Gallbladder Issues?

[KatWrangler]

I posted this the other day.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1269953

So yesterday I saw the Doctor. She is wondering if the upper ab puffy/bloaty look is from my gall bladder. She asked if it bothers me when I eat fatty foods. Um, Doc I don't eat fatty foods anymore. She laughed. Friday I am scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound.

Anyone with gallbladder issues have the upper abdomen puffy/bloaty look? She doesn't think its diastasis recti or weak abs. She didn't feel anything so she doesn't think it is a tumor.

[KatWrangler]

I also went to have blood work done yesterday. My Vitamin D levels have dropped (20 now) even though I was on 50,000 IU Vitamin D over 12 weeks. This may be tied to my weightloss since she said it is a fat soluable vitamin.

She also looking at my parathyroid.

[JaneS]

me again.

Is the 50,000 IU the D2 form? If so, it's crap at best and has lots of side effects at worst. You want the bioidentical form, D3. www.vitamindcouncil.org

Have you found a food connection to your bloating? do you have gas with it? Are you lactose intolerant?

Do you have mucin accumulation in upper arms as described in the recent thyroid thread? The bloating could also be mucin.

[KatWrangler]

I knew you woud come to my rescue.

The only dairy I eat is yogurt (non fat Chobani) and not everyday, light cheese sticks (no more than one a day), unsweetened soy milk (not everyday), sometimes low fat riccotta cheese or light laughing cow cheese wedge. That is basically it in the dairy area for me. I am not lactose intolerant that I am aware of. No out of the ordinary gas either.

The way I explained it is, the more the day goes on, the more prominent the upper abdominal bloating is. It feels like when I was pregnant and the baby is pushing up against my stomach and lungs. A very high pregnancy.

The only connection with food is as the day goes on, the more bloated I feel and look.

It probably was D2, but I am not for sure. It was a prescription. For a little over a month I have been taking D3 5,000 IU daily. I have not noticed it helping at all. I am exhausted and foggy minded. Blood Vitamin D blood work was 1 1/2 weeks ago.

What is mucin?

[JaneS]

mucin posts here
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...n#post15854502

Lactose could still be an issue all of those dairy products have lactose. Soy milk was always *murder* on my digestion and all soy is bad for those facing thyroid issues (it blocks iodine aka a goitrogen, can cause goiter).

It sounds like something you are eating if it increases as the day goes on. Lactose free dairy is aged cheese like true 60 day aged or more cheddar, monterey jack, etc. where the fermentation eats all the lactose. Yogurt is only lactose free if it is cultured for 24 hours (no commercial yogurts are).

[JaneS]

Oh and yes D2 is prescription. I had to do 10,000 of D3 for several months before my numbers came up. Make sure you are getting a good source of retinol vitamin A (not chemical and not beta carotene). Low vitamin A can also contribute to thyroid issues.

[KatWrangler]

I had yogurt earlier. Now I am sick to my stomach.

I did find this.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/g...ase-000066.htm

Nutrition and Supplements
These nutritional tips may help reduce symptoms:

•Eliminate suspected food allergens, such as dairy (milk, cheese, and ice cream), wheat (gluten), soy, corn, preservatives and chemical food additives. Eggs, especially, may irritate the gallbladder (as well as being high in cholesterol). Your health care provider may test you for food allergies.

There are more things listed in the link.

[JaneS]

Is it tender in that area? did you talk w/ dr. about an ultrasound? (that's what they do to look for stones right?)

[KatWrangler]

I am having an ultrasound tomorrow morning to rule out stones. I can't eat or drink anything 6 hours before.

Another thing that popped into my mind. What about Celiacs?

[mamafish9]

Have you tried taking dandelion root? It is AWESOME for gall bladders - stimulates bile production and release. You can drink the tea or swallow capsules, whichever you prefer. My DH ended up copper toxic because he wasn't making/releasing enough bile (that's how your body clears copper). Dandelion root has been awesome. It's used in Europe as the most common mainstream method of dealing with unhappy gall bladders, from what I understand.

Note that you might feel worse the first few days you take it - bile is one way your body clears a lot of crap, so you might have a lot to dump for a few days. Extra C, zinc, mag helped with that for DH.

ETA: On the nutrients front - if you're eating really low fat, you may have issues absorbing A, D, K2 - and that leads to issues absorbing minerals. Any chance of adding a few healthy fats back in? Not enough vitA can mimic hypothyroid (and make weight loss way more difficult).

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by KatWrangler

Another thing that popped into my mind. What about Celiacs?

Yes celiac is more common in those with an autoimmune illness. Or you could have just gluten intolerance. Or any other food allergy can cause digestive issues like this.