Alcohol after gallbladder removal: features of use and reviews

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Most patients who have undergone cholecystectomy, or surgery to remove the gallbladder, are interested in what restrictions await them in later life. After all, there are certain prohibitions on physical activity, a therapeutic diet and supportive therapy are necessary. However, one of the most popular questions is: "Is it possible to drink alcohol after gallbladder removal?". Let's analyze this topic in more detail.

Basic information

Doctors advise for the first time after surgery to completely abandon the use of alcoholic beverages. The main task that the patient faces during this period of time is to create the most favorable conditions for restoring the normal functioning of the biliary system. It takes a lot of time to achieve this result. The patient mustfollow a special diet and take medicines prescribed by a doctor.

Alcohol after removal of the gallbladder in any form, be it wine, vodka, cognac or champagne, can provoke gastrointestinal disorders, vomiting and an attack. Not all patients have similar symptoms, but this does not mean that the body has already adapted to the changes that have occurred.

When can I drink alcohol after gallbladder removal? At the end of the rehabilitation period, it will be necessary to contact qualified specialists for a detailed examination. If the pancreas begins to function normally, and there are no pathologies in the bile ducts and liver, the doctor will be able to allow the intake of alcoholic beverages in moderation.

Symptoms of biliary tract damage by alcohol

Let's take a closer look at this. The composition of any alcoholic beverages includes such a toxic substance as ethyl alcohol. It causes significant harm not only to the liver, but also to the bile ducts. With regular use of alcoholic beverages, fatty degeneration of hepatocytes may occur, or, more simply, the replacement of these cells with connective tissue. This process usually begins somewhere after 10 years of drinking. Pathology can proceed without any symptoms. If the patient is simultaneously ill with alcoholic hepatitis, the following symptoms are usually observed:

• discomfort and pain in the right hypochondrium;
• diarrhea, vomiting, nausea;
• fatigue, general weakness;
• loss of appetite;
• weight loss;
• high temperature;
• jaundice of the skin.

External signs

What do you need to know about this? The disease can be recognized by a number of signs:

• appearance of spider veins on the skin;
• changing the color of the palms and the shape of the nail plates;
• thickening of the phalanges of the fingers;
• reddening of skin color on the face;
• dilation of veins in the umbilical region;
• women's breast augmentation;
• testicular reduction in men;
• erectile dysfunction;
• feminization;
• thin legs;
• appearance of fat on the hips and abdomen.

Further development of alcoholic biliary dystrophy can lead to thickening of the spleen. In addition, the tendons of the fingers and the auricles increase in size.

Effect of alcohol on the biliary tract

Alcohol, which is in the human body in the period after the operation, during the decay, releases a toxic substance - acetic aldehyde. It has a negative effect on the tissues of the digestive tract, and also activates inflammatory processes in the liver and biliary tract. Each alcoholic drink contains ethyl alcohol, which takes part in biochemical reactions. The body produces toxins. Since all poisons pass through the liver and exit it through the bile ducts, the ducts graduallyare destroyed.

Alcohol also changes the chemical composition of bile. The concentration of acids in it decreases, and the level of cholesterol rises. This leads to the development of atherosclerosis and impaired blood supply. Normally, cholesterol is absorbed in the gallbladder. In its absence, the risk of formation of stones in the bile ducts increases significantly. This is explained by the fact that after resection of the gallbladder, cholesterol remains and accumulates in bile. Under the influence of alcohol, the system responsible for removing bile from the body is intensely poisoned. As a result, the chemical composition of the secretion produced by the liver worsens.

What happens in the body?

This aspect should be considered separately. To understand why you can not drink alcohol after removal of the gallbladder, you need to understand what processes occur in the body. If we consider the experience gained in medical practice, we can say that a full life without a gallbladder is quite possible, provided that the patient adheres to the right diet and gives up bad habits. Of course, it cannot be said that nothing changes in the body after cholecystectomy. Some transformations are still taking place.

The gallbladder is a kind of reservoir in which bile is stored. The function of this organ is to process heavy fats, maintain the normal functioning of the pancreas and prevent the growth of bacteria. The bile secreted by the liver becomes less concentrated in the absence of a gallbladder. Its properties, which contribute to the breakdown of fats and the fight against bacteria, are significantly weakened. It is for this reason that the intestinal microflora is disturbed. Harmful bacteria that enter the body with food begin to spread actively. At the same time, digestive activity gradually slows down and becomes less efficient. The result is pain in the right hypochondrium, heartburn and a bitter taste in the mouth.

The main changes that occur in the body after removal of the gallbladder include:

• increased load on the bile ducts and liver;
• decrease in secretion concentration;
• change in intestinal microflora;
• development of dysbacteriosis;
• direct flow of bile from the liver to the intestines.

Consequences of cholecystectomy

So what do you need to know about this? When can you drink alcohol after gallbladder removal? Organ resection, unfortunately, does not always help to solve all the problems caused by impaired bile formation. Undesirable complications may appear even in the postoperative period. The development of bleeding can be due to several factors at once:

• the presence of stones in the gallbladder that make it difficult to remove the organ;
• reducing the walls of the gallbladder with liver tissue.

