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Gastroenterology (Expert Forum)
Bowel Problems After Gallbladder Surgery
This forum is for questions regarding Gastroenterology issues such as Acid Reflux (GERD), Barretts Esophagus, Colitis, Colon/Bowel Disorders, Crohn's Disease, Diverticulitis/Diverticulosis, Digestive Disorders, IBS, Stomach Pain.
Bowel Problems After Gallbladder Surgery
by N. Solis, Mar 02, 2000 12:00AM
I had my gallbladder removed almost a year ago. I've seen comments posted about this in the forum, but no real answer or explanation as to why it happens. Luckily, I suffered no pain after the surgery; I recovered well and I am VERY HAPPY that I do not suffer through those horrible attacks anymore (the last one made me think I was going to die and I ended up in the ER with the surgery scheduled shortly after). Anyway, I have noticed that ever since the surgery I have a MAJOR problem during and after eating. I have to RUN to the bathroom. I, too, am familiar with a lot of public restrooms almost anywhere I go. Unfortunately, sometimes I choose NOT to go somewhere or NOT to eat something because I'm so afraid of what will happen later. Is there a real medical ezplanation for this? I asked my PCP and all he told me was to ask the doc who performed the surgery. I was given a lot of information before the surgery, but during my TWO follow up visits, nothing about this was mentioned. I didn't notice it until a few weeks later. I'm ashamed to talk to anyone about it. Is there anything that can be done? I hate to think that this is how I have to live for the rest of my life.
Doctor's Answer
by HFHSm.D.-Gastro-rf, Mar 21, 2000 12:00AM
Dear N.
The urge to defecate after eating is a frequent complaint and may be related to an exaggeration of the 'gastrocolic reflex', a normal event. There is no apparent explanation why your symptoms should begin after the surgery. Sometimes, people will change the type or quantity of food eaten and this change can cause the complaints that you describe.
I suggest that you talk with your doctors about an evaluation for the symptoms. Workup should include a search for structural abnormalities of the GI tract, infection, and abnormalities in absorption. There is no reason to have this fear of eating. Sometimes, a cause is not found but symptomatic treatments are used.
The urge to defecate after eating is a frequent complaint and may be related to an exaggeration of the 'gastrocolic reflex', a normal event. There is no apparent explanation why your symptoms should begin after the surgery. Sometimes, people will change the type or quantity of food eaten and this change can cause the complaints that you describe.
I suggest that you talk with your doctors about an evaluation for the symptoms. Workup should include a search for structural abnormalities of the GI tract, infection, and abnormalities in absorption. There is no reason to have this fear of eating. Sometimes, a cause is not found but symptomatic treatments are used.
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I had my gallbladder removed about a year ago and I have some of the symptoms of dumping syndrome, but I also had them before the surgery so I'm not sure what the cause is. Please try not to be ashamed about this or to ask questions of your doctor. If you don't talk about it, you cant't get help and feel better! And believe me, doctors have heard it all -- what you descirbe won't be surprising or strange to them at all. Good luck.
Try going to a gastroenerologist (GI) about that, and don't be embarrassed. Because I've had major problems with my abdomen before and since my gall bladder was removed, and because doctors don't seem to know what's wrong, I've done a lot of asking from other folks who've been through this surgery and done a lot of research on the subject. Trust me, you are NOT abnormal. GI's won't giggle or laugh at you. They face this all the time. They can surely help you.
And a doc I use to have said the same thing.A year ago I heard on the radio that they were accepting people for a clinical study for free medicine for irritable bowel syndrome,and to call a 1-800 number.I did,the man asked me 15-20 questions and then said that I don't even match irrtable bowel and then hung up.I am sorry I have no answer for you,but wanted you to know that this I GUESS is what we have to SUFFER with for the rest of our lives.IT SUCKS BADLY!Get medimucil, fiber cereals and/or fiber pills.Take them for a month and see if it helps.IF IT DON'T then you don't have irritable bowel syndrome.And then ask your do and tell him you did the fiber thing.It did not work on me,Maybe you can get someone to care.I can't
Good luck bathroom buddy!
Jennifer
And a doc I use to have said the same thing.A year ago I heard on the radio that they were accepting people for a clinical study for free medicine for irritable bowel syndrome,and to call a 1-800 number.I did,the man asked me 15-20 questions and then said that I don't even match irrtable bowel and then hung up.I am sorry I have no answer for you,but wanted you to know that this I GUESS is what we have to SUFFER with for the rest of our lives.IT SUCKS BADLY!Get medimucil, fiber cereals and/or fiber pills.Take them for a month and see if it helps.IF IT DON'T then you don't have irritable bowel syndrome.And then ask your do and tell him you did the fiber thing.It did not work on me,Maybe you can get someone to care.I can't
Good luck bathroom buddy!
Jennifer
I have now developed IBS and most days need to RUN immediately after eating. I haven't had my gall bladder out yet and am due for surgery in april... argghhh My Dr says the removal of my gallbladder may cause the same problems I'm already getting from IBS.. heaven forbid.
Will this ever end? Will I ever be able to go out with my friends for dinner again? I have a hot date coming up.. My doctor says anxiety doesn't help.. hello.. I'm anxious it's a first date for goodness sake. How much of a turn off is it to have your date run to the loo for ˝ hr periods 5x during the night. The excuse of 'must of been something I ate didn't agree with me' will only work a couple of times before it's obvious it doesn't matter what I eat to someone.
