I did not like the powdered drink the doctor gave me so I experimented with how much I took... I found that 1/2 to a 1/4 of a scoop in lots of water worked for me better and I would take it twice a day that way. I still didn't care for the way it made me feel so I looked around and found that psyllium was natural and gave enough bulk to do the job, it's not the most pleasant thing to drink, but neither was the cholestyramine... so I think overall i preferred the psyllium. You can get psyllium at your pharmacy or natural food store. I also eat a lot of barley and brown rice.... high in fiber and bulks up when going through the system. Sometimes I eat cheese if nothing else is available, it makes things worse at first from the fat but then it binds things up after a bit, not ideal but works.
I had my gallbladder out 6 years ago and I don't remember having the bile acid diarrhea until just a few years ago. So, yes, it can take a while and then KABOOM!!! lol
Also, I do get BAD (Bile Acid Diarrhea, fitting acronym I think) on again off again... Today I have it... Thursday I had it... *sighs* And sometimes the urgency just hits me, which I have seen is the case for so many posters!
In the past I have even had accidents which to say the least is quite embarrassing! I've been accident free for about six months now, thank goodness, but it is always a possibility! I know where EVERY rest stop and good restaurant/gas station bathroom is on my route to see my family and friends 3 hours away.
I usually try to have a change of clothes and wet wipes with me should I have a problem, thus far it's only happened as I was running into the house and not sure I was going to make it.
Do bother your doc... We shouldn't have to live this way! As I said in an earlier reply to someone and I have seen others say as well. They can prescribe cholestyramine... but also you could try psyllium which worked well for me and is less bothersome in my opinion!
Also, I do get BAD (Bile Acid Diarrhea, fitting acronym I think) on again off again... Today I have it... Thursday I had it... *sighs* And sometimes the urgency just hits me, which I have seen is the case for so many posters!
In the past I have even had accidents which to say the least is quite embarrassing! I've been accident free for about six months now, thank goodness, but it is always a possibility! I know where EVERY rest stop and good restaurant/gas station bathroom is on my route to see my family and friends 3 hours away.
I usually try to have a change of clothes and wet wipes with me should I have a problem, thus far it's only happened as I was running into the house and not sure I was going to make it.
Do bother your doc... We shouldn't have to live this way! As I said in an earlier reply to someone and I have seen others say as well. They can prescribe cholestyramine... but also you could try psyllium which worked well for me and is less bothersome in my opinion!
I had mine taken out in 93 and always had a problem with going to the bathroom. I started taking fiber pills and it really helps and I no long eat fried and fatty foods.
I had asked a dr about this and he said that your gb filters the fat from your foods and when your gb is gone you are lubbing up your insides and that is why you need to run to the restroom and fast.
I have also had the weight problems to and I went to my dr about it and he put me on a 1000 cl diet and walk 30 min a day and that has really help me out.
I hope that this helps.
HGW
I had asked a dr about this and he said that your gb filters the fat from your foods and when your gb is gone you are lubbing up your insides and that is why you need to run to the restroom and fast.
I have also had the weight problems to and I went to my dr about it and he put me on a 1000 cl diet and walk 30 min a day and that has really help me out.
I hope that this helps.
HGW
I too had my GB out 5y ago not to bad you do have to watch what you eat. i don't think they give out info on what not or to eat. I'm wondering if any one has the problem of not being able to throw up. And if i have 4 drinks @ a party im up @ 12mid with diarrhea sweats wanting to throw up and its the same if i get a bug i haven't vomit for5 y is this normal????
Currently I have to get ready for my GB operation in April and all of your entries have helped me prepare for what's to come.
But nothing is more terrifying as to what my cousin went through with her surgery.
1. The surgeon stapled the liver and left the intestine open, so bile movements after the surgery was emptying out in to her body.
2. On the check up visit to address the issue the surgeon went on vacation, because he had killed another GB patient during surgery.
3. Two hospitals would/could not correct the mistakes of the surgeon, she had to be helicoptered out of state to have corrective actions to save her from toxic poisoning.
4. She has diarrhea which is controlled through medication but the menta/physicall effects are what is her problem. The procedures left her stomach cut/scarred up so badly that she dwells on it constantly. The scars crisscross all over her abdomen and know one can bear the site of them not even her. :-P
But nothing is more terrifying as to what my cousin went through with her surgery.
1. The surgeon stapled the liver and left the intestine open, so bile movements after the surgery was emptying out in to her body.
