Gallbladder surgery and colon cancer?
Hi all I just read the article about GB surgery and its connection to the colon cancer. It says that people who undergo gallbladder surgery has a risk to develop colon cancer. That's scaring because recently i had this surgery. i would like to know your experiences.. is this article true ? another issue for is that post galbladder surgery diarrhea I am having this all the time please help any experience and posts greatly appreaciated thank you all in advance
Cancer - 2 Answers
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1 :
ok i had my gall bladder taken out years ago and I have never heard of anything to connect the two together. yes diarrhea is a major "after shock" and so is alot of gas. I have diarrhea every day, so I have to take imodiam every day, you gotta watch some of the foods you eat now that you dont have the gall bladder. I dont do any major spicey foods. and watch your fat intake. you cant go without completely, but just be careful what you take in. when the gall bladder is gone, the bile duct has to work over time, so it helps to try to keep that stuff at a minimum.
2 :
There are a lot more factors that play into the gallbladder/colon cancer connection than just the surgery. The folks who tend to have gallbladder problems usually developed the stones as a result of poor diet- usually one high in fat and low in the veggies/whole grains, and weight. Those same factors make you a higher risk for all sorts of digestive system troubles- everything from hemorrhoids to polyps, plus the high cholesterol floating around in the body raises your cardiovascular risk as well. So it's not so simple to reach the conclusion that removing the gallbladder puts you at risk of developing colon cancer. There are just too many other factors involved. As far as the diarhea post op, that's related to the amount of fat in your current diet more than likely. Your gallbladder is just a storage facility for the bile the liver produces to break down fats. That way, there is plenty in reserve to use when you eat a high fat meal- say a couple pieces of fried chicken, with fries, etc. Not having a gallbladder for storage means the liver now must produce bile on demand, and deliver it directly to your small intestine in time to break down all the fat in your meal. It can only produce so much bile at a time, and if you exceed the amount of fat your can break down- some goes undigested. Undigested fat travels through the system rapidly, and you get diarhea, bloating and gas. Initially you will be more sensitive to the fat content of your food than you will be a few months down the road, so at first you need to stick to a low fat diet. The amount of fat a person can tolerate depends on the person, and you will just have to experiment to see what your personal tolerance is. You do that by starting with a very low fat diet, and then adding in small amounts/small servings containing more until you figure it out. There is not likely to ever be a time when you will be able to indulge in a full fry up meal without paying the price though. The only way to offset a high fat food is to combine it with a whole grain like rice, which can help absorb some of the excess. It will slow matters, but it won't prevent everything and there will still likely be gas. Your diet needs to be higher in whole grains and veggies, and you will have to keep your eye on the fat grams all the time. There are some foods that give folks trouble, sometimes- things like salad veggies, cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts are the usual offenders. That varies too from person to person- and you may find you have little to no trouble with them, or they may have to be eaten in small amounts at a time. Your troubles with diarhea are probably more related to the fat content of your diet. You will not have gallbladder attacks now, but that doesn't mean you can go back to the old diet you had prior to surgery. That's partially what caused the problem in the first place. And while you won't form stones again, you will still pay the price for a bad diet in the effect on your overall health if you don't alter it. Not having gallstones or a gallbladder won't protect you from other digestive complaints or troubles- including the colon cancer, if you don't eat right. I know this sounds like a regular lecture from your mom- sorry - but that's how this all works together. It's not the gallbladder removal that's the problem. It's the bad eating habits we have. Too many folks thing because they had the surgery, and won't suffer like they did before, they can go back to those old bad habits. And the plain truth is, you can't. Not without paybacks anyway. The article is just talking about one of the paybacks, if you don't change your ways and your diet. Having the gallbladder removed won't equate to colon cancer automatically- no. The gallbladder was your warning though. Listen, change your diet, and you probably won't have any more troubles. Ignore it, and you will have other problems possibly.
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