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“I have been in the same situation as most of you. I had my gallbladder out 8 years ago at age 17 my surgery went great and i would do it again. As for the bathroom problems after surgery know one warns you about that they told me i could eat what i wanted well needless to say it didn’t stay with me long. I should have owned stock in immodium ad. I finally talked to my doctor about this problem and she advised me to change my diet she recommended shredded wheat for breakfast,to stay away from a large about of rich foods like chocolate and peanut butter, to stay away from large amounts of fried greasy food. She wanted me to add more fiber to my diet and it worked. It can be hard to talk to your doctor about but i’m glad i did my bathroom habits are right back to normal and i can now eat what i want. Hope I was of some help.
”You said you don’t have a gallbladder anymore so the bile is coming from the liver and it just keeps coming and you have no gallbladder to catch the excess bile. You need Welchol or the powder drink to bind the bile. I get gastritis from all the excess bile in my stomach.
I too had to RUN to the nearest restroom 30 minutes to 1/2 hour after eating. My problem was diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My doctor prescribed dicyclomine which I take 1 hour or so before eating when I go out. It has made a TREMENDOUS difference and has stopped some very embarrassing situations!
The doctor started me on “Questran” to stop diareha and it has been like a miracle. It is used to help your body absorb bile salts (Which are actually prescribed as a laxative) – I have had normal bowel movements for weeks.
I recently saw a surgeon after suffering for 1 year from pain on my right side gallbladder area which tests results were negative. Surgeon did a colonoscopy and EGD. Results from EGD is chronic duenitits (which is the small intestine under the gall bladder) that is still painful when stressed on the right side and mid stomach pain. Along with esophagitis, gastritis and hital hernia. You could have some of these going on and I would recommend an EGD and colonoscopy just to make sure as it is still painful and taking Nexium helps but stress increases acid which makes it worse.
I recently saw a surgeon after suffering for 1 year from pain on my right side gallbladder area which tests results were negative. Surgeon did a colonoscopy and EGD. Results from EGD is chronic duenitits (which is the small intestine under the gall bladder) that is still painful when stressed on the right side and mid stomach pain. Along with esophagitis, gastritis and hital hernia. You could have some of these going on and I would recommend an EGD and colonoscopy just to make sure as it is still painful and taking Nexium helps but stress increases acid which makes it worse.
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!!!!
my nutritionist said that after Gallbladder removal the body is no longer able to digest fats….she recommended a supplement for me: Cholacol by Standard Process…..that I can take with every meal that has fat in it….and it helps the body digest fats. Also she said that since the liver will now trickle constantly into the intestines (they then become acid, and a lot of the natural flora is destroyed)….so I also take a megadophilus capsule each morning on empty stomach………..hope this is helpful info.
“I wish I had known about the cleanses before I had my gb removed.
I have done 15 cleanses in the past 10 months netting about 2300 stones. I use Dr. Clark’s protocol. I haven’t had to make any changes in her routine. I haven’t had any problems with the flushes.Before the flushes and immediately after having my gb out I started having severe diahrrea after eating. The drs. said many people experience this after gb surgery – but they didn’t tell me until after I had it. I have since eliminated gluten which helped the diahrrea a lot but doing the cleanses have helped a lot too.
If I knew then what I know now I would never have had gb surgery.
I believe it can be healed with cleanses.”“Well, Maybe Calcium with Magnesium will work for some of the people here who suffer with reflux / GERD. I have heard people having really excellent results.
I will continue to search for an alternative to prescription meds for reflux. If anyone knows of anything, drop me a line. ”
The gallbladder is involved in digesting fats, so when removed the digestion of fats is not as good as before because there is a steady stream of bile going from Liver to the small intestines instead of the amount the gall bladder would release when you ate a fatty meal. People believe fats make you fat, but this is untrue, good fats actually help your body be able to burn the “bad” fats collecting on your thighs etc…. and because you are not digesting fat as well as before you are also not getting the same amount of good fats that your body needs for good health. So this isn’t a gurantee but try taking some bile salts (maybe available at a pharmacy) to help the digestion of fats and taking extra omega fats like flax seed or eating more salmon….maybe this could help???
“I don’t know how many of you are going to want to hear this but I know how to make the cramping and other yucky sensations go away, I discovered this quite by accident. I got my gallbladder out at age 18 and for years had stomach disorders. I had my first two children age 21,22 and the pains became worse, I felt like a poisoned dog half the time, mega when I ate sausage. I have heard girls who have to get their gallbladders out at a early age is because of bad emotional childhood trauma, I had this. I got Hodgkin’s Disease(lymphoma cancer)at age 33 and through the advice of a friend after my treatment, dwelved into the world of alternative medicine, it is hard because alot of people out there are quacks. I turned vegetarian 7 years ago and after giving up meat which was hard, it’s what I ate the most of my stomach stopped hurting, I stopped having the doubling over pain, run to the restroom and hope it all comes out alright. NO MORE PAIN, like that ever again. So that is my story take it or leave it.
