Anyone had gallstones?

onebratt08 · 04-03-2008, 12:11 PM

I eat lowfat with a good balance or protein and complex carbs to support my cardio and weight lifting habits. However, I think I may have gallstones. I have all the symptoms when I'm having an "attack". I just don't fit the profile! Have any other ladies suffered through the same problem, despite that you have been "doing everything right" by way of diet and exercise? I'm looking for experiences or what you know about gallstones. Thanks!

john_cubsfan · 04-03-2008, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onebratt08

I eat lowfat with a good balance or protein and complex carbs to support my cardio and weight lifting habits. However, I think I may have gallstones. I have all the symptoms when I'm having an "attack". I just don't fit the profile! Have any other ladies suffered through the same problem, despite that you have been "doing everything right" by way of diet and exercise? I'm looking for experiences or what you know about gallstones. Thanks!

I am not a lady, but I have had them and had my gall bladder taken out. If you have lost a lot of weight in a short period of time, some times that will make gall stones happen. There are homopathic things on the internet that you can follow, google olive oil, grape fruit and gall stones. My doctor told me that once I have them I will always get them. Since I traveled a lot at the time, I took his advice, because I didn't want to end up in a small town hospital. Try the internet thing and have your doctor schedule you for an ultra sound to look for stones. I got sharp pains in the middle of my chest, right under the bottom of my rib cage. The pain came from them getting stuck, which is the danger of having them.

antiquemom · 04-03-2008, 01:04 PM

I had gallbladder disease, it was terrible. I would get a sudden sharp pain on the right side just below my ribs. The Doctor ordered some tests which showed some absorbtion problem.

onebratt08 · 04-03-2008, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antiquemom

I had gallbladder disease, it was terrible. I would get a sudden sharp pain on the right side just below my ribs. The Doctor ordered some tests which showed some absorbtion problem.

Oooo, could you tell me more about this? Feel free to PM me if you prefer to keep it private.

gfundaro · 04-03-2008, 06:13 PM

Gallstones aren't always a product of doing something wrong...it can be due to high cholesterol, but it can also be caused by too much bilirubin or poor production or bile salts or just a dysfunctional gallbladder. I haven't personally had them, but coincidentally I just had to do a big presentation for a class. It's best to go to the doctor...if you have a duct blockage that can cause serious problems over time. If the stones or inflammation are chronic, you can always get it removed if you so choose. There's no reason to live with the attacks. :-)

onebratt08 · 04-04-2008, 06:17 AM

Been to the ER (during an attack) and my family doc. Also had a CT scan that showed nothing. The ER was worthless - they said they didn't have anyone on staff aside from M-F 8-5 to do a scan of the abdomen. I'm frustrated because they won't "diagnose" me. They keep drawing blood and saying my pancreatic enzymes are high.

No extreme weight loss or major change in diet, had started to cut about a month before this started, so I was eating higher protein, including a lot more PB in my diet. I was thinking that maybe the fat in the PB set things off since I'm not used to eating much fat. You would think that adjusting my diet back would help, but it doesn't...now something like a low-fat fruit smoothie even bothers me. Grrrr.

john_cubsfan · 04-04-2008, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onebratt08

Been to the ER (during an attack) and my family doc. Also had a CT scan that showed nothing. The ER was worthless - they said they didn't have anyone on staff aside from M-F 8-5 to do a scan of the abdomen. I'm frustrated because they won't "diagnose" me. They keep drawing blood and saying my pancreatic enzymes are high.

No extreme weight loss or major change in diet, had started to cut about a month before this started, so I was eating higher protein, including a lot more PB in my diet. I was thinking that maybe the fat in the PB set things off since I'm not used to eating much fat. You would think that adjusting my diet back would help, but it doesn't...now something like a low-fat fruit smoothie even bothers me. Grrrr.

High fat diets trigger the contractions in your bile duct, which may push the stones up. My pancreatic enzymes were high when I had flair ups. This was because a stone was trying to pass and was getting stuck, causing my pancreas to eat itself. Don't play around when you get attacks. Your PH levels may be off, which may assist in the creation of stones. Trying eating low fat diets for a while, then slowly start re-introducing them. If you have bad attacks that don't go away, go to the hospital. This is something that you don't play with. I also have had an stomach ulcer, which gave me the same types of feeling. However, since my gall bladder had been removed, I knew it wasn't it. Try some Prilosec, which is over the counter. If things start getting better, you might want to get checked out for a ulcer.

Eileen · 04-04-2008, 02:53 PM

I had gallstones for years, and due to pregnancy, breastfeeding and general dislike of painful operations, never got them out. I stuck to a rigid low fat diet with no cheating, but I still used to get attacks that felt like a heart attack and were much worse than labour.

Then, almost as a joke, I started keto/Atkins with the attitude of "Let's see how long I can do this stupid diet before I have an attack". Seven years and 45lb later, I'm still waiting. I swear, I haven't had an attack since I started eating a high fat diet.

I discovered that there are reasons for this. On a low fat diet, your gall bladder is not working hard and gallstones have a chance to grow. When you do eat something with fat, the gallbladder contracts, the stones move, and you get sharp pain. If you are eating fat six times a day, your gall bladder is constantly working and gallstones don't get a chance to get big. Also, there is a theory that gallstones are the body's attempt to stockpile cholesterol if you are eating a very low fat diet. Eat enough in your food, and your body doesn't need to bother.

Gallstones are very common. Lots of women have them (I sometimes wonder if this has anything to do with women generally eating a lower fat diet), but they often have no symptoms. They are the second most common cause of operations during pregnancy.

runninmom · 04-04-2008, 03:05 PM

I had my gb out when I was 19, not fat ,forty or fertile but just at the wrong time. that was when they cut you open, no laproscope, just a big scar

My symptoms persisted to the point I couldn't take it anymore. Hopefully yours will subside.

girl81 · 04-05-2008, 03:41 AM

Are you constipated?

Sportsfuel · 04-05-2008, 07:16 AM

My Aunt had them years ago and i dont think she had ever done any sort of training bless her so anyone can get them very painful though apparently.

ker1978 · 04-05-2008, 01:14 PM

I had my gallbladder taken out one month after having a c-section. The attacks can hurt really bad. I went to the emergency room for the first one because it put me on the floor (my stomach was still very sore from being cut open though).

I recovered from the surgery really quickly and was moving around fine later that day. I now have four small scars to show for it in addition to my huge c-section scar! Good luck!

onebratt08 · 04-06-2008, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by girl81

Are you constipated?

No, but funny because I've been more regular since having this problem.

onebratt08 · 04-19-2008, 08:32 AM

Another question related to this. I'm still sure it's gall stones (I definitely have chronic pancreatitis)...is there any relationship with developing female problems with gall stones? My thought it that having pancreatitis and gall stones has led to a malnourishment and my immune system is now down...I have a pretty good cold and a female problem going on.

Eileen · 04-19-2008, 04:43 PM

Women are definitely more prone to gallstones. The classic sufferer is "Female, fair, fat, fertile and 40" but you can get them a lot earlier than that, and you don't need to be fat. An awful lot of women who are in the late stages of pregnancy suffer what sounds a lot like gallstones to me.

I don't know what your female problem is, so can't comment, but it's possible. See if you can find a doctor who knows about keto. It might help to call it a very low gi diet, that is much more acceptable to the medical profession.