“Most people don’t notice anything, and there is no real change in digestion" after having their gallbladder removed, says William Brugge, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. But, he says, “A percentage of people have complications” after gallbladder removal surgery. Living Without a Gallbladder Obviously, when you’re living without a gallbladder, it can no longer store bile, as designed. Bile is a liquid that helps you digest fatty foods. The gallbladder releases it into your small intestine. But, according to Dr. Brugge, when you are not eating for a long period of time, such as at night when you are sleeping, your gallbladder stores the bile. “The gallbladder holds maybe a cup of fluid,” says Brugge. “The bile is constantly being delivered into your intestine instead of being stored,” Brugge explains. In theory, this means that you will not digest food as well. “But most animal species in the world don’t have gallbladders,” Brugge says. And your gallbladder is an organ you can live without. Digestion Changes After Gallbladder Removal In the first few weeks after your surgery, your doctor probably will recommend that you eat a mostly low-fat diet while your body adjusts to living without a gallbladder. After that, “ninety percent of people go back to eating the way they did before,” says Brugge. Brugge says that digestive symptoms are relatively uncommon after gallbladder removal. But some people will notice a change in their digestion. “The most common thing is people have more frequent bowel movements,” Brugge says. Laura Consolo of Melrose, Mass., had her gallbladder removed 12 years ago and has experienced some digestive changes. “I probably noticed the change about two months after the surgery,” says Consolo, now in her early forties. “If I ate a lot of fatty foods, I would have a really bad stomachache and need to run to the bathroom,” she continues. “It was pretty much a constant thing for a while.” Managing Digestive Problems After Gallbladder Removal Brugge notes that gallbladder removal-related digestive symptoms usually go away over time, but that some people need to take medications or make lifestyle changes to help manage their symptoms. “There are medications [people can] take that will bind the bile,” says Brugge. Some of the lifestyle changes that can help ease digestive symptoms when you’re living without a gallbladder are:
Adopt a low-fat dietAvoid eating fatty foods, such as fried foodsEat small, frequent mealsAvoid eating a very large dinner after fasting all day
Consolo says that she took medications to manage her symptoms, but eventually wanted to wean herself off these drugs. She is now able to manage her symptoms with a high-fiber, low-fat diet.
