Dietary advice after surgery

[Bluebell]

Hi everyone,

I'm posting this on behalf of bluebell. I'm her partner. She's just had surgery, gallbladder removal, and was wondering if any of you have gone through the same thing. If so, do you have any dietary advice? What should you eat and what should you steer well clear off? Any advice or tips you might have are appreciated. :)

Bluebell by proxy

[harpy]

Hello, I don't really know the answer but I wanted to send best wishes to Bluebell for a fast recovery.

I'm not sure I have ever seen special advice for vegans who have had their gallbladders removed but I have seen general advice to eat normally but avoid having too much fat - mentioned here along with a couple of other tips http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2443.aspx?CategoryID=51

[Clueless Git]

Hello Mr Bell and best wishes to Blue for a speedy recovery.

Only thing I can think of diet wise is that a little extra protein would probably be a good idea?

[deniselynn]

My vegan friend had her gallbladder removed and made no dietary changes and she seems fine.
I have also heard that reducing fat intake is a good idea.
I find it odd that the doctor would not have any followup advice.

[Gattona]

Hi, I had my gall bladder removed a few years back and don't remember any dietary advice. If anything it was that I could now eat a more normal diet. One has to be VERY careful before the op, gall stone sufferers will know what I am talking about! I guess after any surgery its as well to eat as healthily as possible, but when you've been denying yourself anything with fat in it as I expect Bluebell has, well personally I'd want a treat or two as well.

Wishing Bluebell all the best for a healthy new year.

[Bluebell]

(It's bluebell here as opposed to mr. bluebell)

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to wish you all a very happy new year and to thank you for your good wishes. Awww!:)
Before the op I never used to eat a large amount of fat anyway and now after the only help I was given was a diet sheet printed for carnies wishing to loose weight. As I'm skinny already and I'm not a carnie it doesn't apply. (eek!) Now several pounds lighter after being in there and being starved as they seem to have no clue whatsoever about what constituted a vegan diet.

I'm now even more confused, as on this info sheet it said that nuts and spreads should be avoided. Previously I've been using pure soya/sunflower spread and I would have some almonds or walnuts, so I don't know. Can I eat them now or not? And what happens if I do? And I'm really worried about what happens If i'm not getting the fats and oils I'm supposed to be having. I'm finding it all very stressfull and confusing.

It's a good thing there's the "What have you been eating?" thread because that's good for inspiration.

I think it's about time someone invented a nutri-bot (a nutrition robot) that could just manifest, figure out what you needed and would cook it for you and do the washing up. :D

Thank you.

[harpy]

Hi Bluebell - welcome back, hope you're feeling better after your ordeal.

Did they say why they gave you that diet sheet? Even for weight loss, avoiding nuts completely seems lousy advice! From the link above (http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2443.aspx?CategoryID=51) and what I remember hearing before, it seems too much fat can cause problems if you don't have a gall bladder but I would have thought you would find out soon enough if you were getting too much. I have a (veggie) friend who had the same op and she just eats normally.

Maybe you could try asking your GP to refer you to a dietician although with the NHS cuts I'm not sure how likely that is to happen :/ But there seems to be some general advice online, some of it from reputable sources. I agree about the robot though, put me down for one!

[harpy]

...partner of person who had gallbladder removed says advice was to "avoid high-fat foods" which I suppose technically includes nuts but it seems odd if it's really the fat content of a specific food that's important rather than a complete meal :confused:

[Bluebell]

Hi harpy,

Thanks so much for the good wishes. I'm doing really well (touch wood). :) You're right about the dietician: I had asked my GP to refer me and he said that it was practically impossible to get an appointment because they're so busy dealing with priority cases.

I'm pleased you're interested in the nutri-bot, maybe I should start taking orders. ;)

[Gattona]

How are you now Bluebell? Did you have keyhole or the other sort of surgery? Maybe that makes a difference. I had keyhole and ate absolutely normally as soon as I could after the op and had no dietary advice at all. Now, several years down the line my stomach is extremely resiliant. I know it's not good to offer medical advice but I'm thinking if they gave you dietary advice suitable for a meaty diet then perhaps nuts on top of meat would not be a good idea.

[Bluebell]

Hi Gattona,
I'm doing brilliantly, thanks very much for asking. :) It was done via keyhole.
Thanks for your kind words. It's encouraging to know that with a bit more confidence I'll be able to try to eat well. :)