2. On the check up visit to address the issue the surgeon went on vacation, because he had killed another GB patient during surgery.
3. Two hospitals would/could not correct the mistakes of the surgeon, she had to be helicoptered out of state to have corrective actions to save her from toxic poisoning.
4. She has diarrhea which is controlled through medication but the menta/physicall effects are what is her problem. The procedures left her stomach cut/scarred up so badly that she dwells on it constantly. The scars crisscross all over her abdomen and know one can bear the site of them not even her. :-P
hi,
i had my gall bladder taken out in october 08 and i felt great afterwards....
but latley it has all gone wrong, i am scared to go out and eat, i hate having to get in the car i basically live in fear now when i leave my house after i have had breakfast... everything i eat or drink apart from water just goes through me... i don't think i have put on weight well people seem to think i have lost it!!!
How can i stop this.... i have changed my lifestyle... no more fatty foods and take away... no booze!!! and i am active!
What else can i do????
i am only 27 years old and i am a nervous wreck!
Someone please help me.
i had my gall bladder taken out in october 08 and i felt great afterwards....
but latley it has all gone wrong, i am scared to go out and eat, i hate having to get in the car i basically live in fear now when i leave my house after i have had breakfast... everything i eat or drink apart from water just goes through me... i don't think i have put on weight well people seem to think i have lost it!!!
How can i stop this.... i have changed my lifestyle... no more fatty foods and take away... no booze!!! and i am active!
What else can i do????
i am only 27 years old and i am a nervous wreck!
Someone please help me.
Hey all i just read all the posts and i have to say i have the same problem i am now on Cholestyramine four times a day and i still have my bad days. i had my gallbladder removed over 7 years ago and got really really sick last year and i was in and out of the hosptial and surgeries every couple of days to find out why i was in pain. The only way to explain the pain is its like the stomach acids are burning my intestines.
The pain is unbearable and i have to go to the washroom just as much. And on a good days because i take it four times a day its just as hard. because i am still going to the washroom just as much. But i am getting to the point i can't handle this anymore. I also have a question.
Does anyone else with the similar problem find it interferes with full time work? I work full time and i have to take days off left and right because of it. And the worse days EVEN on the cholestryramine is a day in the bathroom... Its very frustrating.
The pain is unbearable and i have to go to the washroom just as much. And on a good days because i take it four times a day its just as hard. because i am still going to the washroom just as much. But i am getting to the point i can't handle this anymore. I also have a question.
Does anyone else with the similar problem find it interferes with full time work? I work full time and i have to take days off left and right because of it. And the worse days EVEN on the cholestryramine is a day in the bathroom... Its very frustrating.
my husband had his gall bladder removed just over a year ago and he suffers from very loose stools. when he feels he needs the toilet he has to run before there is an accident, if there is someone else at the toilet he can not hold it it just runs away from him. Why does the doctors not warn you about this before you have your surgery? i feel as though they have let him down, as this is not a normal event in his life before the operation, he has had to give up work as he has no control over this >;)
Hi everyone,
I too had my gallbladder out- June '07 and suffer from Bile Salt Diarrhea also.
Just recently my naturopath recommended I take a calcium supplement to "bind" me up. If you do a search for "Bile salt diarrhea" you will see all the people that it has helped (including me). I take a 1/2 of a Citracal right BEFORE I eat (if you take it while eating or after, it doesn't work as well). You may have to adjust the dosage for your own body. I also take calcium/magnesium supplements (which will make me "go" so I will take a whole pill then to counteract the magnesium effect) Many of the blogs recommend Caltrate- I have found both work well. Plus, they are inexpensive-and if you are a woman- you need the calcuim ANYWAY! Why take a RX with possible side effects when calcium works. You DO have to be careful because it can make you constipated though. So you have to adjust to YOU. But, please don't eliminate ALL fats- we DO need them!
If I had known of the possible side effect I probably would still have had the surgery because of the extreme pain I was in. My GB wasn't working AT ALL so I had no choice. I hope this helps- I still have the big "D" if I forget to take the calcium-so I don't think it will be going away anytime soon!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL
I too had my gallbladder out- June '07 and suffer from Bile Salt Diarrhea also.
