Post gallbladder surgery question?

Question

I had my gallbladder removed (laparoscopically) in August this year. Prior to having the surgery, I'd been having digestive issues for years. My issue is extremes; I won't go for several days and then I will have diarrhea all day long. I go back and forth -- I'm either constipated or I have diarrhea. It's never "normal." Also, the diarrhea begins right after I eat on day 3 - 6. It seems to be a reaction to me eating. Sometimes (sorry for how gross this is) I have noticed that I do not digest some food that passes through (no, not just corn). So, having my gallbladder out was due to gallstones, but shouldn't that have helped? Why is my digestive system still causing me so much misery? I'm so tired of feeling so awful all the time. I've lost 50 lbs because I'm afraid to eat anything (I'm not too thin -- yet!).

Oh, yeah . . . I'm not eating much fat AT ALL. Keep in mind that I said that I've lost a lot a weight recently. It's not JUST from not eating. I eat less than 10g of fat/day. I hardly eat any starches or carbs. The last thing I ate that I reacted to was Progresso vegetable soup - low fat, low cal.

And the undigested food is not greasy. It is pieces, mostly of vegetables (onion, leafy veggies).

Answer 1

Given that you had symptoms before your gallbladder was removed, I think that your condition is likely unrelated (at least initially) to your operation. What you're describing sounds a lot like irritable bowel syndrome. Though some doctors will debate the existence of this condition, mainly because we haven't found an organic cause for it yet, it is a symptom pattern seen quite frequently. Typically patients have alternating diarrhea and constipation.

Diarrhea is more common after gallbladder surgery. As noted by others, the job of bile is to emulsify fat (break it up into smaller droplets) so that it can be absorbed more easily. Without the gallbladder as a reservoir for bile to be released after a fatty meal, less fat is emulsified and more reaches your colon resulting in fatty diarrhea. It sounds like you're doing the right thing to avoid that by avoiding fatty foods.

One thing you might try is anti-motility agents like loperamide. This is available in over the counter anti-diarrhea agents. It can slow transit time through your bowel.

I would see an internist or gastroenterologist and see if they think this is related to irritable bowel syndrome. Before that diagnosis can be made, they need to rule out some other causes such as medication effects, infectious causes, or even certain rare causes. There are certain types of pancreatic tumors (VIPomas if you want to look them up) that can cause a persistent diarrhea.

Without taking a full history or physical, I can't give you much more than that, so you should go get checked out.

Answer 2

Its common to experience pain for at least 6 weeks. Some people experience it even longer. For myself - it was almost 2 months, but my Gall Bladder surgery was more complicated then most. Even though your gall bladder has been taken out, the surgeons cut through a lot of tissue, muscle etc and that all takes time to heal. The most important thing is to make sure you follow the doctor's advice about no lifting, or straining. You need to give your body time to heal. The gas usually works its way out within 3 days or so, so I wouldn't think that would be the problem, its probably just the normal healing process, but to be sure you should see your doctor. By the way, using pure cocoa butter on the scars will really help the process. smooth it on a couple times during the day will really reduce the discolouration. But it needs to be pure cocoa butter - you can find it in any good health food store. I hope that helps. :)

Answer 3

KB,

I had my gallbladder removed in 1994, and have had constant diarrhea since my surgery. It isn't everything I eat, but some things I eat, but I can never tell what is going to bother me. I was told by a doc some years ago, that there is a surgery to stop this from happening. My mom had the same problem years ago, after her surgery, but it only lasted for 10years, so maybe it will pass for you also.

Answer 4

I had my gallbladder taken out two years ago from gallstone also! I have kind of the same thing but not that bad! Well your gallbladder does help digestive the food we eat! Well if you are really worried about it then talk to your doctor about it! Also, don't be afraid to eat, your body needs the nutrition!

Answer 5

I used to have a problem with not going to the bathroom for weeks at a time. I would be constipated for say four weeks then I would have diareha for a couple days and the cycle just repeated it self. I ended up having colonic inertia and they removed my colon and now I go several times a day.

Answer 6

The gall bladder's purpose is to store bile. Bile's purpose is to help break down fat. When you remove the gall bladder. You don't have a storage shed for your bile so your body cannot digest fats properly. Therefore it gives you steatorrhea (which is undigested fat, greasy stools) You need to be eating a diet low in fat.

Answer 7

Sounds like it could be something unrelated to your gallbladder surgery, like irritable bowel syndrome--call your doctor to discuss your symptoms/options . Good Luck!

Answer 8

I would consult my physician if I were you. It is possible that the difficulty you're experiencing isn't even related to your gallbladder issues. Either way, your physician should be able to help.