Bowel Problems After Gallbladder Surgery

[N. Solis]

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.

[Julie]

As for wight gain.  You are singing my song.  I am a 43 year old female who had her gallbladder out 2 years ago after the birth of my 3rd baby.  I've gained almost 20 lbs and NOTHING is different about what I eat.  If anything I get more exercise having a toddler.  Sorry to say I'm glad to hear other people have this problem I thought I was just deluding myself about what I ate.

[Mary]

hello,
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 :)

[Granny MJ]

I just found these messages by searching for gallbladder surgery complications.  My gallbladder was removed on June 23, 2000.  I had horrible pain as I was coming out of anesthesia.  It was right in the middle of my abdomen.  It hurt so badly that I started holding my breath, which helped, and sounds silly, but then I set off the monitors that were hooked up to me.  They just kept giving me more pain meds, and within the hour I was reluctantly walking out of the surgery center.  At home, I yelled in pain every time I had to get out of bed.  For three days, this continued and during that time I could only sleep on my left side and propped up.  A few days later I felt fine, except for some pain twinges that reminded me that I was recovering from a surgical procedure.  I was fine until the middle of August.  I even drove myself 1700 miles to CO and the same distance home again.  Then I found out that my husband had prostate cancer, and I began to live with stress on a day to day basis.  At that time, the bowel changes began.  Three and four times a day.  Soft stools became diarrhea, and back to soft stools, and then to diarrhea.  My pains in the gallbladder area became worse.  Now it is November, and I have had tests for parasites and an ultrasound of my upper right quadrant.  Everything was negative.  Just last week I visted an organic farm and health food store, and purchased acidophilus capsules.  I take two a day as per instructions, and I am happy to report that my stools returned to normal the day after the first dosage, and I am practically pain free.  Coincidence?  I hope not.  For now, I feel normal again.  I am only on my fourth day of the capsules.  There were several choices and I picked one called Kyo-Dophilus.  It contains L. Acidophilus, B. Bifidum and B. Longum. I take no other medications and I will be 65 in April.

[nancy]

I appreciate everyone sharing their sometimes private and painful gall bladder stories.  I am 41 and had mine out August of 1999, so it has been 16 months. I have had urgency and diarhea problems, but not really severe. I take colon cleanse fiber capsules every day, and eat a lot of small meals. That seems to help. However, 6 months AFTER my surgery, I started having pain in the gallbladder site like a GB attack. I have had another GB ultrasound, and there are no abnormalities in the area, the metal clips are in there, and no stones were left behind in the duct. I also have been diagnosed with GERD, which I have never had before, no doubt a result of GB removal. The acid has been so bad that it would awaken me from sleep if I hadn't taken my Zantac at night. My throat at the adams apple area started hurting so bad like I had been kicked there. It was just the acid. I sleep with my chest/head up on an angle now, and take Prilosec or Zantac.
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.

[Charlotta]

I am glad that I came to this web site. My husband was just about to go to my physician to ask him what the hell had been done to me. I, at 32, had my gallbladder removed in June 2000. I too have experienced the phantom GB pains, with no reasonable explanation from the surgeon. I have the urgency to have a bowel movement soon after eating, but not after every meal. I had created my own explanation, and I think that Ralph is very much on target. I realize that the GB is a storge tank for bile (not the creator like a lady above had suggested). Since my symptoms generally occur upon eating the first meal of the day (which is usually around noon), I have concluded that over night production of bile, plus whatever is produced up until the time I eat,is more bile than is typically necessary to help process a meal. I agree that it has to be more bile in the digestive system rather than less, because there is nowhere to store the stuff. The GB probabaly acted as a regulator of sorts, and once it was full, the liver stopped producing. Now there is no regulator, and there is no middleman between the liver and small intestine. This is just my theory, but as everyone has concluded, we seem to have to do our own research and develop hypothesis based on that. Thanks for letting me know that this problem isn't necessarily a precursor to some dread disease.

[Julie]

I have one even better!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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.