about the Gallbladder Kitchen
From someone who’s been there.
About Rachel
How it all started (the short version)
It was March 2006. I was 8 months pregnant with my youngest son when it happened for the first time.
The indigestion was so bad I couldn’t sit still. Something felt seriously wrong. My husband rushed me to the emergency doctor, and on the way, I had to make him pull over so I could be sick at the side of the road.
The doctor took one look at pregnant-me and said what a lot of women in my situation get told:
““It’s just pregnancy indigestion, love. Here’s some Gaviscon.”
So I went home. Popped my baby out a week later. Thought that was the end of it.
It wasn’t.
The gallbladder attacks that changed everything
A week after giving birth, it came back — but ten times worse.
The pain wrapped around my front and back like a vice. I couldn’t breathe properly. I was rocking back and forth on the sofa trying to make it stop, with a one-week-old baby in the next room.
Off to hospital I went, newborn in tow.
They ran every test under the sun. They thought I might have a blood clot in my lungs. Nothing showed up, so they sent me home a day later, none the wiser.
Exactly one week after that? It happened again. Same fatty meal, same excruciating pain, same panicked trip to hospital.
This time, thank goodness, I saw a different doctor. He knew straight away what it was, sent me for an ultrasound, and confirmed it: gallstones.
If you’re reading this with similar symptoms and they haven’t given you an ultrasound scan — ask for one. Please. It could save you weeks of agony.
Gallstone Pain Everyday
Five months of waiting (and eating like a rabbit)
They put me on the waiting list for surgery. Five months.
It felt like five years.
For those five months, I lived in fear of my next attack. I read every ingredient label. I said goodbye to:
Lamb, beef, and even chicken (yes, chicken — the fat set me off)
Cheese (heartbreaking)
Crisps (with my glass of wine — devastating)
Basically everything I actually enjoyed
Here’s what I lived on for five months:
Fish (never battered or breadcrumbed)
Plain salad (no dressing)
Ryvita (no butter, no margarine)
Porridge
Boiled eggs
Homemade vegetable soups
Vegetable stir-fries (no oil)
Talk about shifting the baby weight fast. But honestly? I dreaded every meal. Not knowing if pain would follow made eating feel like a gamble.
If you’re in that pre-surgery limbo right now — I see you. It’s grim. And it doesn’t last forever.
Pain After Surgery
The bit no one warned me about: the shoulder pain
After surgery, I woke up in agony — but not where I expected.
My shoulders were killing me.
Nobody told me why. I had to Google it myself in a groggy post-anaesthetic haze.
Turns out, during keyhole gallbladder surgery, they pump carbon dioxide into your abdomen to give the surgeon room to work. Most of it gets released at the end, but some hangs around — and it travels up and settles in your shoulders. Weird, painful, and completely normal.
What helped me: Lying on my left side with my right knee bent up in front of me. Getting up and walking around (even though the last thing you want to do is move). Drinking loads of water.
It usually settles within 24-48 hours. But I wish someone had warned me.
Life after gallbladder surgery — the good, the bad, and the toilet dash
Here’s the truth no one tells you: life after gallbladder surgery is 90% wonderful, 10% weird.
The wonderful bit: No more attacks. No more fear of eating. I can enjoy my Saturday morning cooked breakfast with a proper black coffee again. Bliss.
The weird bit: Fatty foods can send you sprinting to the loo. And I mean sprinting. For the first few years after surgery, this was a regular occurrence. It’s much better now, 20 years on, but it does still happen if I overdo it.
Studies show around 20% of people who have gallbladder surgery develop diarrhoea afterwards — it’s because the extra bile acids that used to be stored in your gallbladder now trickle straight into your intestine, acting like a laxative.
You might also get:
Mild “phantom” gallstone pain (usually after late-night eating)
Acid reflux (my sister, who had hers out 6 months before me, gets this badly)
Occasional indigestion after fatty meals
None of it is unbearable. All of it is manageable. And most of it fades with time.
Diet after Gallbladder Surgery
What I eat now — 20 years on
I’m not going to lie to you: I can’t eat like I did before.
Living without a gallbladder means your body can’t process fat the way it used to. That never fully changes. But it does mean I’ve learned to cook and eat in a way that’s kind to my body — without giving up flavour, family meals, or joy.
Here’s my everyday approach:
Lower-fat cooking (but not fat-free — you still need some)
Smaller portions of rich foods (I can have cheese, just not a mountain of it)
Plenty of fibre — fruit, veg, wholegrain rice, wholewheat pasta, oats
Coffee stays (sorry NHS, I need my morning cup or two!)
Listen to my body — some days I can handle more, some days less
And yes — I still eat Sunday roasts. I still eat cake. I still eat crisps with wine. I’ve just learned how to do it in a way that works for me.
That’s exactly what The Gallbladder Kitchen is here to help you do too.
Why choose us?
Why I started The Gallbladder Kitchen
Here’s the thing that still frustrates me: there was no aftercare.
No one sat me down and said, “Right, here’s what to eat, here’s what to avoid, here’s what to expect in the first weeks, months, and years.”
I had to figure it all out myself, mostly through painful trial and error. And judging by the emails I get and the comments on my recipes, thousands of other people are in the same boat.
So I built this site to be the resource I wish I’d had 20 years ago.
Here you’ll find:
- Real recipes — family meals, breakfasts, dinners, desserts — all designed to be kind to sensitive tummies
- Meal plans — from your first week after surgery to long-term living
- Practical tips — the stuff doctors don’t tell you
- A community — because you shouldn’t have to figure this out alone
Every recipe on this site has been tested by me, in my own kitchen, on my own no-gallbladder tummy. If it made it here, it passed.
Join other followers in the same boat
Get my free 7-day meal plan
If you’re new to life without a gallbladder — or just want to give your tummy a break — I’ve put together a free 7-day meal plan to get you started.
Send me the free meal plan
Full recipes, shopping list, and daily tips. Straight to your inbox.
A quick word before you go
I’m not a doctor. I’m not a dietitian. I’m a mum, a home cook, and someone who’s spent 20 years figuring out how to live — and eat — well without a gallbladder.
Everything I share on this site comes from personal experience and my own research.
It’s not medical advice, and if you’ve got concerns about your symptoms, please talk to your GP or a registered dietitian.
But if you want honest, been-there wisdom from someone who genuinely gets it? You’re in the right place.
Welcome to The Gallbladder Kitchen. Grab a cuppa. Have a look around.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Rachel x
10987+ Subscribers
Join the community
Downloadable Resources
Meal plans to help on your journey
Full Lifetime Access
Lifetime updates on meal plans