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Bile Salt Malabsorption after Cholecystectomy

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Unlucky_Shirl
Unlucky_Shirl

I had my gallbladder removed 11 years ago and have suffered with chronic diarrhoea since, but the condition is getting worse. I've been diagnosed with bile salt malabsorption. Most people lose weight with this condition, but unfortunately for me, I have gained around 3 stone. Has anyone with this condition had the added problem of weight gain. I'm at the end of my tether as I can't lose this weight.

14 likes, 143 replies

143 Replies

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  • angela72602
    angela72602 Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    Yes, I had my gallbladder out in 2004, gained weight, and more diarrhea. My doctor put me on the powder called Cholestyram 2 times a day. This has slowed my problem down. I still have the pain on the right side. I am still searching for answers myself. I go back to him Nov. 3rd and will let you know waht he tells me or what he cahnges my medication to to help with the diarreha.
  • goldwingman
    goldwingman Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    G,Day Mate i have had half my Bowel taken out Plus 3 foot of Gang Green intestine my Ilium and had Very Bad Diarrhoea for bloody years my poor old Bum was Red Hot them my Specialist sent mt to a Hospital for test after Test any way they put me on Questran Lite it exchanges your bile salts in the Bowel and stops the Burning ask your GP or look Questran Lite on a Medical sight to find out more but as soon i started on it the sh*ts stopped that day CHOLESTYRAMINE Powder it not very nice i take mine with orange Jiuce after Tea before i go to bed and never get the sh*ts again see your GP and ask him if you can try it Good Luck and please let me know if it helps you Thank You Goldwingman .
  • angela72602
    angela72602 Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    I am on the powder. It did help to slow it down, but I am still nervous. If I drink coffee, you can forget it! I am in the bathroom 3-4 times.
    • goldwingman
      goldwingman angela72602

      Posted

      I started on one scahet them went to 2 x Sachets at night and only go to the bathroom once a day now once in a blue moon i might get some Diar but very rare Good Luck ,.
    • Guest
      Guest angela72602

      Posted

      Angela- funny you should mention coffee. Since being on this cholyestermine medication for 3 years now - I have discovered how constipation get it can make you. So- I purposely drink coffee every other day or so & it seems to do the trick. I am so afraid of developing a bowel blockage on top of all this. ??

  • eliz33345
    eliz33345 Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    i had my gallbladder removed and had constant diarrhoea cant believe it might be same as you, i have been had colonoscopys the lot been a nightmare gained weight to 
    • angela72602
      angela72602 eliz33345

      Posted

      I gained weight and poop so much! Drinking coffee is awful for me. I do take the powder and 4 immodium a day and that has slowed this down somewhat where I can tolerate my days. But I still have that pain where my gallbladder was!
    • eliz33345
      eliz33345

      Posted

      i know how u feel the constant diarea ruins your life ,most people think your pretending had colonoscopys 3 times and there not nice ,imodium long term are not good for you , i take them to,but you could end up in a worse position needing a colostomy bag if you get to bunged up , the weight gain is awful and hardly eating .
  • eliz33345
    eliz33345 Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    hi shirl cant believe you have what i have i never had a clue it could be this thank you running to toilet is awful
  • karen2502
    karen2502 Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    Hi i had my gallbladder removed 7mths ago suffered diaorreah ever since yet gained weight!!!!....after many mths of tests and discovering I gastric reflux disease an osephagus hernia and severe inflammation of the osephagus I have today seen my surgeon and I also have bile malabsorption and have been given a powder to take daily so here goes see how I go anything will b better than the embarrassing moments I've as avin to plan my day around toilets n making sure there is one nr by in case its needed pretty quickly you all sound like uve been through it so will know where I'm coming from wish me look guys n I,l let you know how I get on get my life back on track......x
  • sandynan
    sandynan Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    I had my Gallbladder removed in April 2012 and started to suffer with D three months later after nearly 2 years of suffering and seeing 2 consultants and told to just get on with it I joined the BAM Group and learned of Colesevelam which I told my Doctor about I have been taking it now for 6 months and it has controlled the D but 3 weeks ago I had to have a blood test and chest Xray for breathlessness the Xray came back normal but the blod test came back saying that I was deficient in Folic Acid (I am nearly 70) Now I dont know but I am now wondering if the Colesevelam has anything to do with it I asked my Doctor but he had no idea and didn't really seem interested, I eat everything that I should be eating to get folic acid in my blood stream I was just wondering if the Colesevelam could be malabsorbing what I eat. Has anyone else come across this at all? I am now having to take tablets for the next 3 months I then have to have another blood test to see what the levels are if they haven't reached what they are supposed to I then have to keep taking the tablets for life.