I can only hope that what worked for Alan will work for me some time soon. I'm only 25 ... I want to be able to go out with friends again.
Good luck to all of you, It's good to know you're all out there with the same problems. If you find the miracle cure before me... email me!!! ***@****
I am a healthy 31 y.o male.
Recently doing a few check up tests the ultrasound found small stones in my gallbladder.
I fell no pain, I eat and drink just about every food, drinks and alcohol and had never felt a thing. When I was 14 I had hepatitis.
Do I have to have my gallbladder removed ? Do I have to go through surgery ? Is there a risk on keeping my gallbladder as it is ? What risk percentage do I have of having a pancreatitis crisis ?
I would just like to hear another opinion.
Thank you.
a.***@****
I'm not a doc, but have been reading a lot lately. From what I understand, many people have gallstones and never know it. If your gallstones do not present any symptoms, you really should not worry about it. If your gallbladder is functioning, do not have it removed.
Can you please help???
I think I may be able to help here. I had my gallbladder out about 6 years ago and I too experienced the same problems all of you have stated. Prior to my surgery I was constipated all the time and afterwards I was running to the bathroom within 15 minutes after I ate. This made me very nervous so I asked a couple of doctors. The doctors couldn't answer my questions, so I looked into the problem myself through nutrition books so I could cure it myself. What you are all experiencing is called Dumping Syndrome. Your gallbladder is what holds the bile in your body, and bile is the enzyme that breaks down fat. Once your gallbladder was removed so was the storage container for bile. Now your body does not have as much bile to break down the fat in your diet. Although you do still have bile it is not as much as before. Try eating low fat meals, stay away from fried foods, and rich foods, and also eat small frequent meals instead of 2 or 3 large ones. You should notice a difference. Believe me I did. The unfortunate thing is that after your surgery someone should have spoken to you about reintroducing fat back into your diet slowly and they probably didn't. At least that was the case with me. It was actually due to this that after a long time away from school that I decided to go back and study nutrition and now will be graduating in May with my degree in dietetics. Good Luck to all of you Dumpers!!!!
Basically for me, the surgery was a piece of cake. I was given a sedative prior to the surgery to calm me down, and all I remember is being wheeled into the operating room, which was smaller than I'd expected, and a radio was blaring music, which surprised me. Then they put a mask over my face and told me to count backwards from 10. I don't think I even made it to 8 before I was out. Next I knew I was waking up in the recovery room and I was wheeled back to my hospital room. I slept a LOT that day, and had absolutely no appetite. I tried eating dinner that evening, which I only tried to eat jello, and I threw that up (due to the anesthesia reacton), so I gave up on eating that night. During the night I had to get up several times to go to the bathroom (urinate), so I'd call the nurse in and she'd help me wheel my little fluid carrier into the bathroom with me. I had crackers to munch on as the night went on, and by morning I was ready to eat a full breakfast with no problem.
I went home within 24 hours. My stomach/abdomen area was very sore, as you can imagine. With laparoscopic surgery, they make 3 small incisions. One between and a little lower than your breasts, one by the bellybutton, and one on the side of your torso. The longest one for me was maybe 1/2" to 3/4" long. I literally had band-aids on them, no stitches. My abdomen was sore for a few weeks. It hurt to sit up, lay down, push a vacuum or anything like that, it even hurt to laugh. Anything that utilizes your abdominal muscles will cause some pain. It's amazing, you don't think of vacuuming as using your abs!
The only after-effects I had was pain in my right shoulder when I would try to raise my arm above my head. I told my doctor about that during my follow-up visit 2 weeks after the surgery, and he said it was because when they do the surgery, they basically inflate your stomach/abdomen area with gas so the wall of your abdomen is away from the gall bladder and other organs. You basically look like you're pregnant during the surgery! (They also aired a gall bladder surgery on TLC the weekend after mine was done, and I watched it - WOW!) Anyway, when they're all done, they deflate your stomach, but sometimes all of the gas doesn't come out, and it may migrate to other areas of your body like between the shoulder blades, etc. I basically had to "work it out" of my system, and after a month I didn't have any more pain in my shoulder.
My personal experience with this surgery was GREAT. I had no problems and healed excellently. But not everyone will have the same experience. A friend of mine had the same surgery done, and one of her incisions was almost 3" long, due to the size of her gall bladder when they had to pull it out. And she had a lot of problems during the healing process. She told me that if she'd known it was going to be that bad for her she wouldn't have had it done! But I know that she had a lot of pain due to her gall bladder attacks, and I'm sure she's much better off now.
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents worth here and give you an idea of what you may go through if/when you have the surgery done.
For about a three week period once a year I take (these are at a health food store) One tablet each of a two part colon cleanse formula (Ultimate Cleanse, by Nature's secret), I follow that in about twenty minutes with a 16 oz of juice containing two rounded teaspoons of psyllium husk powder (dietary fiber, like citrucel etc) and 1 tbsp. of Colloidal bentonite (Sonne's No.7: an absorbent aid in detoxification). The fiber and clay (bentonite) absorb the toxins and mucous that the Ultimate cleanse removes. I found that I need to do this for a week following any antibiotic treatment and again after any surgery. Wisdom teeth and tonsilectomy in my case.
sure it is the removal of the gall bladder that has caused this I am currently underging test as my doc thinks I have a muscle problem I will certainly mention my op to him as thinking back I have had this problem ever since the surgery
I finally was diagnosed with IBS and I do have some food allergies. I have found if I delay my first meal of the day and eat sparingly at that first meal I do better through out the rest of the day. Believe it or not the product that will calm my stomach and settle me down best is Pepto Bismal. I have been prescribed many RX's over the years... Imodium (immodium) helped too.
