something because of the pain and nausea.
Do these suggestions actually help restore function? I quit all coffee, sodas, high fats and refined carbohydrates last month, but the pain just seems to be worse. Or do you know other books/resources I could review? I’m new to NY and the practioners here seem to have the protocol of “if it hurts, remove it” and they don’t offer much guidance. Any suggestion would be apprectiated. Thank you again for your article!
Vicky
Hi Vicky – often for women hormones are the reason for gallbladder problems. But it would be impossible for me to know that w/o seeing you or knowing more about you. But there is always a trigger. :)
Hi Dr. G, I have been having problems every since October of 2012. I was first told I had a Peptic Ulcer. After another Upper Endoscopy was performed, I was told I have a hiatus hernia and a Gastric tumor. I was reffered to another GI specialist and he said I had debris growing in my gallbladder and wants to do surgery soon. What do you suggest? If it was you,would you seek another opinion?
The gastric tumor could be serious so that needs to be looked into. Debris in the gallbladder is not uncommon (not normal) and most docs want to remove the gallbladder because they don’t know any other treatment. I don’t quite understand why the gallbladder would be more important than a tumor – that’s a bit strange. The hiatal hernia is often no big deal and most chiropractors and other manual therapists can help relieve/correct that, depending on the severity. I treat those often.
Hello Dr Gangemi, I just came across your site while looking for some idea what might be causing pain just under my right shoulder blade when I breathe deeply. No other symptoms except lots of burping. Can I assume this might be gallbladder problems? I’m sure you will recommend seeing a Dr, but want to learn as much as I can, and found your site to be very informative. Thank you, Ardy
Can’t assume anything without seeing you – could also be a shoulder, rib, diaphragm, or lung issue – among other things.
I had been experiencing digestive issues for a matter of months. I am a healthy fit 35 yr old woman. I had dropped 12lbs in 3 weeks, as I was having problems digesting anything I would eat. My doctor was convinced it was gall bladder, but testing wasn’t confirming that. After being sent to a specialist and sent for more testing they were still unsure of the cause. Upon seeing my doctor again, she was still under the belief the cause was gall bladder related, as the symptoms seemed to have been building over a few years. I went home from that visit and started doing my own research. I found your site!! After reading your 2 part gall bladder article, I immediately made an appointment with my OBGYN. I had my IUD removed, and 4 wks later all of my digestive issues were completely gone. Thank You!!!
Wow, that’s great to hear!
Great Articles, Dr G!
I am a healthy/organic eater, long-time vegetarian who avoids fast/processed foods and has a low BMI – 19.5-20. Developed severe upper stomach/back pain with nausea one night and it’s been reoccurring for the past week and a half, all signs pointing to GB problems- usually at night (11-1am is the worst of course), often problematic after eating. I’ve cut out fat, dairy, gluten, soy, etc (never had ANY food issues before) and find I am still having attacks daily- though less severe than the initial ones but still causing me much pain. Ultrasound & Bloodwork were in normal range but little sis also had digestive pains (though a less healthy diet) and they just removed her gallbladder so they want to do the same for me. I am thoroughly opposed to surgery and even the HIDA scan (we have been trying to conceive for 6+months). I am taking harmonizing herbs from my Chinese medicine practitioner and sticking with fruits, cooked vegetables, broth, and rice/quinoa and taking as much R&R as possible, but I feel I’m stuck. What else can someone like me do to get my GB in balance? Any clue how this happened in the first place to a “healthy” eater?
Cutting out fat and eating a lot of rice and other carbs is one way to create or aggravate these digestive problems. I discuss this in these articles and throughout the DRG and SockDoc sites — the importance of fats. Especially important if you’re having conception problems.
Thanks Dr. On the contrary, I normally consume a fair amount of natural fats every day- lot of olive oil, nuts, avocado, organic dairy, fish oils. Though thin, I am not “fat-averse” in any way. I had intentionally begun to up my daily amounts of saturated fats from coconut oil/milk and whole organic milk to help with conceiving – a couple of extra servings a day. I think that is what triggered these gallbladder attacks. I have only cut out fat as an attempt to stave off these painful attacks that have been happening in the last 2 weeks. I’ve read all the GB articles. But how do I get back to consuming healthy fats (and a normal diet) when they’re causing so much pain?
