Diarrhea after gallbladder removal?

SO many people out there with gallbladder issues. I'm so sad to hear all of you are going through it too. I hope this may help anyone who perhaps might be in my shoes. First, something I never see mentioned in these kinds of forums are, it's important to figure out why you had problems with your gallbladder in the first place. If you had stones that's the most common and has to do mostly with diet, hereditary, etc. I had chronic inflammation of my gallbladder, no stones and from what I've learned, if you had no stones then there is more that should be investigated as to why your gallbladder failed otherwise it could continue to persist for years and you'll never really feel better. If you are still having problems and you had no stones, make sure to have an mrcp done to check for bile duct strictures(this can happen to calculus patient cases too bc of scarring from the surgery), Primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, fatty liver(you can get this from continuing to eat fatty foods after the surgery), or cirrhosis of the liver (the liver ones are done through biopsy only) and anyone after the surgery it would be helpful to check it out after your are quite a few months post op to make sure you don't have fluid building up at the site(it's actually fairly common, but it can be a major problem). This is what I encountered. I was still having fatty stools, nausea, feeling terrible. I had the surgery but was 7 months post op and still not feeling well and doctors told me it was "normal" just like they tell all of you. My doctors didn't tell me but my bilirubin was back up or my blood counts were off. So make sure you are looking at that stuff for yourself and keeping an eye on your blood work and test results yourself because most of the time they pass it off and don't tell the patient. I finally had an mrcp done bc I knew my bilirubin shouldn't still be high and found I had pancreatic divisum, but most importantly I'm still have fluid collecting at my surgery site. They think the cause of my gallbladder inflammation was primary biliary cirrhosis, but that fluid could be infected, a leak. It could be a million different things. I pushed to find these things out though, they never considered pbc initially after the surgery because a lot of times they aren't looking for those things, but check your cholangiogram if you had one and stick with getting a certain diagnosis. I'm glad I stuck with it otherwise it never would have been figured out. I think it's normal to have a tough adjustment period but normal people without coinciding issues go back to normal still fairly quickly. I think the few of us who don't, it could be autoimmune, it could be a stricture caused by the surgery, you could have fluid build up. I have listed the main possibilities above. It's your health and your life and if you're still not feeling well I think it's worth investigating but you'll have to push most doctors. Most of them will tell you it's normal to still not feel well. Also, for those who are struggling with the diarrhea. Try essential enzymes digestive enzymes (that's the name) and increase your protein and try not to eat as much sugary foods. I was 97lbs post op so I did a vegetarian high protein shake every day and took the digestive enzymes. I put on around a pound to two pounds a week and I no longer had the diarrhea after two days of taking them. It made a huge world of difference. When I came off of them I did poorly without and I do know they said it might be crucial for many people to take them for quite a while after the surgery. Also make sure you're checking your vitamin levels because gallbladder removal can cause a lot of deficiencies. And if you've just had the surgery you'll be dizzy and read a million forums like I did and nothing will work but more than likely your just anemic from the surgery so try iron (no one suggested that in the forums). I couldn't figure it out but finally went back and looked at my blood work and I had low counts from the blood loss in surgery. The iron for me made a huge difference too, but be certain to not take too much and check with your doctor first especially if you're a male because you don't want to iron overload or have polycythemia vera. I hope these tips help some of you all. This is everything I experienced since my surgery 7 months ago. It's been a really tough road. I'm rooting for all of you. 

I had my gallbladder removed in June of 2017 I to have the same problem I eat and have to go right to bathroom I don't eat out because of this I feel Hungary and tired at the same time but I know if I eat I will be in the bathroom I haven't had a solid bowel movement sinçe June

Had the same problem myself, now can go out to dinner at restaurants and family functions. Thankful for Imodium that makes that possible.

Hi All, this post has been very useful to me, I had my gall bladder removed over 20 years and at first there were no side effects, however over the last few years I've been suffering in the same way many on this post have described.  I've been to the doctors tried medication, adjusted my diet to no effect.  However this post has created a breakthrough and whilst it's only a week I think I have the answer, so let me explain.

Without a gall bladder the liver trickles bile into the gut 24hrs a day.  The richer the food eaten the more bile is produced.  

So tip number one is don't consume too much rich or spicy food.

