I need the straight dope on this, please.
Various websites have said that the gallbladder “is not needed for normal digestion.” But I can’t seem to find any detailed explanation of how digestion without a gallbladder is different.
Also, do any dietary changes need to be made after gallbladder removal?
Basically, any information I have found has made it sound like gallbladder removal is no big deal at all. This may be so, but I’d really like to know what the after-effects are.
Thanks in advance.
Gallbladder removal is “no big deal” as major surgery involving the removal of an organ goes, but your digestive system is never quite the same. You won’t process fat as well, and will need to start taking a fiber supplement if you have your gallbladder removed.
My wife had to have her gallbladder removed a couple of years ago, and she’s having to take Metamucil (or however the hell its spelled) at 26, and will have to for the rest of her life. The really annoying thing is that the surgeon insisted that there would be no difference and she wouldn’t need to change her diet. When she started having problems, she asked her regular doctor about it and he said that the surgeon had no reason to tell her that because it simply wasn’t true, and told her to buy a fiber supplement to regulate things a bit.
Other than that, she has to be careful with greasy foods - pizza one night and fried chicken the next could be setting her up for a few days of mild misery.
Frequently the changes are benificial or at least not unpleasent.
Many people who were sensitive to greasy foods and some milk products often tolerate them much better after surgery.
My father and my wife both had them out and both have considerably more freedom in what they eat now. My wife had frequent bad heart burn and/or indigestion that is pretty much completely gone now.
Neither have required fiber supplements.
YMMV
The gallbladder stores bile, which is then excreted into the intestines as needed to help digest fat. If there is no bladder, the bile just moves directly into the intestines. Removal of the bladder (cholecystectomy) is a common surgical procedure when one is bothered with gallstones. I don’t see how this would affect digestion significantly. The intake of fiber could help to regulate digestion, as it could bind with the bile that is not needed for fat digestion. That is just a WAG.
When acid chyme enters the intestine, the gallbladder is stimulated to discharge bile. Some bile is directly discharged from the liver into the small intestine anyway.
I donated my gallbladder to the insurance industry a few years ago. I’ve noticed no change whatsoever.
Anecdotal info ahead YMMV Gotcha Ya!
A good friend (female, early 20s, no GB) told us last weekend: You have to watch/moderate your alcohol consumption after you lose your gall bladder. Apparently you can get shitfaced in a heartbeat without it, since your liver doesn’t have the usual “ramp-up” time to deal with the demon rum.
I hope that QTM will be by shortly to confirm or debunk this anecdote.
Again, IANAMD and don’t know the research. This is based on what a pal said at a party.
Follow-up: And I hope that barbitu8 doesn’t take offense to my post! Great factual answer - I would love to hear your comments on my friend’s claims. Carry on…
I had mine out about a year ago, and haven’t noticed any major digestive changes, except I tend to be a bit…sensitive to certain types of foods.
Too bad eBay has a rule against human organs. You might have made a few bucks.
Without a gallbladder, your digestive system’s ability to handle fat is reduced. If you’re already on a vegetarian diet, you might not even notice.
Thanks for the answers so far. You all are making me feel better.
Too bad they’re doing laproscopic surgery these days. I was hoping for a big-ass scar like Lyndon Johnson had.
Basically what barbitu8 said. Most people won’t miss it at all, their lives will be much improved without the biliary colic (that horrible crampy spasm where the gall bladder is contracting but can’t empty much because of stones). Some people will have changes afterwards unique to them. It should not affect alcohol tolerance one whit. We got any surgeons on board?
QtM
I had mine out in 98, and the only problem I get is a tiny spasm if I’ve got a bit of gas in that part of my colon, which is very close to where my gallbladder used to me. Dunno if it’s related to the surgery, however.
And I don’t have problems digesting anything, but I can’t exactly sit down to a huge greasy meal anymore.
Robin
I corroborate what Bryan Ekers said. I had my cholecystectomy 11 years ago, and it had no effect on me that I can tell. Since I’ve been vegetarian the past 6 years, no problem at all. I don’t drink alcohol either. Yeah, and it’s a big relief not to have those damn stones any more.
I had my gall bladder removed about 2 years ago. I haven’t given it a second thought since, until now. At the time my doctor told me that the bile duct enlarges in order to compensate for the loss of the gall bladder. I’ve noticed no problems that would cause me to take metamucil, but that could be because I’m a vegetarian, so I have no problem with a lack of fiber.
If you’ve ever had a gallstone blockage, you’ll want that thing taken out of you so bad you’ll be willing to do it yourself.
I had mine out in 83. I talked to a fair number of people just afterward who had also had theirs out. All of them said that their surgeon had said there would be no change in dietary function. And all of them laughed at that.
The biggest change is in the first half year after surgery. The change being that you have to go to the bathroom urgently about 20 minutes after eating. How soon that goes away varies for each individual. But I’ve never spoken with anyone who didn’t have to do some bathroom spotting for at least a couple of months.
I’ve had to shift to a low-fat diet, which is good for me, I guess. My experience was that if I had eaten fatty foods on one day, and then didn’t the next, I’d get a burning feeling and really bad gas. My guess is that, without the gall bladder to regulate it, the bile just drips in and if there’s no fat there for it to react with, it irritates the intestines, which react by moving things through as quickly as possible.
I also eat five or more small meals a day. Even today, if I eat fatty food and skip meals, I could end up spending a large part of the day in the bathroom. Especially if I did it for more than one day.
On the up side, the things you need to do to balance your digestion are things that are healthy for you in other ways, too.