In the beginning it was much worse than now. (Being pregnant was the worst I ever had the diarrhea, I was hoping for constipation like the rest of my friends.) Now I go weeks or months with pretty much a normal approach to BMs. But stress can wreak havoc on me, and once I start having episodes, it takes time to settle back down. It is something I have learned to live with and tolerate.
It never mattered what I ate to cause the urge. For me it happened as often as 3 times a week, prolonged for a couple of hours. Very difficult to eat out and travel to say the least. My social life was becoming a thing of the past.
The doctor put me on Questran, (someone else mentioned that above), and I have been worry-free for three weeks. I now believe that my gallbladder had been the source of my problem while it was in (for I have had rapid-bowel problems thoughnever diagnosed as such)since I was about 27 years old. I had it taken out when I was 51. Then it became almost impossible.
I put up with this for about two years before going to the internist. And on top of this, somewhere along the line I developed GERD. The result was a bile-stained esophagus that must have hidden the Barrett's, because the internist didn't realize I had it until the polyps he removed confirmed Barrett's.
Barrett's is very serious, and if you have GERD as well, please have an endoscopy done. You don't want to end up with this potentially deadly disease that seems to be irreversible.
But, praise the Lord, I can walk four or five miles a day again without having to fear what I would do if I needed to go to the bathroom.
If you haven't, ask your doctor about Questran and give it a try. It has delivered me from the fear of going out in public situations, and is enabling me to become active again.
This is three weeks-experience talking; I know that's not a lot. But I have never experienced three weeks of normalcy in this regard for YEARS!
Good luck to all of you and may God bless you.
Thankyou for your information about post gallbladder surgery.
OK I have different issues since my operation 6 months ago.
I too have extreme bouts of tummy aches at times, but most of all, ther are times where I have a very sore lower back, (as if there are clamps on either side) with slight nausea, and 9 times out of 10 extreme consitpation.
I have begun to drink a glass of prune juice everyday and have found this cure to help greatly.
Anyway it is a constant reminder to eat and drink healthily.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards
Antonia
A pill called Colestid can slow diarhea (diarrhea)
There are anti-spasmodics that can help significantly so I don't have the extreme cramping after eating (they are way better than the **** you buy at the store)
Restaurants use vegetable oil on their grills. It changes properties when it is heated and can cause the "dumping reaction" that we all seem to suffer from. We basically can be allergic to it.
Use olive oil.
Avoid large amounts of pasta.(lots of fat)
Avoid caffeine, spicy foods, micro-beers (LOTS of fat)
Take Flax Seed Oil (2-4 a day depending on your tolerance) It decreases gas, pain, colesterol, etc. It is also very good for your heart. You can get it at GNC or other health food stores.
Drink lots of water
About 30% of all gallbladder removals create people like us. There is very little they can do at this point since their are so many variables to diet, etc.
I can't eat red meat anymore, it makes me very sick. I can eat chicken, turkey, pork (if its not too fatty), and ham. I eat lots of vegetables (steamed)and rice and potatoes.
I have the further complications of my stomach not dumping correctly and my pancreas doesn't produce the enzymes I need to digest food. So now I get to take 5enzymes every time I eat and take 2cc of erythromyacin (a smaller dose than even infants) to force my stomach to dump correctly. I have also had 5 procedures on my bile ducts and pancreatic ducts becasue they have become blocked. The Flax Seed will help prevent that from happening again. I am a medical nightmare.....
I know how most of you feel. I have had the dumping syndrome for awhile myself. Not only have I had my Gallbladder removed, I had a Nissen Fundoplication (stomach wrap) for GERD three months prior to the GB removal. Then to make things even more fun, 15 months later had hiatal hernia repair and a Cassel (half wrap). Needless to say, my intestinal tract feels as though it's been terrorized.
I had some problems with dumping due to lactose intolerance prior to any of the proceedures. It just seems much worse now than before. I find that eating more than a very small serving of anything fried makes me nauseaus, gives me stomach pains and wish I hadn't eaten what looked or sounded so good. I am also having problems with gas. Sometimes GasX will help with gas pains, but doesn't help with the noise/smell problem. I am fortunate that my husband has a good sense of humor! I can honestly say that I too know where the bathroom is in most resturant chains. I for one have gotton over the embarrasment of the trots. Life is too short. Most people that know me understand that an awful lot of this is out of my control. Sometimes I can go for a week without an episode. Some weeks are nothing but running in and out of the bathroom. I try to let nature take it's course as much as possible. However, when I have been traveling recently I did lean on Imodeum to slow down the "flow", so to speak. It worked well enough. However, it took a couple of days before I had anything other than gas. Then I spent the entire day in and out of the bathroom. I am also lucky to have my desk right next to the bathroom at work. This has been a lifesaver many a time over the last 3 years.
