I have been diagnosed with gall stones in my gall bladder and have had a few attacks. I am scheduled to have my gall bladder out Nov6th. I started the program a few months ago but didnt go on with it because i was worried that aitkins may agrivate the problem. Is this a true concern? should people with gall bladder problems be on this diet? Sound off please.


Spiice

I am quoting from Dr. Atkins New Diet Revoultion, chapter 9, Facts and Fallacies, fallacy # 7..."There is now overwhelming scientific evidence that gallstones are formed when fat intake is LOW. In a study that examined the effects of a diet that provided 27 grams of fat per day, gallstones developed in thirteen percent of the participants. The reason is that the gallbladder will not contract unless fat is taken in, and if it doesn't contract, a condotion called biliary stasis devolps and the bile salts crystallize into stones. Our gallbladders need to be kept active to prevent stones. It is not uncommon to find gallstones in people who are obese, although the gallstones may not be causing discomfort. People with exsisting stones may, however, have trouble with high fat meals. If you are one of these people you may have to slowly increase the level of fat yopu eat according to your own tolerance-meaning, how you feel. So anyone who tells you they started doing Atkins and two weeks later developed gallstones doesn't fully understand the medical situation."

Yes i have also read that from my book however i have seen so many post from real people who are on diets having trouble. Im not afraid of them developing, because i have a few that are causing me a great deal of difficulty. What i really would like to ask is, if there is any others who have gall bladder desease who find they have any more or any less attacks than usual on the atkins diet. I would very much like to try this diet, but i am terrified. The attacks are an aweful thing, the pain is worse than my four labours combined I NEED to lose weight and think this diet sounds great but just want to see what others with the desease found.

Thank you for answering my post in advance.

S

I don't have any personal experience with gallbladder problems but I have several relatives that have and so I believe you when you say how painful it is. If you are going to have yours out in November and you are worried about the diet, why not wait until you have the surgery to do the diet. Then you won't have to worry about it. I wish I could be more help...maybe ther are others on here that can give you some advice. At any rate I wish you the best of luck with your surgery!

I concur with Lori. Wait until your gallbladder is removed. I had mine out back in 1986 and can remember how horrible those attacks were. With a lc lifestyle, you eat more fat. You really can't afford to eat more fat right now or you may trigger an attack. In the meantime, I would focus on eating more healthy foods. Eliminate processed foods, eat more green veggies, cut back on caffeine and soda. Those are things you can do without really going lower carb that will help you once you do start the lc way of eating.

Also, when you do start going low carb, you won't want to go as high fat as most people. When the gall bladder is removed you end up with a steady drip into the intestine, so going either high or low fat does not get processed adequately. You want to be in the medium range for fat.

Good luck with your surgery! Back when I had it done it was the "old" way and I was in the hospital for 8 days. I hear it's much smoother these days.

Yes! My mother, sister and mother-in-law had it the laproscopic way and it is 100 times better than the old fashioned way. THAT was major surgery!

I don't know if this helps you, but I thought I'd post my experience.

I had my gallbladder removed laproscoptically (sp?), about two years ago... and it has made a world of difference. I was to the point where I couldn't drink water without having a major attack. (It was great for losing weight, but you can't do that forever; and who would want to, the pain is the worst thing I ever experienced and I wouldn't wish it on anyone) The unfortunate part was after the surgery all the weight I lost from not eating, came back with a vengence.

Since then, I've had constant problems between being not regular and the other extreme... I tried to modify my diet, and at one point thought that it was fat that was causing it. After being on Atkins, I've found that this definately is not the case. I feel a ton better and the added bonus is I've lost some weight. I actually feel normal, and that my liver isn't doing a major slam-dance to remove everything I ate. (Which from what I've been told is the cause of some gallbladder problems)

I guess what I am saying is that there is a lot of misconceptions being sent around by the "low fat dieters" about what fat does to you. In some sense, I think that a reasonable protein/fat intake actually benefits you.

If your gallbladder problems are to the point where it requires surgery, it may be something to consider (only you and your doctor can really determine this). I know that I felt immediate relief after my procedure. As far as Atkins, in my case, it has actually cured some problems.

Anyway, good luck to you. Gallbladder problems are the worst, but luckilly there are ways to make it better.

Here is some add'l info that may help you. There are some other links in this thread, so be sure to check them all. This is where I learned that fats need to be kept in the middle range rather than high or low. (thanks Doreen!)

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...&threadid=29058
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...&threadid=37882

I really feel for you. I had my surgery (the new way) April a year ago. The last year before the surgery all I could eat was toast and all I could drink was water.....OK so I lost some lb's but I also felt horrible. Not able to go to work, not to a movie, not visiting friends......I was trapped. Like many of the others here, I was in constant pain and I thought I was going crazy. I tried everything, even flushing the d... stones out by drinking olive oil and a lot of other crazy stuff I found in so called support groups on the net. I stayed in hospital two days after the operation. Went back to work a week after and started eating normally the day I got home.

Now I have a new life...If someone told me a year ago I could go LC'ing without any problems I would not have believed them.... Since I started Atkins I have not experienced any pain at all. Not even a little twinge !

Good luck to you !

I had my gallbladder out 2 years ago - best thing I ever did!
My understanding is that the Atkins diet doesn't cause gallbladder problems but that if you already have gallstones, it probably isn't the right time to be doing it.
While I was waiting for the surgery, my surgeon suggested that I eat a low fat diet to reduce the number of attacks. His reasoning was that the gallbladder only stores extra bile - your liver produces what it thinks you need to break down the fat from each meal. If it produces too much it stores the extra in your gallbladder. If you then eat a high fat meal and your liver hasn't made enough bile for that meal, your gallbladder contracts and releases more bile. of course when your gallbladder contracts, the gallstones are pushed into the opening of the gallbladder and causes much pain.
So eat not too much fat to avoid the gallbladder contractions.

Cheers, Theresa

I had a really bad gallbladder attack about a year ago. So bad that I went to the hospital and was immediately admitted. They kept me on Demerol and intravenous antibiotics for 2 days to try and calm it down before the surgery. They were not able to do it with a scope so I have a 7 inch scar diagonally across my stomach. But I'll tell you, I'd do it all again in a minute. Having that gallbladder removed was the best thing I could have ever done. The pain was so unbelievable and I can't imagine why I would ever had let it go that far. Once removed I could eat absolutely anything.

If I was you, I'd see if I could have it removed sooner rather than later and if not, I'd stay away from the fats until it is removed. Once it's gone you'll be able to eat all the fats you want without any pain!