Cholecystitis precautions and dietary taboos

The first priority for patients with cholecystitis is to reduce abnormal contraction of the gallbladder and avoid cholestasis. During the attack period, seek medical advice as soon as possible and do not overdo it. During the remission period, you do not need to overly restrict food, but you should avoid high-fat, high-cholesterol, and irritating foods. There are no foods that are 100% untouchable. The core depends on personal tolerance. At the same time, do not believe in "stone-clearing remedies".

Last month, during a follow-up visit in the Department of Gastroenterology, I met a 28-year-old operation guy who stayed up late for a week to catch up with the 618 event. Every night, he ate kebabs and ice beer as a late-night snack. After two days of pain, he thought it was acid reflux, so he took two stomach medicines and continued to work overtime. As a result, he was so painful that he couldn't stand upright on the third day and was sent to him by a colleague. After the B-ultrasound, his gallbladder was so swollen that it was about to be perforated, so he immediately arranged for emergency surgery. The removed gallbladder was full of sand-like stones. You see, many people think that cholecystitis is caused by eating oil. In fact, the triggering factors are far more than just eating.

You really need to pay attention to your work and rest schedule. Don’t think that it’s okay to stay up late at a young age. The body’s bile secretion follows the biological clock. If you stay up until two or three o’clock, the liver is still working overtime to secrete bile, and the gallbladder cannot empty it on time. If you keep it up, problems will easily arise. To put it simply, bile is like the tea you brew. If left untouched for a long time, a layer of tea dirt will settle underneath. If the cholesterol in the bile sinks too much, it will become stones, which naturally easily induces inflammation. And don’t just go on a diet to lose weight and skip breakfast. I’ve seen several girls in their twenties skip breakfast for two or three months in a row to wear small skirts, and lost more than ten kilograms of body fat. As a result, they got cholecystitis and rolled in pain. The gain was not worth the loss.

Nowadays, there are quite a lot of opinions on the Internet about whether exercise can help people with cholecystitis. One says that you should jump more to help expel stones, and the other says that moving too much will make it easier for stones to get stuck. In fact, both of them are reasonable. It depends on your specific situation: If you have simple chronic cholecystitis, no stones or polyps, it is absolutely fine to take a walk or play badminton and other light exercises. On the contrary, it can promote metabolism and reduce cholestasis.； But if you have been diagnosed with gallbladder stones, especially those that are muddy or have a diameter of more than 1cm, don’t do strenuous exercises such as bungee jumping, abdominal crunches, and planks that will squeeze the abdomen. If the stone gets stuck in the gallbladder neck, the pain will really kill half your life, and you may even need emergency surgery.

When it comes to eating, it’s even more interesting. Many people just skip eggs and meat when they get cholecystitis. It’s really unnecessary. Take the egg that everyone is most troubled about. Don’t touch it when the gallbladder is severely swollen during the attack. But during the remission period, the protein of boiled eggs is all high-quality protein and has almost no cholesterol. It is perfectly fine to eat it. There is no big problem if you eat half an egg yolk a day, as long as you don’t feel distended in the upper right abdomen after eating it. What you really need to completely avoid are fried eggs, braised eggs, and tea eggs that are full of oil or add too many spices.

I once had an aunt in her 50s. After she got cholecystitis, her neighbor told her to go vegetarian. She didn’t dare to touch any oil, and even boiled vegetables in water. As a result, the cholecystitis recurred three times in a row within six months. When she came to see me, she was sallow and skinny, and she even walked with a shaky look. In fact, being completely oil-free can be a bad thing - the bile is discharged to digest fat. If you don't take in any fat, the bile will be accumulated in the gallbladder and cannot be discharged. The concentration will become higher and higher, which will more easily induce inflammation. I usually use some olive oil and tea seed oil for cooking. If I limit it to less than two small porcelain spoons a day, it will be no problem. Animal oils such as lard and butter, as well as red oil for hot pot and non-dairy fat in milk tea, should be avoided as much as possible. Invisible cholesterol is frighteningly high. You may not eat much oil, but in fact you have already exceeded the amount by two or three times.

There are also some people who are greedy and can't help but eat spicy food and drink ice. In fact, it's not completely impossible. If you don't feel uncomfortable every time you eat spicy ice, it's okay to eat it once in a while to satisfy your craving. But if it hurts every time you eat it, then you must keep your mouth shut. In addition, don’t blindly supplement protein powder or cod liver oil. Many people think that they need to supplement nutrients when they are sick. As a result, high-concentration nutrients will increase the burden on the gallbladder, which is not worth the loss. Oh, and by the way, there is also the popular anti-inflammatory and choleretic tablets. Don’t buy them yourself and take them all year round. There is also controversy in the industry. Some studies say that long-term consumption will increase the risk of abnormal hyperplasia of the gallbladder mucosa. During an attack, it is okay to take it for three to five days as directed by your doctor. If you don’t have symptoms, don’t take it indiscriminately.

To be honest, cholecystitis is really not a serious disease that cannot be cured. You don’t need to follow the recipe every day. Just pay more attention to your body’s reaction. For example, after eating something, your upper right abdomen may feel bloated or your back may feel tight. Eat less next time. Everyone’s tolerance is different. There is no need to follow other people’s taboo lists. If it really hurts, don't take painkillers to cope with it. The painkillers will suppress the symptoms. If the gallbladder is suppurated and perforated and you don't notice it, then it is really dangerous. Go to the hospital in time for an ultrasound and a blood draw, which is more effective than any home remedy.