To the people that are staying at home and missing out on life,
please get out and enjoy. If people can't understand that "**** happens"(pardon the pun and the language), it's their problem - not yours. Take an imodeum,pass on the foods that bother you and eat like a bird. I am a happy meal gal these days. Experiment going out with a friend who knows what happens to you. If they don't know about this right now, take the time to explain it to them. A good caring friend will do everything they can to make you feel more comfortable about the situation.
Sorry this was so long. I really appreciate knowing that there are many others in the same boat. You can email me at ***@**** if you wish.
Tonio
From reading this I have noticed that the doctors have never told us in advance that we would have this problem... All i was told was that i would have softer stools. Yeah right that is only the beginning of it! I am an overweight women i have been for most of my life but i think that what it is going to come down to is absolutely no fat in the diet . I do notice that it is worse after eating fatting foods. So we will see what happens I have been hearing about health food stores and how they can help with alot of things... maybe that is something we should all consider is checking what health food stores have to offer us !! Please let me know of anything that can help my situation and yours!!
I had mine out 6 years ago. I asked a co-worker at the time what the effects were of losing a gall bladder, and the answer was that unless she ate a big breakfast, she would get diarrhea, so she smiled and said "so I eat a big breakfast!" :) She was a little on the heavy side and this obviously was not punishment to her.
I have always experienced the same as all of you, but a few comments threw me off, such as there is less bile than before. My basic reasoning is that the gall bladder stored bile, and without the storage it is going directly on into the stomach. The less food is eaten, the more bile accumulates, so that when anything hits the stomach, the **** hits the fan, figuratively, literally, etc.
My experience has been that this is almost calcuable based on time since last eating. There was advice on eating frequently and in small amounts, which was good but I think it's a little bit more accurate to say eat normal sized portions frequently rather than a big meal infrequently. It is ironic that the very act of delaying from eating out of fear of the results is the cause of the results. Eating frequently keeps the bile used up and results in normal bowel movements, in my experience.
I also had concluded from past experience that heavy foods, such as steak, were best at keeping the system moving normally. I now see from these posts that bile is used on fatty meats and fried foods. My advice is the opposite of some of the above. Eat normally and every few hours, and the bile will be used up as it is created. You will have as normal a digestive system as before, without the gall bladder attacks, which I agree with one writer above, I thought I was going to die before going to ER and into surgery, after years of attacks that I thought were gas related because my stomach was swelled up so hard. But of course that was a response to the severe pain underneath emanating from the gall bladder and not gas related at all.
For various reasons, I haven't had the time for the past three days to eat enough, and now have non-painful diarrhea, or a purely water based bowel movement, if you will, for the last two or three days. Partly I want to shrink my stomach, and I am willing to deal with this side effect in the process. The stomach has shrunk down quite a bit ove the last three days as I ate very minimally, but I was hoping to find a bile nullifier other than heavy foods as a permanent solution. Believe me, I was quite shocked to find that doctors are so clueless on this subject. I am just conjecturing based on experience, and the key is whether bile is generated as a result of eating foods that require it for digestion, therefore a diet avoiding the foods mentioned in previous posts would skirt around the problem somewhat, or whether bile is produced steadily and must be used up and flushed out before it accumulates. The fact that a gall bladder stored bile for use when food arrived for digestion suggests to me that it is produced ahead of time and is now sitting in the stomach instead of the gall bladder, producing the undesirable diarreah. Speaking of which, as I type this, I can attest that the stomach will continue to churn away on nothing and produce more watery output even when absolutely nothing is eaten or drunk in the last 15 hours. Sorry, gotta go! :)
Ralph (***@****)
P.S. I will send this to the e-mail addresses mentioned in the various posts that were looking for help, hoping that it is of some help to you youngsters (I am 48) who are pessimistic about living with these symptoms amidst a social life.
I had my gallbladder removed about 3 weeks ago. Prior to the
surgery I had servere attacks about once every two years.
An ultrasound detected several stones. My doctor said I should
have the surgery. I asked about the side effects and he said
some people report using the bathroom more frequently.
I had NO idea frequently would me everytime I ate. Sometimes
I do not even finish eating all of my food and I have to go
to the bathroom. I have severe diarrea (diarrhea).
If I had known that I would have to use the bathroom so
often I would not have had the surgery. This is ridiculous.
I do not want to go through life like this forever. I can't
eat when I am traveling.
At least I know that I am not isolated. I pray for a cure
of this.
thank you
from tired of the test and not knowing
After spending one night doing this I decided that I had had enough & was going to take charge! I went to my doctor that day & DEMANDED some tests of some sort. That is when the gallstones were found. I had my gallbladder removed in April 2000. I have felt SO MUCH BETTER since then! I never have a stomachache, never miss work...I am a new person! :-)
Now that a few months have passed I have began feeling a little uncomfortable after big meals. The meal doesn't have to be high in fat. I do remember seeing somewhere (on the net) that after gallbladder surgery your body doesn't have the bile necessary to digest a large meal that quickly & the result is discomfort & diarrhea. I will gladly take this over the pain that I had before!
Take care & good luck to you all!
Tammy
***@****
have the dumping thing. If i eat chinese food...I run to the
toilet before I finish eating. Or for that matter most anything
with fat in it. No matter how small amount of fat. It has gotten better over the years. Not as much urgency as it was at
first. At first I had absolutely no control!! I had a few acc-
idents to say the least. So I have and had to be careful of what I ate in public. I have learned to "listen" to my body too. As soon as I feel churning or pressure, I look for a toilet. Recently a GI dr. prescribed COLESTID. I am anxious
to try this. He is starting me on 1 gr. a day. Good luck all!
