PLEASE HELP!! gallbladder. food.

I have just discovered that I have major gallstones (one is 7cm), and apparently my gallbladder is full. They are not blocking anything yet, so it is not a particularly severe situation, though I had a really painful episode recently.

I don't know what I CAN eat. Everything I read says different things. I have been eating fresh fruit and vegetables for a few days, but i am worried that this will not sustain me and i will end up very weak with low iron.

I was told not to have dairy or any meat, chicken, eggs, or any fat related to animals.

I've got to get the gallbladder removed, but it will be a potentially long time until I can get surgery.

If anyone has any tips on what to eat until then, I will be very grateful.

Right now I eat little to no sugar or refined flours. I think my diet overhaul previous to this situation may have contributed to the gallstone problems. I stopped eating low g.i. foods BECAUSE of stomach pain, now I am really confused.

PLEASE HELP!

[egwene]

STARTED eating low g.i. foods, that is.

[Fuzzz]

Before my cholecystectomy for gallstones, the worst thing I attempted to eat was cheesecake.  I had just found out my daily lack of appetite, nausea and vomiting was due to gallstones, and then we had a pizza and cheesecake party at work.  I had 2 pieces of veggie pizza and 2 bites of cheesecake (to be polite).  The next day I had my first gallbladder attack, which was 30 hours of pain.  At times I could not stand up straight.  The pain was more in my back and left side of my abdomen, so go figure.  Anyway, avoid foods that are very high in fat - I think cream cheese/cheesecake is the WORST food you could eat.  But I never had to completely cut out fat.  I'm still trying to regain the weight after surgery, but I discovered I still can't eat any cream cheese.  The only reason I tried was because I'd love to put on 5-10 lb.  The smell of strong fish makes me sick, and peanut butter causes problems.  I can't stand the smell or taste of toast, which makes no sense, but I didn't notice some of this until after surgery.  

[Banned1]

Hi Egwene:

I'm sorry to hear about your gallstones and that you're struggling with your diet.  With a stone that large, I'd be very surprised if they didn't take it out sooner.  As someone who endured an obstructed bile duct, I can tell you that the infection caused by the blockage made me sicker than I've ever been so don't let them wait too long.  Keep an eye out for stronger urine odor and/or darker urine color and/or fever above 100 degrees.  If any of that happens, get to the doctor/hospital to get looked at immediately.

My Doctor suggested the BRAT diet
 Bananas
 Rice
 Applesauce
 Toast

I've been living on baked chicken and baked potatoes for the past year.  I can also tolerate pasta without sauce, some roasted meats, fruit and some pudding.  I had to add one new item at one meal a week to see if I could tolerate it.  Common sense trial and error is a great way to learn what you can eat but be smart about it.  Nothing fried is going to be a good idea. Drink lots of fluids.  If you don't like water, try Kool-Aid or juices.

If you're worried about nutrition, maybe you could try Ensure or another type of meal substitute drink.  Visit www.ensure.com.  Not only do they have all the vitamins and minerals you need, they'll fill you up and keep you strong for your pending surgery.

I wish you all the best.  Good luck and Godspeed!

[Thypatient]

I agree it's probably going to be more on a trial and error basis, as everyone's different.  However, I had specific issues with heavy cheeses too and would have died toward the end had I eaten even a bite of cheesecake.  In addition, onions or anything in that family was always a definite no-no for me.  I guess you never know; I knew someone who told me it got so bad that even water became a killer on some days.

On another note:  I don't know why it will potentially be a long time before surgery but I want to caution you that waiting too long it not a good idea.  From what I've read, untreated gallbladder disease can lead to problems in other organs of the body.

Good luck.