It could be a number of things as I mention in the article. Really know way for me to know without seeing you.
Hello there! I stumbled upon your blog through a search I was doing for Gallbladder issues. I am highly impressed with the amount of great information I have read. THANK YOU. You address the entirety of the problem, not just the symptom. I am a 36 year old, slightly overweight woman. I have had gall bladder issues (pain/discomfort after eating high fat foods, neck/back pain, occasional times where I am up vomitting at night, etc.) This past year during a physical, my doctor told me my liver enzymes were high, so he ordered an ultrasound of my liver, which looked fine, but they did see that I have gallstones. My doctor could not tell me conclusively that my high liver enzymes were from the gall stones, but didn’t seem to be worried about it. Are high liver enzymes associated with gallstones? Also, in the flush you discussed in the article above, you mentioned taking magnesium. Is there a certain amount of it you should take? Thank you!
The liver is where the bile is produced so if there is something affecting that then it could show up with the enzymes; often they are normal though.
I cannot give you specific Mg amounts; there are so many “recipes” for the flush available.
I was happy to read both of your posts to see that many of my symptoms fall in line with the gall bladder but realize also that my problems don’t fit in the “normal” range. I have severe right shoulder pain (chronic over the last 8-12 years comes and goes), severe pain off and on under my right rib cage for the last year (beginning in the front, now in the back almost exclusively), chronic diarrhea for the last 10 months, and inability to eat any fat (not even coconut)at all for the last six months without severe abdominal pain and instant diarrhea. I had an ultrasound 9 months ago and was told there were no gall stones so no gall bladder problem. I had done the “cleanse” of olive oil and fresh grapefruit juice about 3 months before and had only seen little green granule (salt/sugar) size evidence of stones so wasn’t surprised. I had a HIDA scan which showed a refraction of 11 2 months ago and a colonoscopy which indicated microscopic colitis only a month ago. I had been waking at 1-2 AM every morning for two weeks last month until I tried bile salts with every meal on my very limited diet which eliminated these “attacks”. My younger sister who eats much less healthy (no coconut or olive oil on salad, few vegetables and fruits, many fried foods and processed meats) had her gall bladder out two years ago and they told her it was black and had not been functioning for the last two years probably. She had most of the same symptoms I have including diarrhea. I have been taking entacourt and dicycline for the microscopic colitis for about three weeks now and the pain in my shoulder and back are getting worse. The diarrhea is some better and my doctors say it’s all this and removing the gall bladder won’t help. I would like to keep it if I can but what if it is not functioning like my sister’s. Is there a danger in keeping the gall bladder if it continues to decline and cease functioning?
Thanks for your help!
Shari
I believe there is no danger other than if you passed a very large stone to the pancreatic duct. It’s rare and you’d get very sick very quickly.
Thanks for writing an article like this. I’ve had both types of iuds in. First was the hormonal one, my gallbladder started acting up 6 months before removal(had in for 3 yr.) Got preg. and had no problems with my gallbladder then had the copper iud with my second child. 3 months after insertion i stared having the problems again! Now its been a yr. and a half with the iud in and now they want to remove my gallbladder. I have done the flush twice which made my pain go away and felt better but comes back 3 months later. The flush made me have floating stools which i don’t know if its normal? But then I started taking vitamin b complex where i noticed my stools sinking?!! Now I don’t know what to choose to have my gallbladder removed or iud. Sometimes I think of having my gallbladder removed because i think its too late, my gallbladder is probably already damaged and their would be no point of removing my iud?!
Can’t make that decision for you but obviously removing the gallbladder is the symptom, the IUD is the cause. And you will/most likely are having other unrealized problems from the IUD. And note that if you remove the gallbladder you will still have a liver and bile ducts which can be affected in the same way the gallbladder currently is.
Thanks for replying back. Chose to take iud out. But my doc says my gallbladder is only 8% functioning. Do u think it will get back to functioning better or is there no hope and I should just take out the gallbladder?