I too recently, May 2000, had my GB removed, surgery was emergency as the GB was packed with stones and infected badly.
Since the surgery I have had minor pains in the GB area, usually after eating, but they subside after alittle while. Some pain in the upper right side of my back after alot of activity that involves using the right side of my body, shoulder and arm.
But the big problem is the IBS or the runs especially after being active or having a large meal..I have not found a happy medium yet, but am looking. I don't not want to become less active as I will put on weight, yet, running to the bathroom is not quite what I had in mind.
I hope to take some of the suggestion from this forum and find a solution to the problem. Thanks.
I also find that when I wake up in the morning or during the night my stomach feels really sore and I still find it hard to take a really deep breath without getting 'a twinge' and it's uncomfortable if I lay on my side. I have also experienced some 'dumping' though this is now improved from what it was before the operation when I couldnt eat salads or fruit at all without getting diarrohea.
I had my gallbladder out last Saturday. It has only been a week, I know but I am pretty sure I have dumping syndrome. I read that if you had this diarrhea problem PRIOR to the surgery, it is probably NOT related to the gall bladder. That just does not make sense to me.
My gallbladder was so necrotic and gangrenous that I am sure it was not working for quite sometime, despite my having only ONE attack. If my gallbladder is not functional, isn't it fair to say that you would have an excess of bile thus causing diarrhea? It only makes sense to me.
So, here's my take on it. All my doctors act as if gallbladder removal is as simple and symptom free as removing a wart. The did not inform me as to what to watch out for, what to expect. I am now VERY concerned that at 37, my QUALITY OF LIFE, has been diminished because of my frantic trips to the bathroom. It may seem like a small problem in lieu of other problems, but when you measure your life by its "quality" it is a serious problem and should be treated that way.
I have yet to meet ONE gallbladder removal patient who has NOT experienced this problem. Granted, I had no choice but to remove the gallbladder as it was severely infected and gangrenous. I did not want to die. That being said, WHY does it seem that the surgeons who perform our operations, refuse to properly inform us? Are we not adults who deserve the whole picture? Can't we be trusted with the information?
Sorry for this diatribe, but I am too young to limited in this way. It makes me angry. Thanks for listening.
Dumping Syndrome I HAVENT HAD MY galblader out and Iam having the same problems Ihave bad pains in my lower stomach and lower back pain in my shoulders And when I eat anything I have to go to the bath room even so much as A cup of coffe I cant walk more than five minutes I get pain My doctor is sending me for test Aug 31 SHE THINKS ITS MY GALBLADER And I have A cis In the lower part of my stomach or my insides are atached togeter AND she has to take them apart She says its because I HAD 4 C SECTIONS 5 KIDS iDONT NO WHAT TO THINK aLL i NO IS ITS VERY PAIN FUL AND I hate being blowded And I would like to no if theres any gain weight when the galblader is removed plese get back to me Thanks
Dumping Syndrome I HAVENT HAD MY galblader out and Iam having the same problems Ihave bad pains in my lower stomach and lower back pain in my shoulders And when I eat anything I have to go to the bath room even so much as A cup of coffe I cant walk more than five minutes I get pain My doctor is sending me for test Aug 31 SHE THINKS ITS MY GALBLADER And I have A cis In the lower part of my stomach or my insides are atached togeter AND she has to take them apart She says its because I HAD 4 C SECTIONS 5 KIDS iDONT NO WHAT TO THINK aLL i NO IS ITS VERY PAIN FUL AND I hate being blowded And I would like to no if theres any gain weight when the galblader is removed plese get back to me Thanks
Dumping Syndrome I HAVENT HAD MY galblader out and Iam having the same problems Ihave bad pains in my lower stomach and lower back pain in my shoulders And when I eat anything I have to go to the bath room even so much as A cup of coffe I cant walk more than five minutes I get pain My doctor is sending me for test Aug 31 SHE THINKS ITS MY GALBLADER And I have A cis In the lower part of my stomach or my insides are atached togeter AND she has to take them apart She says its because I HAD 4 C SECTIONS 5 KIDS iDONT NO WHAT TO THINK aLL i NO IS ITS VERY PAIN FUL AND I hate being blowded And I would like to no if theres any gain weight when the galblader is removed plese get back to me Thanks
My sister in law had lapriscopy but she had staples instead of stitches. I myself had stitches and they are quite small. And my stomach muscles seem to be stretched out and flabby-er than they were before the surgery. I wasn't exactly toned (I've had 2 kids) but I can tell a definate difference...not to mention I gained 3-5 pounds! How I did that I don't know. I didn't even eat for a whole day due to nausea and vomiting. I wish all others luck in their post op years.
I had my gallbladder out 5 years ago. I have struggled with my weight ever since. I gained a lot of weight after, I worked extremely hard to lose it, then I gained it again. I eat better now than I used to. The last two years I have continually gained weight and I just don't get why. I am usually a very good weight. It seems I continually gain, no matter what I eat, or if I exercise. It is really getting to me.
I noticed one other person on this board seems to have the same problem. Any others? Any reason why?
