“I had my gallbladder surgery 10 years ago and still have symptoms. I have seen several doctors and literary they were of no help. My retired doctor Dr. Andrew Lipton had some suggestions and the following is what seem to work for me.
1. Have your doctor prescribe cholestryramine. They come in 4 gram packets. Mix 4 grams in 6-8 ounces of juice in a shaker and drink this before bedtime. Unfortunately, you may need to wake up in the middle of the night and urinate but that is a small price to pay. Cholestryramine combines with the bile acids and neutralizes them. It is the bile acids in our intestine that causes the stomach pains.
2. Stay away from dairy products. Raw milk and ice cream I fine the worse. Usually more processed dairy foods such as cheese and dairy products in cakes is OK.
3. Don’t eat anything after dinner. A lot of people eat a nighttime snack. This is a NO, NO. It will force you to generate more bile and that is not what you want at bedtime.
4. When you know you will be away from a bathroom, such as when you are traveling, have you doctor prescribe you lomotil. This is will make you feel normal again for about 24 hours. This is a narcotic so you cannot continually take it. It will lose its affect if take too often. Taking it a few time a months is probably OK.
5. Another thing that seems to help is using a dietary supplement such as digestive enzyme’s you can purchase at a health food store. GNC, Whole Foods, etc. These enzymes will consist of Amylase, Lipase, Protease, Glucoamylase, Maltase, Lactase. Take 1-2 tablets during you meal.
6. Stress certainly does not help, but one cannot avoid it. However, stress is not the cause of the stomach pains after gall bladder surgery. It is the bile released in the intestine.
Hope this helps.”