Had my gallbladder removed 6 years ago and just spoke to a friend who I have not spoke to in a while who is also hypo and has been for years. We got to talking and she also has her gallbladder removed. This is not the first time I have spoke to somebody and had their gallbladder removed. Surely this is no coincidence? ?
Gallbladder removal and hypo related?? - Thyroid UK
Gallbladder removal and hypo related??
Written by
Razzar1977
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
37 Replies
•
No I imagined as much I didn't know it was common to have gallbladder problems if u were hypothyroidism I never put mine down to my hypo until tonight. It's I have lots of friends with hypo. Just wondered how many people on here have had problems and removal. I have noticed that since my gallbladder removal that my hypo has been out of control. Finally now I'm on my Liothyronine I can hopefully see a light at end of the tunnel but I'm certainly not going to pin my hopes on it just yet. I'm still in the very early stages of my Liothyronine journey.
Hypothyroidism leads to gut stasis and elevated cholesterol which increases the prevalence of gallstones. Gall stones are very common, only a minority with gall stones have gallbladder problems. Hypothyroidism can lead to gallstones, not vice-versa.
I must be 1 of the unlucky few that had a major problem had to have a total removal as my gallstones were that big they tore through my gallbladder . I know gall stones can be removed without having the gallbladder out but mine was beyond repair. Ended up with pancrenitus as gall stone got stuck in gall bladder. As I said I was just wondering wether there was a link. Either way I'm glad it's gone was bloody painful !!!
I had pancreatitis several times - ouch ! Gall bladder removed later - it was rancid - no stones. I have always read that low thyroid can cause gall bladder issues. If that is the case then it was another 30 years before I was diagnosed 
I can honestly say it was the worst pain I have ever experienced have felt nothing like it not even child birth . At the time I remember thinking I would rather die now. Will never forget it. I panic every time I have pain under ribs. I was told if I had not got to docs when I did I wouldn't have lasted another 24 hrs. At the point I thought I really didn't care no more .
I too had such pain as never felt in my life. It was way beyond childbirth! I thought I was having a heart attack at first. I had a 11/2 yr old and a 6month old at the time when things got real bad. It took another 6 months for them to figure out what the heck it was. I was 23 when I had mine out and mine were the real fine stones and the sack was full. I wasn't diagnosed with hypothyroid disease until I was 46 but feel that I had it a good ten years prior to that if not more.
Mine fortunately got diagnosed quick but only because it caused me to have pancrenitus. They gave me 24 hrs if I had not got there when I did . They would not have it that I wasn't a drinker. I told them I had not drank alcohol in 11 yrs they were adamant made me bloody angry so I said whatever lol. Anyways they scanned me and found that I had a huge gall stone lodged in my pancreas and my gall bladder was beyond repair. I actually said at time I would rather be dead lol. Missed my dad's funeral never got to say god bye. I some how think it was fate . I was supposed to be there think it was my dad way of saying u need to get sorted. Strange how things happen glad u got it sorted hun x
Just a note on gallstones as I researched this a lot before I had my gallbladder removed. There are attempts at dissolving gallstones and lithotripsy which uses ultrasound pulses to break up the stones. Both of these don't really work, the stones tend to come back. There can be gallbladder disease without stones which can cause pain when the gallbladder spasms. Also, the stone can cause pain if a smaller one enters the biliary tract. It can also cause severe pain if it blocks the lower part of the biliary tract which is shared with the pancreas, leading to pancreatitis. Larger stones don't usually give a problem themselves, unless they damage the gallbladder.
As so many people have gallstones (present in half of people examined after death) it's difficult to know if gallstones are the cause of abdominal pain. If a stone passes slowly through the biliary tract it will block the pancreatic duct for a while, this can lead to a jaundiced appearance. In this case some of the blood counts change dramatically (bilirubin), so it's a good idea to ask your doctor to do a blood test straight away. This gives a clear confirmation that the problem is the gallbladder. Cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) is a very successful operation, if the problem was the gallbladder.
This is a bit off topic for our thyroid forum but I hope it is helpful.
Ty... I already had my gall bladder removed 6 years ago . I was just curious wether the problems with my why I had my gallbladder removed were linked to my thyroid. As my friend who was hypo had to have hers removed as well. I'm still trying to understand about my thyroid illness when u think 1 thing is sorted another thing crops up. I'm glad my gallbladder is gone as it caused unbelievable pain. It's not ideal as I'm sure it to has not helped me weight. Well I don't think so anyways. I'm only now realising how important the thyroid is and how we all take out health for granted.
I never heard of gallstones being removed without removing the gallbladder. I heard of kidney stones dealt with without removing the kidney. I wish there was a way as I have gallstones but have not yet been operated on.
They can remove them without the gallbladder being removed but I'm not sure how etc. I suffer awful kidney stones had countless lithotripsy. Last look the consultant counted as many as 20 of them. He said that there was 1 stuck in the very top right hand corner of my right kidney that can not be removed they tried everything. I've given up I'm always in pain they tried to go in a grab it but couldn't find a route to get to it at all. It's never ending I'm on so much pain med's now. He said he had never seen a stone stuck in that location before and said it was rare as he's never not been able not to get rid of them. All its doing is getting bigger. Sometimes I wish they would take it from me. I also can go long periods without having the urge to pee at all.
