Miserable two years after cholecystectomy

I'm 11 months po. I have these flare-ups too and just can't figure out what causes them I can go for weeks feeling fine then suddenly my stomach explodes with diarrhea, nausea bloating and pain. I also get daily headaches, mouth ulcers and eczema at the same time and am assuming that this affects the immune system. (anyone else?)

I cant pinpoint what causes the flare up as I follow the same diet- gluten free, low fat, no meat, little dairy and it usually works well for me.

Why is it that during these flare-ups I always wake up with stomach cramps and then the urgency for the toilet? I'm wondering, after all my reading, is it because the bile continues to drip constantly from the liver all night with no food to mop it up? is that how it works? if I eat something immediately, would that help?

ive also been suffering with terrible constipation so i take stool softeners, mirilax, and daily probiotic sometimes my stomach will swell amd i literally look pregnant well just this weekend everything must have started working at once oh my lord its been terrible i need to see gastro specialist but just cant afford

Hi Treezy,

I am sorry to hear about the pain you have been having. I had my gallbladder removed last December and everything was fine until about 2 months ago. First I developed a small bulge on my stomach just above my navel and after going to the GP she has said it is an incisional hernia but has referred me to the hospital in August just to have it looked at. But worse than that, I have developed pain where my gall bladder was. It feels sore to touch and sometimes after a meal it feel tight on the right side. I have mentioned it to the GP but she doesn't seem worried about it. I had a ct scan in March and all was fine so no idea why I am now getting this pain. It is worrying me. Does anyone know if this is normal?

Thank you

Hi

I don't know if you're still suffering. I live in Canada, from the UK. I had my gallbladder removed in 2005 after three trips to the ER. Third time my doctor phoned me personally at home. Told me to to get to the hospital as my Lipase enzyme results were off the charts! The doctor put me on a starvation diet for 3 days to get my levels back to normal. Followed by surgery for removal, Getting to why I'm replying to you is that over the years and through suffering as you and many others are, I luckily came upon my own cure. I have my blood work done as a matter of routine. After a few results came back with higher levels of Cholesterol than my doctor liked, I reluctantly agreed to go on a low dose statin. It had a positive effect on my stomach. Prior to taking statins I experienced sudden bouts of bile dumping. My own GP was happy with my feedback that statins have had this result and wanted to try it for other patients. I now take 10 mgs of Crestor daily. I have had no more pain or issues since I have been taking it. I hope this helps.

What a relief to discover this forum. I can relate to most of the posts, not so much the diarrhea. The pain, nausea,constipation, foul smelling stools. I am 10 yrs post op, these symptons started 2 yrs ago. 5 yrs ago was diagnised a stone in the bile duct, l was delighted!!!, thought l had cancer. In last 2yrs l have been hospitalised at least 6 times, very bad episodes, pain right side radiating under ribs into chest and lower back and sometimes. l don,t know were the pain is. l am shivering, vomiting etc l am hospitalised due to raised Liver enzymes. When all this began 2 yrs ago l actually developed Sepsis. l guess l am lucky to live in the U.K, and under the care of a brilliant GP and hospital consultants, there have been several. I have had every scan, blood test, other tests. Had an ERCP in the beggining, but hey l am still suffering, try to live a normal life, difficult, l loved my holidays abroad, but worry re insurance now, how would it be if l had a bad attack in another country, scary. Have had a letter recently from current consultant, after an admission to hospital during lockdown. She has deduced l have this syndrome, have a phone consultation next week, l cannot do anymore than l am, been eating fat free, no alcohol etc for the 2 yrs have lost 2stone in weight, my family really worry about me. I try and stay positive make the most of the good days, just had a bad one and want to cry. Don,t tell my family anymore just get on with it. nothing anyone can do, maybe l will UP the YOGURTS, best wishes to you all.

I had my gallbladder removed in April of 2018. Due to a HIPA Scan that my surgeon said my gallbladder was only working 3%, I had it removed. He said that after a 45 minute scan that my gallbladder had failed 97%.

After the removal of my gallbladder I have had non-stop diarrhea causing me to lose over 50 lbs! I am 6'1" and I weighed 175 lbs average weight. At the time I had lost down to 150 lbs before the surgery. After the surgery I got down to 125 lbs! I was severely sick and I was running to the bathroom on a daily basis after every meal with chronic diarrhea. I was not absorbing any nutrients. I thought for sure I was going to die. I said my prayers with my mother.

