1. My gallbladder has been
removed. Why do I still have symptoms, such as nausea, burping, bloating, gas, and pain?
Removing the gallbladder does not always address the problem in the body that is causing these symptoms. In order
to break down and digest fats, your body must produce bile, which is done in the liver. Your gallbladder is merely
a sac for holding the bile that the liver produces. Whether or not you have had your gallbladder removed, your
liver is still producing bile in order to digest fats. Without the gallbladder, however, the bile is not as readily
secreted in the body, and the liver can become overwhelmed when faced with large amounts of any fats, especially
saturated fats and hydrogenated fats. And for some people even small amounts of fats can cause discomfort. (One
of the side effects of gallbladder removal can be the dumping of bile which is not as easily regulated now which
sends someone running to the bathroom immediately after eating.) More common is a decrease in the secretion of
bile. If the bile produced by the liver becomes thick and sluggish, painful symptoms and bile stones can occur.
The easiest way to avoid this is to take an external supplement of bile salts to help your body with the digestion
of fats. And do a series of mini gallbladder flushes. Supplemental bile salts, available in the After Gallbladder
Removal Kit http://www.gallbladderattack.com/gallbladderproducts.shtml should be taken frequently along with some herbs to help stimulate your own digestive
juices (also in the kit). Alternating the dosage of bile salts will help to mimic the body's way of secreting bile.
For example, take one with breakfast, two at lunch, three at dinner, four with breakfast the next day, and so on
in rotation.
2. What can I do to avoid a
gallbladder attack, or prevent another one?
If you never want to experience the pain of a gallbladder attack, order the Starter Kit products, which includes Phosfood liquid. Taking the Phosfood liquid will prevent the onset
of a gallbladder attack, and keeping it with you at all times will prepare you for any unexpected symptoms. If
you wish to change your diet to further prevent an attack, consult my newsletters about diet http://www.gallbladderattack.com/newsletter.shtml These products in combination will help to relieve
the pressure from the gallbladder, thin the bile, and relieve nausea, vomiting, indigestion, dizziness, and the
pain you may be experiencing between your right ribcage and right shoulder blade.
See the instructions included with your kit. If you do not have the kit yet, drink 1/4 cup of beet juice and repeat
every half hour or take the beet recipe http://www.gallbladderattack.com/beetrecipe.shtml as directed. Once your symptoms are under control
(or sooner) get online and order the New Gallbladder Starter Kit http://www.gallbladderattack.com/gallbladderproducts.shtml Expect to stay on these products for several months
and then move on the liver cleanse http://www.gallbladderattack.com/beetrecipe.shtml . Read about the relationship between liver, bile
and gallbladder in question 1 at the top of this page, so that you understand the root of your problem. Continue
drinking beet juice three to four times a day while waiting for your product to arrive. While beets work to thin
the bile and relieve your immediate symptoms, the products are more concentrated, deeper acting, more comprehensive,
and altogether more convenient. Most people do not want to juice beets with every meal.
4. What kind of diet should
I follow since I have been diagnosed with gallstones or gallbladder problems, or if my gallbladder has been removed?
Please consult my newsletter
on diet. If your gallbladder has been removed, you should be replacing bile salts your body is not making with
the products in the Gallbladder Removal Kit. You also need help with the bile flow from the liver and digestive
enzymes and help with that is provided in the kit. If you have stones or suffer attacks or other gallbladder-related
symptoms, use the Gallbladder Stone Kit or New Gallbladder Starter Kit since the bile function in your body is
impaired, along with your ability to digest fats. I have learned from all of you that people's reactions to foods
are not consistent at all, especially the common recommendation to avoid leafy greens. The worst offenders I hear
about from my readers are fatty foods, including eggs and cheese. A few react to greens while many don't. The greens
help to detoxify the liver. So you will have to experiment as every body is different.
6. Can I have any fats since
my gallbladder was removed?