Have you tbought of trying another specialist? Sometimes one person can be able to do something better than another. Just a thought.
This first specialist I seen the problem is with the doctor I constantly seem to be clashing with docs. The specialist is the 1 who has been really helpful. I just hope he stays like this lol x
It may be "Urso" for reducing some types of gallstones, it's been mentioned in connection to Thyroid problems before
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
about Urso
everydayhealth.com/drugs/ur...
possible connection
Oh and my last reading for my cholesterol was 8.5. Supposed to take simvastin but read a lot that statins can be pretty bad things maybe I have that wrong but there's been a lot of bad press. Just when u think u have this illness under control it throws another spanner in the works !!
Hi Razzar
Statins are 'supposed' to help those who have already had a heart 'attack'- usually males - therefore females & those without heart "events" won't benefit - no studies ,yet - see Malcolm Kendrick..
Yet blood thinners DO work.
My colleague (on statins) was told "statins are like acid keeping your pipes clean"
so I don't know, but keep researching....
Ty I do have heart probs at mo but think is all due to my levels being up the wall. I been to scared to take my statins from what I read as I also read they cause weight gain and I'm already struggling with that as well. I do take a daily dose of aspirin tho although I have not been told to .
...much of the research on statins has been skewed in favour of BIG Pharma ! Did your GP also prescribe CoQ10 with the statin ? They use the same pathway in the body so when the cholesterol is blocked so is the CoQ10 - the spark that every cell in our body needs - hence some of the side effects of statins.
healthimpactnews.com/2015/j...
No never heard of that drug at all. My mum scared me off taking my statin she said to try get my cholesterol down naturally with diet. I have done that it's not made a blind bit different. I've gone in 1 yr from being Q size 12 to size 18 20. No diet change. I put on over 4 stone in 1 yr. I just don't understand why now. That's Deffo not helping. My endo said now I'm on t3 only he's hoping my cholesterol will dissappear along with my weight. People don't believe that u can get this big without eating above ur quoted calories a day. I'm lucky if reach 1000 calories a day. Nothing surprises me with this illness anymore. !!
CoQ10 is NOT a drug - it is a supplement. Over 80% of cholesterol is made in the body for a VERY good reason - it is needed. Diet will not make inroads into lowering cholesterol. The food industry is as corrupt as Big Pharma wanting to sell you cholesterol lowering rubbish....
Things will take time - T3 is not a quick fix 
No I understand T3 is not a quick fix but I'm just thankful for my consultant to even consider putting me on it. I've suffered yrs and yrs with levo no working for me and I know things are going to take time . I mean I can't just leave my thyroid untreated. I'm just greatful as a lot of people on here are not given the chance to try this hormone. I'm just fortunate I had a endo who actually listend to me. I even considered treating my thyroid Problem naturally but worked out it was going to cost a fortune. As for the supplement I had never heard about it. I'm guessing there are a few. I will be looking into it as I really don't want to take a statin. It's just another pill with side effects I don't need as I'm on about 20 other tablets for various diseases. If only there was a wonder pill you could take that would fix everything. God knows I been struggling since I was 26 with this illness I'm now 39. Ty for ur advice tho everyone's been so helpful☺
Hi... My hubby was dx with CHF (congestive heart failure) and the docs put him on all kinds of heart medications including Lipitor.. a statin. Long story, short.. I weaned him off of Lipitor and put him on a supplement called red yeast rice. Nothing fancy or expensive. I gave him the Vitacost brand of red yeast rice. He was on it about a year, took like 3 bottles? only one per day (I couldn't get him to take more) and his cholesterol dropped to normal. This was all 4 - 5 yrs ago and his cholesterol is still in normal range and he hasn't had to take it since.
My sister's cholesterol numbers were climbing this past year and her doc wrote her an rx for a statin. I suggested she try the red yeast rice instead. When she went back to her doc he commented that the statin is working fine because her cholesterol numbers were dropping. She informed him that she had never filled the rx and was taking a supplement. She is still taking it and her numbers have dropped into the normal range.
Of course, there is no guarantee that this will work for everyone but if you decide to try it, try to find a good quality supplement. The other thing to consider is that they say there is a correlation between low thyroid function = elevated cholesterol numbers. In other words, for some folks.. when their thyroid function is optimal, their cholesterol numbers often drop to within normal range.
Oh right in would loved to have been a fly on the wall when ur sister said that to the doc. It's try med's are not always the way it's well worth looking into. I also heard that having a gallbladder removal also caused elevation to the cholesterol but I'm not sure. I know from talking to people on here ur numbers have to be optimal to feel any where near better.
Doctors always seem to be caught off guard when we 'go off on our own', don't they? lol..
You may be right about the gall bladder removal messing up cholesterol numbers. hmmm.. wonder if the red yeast rice would work the same?
