Read article Diet and gallbladder surgery
This page is about how gallbladder cancer surgery can affect your diet.
Usually, you don't have to avoid particular foods after gallbladder surgery, but some people do get increased wind (gas) or bloating after meals for up to several weeks after surgery. In most cases, these changes are short term and will get better within a few weeks of having your operation. But if you have had very major surgery, with the removal of other organs such as the pancreas, you may have problems digesting your food. You may not feel like eating much, and eating small meals often may seem easier than having 3 large meals a day.
There is information about diet and pancreatic surgery that you may find useful in our living with pancreatic cancer section. But remember this section is about a different type of cancer, and you will need to use the back button at the top left of your browser window to come back to this gallbladder cancer information.
About 20 out of every 100 people (20%) who have their gallbladder removed will have diarrhoea afterwards. This is because bile is no longer stored in the gallbladder and flows directly from the liver into your small bowel. Also, after your gallbladder has been taken out, your stools tend to stay in your bowel for less time. So you have more frequent bowel motions.
Diarrhoea will improve with time, but unfortunately, it can last for many years. This can make everyday life more difficult. Being continuously worried about having an accident with your bowels when you are out is a big strain. Some things may help. You could
- Ask your doctor to recommend anti diarrhoea medicines to slow down your bowel
- Ask your doctor about medicines that help bind the bile
- Avoid foods that you find make diarrhoea worse, such as caffeine in tea and coffee, and spicy and fatty foods
- Wear a small pad in your pants – it may feel strange but might help to prevent embarrassing moments in public and so help you feel more confident
There is more useful information about managing diarrhoea in our section on coping physically with cancer.
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