As for some of the other things mentioned on this board, I always have pain where my gallbladder was when I go to the bathroom. I am very constipated. I used to be constipated before, but it's worse now. I have to take prune juice or laxatives to go.
I had my gallbladder out 5 years ago. I have struggled with my weight ever since. I gained a lot of weight after, I worked extremely hard to lose it, then I gained it again. I eat better now than I used to. The last two years I have continually gained weight and I just don't get why. I am usually a very good weight. It seems I continually gain, no matter what I eat, or if I exercise. It is really getting to me.
I noticed one other person on this board seems to have the same problem. Any others? Any reason why?
As for some of the other things mentioned on this board, I always have pain where my gallbladder was when I go to the bathroom. I am very constipated. I used to be constipated before, but it's worse now. I have to take prune juice or laxatives to go.
If after the surgery I'm going to be going through the same problems, I really don't want to have it done. I'm scared and really feel like I don't have a choice about it now. I'm tired of the attacks and the constant aching in my chest. I want to get rid of that, but in doing that it seems like I'm likely to get a whole other set of problems.
I'm wondering if anyone else has had the "dumping" problem before the surgery?
And Im going to say ...I am scheduled for surgery in 5 days .
It freaks me out because there is no way I want all these extra problems .
And to top it off I have to have the old fashioned surgery because of a colostomy operation that I had due to a sever motorcycle crash ..which was reversed and back to normal .
I would like to say thank you to all of you who have written ,
It really helps those of us who have yet to face it.
I am so glad to hear about this "dumping syndrome". I thought I ws the only one. Now when I go see my doc next week, I can put a name to it, and maybe get some help. I will say, though, that when I eat home, it doesn't happen to me at all. Only when I eat out.
As a postscript, I will say that I would have the surgery all over again, if the need arose. This past weekends suffering brought it all back too clearly what I had gone through before. I never want to have that pain again!
Good luck to all of you!
Tricia
I too suffer from what now seems like "dumping syndrome".
I had my gallbladder removed back in July of 1999 at the age of 20. And ever since then I have suffered with diarriea, constipation, flatulence, nausea, and killer cramping. For the longest time I thougth that I too had cancer,I have had an ERCP and a colonoscopy performed, but after seeing a GI doctor up in Standford, he concluded that I had Colitis. He gave me medication that has not been working for me. I am really having a bad time. I can't live my life the way I like too. I'm only 21 years old and I feel my life is over. I am attending college and I have about 3 more months before I will graduate, I'm scard to death about moving on. I don't know how I will be able to work when I can't even leave the bathroom. I lost my job because I had my gallbladder surgry. Now ever since then any job I have had I haven't lasted more that 2 weeks because I quit. I have noticed like many of you, that my mornings often start the same way, I have breakfast and 10-15 minutes later I run off to the bathroom. I hardly leave my house, because I fear that I will have to rush to the bathroom. I have no social life!! I'm engaged to be married, sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to walk down the isle without having an accident. I can't take this kind of life style anymore. Its very neverecking and very uncomfortable. I stress over this every day and need some help. If anyone has any other information please E-mail me at ***@****
I am also 30 years old. I had my Gallbladder removed April 1997, approximately 2 months after the birth of my son. I suffered from Toxemia during my pregnancy. After suffering my attack, I had emergency surgery to remove my Gallbladder. My doctor, in New Mexico, told me that my attack was the result of the complications related to the Toxemia. I have had consistent bowel problems ever since. It is not fun at all. I have to carry Imodium (immodium) AD with me everywhere I go. Sometimes I have to RUN to the bathroom after I drink water in the morning. Good luck and God Bless all of you.
I had my gallbladder removed 5 months ago. Before the surgery, for three years I had problems with severe diarrhea after eating. It was very unpredictable what food/drink would trigger an attack. I would be okay for several days to several weeks, then get an attack out of the blue. A few times I had an attack while on the city bus. I never had an accident, but came close a few times. That was really frightening. I stopped eating out, including having coffee, and knew where every bathroom is around town.
I began having upper abdominal pain and was diagnosed with multiple gallbladder stones. I did some online research before having the surgery, and read that the diarrhea would get worse. Unfortunately I didn't read the kinds of stories I've read at this site. I had no idea HOW much worse. Now I have it about 1-3 times every other day. I've changed my diet to low-fat, but it doesn't seem to matter. I still have pain where the gallbladder use to be. At times the pain is worse than a gallbladder attack. I went to a GI that suggested I have an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. The GI thinks it may be an ulcer, but who really knows.
This diarrhea problem is really effecting my life. I hardly go out any more. Whenever I am going to be out I bring bottled water, and a banana, and don't eat before hand. I really miss going to the neighborhood coffee shops/cafes with my husband. Im sick of bottled water and bananas. I'm going to be looking for work soon (been a stay at home mom for several years), but I'm fearful that I'll have an attack, and have an accident at work. I wouldn't feel comfortable telling a potential employer that I'm rectally challenged! How have other's handled this situation with their boss/coworkers? A job dealing with the public seems out of the question. I can picture it now.... helping someone at work when I get a major bowel attack, my eyes as big as saucers, sweat on my forhead, clammy hands, major anxiety attack as I figure out very quickly how to get to the can, and not cause a spectacle of myself in the process waiting, or perhaps unable to wait for someone to take my place. It seems so potentially embarrassing.
It's good to know I'm not alone with this condition.
