this could have been the story of my life

Very rarely does a post on a food blog get it right, but this one does, 100%. I know a lot of people who nay-say the whole Paleo thing, but Balanced Bites is simply one of the best food blogs around, Paleo or not. Those ladies take a holistic approach to health and wellness. They know what's up, and this guest post about life after one's gallbladder goes to that big organ dump in the sky could not be more right on the money.

Following the advice of medical professionals in the months leading up to and following my cholecystectomy was probably the worst thing I could have ever done for my health. Sounds crazy, right? "Eat a low-fat diet," they said. "Eat lots of whole grains," they said. "The gallbladder is totally unnecessary," my gastroenterologist said. "Our bodies only needed them back when man was eating twigs and rocks for sustenance." Wow, were they all wrong.

I know I've said it before, but I'll keep saying it until the end of time. The Primal/Ancestral/Paleo diet has done more for my digestive health in the past year and a half than modern medicine ever did, or -- I'm convinced -- would have, if I'd continued to listen to all of those doctors. Stacy Toth's post was so familiar, I feel like I could have written it. From doctors disbelieving me every time I said, in honesty, "but I do eat a low-fat diet," to the permanent state of IBS post-surgery. Words can't properly express what a relief it is to have discovered such a knowledgeable food blogger with the same issues. Some key takeaways from her post, if you don't have time to read it:

• Gluten sensitivity is one of the many undiagnosed causes of Cholelithiasis, and gallbladder disease or malfunction is often present in those with Celiac Disease. Makes sense right? But the funny thing is, no doctor of mine ever bothered to investigate the root cause of my trouble. In fact, after telling my PCP that I was having extreme pain (not knowing at the time that it was gallstones), he told me that it was just a combination of me being overweight and asthmatic. His advice? "Lose weight." Even though I had dropped 30 pounds prior to all of the gallstone trouble. 
• File under "I couldn't have said this better myself": "Since my doctor never tried to figure out why my body was making these stones, I had never healed the root cause. The surgery, like a pill to be popped, simply masked the symptom instead of healing the problem. Before I found paleo, my health continued to deteriorate for years after the surgery. Instead of discussing alternate diets that might help (like gluten-free), I had been told I needed to have surgery. I was also told it wouldn’t affect my long-term health and that digestion disruption would only happen short-term. The only truth I had been told was that it would be an “easy” laproscopic out-patient surgery. After the surgery, I no longer had intense (worse than child birth) painful gallbladder attacks. I’d say “Yipee!” except, instead I was left with the inability to control my bowel movements. Turns out a permanent state of IBS years after a Cholecystectomy is “normal”.
• "...what no doctor ever told me, is that it is with proper digestion that health and wellness is achieved." YES.
• Digestive enzymes are a must have for those of us without gallbladders. 
• Drink your 'booch. 
• Don't starve yourself.  
• Try an elimination diet. Then, pay attention to what your body is telling you when you try to add those eliminated foods back into your diet. Your body knows what it needs, and it'll tell you what it can't handle.