”“May I ask…do you feel relief when you stand? Or when you sit up and lean forward slightly? Does it often hurt when you lie down in bed and do things like read or maybe work on a laptop computer? And does the pain go completely away sometimes and then suddenly return? If so…maybe you might want to consider what happened and is happening with me at this very moment.
I had my gall bladder removed 4 years ago and within months started to have IBS symptoms which were treated based on those symptoms. However, about 6 months ago (around Feb-08) I started to experience a constant painful pressure on my right side just beneath my ribs. I went to the dr. over and over until she finally sent me to a GI specialist who also treated me for IBS…HOWEVER…less than one month ago I started to experience severe back pain which we all assumed was from a severe kidney infection.
Then when bilirubin started spilling into my urine (often makes your urine look tea colored if heavily saturated and when it’s not remarkable you always…no matter how hydrated you are have a decidedly yellow hue to your urine) and I’d shown signs of jaundice I was immediately hospitalized. I had 2 CT scans, one Doppler Ultrasound and was released 3 days later after, without any medical intervention other than an HUGE amount of IV fluids and powerful antibiotics for the kidney infection, my LFT (Liver Function Test) numbers started to fall. They did find a kidney stone but it was still intact and they knew that it wasn’t causing the liver issue. They wondered if it was it hepatitis…no. Or is it an autoimmune disorder of the liver…no.
So, I had an MRCP (Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography) basically an MRI of the digestive tract a week ago and lo and behold…they found what they believe is the culprit…a cyst on my pancreas. I am scheduled to have an EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasound) with a fine needle aspiration/biopsy in 5 days.
The odds are more than likely that it is something that can treated but I’m so glad to know that they are SO close to a real answer because I was tired of them looking at me like I was nuts (but when the liver started acting screwy the doctors got a bit more on the ‘I don’t think it’s in her head’ train!).
For women, pseudocysts (which do not fit the definition of a true cyst…sac-like growth that is not normal within the tissue where it is located and is often fluid filled) are the most common cause and not actual cysts. Though the ’cause’ of these cysts are typically not really known, they often cause chronic pancreatitis, liver function disorders, and more often than not, people with them are more likely to develop Type I diabetes.
Sometimes they (cysts and pseudocysts) can be aspirated but they may need to be surgically removed. And for women the odds of it being cancerous are MUCH lower than for men (especially those in their 50’s and 60’s…Patrick Swayze immediately comes to mind).
I don’t know if I’ve helped put your mind at ease any or have caused you to be more worried but when I read your posting as well as the postings of many others, I felt as though our symptoms were so similar that I simply had to let you know what I know (or almost know) because when you don’t feel good it effects everything and everyone you encounter. It’s an odd little society we all belong to and the more information there is…the better. At least that’s my motto. ”
“I had my gallbladder out 27 years ago. Since then, I’ve had five attacks of bile duct stones requiring endoscopic surgery. Apparently the bile duct can (and sometimes does) enlarge and hold stones, just the way a gallbladder does. See your gastroenterologist. I have fairly regular attacks, but have gotten infections those five times, where the bile duct had to be cleaned out. The procedure is called ERCP. I take Reglan to try to prevent the severe attacks, and it’s been two years since my last ERCP, so I think it’s working.
Don’t ignore this, as the infections can be very scary. Repbi is correct that you can have ghost attacks, but it is best to have them checked by a doctor.
Good luck!”
“Hi Guys, I posted months ago but have a break through I wanted to share.
I had a Dr in Brisbane at the RBWH did an exploratory operation on me 3 weeks ago.
He found an entrapped nerve in the scar. They have cut this out and the biopsy proved it was indeed a nerve. The pathologist said it showed ‘prominent nerve fibres and that they were swollen’. Of course it was swollen…It’s only been pulled & irritated for almost a year!!!.
Any way it has only been a few weeks since my operation so early days yet but they are hoping this might fix this problem.
Ruby!! I am getting the EXACT same symptoms as you. Everybody, If you are getting this pain please persist until you find somebody willing to go back in for a look around the scar causing the problem. This is not ‘ALL IN YOUR HEAD’ like the original surgeon kept telling me.
I have been in this AGONISING pain for almost a year. My life has been ruined by it. Please if you are in Australia contact me and I can put you in touch with the Dr who did my exploritory surgery as he might be able to help. I have been knocked back over and over again trying to get somebody to go back in and look as they were all in fear of it ‘making it worse’. I told them, It couldn’t get any worse!! Nobody believes the pain you are in but I know the feeling and it is horrendous. I feel for anybody going through this. I have my fingers crossed it is not too late for my nerves to heal. I know by looking up that the longer you leave these problems that the less likely they can heal. The pain radiates from the scar around to my back on bad days. It is debilitating. Please keep looking for somebody to help you. Previous to this operation I also had steroid injections & anaesethic injections which all helped a wee bit but I still am on heaps of medication. Lyrica, tramadol & Norspan pain patches.
Please contact me if you need somebody to talk to you are not alone & this is not in your head!
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