Just recently my naturopath recommended I take a calcium supplement to "bind" me up. If you do a search for "Bile salt diarrhea" you will see all the people that it has helped (including me). I take a 1/2 of a Citracal right BEFORE I eat (if you take it while eating or after, it doesn't work as well). You may have to adjust the dosage for your own body. I also take calcium/magnesium supplements (which will make me "go" so I will take a whole pill then to counteract the magnesium effect) Many of the blogs recommend Caltrate- I have found both work well. Plus, they are inexpensive-and if you are a woman- you need the calcuim ANYWAY! Why take a RX with possible side effects when calcium works. You DO have to be careful because it can make you constipated though. So you have to adjust to YOU. But, please don't eliminate ALL fats- we DO need them!
If I had known of the possible side effect I probably would still have had the surgery because of the extreme pain I was in. My GB wasn't working AT ALL so I had no choice. I hope this helps- I still have the big "D" if I forget to take the calcium-so I don't think it will be going away anytime soon!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL
yes i have heard the same that you can get gallstones again after your gallbladder is removed, its something to do with the concentration level of cholesterol in the bile and of course bile salts etc... they will form more than likely, in the ducts which will be painful, makes me wonder why the hell i am agreeing to have mine taken out soon, i have been suffering from daily excruciating attacks for the last 4 months my gallbladder is over half full with stones and its really having an impact on my life now, so have no option, they cant use that lazer thing on them nore can they disolve them something about what they are made of?? i dunno... all they can do is take the gallbladder out... think positive though guys, its one less thing we have to worry about getting cancer in! if its not there you cant get cancer of it!
Hi yea i have heard the same, since i was diagnosed last week with gallstones i have researched very thoroughly and spoken with my dr at length about this condition, you can develop gallstones again even without a gallbladder, they will develop in one of the ducts, more often than not they will be painless and you wont even know they are there, its only when they block the duct that you will know about them. there is a 50% risk of developing stones again after gallbladder removal... i am due to have my gallbladder out soon, mine is apparently over half full with stones, i have severe attacks every single day, and not just at night, once i have breakfast, which is either half a piece of toast or a small bowl of porrige i will have a cronic attack, buscopan seems to be my new best friend at the moment!!! not looking fwd to surgery after reading on here, although my dr has said that more often than not you experience weight loss instead of weight gain, i guess i will have to be more active and eat extremely healthily once mine is out, i really dont want to get big again i was bg once before and hated it!!
also everyone look on the bright side, once we have no gallbladder its one less organ we can develop cancer in! and as most of you will know, gallbladder cancer is hard to diagnose and is more often than not diagnosed in its final stages as it give no symptoms! so we wont have to worry about getting it! hope you all start to feel better soon.
also everyone look on the bright side, once we have no gallbladder its one less organ we can develop cancer in! and as most of you will know, gallbladder cancer is hard to diagnose and is more often than not diagnosed in its final stages as it give no symptoms! so we wont have to worry about getting it! hope you all start to feel better soon.
Hi,
I had my gallbladder out back in 2005..when I was only 15 years old. The doctor said I was the youngest case he had ever seen, and said I probably started to develop the stones when I was about 11 years old...I got to keep the stones and they are the largest any of the doctors at the hospital had ever seen( roughly the size of half a golf ball..and there were THREE of them) one got stuck in the bile duct and I developed pancriatitis so I went to the emergency room with pain and speant over 9 hours in there with no pain meds and no diagnosis.and after half an hour of being at the emergency room I was completely jaundice.then finally they did an ultrasound and found the stones. after NINE AND A HALF HOURS, after about a year of me thinking that severe pain in my back and ribcage was just my back out(my mom told me it was and thats why I never went to the hospital..only the chiropractor..BIG MISTAKE) The doctor couldn't figure out why I got them so young..other than a family history of them..my Cholestoral was perfect and I was pretty healthy for being overweight. Now its been four years and for four years I have had to live with having diarrhea at the least twice a day every day,bloating so much it causes pain, and having to rush to the bathroom about 10 minutes after eating something(not everything affects me all the time..one day I could eat really fatty or greasy food and be fine afterwords and the next time have to spend 20 minutes in the bathroom in pain or just sitting somewhere doubled over from the cramps.) Also getting dehydrated so easy..and being tired a lot..I have to admit this is better then the pain my gallbladder was causing, but the doctor did not give me the facts that my life would change so much..for the rest of my life. A lot of people tell me "oh all you have to do is eat healthier" and it's like..how is that going to help when even a lot of so called "healthy" food messes with me?...I just wish it wouldn't have happened to me so young...and now that I live with 6 other girls..and we share two bathrooms I get paranoid constantly that they will hear me in there during one of my episodes...it's really embarrassing. But I guess I have to live with it because theres no way I am taking more pills..I already have to take two different pills every day for other health problems(including severe allergies and Dermographism...and some syndrome that makes me have the time of the month endlessly(when i was 11 I had it for 4 months with no stopping...I was bleeding to death.. so I have had to be on the pill for about 8 years now.) and benadryl on many occasions. So more drugs would not be in my best interest. I am happy to hear that a few people do not have many or any bad side effects of gallbladder removal..but for those of us who do..at least we know we are not alone.