Then I started to get better. I gained up to 150 lbs again but my chronic diarrhea never stopped. I wet my pants almost every time I raced to the bathroom after eating. It was and still is the most embarrassing health issue I have ever dealt with. My muscle weight diminished. I had nearly 5-10 times a day wet my pants due to diarrhea.

My chiropractor tore my rotator cuff due to my weight loss and him not listening to me before the adjustment. He was looking at his phone as I was telling him about my upcoming Mayo Clinic appointment.

That added to my pain for another year before I found out from an MRI it was torn. That lead to rotator cuff surgery 3 months ago.

Since then my shoulder has not healed as timely as my surgeon or physical therapists wanted. My surgeon recommended Juven which is suppose to help elderly bedridden patients not lose muscle weight.

I was a successful dental hygienist for almost 30 years. I was fired for my constant bathroom visits and my doctor and staff knew that I was unhealthy. I had no health insurance. I was on medicaid after the incident of being fired. I have exhausted all measures of finances and since then my boyfriend has been legally declared disabled which I am pursuing at the current time for a second review.

I am constantly angry. I have anger problems almost all throughout the day. I was declared that I could not perform my duties as a healthcare provider due to moderate to severe stenosis in my back along with the chronic diarrhea. However I have been denied my disability? How can a person work like this?

My parents spent over $40,000 at Mayo Clinic with MRI's and other tests with no problem existing. I had bowel samples taken and a flexible sphenoidoscopy done with nothing wrong.

Since my gallbladder was removed, my naturopathic physician has noticed that my AFP tumor maker tests have risen from slightly enlarged to moderately almost severe going from a 6 to a 30! This could indicate another cancer as I previously had cervical/uterine cancer due to a Mirena Intra-Uterine-Device back in 2009 with a radical hysterectomy. I had controllable problems after that and worked part time.

I ingested recalled food from Costco which came from Watts Brother's Farm in 2016. They were tested showing positive for listeria. My naturopath did a saliva test disclosing a vegetable bacteria that can destroy the organs! I am pursuing this company now.

Since then I have had annoying pain in my gallbladder area and chronic diarrhea with wetting my pants. My weight is like a roller coaster. As soon as I get up to 150 lbs, I get chronic diarrhea again dropping me down to 140 lbs again. At this low of weight, I am extremely angry all of the time. My emotions are sky rocketing.

I have often had times of suicide because I cannot take care of myself without an income. I sure cannot work due to my constant wetting of my pants. This gallbladder surgery has destroyed my life.

I saw a liver specialist in Minneapolis, Minnesota at Hennepin Hospital. He said that he would have never taken my gallbladder out due to my tall, thin body frame. My naturopath agreed with him. They recommended cholestryamine which is contradictory to my heart failure possibilities with my past chemotherapy Cisplatin.

I am at wits end with this chronic diarrhea and my body is plain worn out. Anyone with a suggestion to how I can get a diagnosis with my problem for my disability would be extremely helpful as I am on my second appeal for it.

I understand your problem Treezy all too well. The question is, "How do we deal with it?" I have changed my diet on a constant basis and I eat a clean diet with fruits and organic foods. Anything greasy upsets my stomach but I cannot gain weight. I cannot have sausage, bacon, or certain ground beef. This limits my diet to fish, chicken, and beef. Certain soups even give me excessive diarrhea. Tomatoes will ruin my bathroom habits for a week.

I have a sincere respect for anyone who is dealing with this problem. I have sought psychological help and I have meditated for over 8 years now with no success to this problem.

Sincerely Concerned,

Tanya L. Pierce RDH/CDA

Hi there. I am 18 months post GB removal and still having some problems. Initially it was alternating diarrhoea and intestinal pain - but never together - and generally immediate following the first meal of the day. These symptoms were severely impacting on my life and mental health. I had multiple follow up tests but was advised I was unlucky and that my body needed time to adjust to the lack of a GB. Milk thistle was a game changer for me because once I started taking it I immediately began to experience symptoms less often. Then about 3 months ago my doctor prescribed amitriptyline for the gut pain and it was amazingly successful. I have not had gut pain since commencing this medication. I still experience occasional bouts of sudden diarrhoea but definitely less often and less severe so perhaps my body is adjusting to the lack of a GB. I was surprised by the lack of support provided my surgeon. once he had determined there was no underlying issue related to the surgery he wasn't interested in my predicament. Good luck with your journey post cholecystectomy.

Treezy, I developed issues with diarrhea after having my gall bladder and my physician prescribed cholestipol. It is a cholesterol med that has constipation as a side effect. It really helps a lot. Most of the time I have a pretty normal life now. j

Have your doctor order a HIDA scan. After all tests were negative, that is where bile leak was found.