     

    • maggie91094
      maggie91094 sandynan

      Posted

      Hi, I have been taking Colesevelam for approximately 2 years, and I have been told I will be on them for life, otherwise my symptons will return.  The problem started several years after having radiotherapy for cervical cancer, and yes you are correct, the medication does absorb certain vitamins.  I was advised to have a blood test annually - I have just found out I am deficient in vitamin D (the doctor had advised to have another test in the summer to see if its picked up as it is the sunshine vitamin). and I have to have B12 injections every 3 months,  I think I am correct in saying that if you are short of B12, this can cause breathlessness.  I have lost a lot of weight since I was diagnosed with Bile Salt Malabsorption and my weight is below 7 stone but I can't seem to put any weight on!  I still have daily problems with urgency and sometimes I "go" up to 12 times a day with horrible leakage in between - no one can seem to help, its not as though I eat large portions of food, but I do try and keep to 40g of fat a day (normal is 60g). 
  • babestj
    babestj Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    i have put on about 5 stone in weight in the last five years i had also quit smoking and had put it down to that i have been have problems with my bowls for around 5 to 6 years too and have just been diagnosed with bile salt and have just been put on to medication for it i have also found it extremely hard to lose any weight too i am also at the end of my tether to and am sick of being lectured by the doctor to lose weight but not get any help with it fell like im fighting a losing battle
  • Milliecat30
    Milliecat30 Unlucky_Shirl

    Posted

    Hi all. I have just found this discussion and I think I need to get to my GP asap. I had my Gall Bladder removed in 1992 and for many years I was ok. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 3 years ago, having been mis-diagnosed for 7 years before. I would have occasional bouts of diarrhoea and accepted this as part of the fibro fallout. 

    However, last October, my poor mum was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and from the day she was diagnosed, I have been on a vicious circle of chronic diarrhoea (where I have had the most embarrassing accidents because it comes on so suddenly) eating Loperamide like smarties - it usually takes 8-10 to stop the diarrhoea - having a day or so of no bowel movements, having a normal motion and then the diarrhoea is back. I thought it was due to the stress of my mothers illness that was causing this but she passed away in January and I assumed the diarrhoea would begin to settle.  But in reality it has worsened. 

    I put an appeal on my local Facebook Fibromyalgia support page to see if anyone else has had this issue and it was suggested it might be BAM. My symptoms match (and I wondered with all the diarrhoea, why I had gained about 3 stone in weight)

    This morning, once the GP surgery opens I will be seeking an apt with my GP. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for an apt for the test to diagnose BAM

    I have been so embarrassed suffering from this chronic diarrhoea and it's fantastic to find that I am not the only one 

    • sandynan
      sandynan Milliecat30

      Posted

      Hi Miliecat, I have exactly the same I was back and to to the GP who told me I had to live with it but i insisted that I needed to be seen by a consultant in the end I saw three Consultants the third two years after the D started! He diagnosed that I have BAM but it was only after speaking to someone with this that I was told to ask for Colesevelam tablets like you I was taking Loperamide I still have to take them and now the D started s back just as bad I am now taking two Colesevelam and loperamide and yes the weight gain is horrendous I hope you get some relief soon xxxx
    • Milliecat30
      Milliecat30 sandynan

      Posted

      Thank you so much for replying so quickly. I have an apt with my GP tomorrow afternoon. I am very lucky as he is a good Dr and is very sympathetic re my fibromyalgia. He knows I try very hard to keep my fibro under control. I'm quite confident that he will be open to considering BAM. 

      I will let you know how I get on. 

    • angela72602
      angela72602 Milliecat30

      Posted

      I was diagnosed in 1978 with Crohn's and have had diarrhea something awful. Then in 2004 I had gb surgery and the d got worse. Last year had a colonoscopy and was told I did not have Crohns! It is IBS and stress and certain foods especially coffee makes it worse.But my GI put me on a powder 3x's a day Chylestimine and I also take 4 Immodium every other day. This combination has slowed d down tremendously.First time in my life! yes, I would go to my GI and taok to him about all this.
    • Milliecat30
      Milliecat30 angela72602

      Posted

      Thank you Angela. I am a little nervous about speaking to my GP about this but he is a good GP and will listen to me. I will post here after my appt  this afternoon and let you know what he says. I'm pleased to hear your D has lessened now and I hope I can get similar ease xx
    • Milliecat30
      Milliecat30 angela72602

      Posted

      Hi. I've been to see my GP this afternoon and he is doing blood tests and a stool sample test. He wants to see if there is anything else that could be causing my problems and said if he finds nothing he will refer me to gastroenterologist for further investigation. He has told me to take 4 loperamide daily instead of waiting for the D to start but can take up to 8 pet day if I need them.
    • sally14335
      sally14335 Milliecat30

      Posted

      I am a bit embarrased to be asking this, but hey, who cares after all the stuff we've been through for years!  What is BAM?  I have never seen this written and, quite possibly it mean something similar to something else I may know!

    • lynda20916
      lynda20916 sally14335

      Posted

      Hi, Sally, it's Bile Acid Malobsorption. It means that your liver is making too much bile, more than it should be during your digestive process. Because your body can't deal with all of it, it ends up causing diarrehea that is explosive, sudden and urgent. I had stool samples tested, but it won't show up in them.  My samples showed up as normal, but they were contained in a foul smelling yellow liquid, which is bile acid. Does this help?

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