problems after gallbladder surgery

[heather12379]

I am 29 yrs old, 5'9 140lbs. I had my gallbladder out 2 years ago, it was full of stones. Now I don't have attacks anymore or pain, but for the last 6 months I have had diarryha constantly.  With two small children, I am afraid to leave the house. At first I was diagnosed as lactose intollerant, and now am supposed to start trying cholestram.  I was surprised to see how many people have the same problems after gallbladder surgery.  Will the cholestyram work? Is it safe while breastfeeding? Any other ideas?

[heather12379]

I have been using the cholestyram for two days now. So far so good.  I feel normal again.  My doctor said it may cause bloating, but so far I'm fine.

[CalGal]

The resin that was mentioned (or the questran) is a bile-binding resin. It absorbs 'fats' and bile so it tries to help a person with 'bile-dumping-induced diarrhea' after gallbladder surgery. It works for a lot of people, but it also has the side-effect of binding essential fats/nutrients/fat-soluble vitamins that are needed in your body, so it needs to be used with care. It does have side-effects just like every other drug does.

If you haven't tried a low-fat diet yet, you might want to consider it.

[CalGal]

If you check the information on questran - which is a bile-binding resin as is the one you named, for lactation it says there is no known risk, however there is no data to support aht. But the resin is not absorbed by the maternal GI system, so it should be completely safe.

[darlenekate1982]

I had my gall bladder out in July 07 and have had diarrhea constantly since then. Either as soon as I eat or the following morning, nothing seems to help (no certain food triggers it).  A friend of mine had her's out as well,and same story but she takes immodium everyday and said it helped. I'd like to hear more about the cholestyram if anyone is taking it.