Even the experts can't say how many bodily functions our thyroids impact. So is it any wonder that the hypo symptoms are so varied and so many supposedly unrelated problems resolve when the thyroid is optimal?
I know right I never took my illness seriously until I got really sick the past 2 years. It would fluctuates between being skinny fat skinny fat all the time. The doc until now never thought 1 the whole 13 yrs I been struggling to send me to a endo which is bloody crazy lol. I know I never will be cured but I just want to have some quality of life back. My hypo has affected me mentally and with my heart even been told I have fibromyalga it never seems to end. I also read some where don't quote me that thyroid patients are at more risk from cancer. Scary to think this butterfly thing in ur neck can cause such havoc. My endo described it like having a car with a dodgy engine eventually it will give out. I'm all for trying new things like supplements just need to work out which 1s. I like many others have had big problems with my b12. I'm adopted when I was a baby I had to be given a script for a vitamin deficiency that u can't get over counter. I was never told what this deficiency was it was in my foster notes. Sorry for long arse reply I talk to much .
Kiddo... talk/text all you want. That is what we are here for... to support each other any way we can and sometimes that means lending a shoulder to cry on or an ear to hear, right?
As for thyroid deficiency putting us more at risk for cancer? Our bodies are like little chemical factories... constantly balancing this and balancing that, struggling to keep all the balls in the air, so to speak. If our immune system takes a hit, no wonder we are more vulnerable to getting sick and getting things like cancer.
When our blood sugar is high, our bodies put everything else on hold until that blood sugar is normalized. When we don't get quality or quantity sleep, our immune system is compromised because, during sleep, that is when the body does most of it's 'housekeeping'. So when we are sleep deprived or hormone deprived, the body has to take up the slack from somewhere and things can begin to spiral out of control. Then it can be a real mess trying to put all the pieces back together again. No surprise that we struggle.
I hear you no idea I'm coming or going. Struggling with new med's and learning new things about my illness I never thought about asking before I was only 26 when diagnosed didn't take it seriously and never thought back then what the implications would be not taking med's properly. So I fluctuated in and out of hyper and hypo . Anyways now I'm in a dire situation I have balloon from 72kg to 123 I have been literally sofa bound putting my faith in the docs thinking I was on right med's and all the time they were not reading my blood results right. I dragged myself trough doctors doors and demanded a specialist. Long story short for some reason since 2011 my body has not been converting my levo to T3 he looked right back through my file and was horrified. He said he doesn't know how I made it that long without going into a coma. I feel some relief that I didn't have to put up a fight with him. I think he saw how dire things were. Refused to leave me on levo took me straight of and started liothyronine. I'm just feeling sorry for myself. Been fighting with docs about heart pain blah blah they just said lose weight exercise. Well I would have done but couldn't get me head off bloody pillow. Really don't understand the doctors. I know there's no miracle just want to feel a bit human .x oh and ty xx
Just don't understand how doctors never picked up on how bad things were. My body was not absorbing T4 at all just feel a tad bitter lol x
When you have a system run by bureaucrats instead of doctors... when doctors have to answer to the bean-counters instead of their patients, when quality of life is ignored in favor of the 'numbers', this is what you end up with.... a system that serves no one. And doctors are surprised when we have to self-medicate in some cases?
Ur so right I should count myself lucky I didn't have to.self medicate with my T3 in the end. Guess I was lucky. Not like most people on here haven't been given that chance. Although I have had to fight to get to this point.
My father was an overweight man but he told me his colesterol was low and that's why he was eating the fattest pieces of meat. The only reason I was able to find for his low colesterol is in the garlic and onions he used to eat. Maybe that's the secret! I don't know, but do eat raw garlic with your salad?
I like garlic I'm not sure I could eat it raw but seen and have bought garlic supplements anything is worth a try. My sense of smell is horendous I can smell things other people can't smell . Sometimes it's a curse. Somethings are better Un smelt lmaooo. But think u are Deffo on to something with garlic x
I eat loads of raw garlic. Finely chopped mixed into salad you can hardly taste it.
I had my gall bladder out 3 years ago. Much pain before!! Subsequently had coughing - discovered this year B12d. Have symptoms for hypothyroid but no diagnosis as TSH under 5 at 4.4 last time. (Found 5.6 in 2011 when got med history printed recently).
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Hashimoto's and Gallbladder/Gallstones
I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis and have found out I have gallstones. I have been in constant...
thyroid and gallbladder
does any one have gallbladder probs, am waiting to get mine removed and read if gb is not working...
Gallbladder
Any thoughts on whether or not I should let my GI do a Siba test and endoscopy? Foods not digesting...
Gall Bladder Removal
Hi all. I have Hashi' s and PA. A recent Gastroscopy revealed stomach erosion and inflammation. I...
Thyroid gallbladder pain
Gallbladder pain all the time and tests come negative. I am hypothyroid and have had ulcers also...
Gallbladder pain
Gallbladder
Thyroid and GallBladder
Do you have a gallbladder or sluggish liver?