You cannot live without fats. Every cell membrane in your body is made with fat. Fats feed the brain, and many
hormones are made with fat. What is important is what kind of fats you are eating. Avoid fried foods, hydrogenated
and partially hydrogenated fats, and refined oils. Instead of these, try to use unrefined virgin olive oil, or
flax oil in your food. For more details and more choices, order my newsletter
on good fats/bad fats. Avoid or limit your cheese intake. Unless your gallbladder was defective in some way, the
reason you had it removed is more related to your eating habits, or the state of your liver. Your diet should be
the same whether you have had your gallbladder removed or not. It is very important to maintain a diet that helps
your liver to digest fats properly and that helps the liver to do its job of filtering toxins. It is important
to give it the tools it needs in order to do its job, i.e. real nutrients, and to avoid piling up its workload
by eating highly processed food, preservatives, bad fats and other toxic foods. Avoid eating at fast food restaurants,
and ask about oils used at good restaurants.
As a disclaimer, you must ask your doctor this question. Based on comments people have made to me, it seems that
there are times when removal is necessary, but this is only rarely. When the gallbladder is full of bile stones
and the bile duct is blocked, emergency surgery is often needed. Also, if the gallbladder is gangrenous, infected,
or ripped, removing it is often the only option. A motility problem that cannot be resolved other ways is another
reason. However, what I see (and I may be a site of "last resort") is that a peoples' symptoms will continue
after they have had their gallbladder removed. This is because the root of the problem in the body has not been
treated even though the gallbladder has been taken out. For more explanation, see Question 1.
8. Can you have a negative
gallbladder blood test, and still have gallbladder problems?
Blood tests are not the usual or only test performed for gallbladder. I'm assuming you are referring to a liver
function test. The answer to this test is yes. Blood tests in general tend to show problems only when they are
advanced. Even if your blood test was negative, it is possible that your gallbladder is having undetectable problems
and you are suffering the symptoms. Everyone has had the experience of feeling lousy, lethargic, and sickly, yet
knowing that a doctor's appointment is pointless. As such, your gallbladder can be problematic without being extreme
enough to show up on the blood test. And finding no stones or sludge on a scan also does not mean that you are
home free. After all, you are the one with the discomfort and asking the question. Do you believe there is no problem?
Current thought believes gallbladder health to be hereditary, yet it is equally important to acknowledge the role
of inherited dietary habits in the functioning of the gallbladder.
10. Should I get a second opinion
on gallbladder surgery?
As with any surgery, it is always a good idea to get a second opinion. Ask both the doctors their reasons for suggesting
surgery. Is it absolutely medically necessary? Is the gallbladder infected or torn or is he suggesting it because
you have sludge, or stones or have had an attack and he is trying to avoid you having to experience pain? Surgery
has been recommended without any of the above and with no signs of sludge either. It just seems like a good way
to avoid getting into pain again. Find out WHY your gallbladder needs to come out. What exactly is wrong with it?
Yes. However, I would use the avoid the Phosfood Liquid and depend more on the Betafood. Take 2-3 Betafood per
meal. And drink beet juice and use the beet recipe.
13. How do I know if I'm having
a gallbladder attack?
Fill out the questionnaire. Know that the severity of gallbladder attacks may
vary from moderate pain (below the right ribcage and sometimes extending back into the right shoulder blade) to
excruciating pain accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever and/or chills and fever or cold sweats. Nausea and vomiting
after a meal on a frequent basis (without pain) could also be considered a form of a gallbladder attack.
14. I'd like to do a flush,
but I'm a little hesitant about the possibility of a gallstone getting stuck in the duct. If I follow your dietary
suggestions, eat right, use the beet recipes, etc, can I expect that the stones will begin to "dissolve"
on their own, to the point where I could do a flush later (in a couple months, year, etc?)
I suggest you do the Gallbladder Stone Kit (if you know you have stones) rather than depending on dietary changes
alone. But the products alone also need the support of a good diet. I would not suggest the flush until you've
been on those products for 5-6 months. Start with the mini-flushes, doing them once a week for 6-8 weeks before
you attempt the regular flush. You should be in very good shape by then. And then you need to start working on
the liver as the liver is the root of the problem since that is where the bile is made.
