Do you suffer with any of these symptoms: 

pain in the upper right abdomen perhaps radiating into your right shoulder blade,
bloating, 
belching, 
gas, 
fullness after even a small meal, 
nausea or vomiting after a fatty meal, 
having a bitter taste in your mouth, 
chronic diarrhea, 
fatigue, 
constipation or, 
headaches?

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These symptoms can indicate gallbladder dysfunction or poor bile flow, whether you still have a gallbladder or not. Your liver manufactures bile, the gallbladder is a storage unit, therefore even if you've had it removed, you still are producing bile.

Too often, however, the gallbladder is either ignored or surgically removed too soon.

Bile or gallblader dysfunction creates increased intra-abdominal pressure, systemic inflammation and increases your risk of stomach acid reflux as well as hiatal hernia.

Bile acts as a natural antimicrobial, controlling bacterial overgrowth and ensuring your microbiome remains balanced.

After gallbladder removal the bile trickles continuously into your small intestine rather than the proper "pulsing" action that occurs when a healthy gallbladder is online. This decreased amount is less potent and concentrated, resulting in impairment to the antimicrobial activity and leading to imbalanced microbes in your colon.

If you have gall stones or "sludge" your bile is thicker (stasis) and less effective, leading potentially to SIBO and dysbiosis.

Bile reflux up into your stomach and esophagus is also more likely to occur with a malfunctioning gallbladder or post-surgery. Such reflux is often misdiagnosed as acid reflux, resulting in continued symptoms when it's incorrectly treated with a PPI antacid. Additionally the bile reflux damages the lining of the stomach and the esophagus, promoting inflammation, gastritis and esophagitis potentially.

With poor or decreased bile flow, there's also the risk of fat malabsorption causing deficiencies of fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and the fat remaining in the gut ferments there, further feeding bad bacteria.

Fortunately, much can be done to support bile motility and liver health, whether you've retained your gallbladder or not. I will give many suggestions below but please note that I am not prescribing anything for you but rather solely providing information. You need to find a clinician to work with who is very familiar with a natural approach to restoring gallbladder and bile health. Follow their direction.

Support gallbladder motility - magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids
Support bile quality - taurine, glycine, PTC, bitters, digestive enzymes with bile salts, ox bile (under supervision)
Promote healthy flora - fiber, probiotics
Address SIBO if present
Bind toxic bile acids - soluble fiber
Mucosal repair - glutamine, zinc, DGL, melatonin
Address environmental toxins
Support liver - milk thistle, curcumin
Reduce dietary triggers - ultra-processed food, sugar, alcohol, bad fats, stabilize blood sugar
Monitor levels of fat-soluble vitamins
Reduce visceral fat

I know this is a lot of information but it isn't difficult if you have assistance to direct you to what is most needed for your situation.

If you'd like help we're here for you. The best next step is to contact us for a consultation and then we can determine if what we do is a good fit for you. Call 727-335-0400.

References:
Huang Y, et al. Frontiers in Medicine. 2024. “Cholelithiasis and cholecystectomy increase the risk of GERD and Barrett’s esophagus: meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization.” 
Frontiers

Qian J, et al. Int J Surg. 2024. “Associations of cholecystectomy with the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a M