Impossible for me to say. Read this article I wrote http://sock-doc.com/2013/02/recover-prevent-injuries/. It focuses on injuries, but an injury to your organ is really no different.
Hello, do you think my gall bladder woul d function if i changed, my diet? I spoke to my surgeon and he said i have no stones, but my gallbladder is not functioning. So i need it removed. I would rather try something else..anything to keep my gallbladder. Please help. Thank you
Find a natural doc; the conventional folks won’t help unless you want surgery.
Thanks for this article. I have been experiencing pain under my rib cage on the right side since September. I had a copper IUD put in last summer. It caused terrible bleeding and, I suspect, a world of other issues. I removed it in December.
I’ve had a gastroscopy performed to check for an ulcer etc. which came back clear (although I’m being checked for celiac). I had an ultrasound in September that showed no stones.
I went for an ultrasound last week, and I’ve been called in for a follow-up (non-urgent) which I believe shows something or else they wouldn’t call me in.
Well last night after eating lamb, I had the most intense pain in that same spot, terrible watery bowel movements at least 6 in a row, fever and chills. I’m very weak today (could be from the loss of fluid). I rarely eat fat, so the lamb was quite shocking to my system.
I still am having the pain today and so I ended up in the emergency. They took my blood work, which was normal except for elevated Amalyse (133). They told me to come back if the pain gets worse.
It hasn’t gotten worse, but it hasn’t gotten better and I’ve been sleeping the majority of the day.
Eating soup made me feel very bad.
I’m 28 years old, 5ft4in, 105 lbs.Non-smoker, non-drinker, very healthy eater. I think I have estrogen dominance because I also have ovarian cysts and they are suspecting endometriosis.
I have been fat adverse for a long time. I cannot eat creams, deep fried food, heavy meats like steak, without feeling sick afterward.
I guess my question is, can I have a gall bladder problem without stones? Should I be concerned if this pain doesn’t subside for days?
Is hormone therapy, progesterone only pill, an option for improving gall bladder function?
Can an autoimmune disease cause gall bladder issues?
Since I had the copper IUD removed, would it still be affecting my gall bladder, does it take time to recover from copper overload?
For me, diet, smoking, drinking, and bc pills are not the culprit. Thank you for your article and any insight you may have.
Sure an immune issue can trigger a gallbladder problem and you can definitely have a gallbladder problem w/o stones (as mentioned in the article). It can take a while to detox copper and some people won’t until they replace the proper nutrients that copper has displaced. Best idea for someone in your situation is to find a holistic doc who can help you through this.
Thank you for this enlightening article.
I have a Gallbladder Polyp of 4mm in size. Can surgery be avoided by following alternative treatment plans? May I know what are the options for me?
Thank you
I can’t specifically advise you on that. If you’re trying to avoid surgery then you should seek out a holistic doc who deals with gallbladder issues like you have.
Thank you for this informative article although its quite late for me. I wish I saw it this time last year or better still earlier than 3 months ago when I took my gall bladder out.
You have not however mentioned what should be done, if the gall bladder has already been taken out due to ignorance like mine (as I took the advice of the experts relied on at the moment)
I am now in severe sharp pain in the upper right abdomen and the pain is getting worse as the days go by. I am eat everything and like you stated, I am a culprit of the sunflower and grapeseed oil which I thought was the best.
How do I solve this pain problem or is it going to be like this for the rest of my life. I dread the thought of that.
I appreciate your help and response.
Thanks
You would still follow all the advice I share here, including removing those oils from your diet.
Dr G, good article.My Gallbladder is working 0% in hid a scan,i don’t have any stones.they said i have acute bilary dyskinsia.my stools are yellow and getting dysentry .is there any possibility to make it work again,I don’t like to go for surgery?
Appreciate your suggestions on this.
I can’t comment on that without seeing you as it all depends on why you’re having the problem.
I’m just wondering if there is a size of gallstone that can’t be passed?