15. Is it possible for gall
bladder trouble to be linked to menstruation? I only have attacks a few days after I start, and I have no trouble
after I stop. My husband's aunt's trouble seemed to be linked to her period too, but I ca'|t find any information
on if they are connected. I wonder if other women have experienced this?
I have not heard of a gallbladder link with menstruation before nor have I not run across it myself. However, as
a practitioner, I have seen lots of strange things linked to periods. Anything that recurs monthly during that
time is connected. And it is highly likely that you would be prone to more gallbladder problems during pregnancy
since the high cholesterol/hormones during pregnancy often cause symptoms, if not stone formation. My suggestion
would be to see it as a true gallbladder problem and to treat it accordingly, i.e. change your diet to exclude
fatty foods and especially during that time of the month; eat specific foods such as beets and products like bile
salts to thin the bile and prevent sludge and stones from forming; study the lesser known risk factors at www.gallbladderattack.com/gallbladderdisease.shtml#riskfactors
such as stress, constipation, losing weight too quickly, etc. and gear your lifestyle around them. What I mean
by that is, if you are under a stressful period in your life, take Ease Distress to combat that, especially before
you eat. And don't compound factors by eating poorly during that period of time. If you are planning on doing a
weight loss program, add bile salts to your program to help prevent against stone formation. And if you are under
stress and unable to eat well (visiting friends out of town) take products at that time to keep the bile moving
as well. Be pro-active and take preventative measures.
16. I had my gallbladder removed 4 weeks ago and about 2 days ago I started having the
same pain. Now I can't eat anything except liquids. Why could this be happening?
Sounds like you may have a stone stuck in a bile duct. You need to call your gastro or surgeon and have it checked
out.
Gallbladder attacks are more commom than you may think. Gallstones affect more than
25 million American (our total population being 310 million in early 2011). One million new cases of gallstones
are diagnosed annually, according to the American Gastroenterological Association. 500,000-700,000 gallbladder
removals take place every year in the USA alone, and since the diet of the general American population is not improving,
those numbers are rising.
"Thanks for your web site. Your beet
recipe was a great help to me. After suffering pain for more than a week. I went to the doctor and the E.R., but
they could not even tell me what was wrong. After the pain got worse I had a CAT scan and the doctor told me he
thought it was my gallbladder. After getting frustrated waiting for doctors, my wife found your site. I feel better,
but not completely better, and I am very hungry only making veggie and fruit juice, and eating fish, rice, and
yams."
DID YOU KNOW...
that food allergies can
also bring on a gallbladder attack? If you are one of those people who never knows what foods will bring on an
attack, read about the allergy
diet.
I had a significant improvement in my symptoms
the day after I talked to Debbie. She told me that there was a reason that grapes were recommended for my problem, so I went home and prepared the grapes. The next evening I felt
a great lessening of the pressure and pain in my chest, so whatever was blocking my bile ducts had receded or gotten
smaller. In the following days I was able to eat the beet recipe and gradually I've been able to introduce heavier
foods with no problems. Of course I'm taking her digestive supplements and will be placing another order soon -and
I'm being very vigilant about my diet. I want to thank you all for all the great wisdom I've learned from Debbie
and her website. I'm a huge fan. You really helped me out of a tough spot medically. I've learned a great lesson
from it.
Thank you. This is the most
helpful site Ive found after my
first full fledged weekend of pain. Time for change.
Day ten on the gall bladder starter kit and the pain is gone. Following the diet regime and taking the supplements
and the improvement is amazing. I appreciate all the advice on you website and in the emails and am changing my
lifestyle as directed. The results are most gratifying. You know your stuff and present it well. I am most appreciative.
Disclaimer: The statements in this website have NOT been evaluated by or sanctioned by the FDA. Only your doctor
can properly diagnose and treat any disease or disorder. The supplements discussed herein are not meant to treat
any disease but are for nutritional support of the body only. The user understands that the information in this
website is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician or a pharmacist.
®Copyright 2007 Gallbladder Attack. All Rights
Reserved.
Site Design, Hosting, & SEO by Scott Creative Services, Inc.
