Two and a half years without a gallbladder
A writer shares her two-year perspective after gallbladder removal, detailing dietary adjustments, ox bile supplements, and symptom relief.
summary is enough Provides useful anecdotal dietary and supplement tips for post-gallbladder life, though a summary captures the core points.
summary
Tracy Durnell reflects on her life two and a half years after emergency gallbladder removal. She details how managing digestion now requires frequent smaller meals, avoiding specific trigger foods, and taking ox bile supplements. Notably, many of her prior chronic IBS symptoms and upper back pains vanished entirely post-surgery. Finally, she notes potential contributing factors to her gallstones, including long-term birth control and rapid weight loss.
key points
- Lacking a gallbladder means bile trickles continuously rather than releasing in a stored bolus, requiring targeted use of digestive enzymes containing ox bile for fatty meals.
- Many chronic symptoms like abdominal distress, presumed IBS, and referred upper back pain can resolve entirely after cholecystectomy.
- Rapid weight loss and long-term use of birth control pills are frequently cited risk factors for developing symptomatic gallstones.
who should read it
Patients preparing for gallbladder removal or struggling with post-cholecystectomy digestive issues.
discussion positive
consensus
Commenters overwhelmingly agree that gallbladder attacks are among the most excruciating pains imaginable and report significant quality-of-life improvements after surgery.
pushback
A few commenters debate whether modern GLP-1 weight-loss medications specifically contributed to the author's gallstone formation given the timeline.
Ox bile supplementation was my biggest quality of life change after having my gall bladder removed. I unfortunately waited over a miserable decade before discovering it. I strongly encourage anyone who has had their gall bladder removed to look into this.
It introduces ox bile supplementation as a transformative quality-of-life fix that many patients miss for years.
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