I have bad breath even after gallbladder stone removal. Why?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 33-year-old woman. I am married for two years, and I do not have a child or any gynecology problem. I have digestion problem for the past one year. My main symptom was a bad smell from the mouth, especially in the morning, weakness, and sometimes mild fever. I do have not any pain. The stool is clear, but sometimes it does not smell good.

One day I got severe pain in my upper belly and after that, I contacted a gastro specialist. He advised me blood test and USG of abdomen. In that report, he found hemoglobin is 8.5, and in USG gallbladder stone of 9.8 mm is found. They operated it before two months and prescribed extra supplements of iron.

Right now, I have bad smell from mouth and mild fever. But these symptoms do not appear every day. It appears some times, and I do not have any dental problem. I cannot understand why this (bad smell) appears even I removed my gallbladder stone. Is there is any other problem?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Do not worry much about the smell of the mouth. It may be due to anemia i.e low hemoglobin concentration. You must appreciate that hemoglobin formation needs iron and proteins mainly. You only mentioned iron supplement. What is its composition? If it contains iron, vitamin C, folic acid and vitamin B12 it is fine. I think you are taking this daily after dinner. You should eat some protein rich foods for the formation of hemoglobin. You may take one boiled egg, not omelet made with oil, at least once in two days if you do not feel any symptoms due to cholecystectomy.

Increase the consumption of boiled green vegetables like beans to which you can add a drop of lemon juice. You can take them in small quantities frequently. Make sure to brush your teeth at night. Pictures of your mouth, fingernails would be helpful to evaluate your problem. Do you have a pale body? feeling weak? Are you a pure vegetarian? Any other problems you have like menstrual problems? Anemia though people think it as a small problem but you should know that it affects your concentration adversely, frequent headaches, fatigue, etc and it can affect your heart and all vital organs. It is essential to increase your hemoglobin to at least 11--12 gm to carry out your routine work normally.