I had my gallbladder out back in 2005..when I was only 15 years old. The doctor said I was the youngest case he had ever seen, and said I probably started to develop the stones when I was about 11 years old...I got to keep the stones and they are the largest any of the doctors at the hospital had ever seen( roughly the size of half a golf ball..and there were THREE of them) one got stuck in the bile duct and I developed pancriatitis so I went to the emergency room with pain and speant over 9 hours in there with no pain meds and no diagnosis.and after half an hour of being at the emergency room I was completely jaundice.then finally they did an ultrasound and found the stones. after NINE AND A HALF HOURS, after about a year of me thinking that severe pain in my back and ribcage was just my back out(my mom told me it was and thats why I never went to the hospital..only the chiropractor..BIG MISTAKE) The doctor couldn't figure out why I got them so young..other than a family history of them..my Cholestoral was perfect and I was pretty healthy for being overweight. Now its been four years and for four years I have had to live with having diarrhea at the least twice a day every day,bloating so much it causes pain, and having to rush to the bathroom about 10 minutes after eating something(not everything affects me all the time..one day I could eat really fatty or greasy food and be fine afterwords and the next time have to spend 20 minutes in the bathroom in pain or just sitting somewhere doubled over from the cramps.) Also getting dehydrated so easy..and being tired a lot..I have to admit this is better then the pain my gallbladder was causing, but the doctor did not give me the facts that my life would change so much..for the rest of my life. A lot of people tell me "oh all you have to do is eat healthier" and it's like..how is that going to help when even a lot of so called "healthy" food messes with me?...I just wish it wouldn't have happened to me so young...and now that I live with 6 other girls..and we share two bathrooms I get paranoid constantly that they will hear me in there during one of my episodes...it's really embarrassing. But I guess I have to live with it because theres no way I am taking more pills..I already have to take two different pills every day for other health problems(including severe allergies and Dermographism...and some syndrome that makes me have the time of the month endlessly(when i was 11 I had it for 4 months with no stopping...I was bleeding to death.. so I have had to be on the pill for about 8 years now.) and benadryl on many occasions. So more drugs would not be in my best interest. I am happy to hear that a few people do not have many or any bad side effects of gallbladder removal..but for those of us who do..at least we know we are not alone.
My gallstone episodes were excruciating and I was relieved by surgery. I have had no side effects from my gall bladder surgery--now 10 years down the road. No problems with bowel movements, no problems I can attribute to having had my gall bladder removed. I'm sorry to hear others are suffering after affects.
I had my gallbladder removed 6 days ago through keyhole surgery and have been uncomfortable ever since. I know its only 6 days ago but I was advised that I should be feeling fine within about a week or so.
The problems I seem to be having are as follows:
Each time I eat I feel discomfort under my ribs and stomach area and don't seem to be able to eat as much.
Stools are limited to once a day but seem normal.
Trapped air/ gas seems to be traveling throughout my body and I have a horrible metal taste in my mouth when I feel hungry.
These probably are all quite normal but does anybody else feel the same?
What sort of recovery time is normal?
The problems I seem to be having are as follows:
Each time I eat I feel discomfort under my ribs and stomach area and don't seem to be able to eat as much.
Stools are limited to once a day but seem normal.
Trapped air/ gas seems to be traveling throughout my body and I have a horrible metal taste in my mouth when I feel hungry.
These probably are all quite normal but does anybody else feel the same?
What sort of recovery time is normal?
i had my gall bladder out 5 weeks ago and have never felt better! my taste buds have changed completely and i can no longer bear the smell, taste and texture of red meat yet now love fish which i hated before. i have had no problems with my weight, in fact it has only been 3 months since i was diagnosed and i have lost 3 stone, half a stone of which has been since my op. i dont have any problems with diorreah either at the moment. in my opinion its important to watch food intake as the body cant digest food very well, and watch the amount of food too, avoid fats and red meat and hopefully like me having your gall bladder removed will be a positive experience. four women in my family have all had their gall bladder removed and to be honest its only the ones who came out of hospital and started to eat anything and everything that have had any problems.