When you have a problem with your gallbladder, like gallstones, your doctor may recommend that you have gallbladder surgery to remove your gallbladder.
Your gallbladder is an organ that you can live without, but some people need to avoid certain foods after gallbladder removal.
The Gallbladder and Digestion
The gallbladder is a small organ that sits under your liver.
It stores, concentrates, and helps secrete bile, a liquid made by your liver that helps digest fatty foods.
If you need to have surgery to remove your gallbladder, your liver still makes enough bile for normal digestion.
Even so, it is not unusual for people to have some difficulty digesting certain foods in the days and weeks following gallbladder surgery.
Dietary Adjustments
It's important to carefully follow your doctor's instructions about your diet after gallbladder surgery.
If you're hospitalized, your medical team will help you transition from a liquid to a solid diet almost immediately after your gallbladder surgery.
If you're recovering at home, you'll need to introduce foods slowly, and consume mainly clear liquids, like broth and gelatin, at first.
If you feel ready and are not nauseated, you can slowly begin introducing solid foods back into your diet as you start feeling better.
But you may need to avoid certain types of foods for a while.
More than half of people who have recently had gallbladder surgery report problems with digesting fats following their surgery.
This is because your gallbladder is no longer there to control the release of bile into your intestines after eating a meal.
Instead, a small amount of bile is now directly "leaked" from your liver into your small intestine at a slow, constant rate.
It can take a few weeks for your body to get used to this change, and you may experience bloating, diarrhea, and gas after eating fatty foods during this time.
But most people can return to a normal diet within a month after having gallbladder surgery.