Issues after Gallblader removal

Hi there

Sorry to hear you haven't fully recovered. I had my gallbladder removed in March and my vowel has been misbehaving greatly. Had a colonoscopy yesterday which was normal. Surgeon told me gb removal can play havoc with bowel but it should settle. He recommended anti spasmodics and probiotics.

Hope you start to feel well soon.

Best wishes

Dawn

Hi, It looks like you had no choice but to have the surgery, or you may have been seriously ill.

I've had chronic illness 7 months attributed to gallbladder and due for the surgery soon, not happy about it but again no choice although not emergency.

I think you are right to have the probiotics and enzymes, not sure how long you have taken these, it does take time,

If your BP is high, do go back to yr GP for advice as it should probably have returned to normal by now. My BP is oftn high after medical procedures, they say it is stress and trauma. Or maybe it could be meds if you are on any.

The D is common I believe and it can clear in time without treatment or some people have to take meds to bind the bile. Are you eating little and often and still following low fat diet as this is best while you are healing my consultant advises. If you do not eat enough or have too much, the excess or lack of bile causes trouble.

I have worried about such after effects myself, no-one knows how we will do for certain with this surgery, not having a Gb is far from ideal but keeping one that is diseased and malfunctioning is also a hazard. I do hope it will improve soon for you, take care.

Hi, Joiebk, sorry to learn you're having these issues. The diarrhea may subside, but if it does not, you may have bile acid malobsorption (BAM) like so many who have their gallbladder removed.  If the diarrhea is explosive and contains yellow liquid, this is the bile that is being produced by your liver to aid in digestion.  The gallbladder acts as a valve between your liver and your small intestine, which is where the bile is released during digestion.  Because you have no gallbladder now, your liver may be producing excess  bile. You can try enteric coated peppermint capsules that dissolve in your small intestine as well to lessen the spasms.  I have heard there is a Facebook page for BAM that you can go to to get information and helpful hints.  There is medication that can assist, it's called cholestyramine.  Your gastroenterologist can offer other meds as well. I tried probiotics and enzymes to help with digestion, but as bile is an extremely caustic acid, I think it pretty much interferes with enzymes, which act in the stomach and/or probiotics.

In my experience, you might need to be rather forceful to get some assistance with your diarrhea issues from the doctor.  Some of them aren't very sympathetic.  

As for your high blood pressure, you have experienced a medical emergency and major surgery!  I can take a while for your body to find what its new normal is.

Best of luck and let us know how you do!    

Dear joiebk,

I am sorry to hear that you have been having such awful problems since your gb removal.  I also had a cholecystectomy at the beginning of this month after suffering several episodes of excruciating biliary colic over the past two years.  Tests revealed mulitple gallstones in an inflamed gb with very deranged liver function tests. 

Since the op, I only experienced acute pain - mainly around the belly button area - in the first two weeks and now just a general ache due to scar tissue in that area.

I have a degree in Nutrition and before the operation, I spent several hours researching about all aspects of the cholecystectomy op, including bile acid malabsorption.  I think I have become an expert on bile acids - primary and secondary - and conjugated bile acids (bile salts). During the course of my research, I came across some journal (gastroenterogy journal) articles about bile acid malabsorption and substances that mop up/absorb bile acids such as fibre, pectin, cellulose etc. There has been quite a lot of research in this area.  I also discovered that if bile acid malabsorption is suspected, your doctor should refer you for a SeHCAT test for a definitive diagnosis and treatment.

In my case, befoer I was discharged, I devised a dietary plan to minimise the amount of bile acids just sitting in my intestine.  I would start off with a glass or two of water, then an apple, then porridge with semi-skimmed milk. Then I would eat a banana mid morning.  For the first few days after the op, I had low-fat soups for lunch eg. chicken and vegetables/rice or minestrone. For dinner, I would eat maybe poached fish with potatoes and vegetables/salad. I now eat some nuts every day because our bodies are still producing bile all day and every day so that same bile can break down the fat in the nuts.  We need healthy fats! If feeling peckish at any time, I have toast with cottage cheese with cherry tomatoes, celery or olives. A good qualty jam or marmalade will give you pectin too.  I have not tried chocolate, pizza, or any high-fat foods apart from an avocado which was ok.

Before my gallbladder was removed, I was very reluctant to drink water and many people said that this could have contributed to my gallstones. I don't know if there is any truth in that but now I drink plenty of water and herbal tea (some mornings a spoonful of apple cider vinegar in the water) because I am aware that the gallstones can still form even without a gallbladder. 

In summary, try to eat pectin-rich fruits - apples, oranges, pears, apricots during the day to soak up the bile.  Drink water first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  Don't go too long without food so that the bile won't build up in your gut. I eat as many different fruits and veg as I can. 

It's 10 pm now and I am going to have a banana and some Ovaltine!

If you would like to read some of those journal articles that I found, do let me know.  I actually enjoyed the intellectual challenge! Reminded me of my uni days in the 80s.

Good luck.