Good luck to you all.
Well I start reading all your post. And noticed we all have a lot in common.. I had my gal bladder removed in mid July-2000 . I had been having attacks as far back as a year ago but never thought it was a gal stones.. I went to urgent care numerous times.. and was diagnosed with things like Reflux esopho(whats it) and something else called a slidding hyaital(sp) hernia finally one Doc gave me an ultra sound and said You GOT STONES!!..
2 days later I almost passed one and was rushed to the hospital for emergency Opperation.. I also had a stone stuck in my bile duct and had to have some sort of other proceadure done. as well I think they cut into my liver to remove a 6mm stone. Since then Ive had 3 blood test becuse the dr. isnt too please with my livers "levels" I find out if Im normal on monday..
This Friday I expericened Dumping Syndrom (syndrome) with extreme abdominal pain.. it was right after a heavy fat meal... ( well it was a sauage and pepper sandwich) man I was in pain.. I almost felt the same sensation last week ( after eating a Sausage and egg biscutt) seeing a pattern here? no more sausage for me.. Im still a little nervous about the severe pain.. It was like my gal stones attack all over again.. well I've also been taking anitbiotics recently for my tooth I had extracted.. Ive read (here) that all these are factors in the Dumping syndrome.. I have but one QUESTION.. what book or diet would any of you recommend so that I can take care of this problem? thank you
rondo
you can email me with questions or suggestions at ***@****
SUFFER FROM UNCONTROLLABLE DIARRHEA, I HAVE BEEN ON EVERY MED ON THE MARKET. RECENTLY I FOUND A XRAY REPORT IN MY CHART AND IT SHOWS THE CHOLECYSTECTOMY CLIPS ARE STILL PRESENT ALONG WITH A
RING LIKE METALLIC DENSITY OVER MY RIGHT ABDOMEN. THE OPERATION REPORT STATES THESE CLIPS WERE REMOVED??CAN YOU FIND OUT IF THEY REMOVED THESE CLIPS NORMALLY???? I WONDER WHY NOONE QUESTIONED THE METALLIC DENSITY ALSO. IS IT CUZ DRS DONT WANT TO QUESTION ANOTHER DRS WORK. MT EMAIL ADDRESS IS ***@****
thanks let me know how your surgery went good luck
However, I have resumed most of my normal activities,(INCLUDING TAE KWON DO CLASSES!!) and it has only been two weeks to the hour!
I would like to send a note of sympathy out to everyone who has had this done, or ever has to...it may be the most common surgery, however, that doesn't mean it's not a big ordeal!
MY SYMPATHIES TO EVERYONE HERE.
SAMANTHA.
My surgeon told me that I would most likely have problems with diarrhea for a couple of months. That was an understatement!! I am still having these problems. At times it seems like it gets better but then it comes back like a bad dream. This is so embarrassing. I had to finally tell my husband after a bad experience of needing to go to the bathroom.
I know all of you have heard this before but I can understand and feel what you are going through. This is very frustrating. I live my life based on how close I will be to a bathroom.
Also I have gained weight since my surgery(about 15 pounds). I don't understand this since I don't seem to keep my food for very long why I would gain weight.
Thank you for all your information on here. I am going to try eating a lower fat diet and see if that helps.
for all who have the Dumping Syn. I am happy to see that others are open to letting others know what to possibly expect and things that might help the DS, if they get it. I will be checking back to see if there are any new helps that work. I hope you all will find what will work for you. It isn't any fun spending all your life in the bathroom. I spend enough time there now, and don't want to spend more. God Bless and Keep you all. Keep Smiling reguardless of what may seem like the pits....always remember, it could be worse. Jstar in Ind.
My email address is ***@****.
I spent 8 mos of pain back in 1997 with every test showing normal normal normal--my surgeon finally agreed to take my gall bladder since I had a family history of problems..One week later I returned for my follow-up to be informed "oh yes your gall bladder was chronically diseased---by the way I removed a benign tumor from your liver too".....Are you kidding me???!!! I have since spent every day of my life in pain...same area...I've gone to doctors and gone thru umpteen prescriptions and pain therapy---nothing has worked. I, like everyone else have the dumping syndrome---but I accept that...no problem I'll deal with it , as long as someone can tell me what the heck this pain is still from. Sometimes I get the sweats, low-grade fever, and pain like I still had my gall bladder, sometimes it even feels like a swollen lump forms under my right lower rib....It hurts worse when I lie flat, and especially after large meals. I've been doing some research into chronic pancreatitis, and fear this could be my newly formed disease...Information shows it can be caused from prior gall bladder problems which can cause damage to the pancreas...Unfortunately I have very little faith in doctors since they never knew what was wrong with me before until they cut me open and actually found something. Has anyone out there developed chronic pancreatitis after gb surgery??? Any "real life" input would be greatly appreciated before I go back to doctors.
I suppose the must frustrating thing for me and for so many of you here, is that the doctor never mentioned any of these things, or what to expect or maybe look for afterward. I thought there was something seriously wrong with me because of the pain in my GB area, and I had no idea that my sore throat was acid!! My mother (65) had her GB out this year. My sister (45) had hers out at 40. They both continue on a diet of Zantac and Prilosec.
well I'm not the only one! phew.