However this alone is not enough, bile needs to be absorbed by food  so that it does not build up and become 'toxic' to the gut and in turn create the symptoms being described on hear.

Tip number two, eat little but often - I find myself eating something every two hours, this tends to be a snack between meals.

This leaves one problem, we're not eating when we're asleep, but the liver is still producing bile which builds up over night causing issues the following day.

Tip number three, eat a slow digesting bile absorbing food just before bed.

I googled foods that absorb bile, these include gram flour, oats, chickpeas and red kidney beans to name a few.  So maybe having a bowl of oats just before bed might help with the digestion and absorption of bile over night?  For me I've been making a gram flour roti, it's really simple

2 heaped table spoons of gram flour mixed with tap water in a bowl to make a paste, add in some chopped onion, tomatoes some salt for flavour then dry fry (small amount of olive oil)  on hot frying pan, cook as if you are cooking a omelette.  One of these just before bed has cured me of by daily battle of running to the loo.

?Like I said it's early days but it seems to be working for me.  Good luck folks I hope you all find a way that works for you.

Yes to all the symtoms and ghastliness you write about.  I wasn't advised before the op this may happen and it does control ones life.  I have mentioned Questrian powders on this forum before ( prescription only) and they do seem to work..or certainly control things a bit and gives you more confidence.  However I still wont eat or drink anything at all if going on a long car or train journey.

There is a another very detailed post explaining why this happens..and yes this is how the doc explained it to me.  That no gallbladder to store the bile means bile as to go straight to intestines. Carries on  'drip drip' into your intestines overnight which is why in the morning after eating healthily or not causes a rush to loo.   ALso ..yes indeed eating fatty and rich foods causes emergency dashs..it is awful but the medication helps a great deal.  I have also been prescribed  Cholestagel tablets very recently..but as yet I have to try them as understand they have steroids so am wary of them..despite the consultant telling me they are better than the questrian powder.

The comforting thing, if there is one, is finding this forum and realising that you are def not on your own.

Alice

I seen no remarks what your dr said after you went back. I have dealt with this for 27 years and stresses me out everyday.  Between work, shopping , or visiting family i dread eating. Just curious what your dr told you

Looking for help!!! 🙁

It sounds like what you're suffering from is "dumping syndrome". It happened to me a lot after my gallbladder removal to the point that I stopped going out to eat. I even experienced episodes of fecal incontinence. I started taking immodium before going out and also had lots and lots of tests done. I have been on antinausea medication since getting my gallbladder removed 5 years ago. I was also ordered Sancuso patches which you change every 7 days. I would talk with your Gastroenterologist if this is still going on.

I’ve been struggling with this for nearly a decade. Two things have helped but I’ve found that over time each strategy has failed. I used welchol for nearly two years and it returned my life as close to normal as anything I have tried, but be careful on the dosing as blocking too much bile causes similar problems to having too much, at least for me. Welchol is a prescription drug and you should talk it over with your gastro doc.

I also go off welchol at times and use an over the counter combo of soy lechithin, calcium carbonate a good digestive enzyme and pancreatin.

Rotating between these two strategies has helped. 

During flare ups of symptoms I will use pepto and a good antacid like Zantac especially at night.

I try to control my portions and avoid caffeine, alcohol and high fat meals. 

Biggest problem for me is compliance with portion control. When I am able to stick to all of the above, I’m pretty normal. Skip either of the meds or screw up the diet and it’s back to square one for a few days-weeks, I can even end up with gastritis,  and it’s pretty debilitating. When that happens I have a feeling of fullness after each meal that is so intense I feel short of breath, and it also comes with severe gas, and bloating. Gastro doc treated me twice for pylori but I was suspicious that it’s was always just a reaction to gall bladder removal and biopsies have always been negative for bacteria or anything else. Good luck, let me know if you try any of the things I did and if they helped you.

I havent had anything from dr as yet as we have been hoping this would just settle down but it hasnt. I wake with nausea, some days it gets better as day goes on,,some days need buccastem.  The diahorrea arrives once i have had dry cereal or after lunch, dry toast.  Does amyone thinkmimshould ask for questran powder, and is it available from gp in uk?  Scared to try any drugs as i am so sensitive to these i can never establish without problems.  Latest is dr gave me omeprazole which made ne feel,worse.  I am at my wits end.