Could animal fat be making my gall bladder hurt? page

[MamaGrok]

I've been primal for over two years. High animal fat & protein for much longer. But last winter, about the time I finally got rid of the once-a-month wheat & twice-a-week dairy I was still eating, I started getting abdominal pain & diarrhea. Now, lots of other things got better when I got rid of the last little bit of those foods, but this got worse. I still haven't pinned down what it is, but I have a new suspicion and here's why:

- A Metametrix GI test shows severe fat malabsorption, vegetable maldigestion, & antigliadin antibodies.
- The only things I eat most days are meat, fat (animal & CO), & very cooked non-starchy veggies. So the suspects are few.
- When I went on vacation w/ extended family and didn't have access to any animal fat (my mother cooks all lean), the post-meal diarrhea & cramps went away. I still ate meat & 2T CO & very cooked non-starchy veggies every day that week.
- I may have increased animal fats to make up for the missing dairy (and certain veggies I took out at the time b/c of diagnosed sensitivities), but I'm not sure.

The pain is dull, hurts only when I press it, always present, and sometimes worse than other times. Pressing hard on it can trigger severe cramps through the whole colon and out. The pain is on my right side, just below the ribs, extending down to the belly button.

BUT a right upper quadrant ultrasound revealed no kidney stones, no gallstones, no pancreas issues, no problems at all. Blood tests reveal nothing obvious in the pancreas or liver. I have eaten a high animal fat diet for several years without trouble before this. My doctors have no idea what is going on, so I have no one left to ask but y'all!

Is it possible for animal fats to make my gall bladder hurt? What can I do?

[RobinNM]

I think you answered your own question when you said when you went on vacation and didn't have access to any animal fat the post-meal diarrhea and cramps went away. Yes, the fat is probably causing the pain because the gallbladder is one of the mechanisms that your body uses to process it. People who have had gallbladder issues or surgery have to be more careful about their fat intake.

[MamaGrok]

That's along the lines of what I'm thinking, but I can't figure out why this would suddenly start happening, or what to do about it. I desperately need animal fat to keep sugar cravings away and I need to figure out how to be able to tolerate it again, if it is the problem.

[emmie]

About 10 years ago, I began getting severe pain from any high fat foods, and my gastro confirmed it was gall bladder. I was all set to have it removed, but all tests were negative--no stones, inflammation, etc. My 'attacks' were so severe that I once wound up in the ER, and they insisted on admitting me because they thought I was having a heart attack.

My doctor said that he'd seen that phenomenon before (of unexplained gall bladder attacks) and that since 'low-fat eating' relieved the pain, I should consider just changing my diet. That's what I did. Over time, I was able to gradually increase my fat level, and I've had no pain for the past 7 years. I still don't eat 'high fat,' but I've heard that it's common for 'senior' women to be unable to tolerate very high fat diets (I'm 70).

I have no idea why this happened or why it went away. I am very comfortable with my moderate fat consumption.

[MamaGrok]

Thanks - that's another question I have. The pain is not severe, and never gets sharp. It does sometimes come along with severe gut cramps, but it's not the same as the RUQ dull pain. It's nearly always present on palpation, although sometimes worse than others.

I don't seem to have the problem with CO, which further leads me to think it's the gall bladder, since I think I read that CO doesn't require bile for digestion.

But I've been eating a very high fat diet for several years, and built up to it gradually for years, and don't understand why I'd suddenly lose tolerance. I'm only 36.