I find that eating fatty foods aggrivates the "dumping" thing. But, no matter what I ALWAYS have to go urgently within 1/2 hr. of eating. I try to watch what I eat, but I have gained a lot of weight since the op. Mostly, because I don't skip meals anymore for fear of gallbladder pain.
I had the operation in December of '98 (day before Christmas) as an emergency. It turns out the pain was mostly from the stones that slipped into the bile duct, and the doc said it could re-occur. Has anyone had to have that procedure again (cleansing the bile duct?) let me know if you have, email me: ***@**** Thank you, mary :)
I was misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome for many years, but finally found a doctor that took my symptoms seriously. If you're interested in learning more about Celiac Sprue Disease, a very useful site www.celiac.com is my recommendation. There are simple antibiody tests that can show if antibodies (characteristic of CSD) are elevated. The final call is an upper GI with a biopsy of the small intestine to determine atrophy. I tested positive with both. A simple diet is used to control my problems (except for my gallbladder pain). I encourage anyone with the "dumping syndrome" or IBS to have these tests. The statistics are that 1:300 people have this disease. Some people have symptoms, but some don't. High fiber diets made me gravely ill. Please be aggressive about your health care. 15% of people with CSD are likely to develop intestinal lymphoma (referenced on www.celiac.com). Educate and take care of yourself!
Hope this help. See your doctor.
Chris Ratterree
***@****
I have alot of bloating , shoulderblade pain,stomach sick, pains in my stomach,chest pain and also feel drained.
Please can you tell me if i have it bad enough to get my gallbladder out? The Doctor found out i have stones by the ultra sound test.
I have alot of bloating , shoulderblade pain,stomach sick, pains in my stomach,chest pain and also feel drained.
Please can you tell me if i have it bad enough to get my gallbladder out? The Doctor found out i have stones by the ultra sound test.
I found this site because I was looking up details about the drug 'Questran'. Well now I have the answers to my problems (watery diarrhoea, and high abdo pains mostly where the GB was) and it is a comfort to know that I am not imagining all my symtoms!
I am now 52 and had my gall bladder out about 5 years ago and apart from an increase in heartburn, indigestion and massive increase in the 'burps' when eating, I hadn't had any real problems till last year Jun 2000 when going to the loo became a very very frequent event, enough to send me to the doctors because I thought I had a bug or worse. To cut a long story short (well will try) was sent to a Gastrologist and was examined inside, outside and upside down (doesn't do much for self identity when you feel rotton already). Original diagnosis was Microscopic Colitis(another elusive condition), so was put on steroids which made the condition far worse and blew me up like a baloon, thankfully I am off them now, but took 3 months to find out they made me far worse.
Had severe pains where GB used to be and round front of diaphram under sturnum, still get these now and again, they can be frightening and was convinced I had pancreatic cancer. Anyway have had more tests including the bile salt malabsorption test which proved very positive, meaning that I was not re-using/storing my bile, does this make sense? Presumably that means more and more is being made and the bile, like acid is causing all the problems. Trouble is that no-one explains anything to you and even when I ask, the answers are evasive. My Gastrologist is not very forthcoming with information (I seem to know more about it than he does, and typically you cannot tell him anything or say that you have found things out, without consulting him!).
Anyway latest is that he gave me Questran to take a couple of weeks ago - and it appears to have stopped my frequent visits to the loo and I haven't had the pains so much, but that leads me to what I said originally about information on the drug. I also have to take thyroxine because of hypothyroidism and am now worried that the Questran may affect that. Am due to see him in a couple of weeks and possibly to have a barium meal test. Will let you know how things go.
To all that need the GB op, not everyone is the same and mostly things are much better afterwards, also it is always best to get things checked out, just in case.
Best wishes to all and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Regards from Jan
very tired of going to the b-room.......sandi g
In my case, dieting and staying away from fats, spicy foods, meats, and even a bland diet of cream of wheat has not stopped my 3-8 daily bouts of diarrhea.
I've been to a number of Dr.s and been told it's IBS and after an Endoscopy, last month, I was told it was just a little Colitis, but I have all the symptoms of a sludgy gallbladder, so I'm reasonably sure that's what I have.
So I've give up for the most part believing in what the Dr.s have told me and I'm reading as many post as I can and trying to tie info together and find some answers that work for me...if we all do this, just maybe we can find some answers that work for us that the Dr.s have not been able to find. I'd suggest we do some research and look up on the Internet any other symptoms we have and see if anyone else with diarrhea also has those same symptoms and if they do, then post that information here. Hopefully that information will lead us to some answers or something that might lead to the actual cause of the diarrhea or at least help us slow down or stop the diarrhea. I feel at this point we all need to try to stop being victims of some problem that no one has found an answer for and be proactive and try and find our own answers.
I'll start by asking if anyone has any other symptoms that don't seem related. I've noticed that I often have a back ache in my mid to upper spine and that one of my vertebra hurts. So I looked this problem on the net and found that it's usually about T4, where the nerve from the gallbladder inserts into the spine, here. So I'm looking that that aspect to see what the connection is.
I will tell anyone who wants to know that on another board I did find a med. that seems to control the liver bile so that the diarrhea slows down. From what I read on this other board, most of the people on it are living a relatively normal life. I'm currently working on trying get my Dr. to prescribe it. Sorry I don't have the name in front of me, but it's something like Welcol..maybe someone knows the exact name..but you can read about it on healingwell.com under the section on GERD or IBS