“I had my Gallbladder removed in 2008 after 4 months of diarrhea, throwing up and being nauseous. It took them so long to diagnose the problem since I was 110 lbs and 23 years old and not your “”typical”” gallstone patient. My surgery was laproscopic and I had mild discomfort besides feeling bloated (they pumped air in order to see better during my surgery) for about a week. About a week after my surgery I started getting nauseous and having diarrhea constantly. I would wake up and immediately have to use the bathroom. I couldn’t eat any food but was gaining weight instead of loosing it. After visiting a specialist at Northwestern Hospital, she put me on a power substance called cholestyramine which I mixed 2 packets a day. The specialist thought I had bile diarrhea but there was no cure for it. Cholestyramine powder seemed to help a little since I would only get sick daily instead of every 15 minutes but it was still no way to live. I became depressed, gained 10 lbs even though I couldn’t keep ANYTHING down and thought i’d have to drink the powder for the rest of my life. After another series of test, they found out my bile duct had not been properly cleaned out when surgery was performed and as a result, even though I had no gallbladder, my duct was clogged. I went in for surgery again in April 2009 for an outpatient procedure to clean my bile duct. The surgery was a success although the amount of air they pumped in my stomach this time was nearly unbearable – I had to visit the ER twice because I thought my stomach was literally going to burst.
Today, almost a year later, i’m doing a lot better. I no longer drink my Cholestyramine and only have the dreaded diarrhea occasionally – mostly when I don’t eat within an hour of waking up in the morning or when I drink too much caffeine. I also noticed that I have way more bile in my system and sometimes after a fun day or night out drinking with friends, I end up throwing up bile – not fun. I workout 4x a week and try to eat fresh fruit, veggies and lean meats which has really helped my situation.
If you have had the surgery and still feel sick, don’t give up hope! I encourage you to see a GI if you can and check into Cholestyramine – it may not be a permanent solution but it may help you live a more normal life.”