Father had Gallbladder removed last year. What can he eat?

[Andrey]

Before I start, I just want to apologize to this forum and to the mods for starting a thread when I was super drunk around last week. I still feel embarrassed about the stuff I wrote and I was so glad to see it completely removed when I woke up the following day. Lesson learned. I'm trying my best to stop the drinking but it's tough. I'm addicted. Anyways, that's all I wanted to say about that.

In relation to the thread title, basically my father had his gallbladder removed some time last year and ever since then he's been on a high carb diet and has been told by his primary care physician to avoid fatty foods.

I've been doing some research on this by myself and here's the best quote I found that sums up what I've found so far:

There's no standard diet that people should follow after gallbladder removal surgery. In general, it's best to avoid fatty, greasy, processed, and sugary foods. Eating these foods after having your gallbladder removed won't cause serious health problems, but it can lead to a lot of painful gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

So it seems he may be able to get on a high fat diet and still be okay more or less minus some side effects due to gallbladder removal.

I'm making this thread because he's been on a really poor high carb/junk food diet for many years now an is still under the impression that "food is food" whether it's something healthy or if its mcdonalds. I mean... he "gets" that he should be eating better but doesn't seem to care much about what he ingests (I know I sound like a hypocrite after the stunt I pulled last week when I was drunk... I'm trying my best to overcome these obstacles and start living healthy). Well I care a lot about his health. He recently turned 60 and I worry about his health deteriorating over the years and even more so with an excised gallbladder and I am starting to understand the importance diet plays in all this.

So I'm trying to do my homework and also network with his doctor the best way I can about what kind of diet he should be following. I also wanted to ask this forum about whether he can consume mostly saturated fats or follow a keto diet, etc.

As usual I probably shared too much so my apologies for that.

tl;dr - Father had gallbladder removed. What kind of diet and health protocol can he follow to optimize his health without causing any serious injury due to excised gallbladder.

Thanks for reading.

 

[scotseeker]

I can only tell you second hand what my Sister-in-law Law found when she had her gall bladder removed. Fat is very difficult for her to digest, for her she can only eat a very modest amount of it. Good carbohydrates (vegetable, a little good grain bread, etc.) are OK. She does not eat a lot of sugar in any form, does not eat any junk food. She is careful with her diet since the surgery And does very well.

Regarding your alcohol consumption, being addicted to Anything is not good for the body, mind or soul. From my own experience, I can tell you that I only quit (all together) by getting help. When you say that you were super drunk and addicted in one paragraph, perhaps you should consider reaching out for help. It is very difficult and next to impossible for an Alcoholic to quit on their own. Stopping cold turkey is dangerous if you consume Alcohol in quantity daily or very frequently. I got help, for me it is a 12 Step program, I don’t drink and have not for years, it was the best thing I have done for myself and those around me. Please consider it, it will not get better, only worse.

 

[Voyageur]

Before I start, I just want to apologize to this forum and to the mods for starting a thread when I was super drunk around last week. I still feel embarrassed about the stuff I wrote and I was so glad to see it completely removed when I woke up the following day. Lesson learned. I'm trying my best to stop the drinking but it's tough. I'm addicted. Anyways, that's all I wanted to say about that.

Perhaps this can be a swamp issue for you, as there are many who have had to work through these addictions and may be able to offer you something to help. It is indeed tough, and peeps are here for you if you want that support.

As for your dad's issue:

In relation to the thread title, basically my father had his gallbladder removed some time last year and ever since then he's been on a high carb diet and has been told by his primary care physician to avoid fatty foods.

There is a thread for gallbladder (had some problems with this myself) that perhaps moderators could shift the conversation over to. I've read this thread and there are some good points to it from people in the same category as your dad.

Thread is gallbladder removal and hope you can find something in there to help.

 

[Alejo]

I think the thread that Voyageur pointed you is a good source of information for you to learn and share with your father and the doctor potentially. The thing with diet is that it is very particular to the individual, and everyone reacts differently to different amounts of fats, proteins, carbs and so on, so another thing to keep in mind, which will help you navigating things through, is that there might be a specific diet that will work best for him, even if it's different than yours or different that what is pointed out on several threads and books.

The other point I wanted to bring up, regarding your post under the influence, is that it may be a good way to look at your father's current situation as a mirror of yours. I am sure there's a lot more going on at the core of the habit, and these are things that you can choose to work on at your pace, but every now and then reminding yourself that if you were someone that you were trying to help to see how maintaining certain habits affects your life, you would give yourself a certain kind of advice regarding your life.

And so, I am not sure if you've heard or read much of Jordan Peterson's work, but there was a rule, on his 12 Rules for Life book, that I was reminded of when reading your post, and it's rule # 2, Take care of yourself as though you were someone you were in charge of taking care of (paraphrasing).

It's not only a practical invitation to care for our health, but also to explore the mental processes that govern the way we care for someone else, and how the way we perceive ourselves sometimes differs greatly, even though in some cases, we're not really that much worse off than some of the people we would go above and beyond for. It's an exploration of this idea of self worth, not from a vain point of view, but from an honest look at ourselves and our own self perception.

As pointed above, there are several people in this forum who have undergone similar processes and I am sure they can offer you advice and sympathy as you go through your own trials.