Not so low-fat

[redbird]

I just talked to my surgeon, and explained that the discharge nurse had given me instructions for a low-fat diet, of which I remembered only that oatmeal was good and ice cream was bad, and this seemed a bit vague, and was there more he could tell me. He said something vague but disparaging about people telling people who had had gall-bladder surgery that they needed a low-fat diet, and then, explicitly, "Eat what you want." I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do now, but it's nice to know that if, say, lamb seems more likely to taste right than yet another chicken dish, I should have the lamb.

ETA: In the meantime, I am assuming that the other advice—no heavy lifting, don't go back to the gym until after I see the doctor and get his advice, and no baths or swimming, only showers—is reasonable. But those don't complicate my life, and cattitude's, in the same way.

Comments

[erik]

In general, "pay attention to what your body is asking for" is pretty good advice.

[redbird]

It is. Unfortunately, the only things I'm clear on right now is that it wants liquids and moist things (soup, sorbet, canned fruit, pumpernickel bread) and that tap water tastes flat. But I need to stay hydrated: hence, lots of tea and juice.

[liv]

You know perfectly well I'm not a medic, but my impression is that people without gall bladders are supposed to avoid very high fat food (eg deep fried things), rather than avoiding anything with fat in. I don't know if things are different immediately after surgery, of course. I'm very suspicious of your nurse because you quoted her as saying that everybody ought to be eating low fat anyway, which suggests she was just pushing general anti-fat evangelism on you, rather than giving you helpful medical advice. I'm glad that the surgeon is being helpful and positive, though.

[redbird]

I think avoiding the deep-fat-fried stuff for a bit is a good idea. I've certainly heard, anecdotally, of people who lack gall bladders having trouble with those foods, especially in quantity. (That is, someone who could eat a few French fries might have trouble with an entire order of fish and chips.)

Mostly, it's nice to think that when I go back to work, I can get a croissant from that nice Korean bakery, instead of exploring the low-fat muffin options at the place in Penn Station where I get my chocolate-chip muffins.

[wild-irises.livejournal.com]

I had my gall bladder out in 1990 or so and I never had a moment's trouble with fatty food after that. Of course, I'm only one person.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

My understanding, from research done when I went through a bout of gall-bladder issues that did not result in its removal, is that what most health-care providers mean when they tell gall-bladder patients to adhere to a low-fat diet is more like "don't go hog-wild on the fat once the pesky gall-bladder is gone."

That, and the general anti-fat bias of some health workers tends to translate into "low-fat diet," even though it's not technically necessary.

[deor.livejournal.com]

After I had my gall-bladder out, I found that anything that was too high in sugar or fat made me ill. After a few months my body found a new balance, and now I can eat basically anything.

[beginning.livejournal.com]

It's been a while now since I thought about gall bladder stuff – waaaaay back, they thought maybe mine was part of my problem – but I do remember my doctor saying that fat was okay, just not the bad greasy kind of fat. So it probably just means that while eating a Big Mac is not a good decision, having a homemade lean cheeseburger is probably okay. (Not that you sit around eating cheeseburgers, but you know what I mean.)

[maryread.livejournal.com]

You might want to find a dietician or twelve to consult on that. Although, of course, you just have.

(Just thinking about my whole-food-eating vegetarian friend who, to her entire confusion, was put on a "low-fiber" diet, with fiber supplement, after bowel surgery. I spent a loooong time talking her through that, after finding her vegan bouillon from the grocery around the corner from the hospital. Explaining to her why ice cream might be a very fine thing for a person who was literally starving for lack of calories. And then her first solid food presented in the hospital was a bacon & egg breakfast. All she wanted was some whole-wheat toast.)

I've been thinking of you, hoping you will still have all the necessary gall.

[redbird]

Asking a bunch of friends I trust is good, but not the same as consulting a dietician. Then again, finding a dietician who will not automatically say "low fat is good" for everyone, or certainly for everyone like me (that is, fat and female, not gall-bladder-less) may be a difficult trick. [The person I consulted earlier today is a surgeon.]

Or is one of your many skills training as a dietician or nutritionist? If so, I would love some help and advice here.

[maryread.livejournal.com]

That is why I suggested consulting more than one nutritionist. I had the good luck to meet up with one I liked, once upon a time, to ameliorate the bad impression I had previously gained. Just checking. My favorite medical consultants are physical therapists and pharmacists, because they are specialists in the interactions & biomechanics, but know they don't know it all. The surgeon has different expertise, and checking the nurse's advice was good. Nurses have to know everything, I've noticed, which is rather too much.

I have read an awful lot on the subject, but certainly would not consider myself well-informed in this company.

But how low is low? you might want to inquire about the difference between a daily mcfry, and an occasional ice cream. A lot of people know far less than you do about the nutritional content of what they eat. Some actually live on fast food, and that may tend to make nutritionists a little over the top in their pronouncements.