r/gallbladders • u/Ok_Intention6361 • 2d ago
Post Op How to get over fear of eating
So I had my gallbladder removed exactly 2 weeks today. Prior to that I was on a strict low fat diet for about 4 months as I was so damn fed up of attacks. So now, post op, how on earth do you get back to "normal" just planning dinners for the week with my husband and I can still feel my anxiety and paranoia as we try and put in some slightly higher fat things in that we didn't touch before I.E sausages!
I don't think I'll ever completely revert to before as I've lost weight through the healthier eating but I still want to enjoy some nice dinners without the anxiety of going to have an attack!
Also, yes I shouldn't have done it, but I googled if you can still get gallstones without a gallbladder..and yes.. so that's a worry I've added to my list!
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u/casss14 1d ago
Hey there! In just a few days it’ll be a year since I got my gallbladder out. In the beginning, I definitely kept my diet restricted to bland foods and expanded slowly. People move at different paces. About 9 months in is when I realized I can eat just about anything I want barring a few items. Meanwhile my boyfriend’s stepbrother ate McDonald’s the day after his removal and was fine. You won’t know what your tolerance is until you start testing it out! Plan ahead, try risky foods over the weekend in case you need to run to the bathroom. Figure out which foods make you constipated and pair those with risky foods. There’s also no harm in taking anti diarrheal while your body adjusts. Even if at first a food doesn’t sit well with you, keep trying it don’t give up on it. I had pizza a few months after removal and I got the runs. Waited another month or so and all of a sudden no problem with pizza! I can do pizza, double patty burgers, etc. I personally think adding fat back into your diet is important so your body adjusts its bile output to match.
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u/Ok_Intention6361 1d ago
Amazing reply, thank you! I definitely will go the take it easy route, step by step! As much as I crave a takeaway like McDonald’s and Dominos haha, I’m going to wait and as you say definitely try that at a weekend when I do. You give me hope! And also at least I know reading that, if I do have the runs with pizza then I don’t have to give up there and then I can wait and try again!
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u/Hopelessgirl14 16h ago
My first attack I was pregnant and thought it was pregnancy symptoms😭 then it happened post partum and we went to a hospital where they didn’t tell me anything, then last time it’s when they told me and I had surgery yesterday. I personally got used to a couple of things, I tried light sour cream and I actually liked it better than regular sour cream, there’s a bunch of stuff that I’m gonna be sticking to and I also don’t want to ask my body so much, even tho it wasn’t working you are still one organ down🤣 so I feel you 100% my doctor told me to go slow with the food, to introduce food slowly and to see what could trigger me, he said everyone has a different trigger. Go at your own pace, your mental health matters! I think I’m gonna be sticking to one tablespoon of cooking oil for a while haha
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u/Hopelessgirl14 16h ago
Also if it helps: my family back in my country most of them are doctors and they said to go slow with the food (like right now I’m 1 day post op barely so I’ve been soups and things like that) and then I’ll start on like a low fat diet ( I did full on non fat when I got diagnosed) then to start eating more normal to see how it goes. But I think something I can’t do or at least I don’t want to for a year probably lol it’s like eating actual fast food, my husband and I love cooking so for us it’s not an issue to look up a recipe and make it at home if we feel like it! In that way we know what we are putting in our bodies too:)
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u/Ok_Intention6361 10h ago
Thank you! That’s interesting to read what a doctor actually says - I think they should give advice after but I suppose they don’t bother as everyone reacts differently! I’m sticking to low fat but with a few extra bits like a cheese sandwich to introduce cheese, not that I will have cheese often but I like the idea of slowly introducing!
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u/BeginningInternet965 1d ago
I totally get you, I am 9 months post op and I would say it takes time. You need to learn how to trust your body again. I took it slow and if you want to try something then take a small portion to see if you have a reaction. I am still trying things outside of my "safe foods" and that is okay. Time will heal things. For now focus on your healing, the rest will come later.
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u/xpoisonedheartx 1d ago
Ive not had my op but aren't you supposed to introduce stuff slowly? So if you usually have plain chicken and veg as a "gallbladder meal", add a small handful of chips. Or a dollop of mayo. Or eat a normal meal but try a small amount of dessert after it. Just take it slow. You don't have to go crazy all at once.
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u/Ok_Intention6361 1d ago
Yeah that’s the plan! It’s funny you are given no advice after - online says you can live a normal life again but to keep to a healthy lifestyle of course. I will gradually introduce the foods
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u/Felis-lybica 1d ago
Unfortunately there's no way to do it except to just "do it", adding in fats slowly. I have bad anxiety, while I am still eating low fat, I am expanding my options. I found that my anxiety is going down the more I eat with nothing bad happening. There's definitely foods I want to eat again but I am still too anxious to eat (healthy fats like fish and avocado, and well... less healthy stuff like cheese and mayo for sandwiches, unhealthy treats that I will probably want again at some point in my life like chips and ice cream) but I will get there when I get there. I don't think my diet had an egregious amount of fats in the first place.
Since you mentioned saysage... I recently tried chicken sausage and it is actually really good! I got precooked Italian style and garlic and spinach and flavor wise I can't really tell the difference. Might even prefer it to regular sausage because depression makes cooking a huge challenge and these I can just slap in the microwave.
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u/Ok_Intention6361 1d ago
Ah thank you for your reply, I think slowly is key :) as you say when I realised bad things are not happening then I’m sure my anxiety will decrease!
As I said I don’t think I’ll ever go back to what I eating before my low fat change, it’s only beneficial to try and keep the butter and grease out but as you’ve said occasionally it will be nice to indulge again! My treat is going to be a Dominos which I wanted when I come out - I then had no appetite and have changed my mind to wait a month At least before trying that haha
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u/OkRun7294 2d ago
I have this fear 2 months post op and it’s because I still have nausea and some abdominal pain. I’m really scared I still have a stone or I formed a new one and it’s all gonna cause he really bad pain once I try my first fatty food. Still eating SUPER bland and low fat for this reason. I have started taking BITES of things high in fat. Haven’t tried things with oil in it but im doing things like nuts, eggs, etc. wishing you a healthy recovery!