I just got diagnosed with gallstones 4 days ago through an echo and want to try a flush, but I want to make sure I don’t end up lodging it and having an emergency operation. I’ll make sure I get imaged properly and the largest stone measured before I do anything.
Great informative site by the way, much better information than most “specialist” sites I have visited. They basically only tell you “we don’t know why it happens” and “if you have stones, remove the gb”.. Quite disappointing really, I thought healthcare had come further than that.
I think that would be individual-dependent. If you look on-line there are definitely some “interesting” sites where people show their stones – some are huge!
It was great ,all what you said ws clear and direct ,thank you for the specific explanation u gave me great answers for my questions .it was fun reading all . Thank you please keep me posted .
Hello. I was diagnosed with gallstones last August after passing out and being jaundiced – along with severe pain. My liver count was high (787). I’ve had a scan and a deep scan that confirms that I have hundreds of stones. My BMI was 54, but through diet and exercise , it’s now 34. I’ve been on the emergency list for months to get my operation but still waiting.
I am extremely limited with what I can eat. I can only eat bananas on brown bread toast or lean ham sandwiches. Everything else starts an attack (even plain rice or podded peas). I am always exhausted. I physically force myself to the gym to keep an active lifestyle. I now have a new symptom – constipation. My bowels are usually regular (every day) but it’s been 4 days since any movement. I’m worried that my body isn’t getting enough vitamins / minerals etc and I’m just getting sicker. Even a multi vitamin caused an attack. I don’t see any way other than surgery for me, I just wish it would hurry up!
For someone in your situation I’d advise you seek some holistic practitioner who deals with these cases, if you’re interested in trying to keep your gallbladder.
Hello, do you think my gall bladder would function if i changed, my diet? I spoke to my surgeon and he said i have no stones, but my gallbladder is not functioning He said it’s over working. My infraction no. was at 96 percent
So i need it removed. I would rather try something else..anything to keep my gallbladder….I have a lot of symptoms for removal but I am sacred too, since there could be a chance to keep it ? been looking online for more answers.. everything I read has to do with stones that can be help… but nothing about without stones and a overworking gallbladder could it be helped , ??
Please help , Thank you !!!
For someone in your situation I’d advise you seek some holistic practitioner who deals with these cases, if you’re interested in trying to keep your gallbladder.
Hello!
Thank-you for all the great information! I was wondering if there is a correlation between the appendix and gall bladder? I had my appendix removed three years ago(perforated) and ever since I have had gall bladder pain. Initially, the doctor said it was air bubbles from the surgery, then after several months said it was scar adhesions(which do not make since,as all my incisions are by the bellybutton). I eventually had a Hida scan and my ejection fraction was 12%. So, of course, the GI and family doctor, recommend removal of gall bladder. I was is the best shape a my life when all of this started. I had run a marathon, eating very healthy. I have always been thin. Now, three years later, I am still suffering with chronic pain in R abdomen, and have become depressed, as if my body has failed me. I just find it coincidental that I had my appendix out and then, almost immediately, I had gall bladder issues. The doctors I have spoken with do not have answers and honestly, do not seem to genuinely concerned.
thankyou, your article has been VERY interesting,
i am about to go for my fourth visit to upper gi surgery; they have continually advised/persuaded me to have my gall bladder taken out, as i have a stone in the wall of the neck.
i would love to keep my gall bladder so much but i don’t know if i am being stupid, they have told me i could die if i don’t. I also have two tubes going from the gall bladder instead of one and my gall bladder is lower than normal. They are surprised how healthy the gall bladder looks, the walls have not thickened, but the gall bladder is grosely extended and the bile is thickened inside.
Have you any advice or do you know of any specialists in the uk /bristol i could speak to? Someone whom may see it like you do. All the profesionals i have spoken to, believe hugely that we do not really need it anyway and can’t meet me on my level of thinking. I don’t know whom to trust really as they are so quick to take gall bladders out, i can’t tell if i am in a serious situation or not? i have had only two large episodes of pain lasting minutes after very fatty meals . . but i can feel my gall bladder swollen.
thankyou love lisa x
Hi Lisa – sorry I don’t know anyone over your area. :(