Biliary peritonitis may develop when the ligation thread slips off. At the same time, bile is poured into the stomach. As a result of a violation of the integrity of the walls of the organ, a subdiaphragmatic or subhepatic abscess may also begin. In places of punctures are formedsuppuration. The possible consequences of the operation include obstructive jaundice caused by tumors and cicatricial narrowing of the ducts.

Complications during surgery

What do you need to know about this? The answer to the question whether it is possible to drink alcohol after removal of the gallbladder also depends on whether there were complications during the operation itself. After all, during the operation, the hepatic artery or portal vein can be damaged, as well as the ligation of the duct stump is incorrectly performed. The presence of complications should be judged by such signs as stool disorder, flatulence, pain in the right hypochondrium, vomiting and nausea, yellowness of the skin. Scientifically, the complex of such symptoms is called postcholicestectomy syndrome.

How to alleviate the patient's condition after surgery?

For the speedy adaptation and recovery of the body after surgery, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the diet. The patient is assigned table number 5. This menu is based on the following principles:

• all dishes are cooked by boiling or steaming;
• Food should be consumed warm, excluding excessively hot or excessively cold foods;
• the amount of liquid consumed per day should be at least 1500 ml;
• instead of regular tea, the patient is recommended to use herbal decoctions;
• meals should be divided into 5-6 times;
• drinking alcohol after gallbladder removal immediately after surgery is prohibited;
• exclusion from the menuspicy, fried, pickled, canned foods;
• removing fatty meat and fish from the diet;
• limiting the use of nuts, seeds, garlic, onions, spices, radishes;
• diet should consist mainly of cereals, fruits, vegetables;
• no pastries and confectionery, coffee, carbonated drinks, strong tea.

Patients who underwent cholecystectomy can eat low-fat broths, drink herbal decoctions, mineral waters already on the second day after the operation. Three days later, vegetable soups, purees, kefir and juices should be introduced into the diet.

Liver condition

Many resection patients wonder if alcohol is allowed after gallbladder removal. What happens to the liver when drinking alcohol after such an operation? It is known that the toxins contained in alcohol destroy he althy liver cells, which disrupts the synthesis of enzymes. The breakdown products of alcohol are difficult to excrete from the body, which leads to the creation of favorable conditions for the progression of various pathologies. Due to dysfunction of the liver cells, the blood ceases to be filtered, and the blood with the harmful substances present in it spreads throughout the body. In the future, hepatitis may develop. The liver acquires a yellow or pale pink hue, its surface is covered with a fatty film. With the onset of cirrhosis, the organ becomes loose, various blood clots, ulcers and scars are visualized.

Drinking alcohol after surgery

What kind of alcohol you can aftergallbladder removal? No doctor can completely prohibit a patient from drinking alcohol after a gallbladder resection operation. Doctors can only give general recommendations and talk about the consequences of drinking alcohol, but the choice is always with the patient.

Many patients believe that following a diet and following the basic rules of nutrition should be done only immediately after removal of the gallbladder. "I drink alcohol, and nothing terrible happens" - these are the reviews that can be found today. In fact, the problem may simply not manifest itself. A weakened digestive system will still make itself felt. This is usually expressed in severe vomiting and pain. It is possible to remove such symptoms only when using special medications.

Can I drink alcohol after gallbladder removal? Regular alcohol abuse can lead to serious consequences. These include:

• pancreatitis (inflammatory process in the pancreas);
• cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts);
• cirrhosis (a liver disease in which the cells of the organ turn into scar tissue).

Such consequences make it possible to say unequivocally that it is highly undesirable to drink alcohol after removal of the gallbladder.

Many patients believe that the problem is not in the form of alcohol consumed. What kind of alcohol is possible after removal of the gallbladder? A couple of years after the operation, doctors allow the use of alcoholic beverages in a small amount. In this case, alcohol will not have a serious negative effect.on the patient's body.

Reviews

Despite all the doctors' warnings, many patients say they drink alcohol after having their gallbladder removed, and nothing. The fact is that the symptoms may not appear immediately. For an organism that has undergone such an operation, drinking alcohol is the strongest stress, so if your he alth is dear to you, it is better not to experiment with it. After some time, patients usually complain of a sharp deterioration in well-being - disruption of the digestive tract, flatulence, vomiting, nausea. With proper diet, this is not observed.

Conclusion

In this review, we examined in detail why alcohol is not allowed after removal of the gallbladder. Surgical intervention leads to serious changes in the functioning of the whole organism. A patient after removal of the gallbladder needs a long and difficult recovery. The patient must follow all the doctor's recommendations, undergo a course of medication, follow a diet, abandon the old lifestyle, addictions. After a cholecystectomy, you should not lift heavy things, do hard work, eat spicy and fried foods, eat s alty and sour foods, swim in open water and drink alcohol.

Despite the fact that modern medicine does not stand still, and today there are various drugs for ailments, one should take one's he alth very seriously. Never spare time for yourself, otherwise it might just be too late!