gallbladder removed 1 year ago

[PrincessKsMom]

thanks for that , how many time do u use it ? before eat or after ?

Just to be clear, Questran and cholestyramine are the same thing. One is the brand name, one is the generic.

Initially my doctor told me to take one packet in the morning and one in the afternoon. That was too much because I then had the opposite problem--constipation. He told me to judge for myself what was the best dose. I dropped down to 1 packet in the morning and after a while that was too much. I now take 1/2 packet a day and that's the perfect amount for me.

Please, talk to your doctor again. I know the pain and embarassment you are living with. And you don't need to.

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

I just had my gallbladder out this past Saturday (5 days ago) and this thread is making me

I have not had this problem yet... but, I am still eating very small amounts of light, low fat food! (soup, toast, applesauce, baked potato, etc.)

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

It took me around 7 to 8 years to finally get things back to semi-normal. I used bile salts and then Lonox (RX pill and it's a generic and for the life of me I can't think of the real drug).

I also could not and do not eat regular iceburg lettuce. I can eat greens and Romaine, but never ever iceburg. Strange. There were a lot of foods in the beginning and each year I was able to add a few back into my diet.

It is the only time when I could not make an educated decision. I could not live with my gallbladder and living without it was hell.

Some people wake up and never have another problem. How can that happen?

 

[gwynne]

Your first post ever is this? Troll.

I dunno.
I've known two people who had their gall bladders out, and they both continue to really struggle with this issue. It makes can make a social life complicated.
I'm giving OP the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Desnik]

Ok, I'll jump in here!
I have been dealing with this issue for 8 years!! Yup, 8 years!!!
I have been to Dr after Dr had all kinds of tests done & did all the research posiible. Currently I just saw (yesterday actually) a "top Dr" in the field in NYC. Here's my story.

I had never had any digestive issues then got gallstones from my 2nd pregnancy. After a year of attacks I had my gallbladder removed. Immediately my problems started. Pain, & the urgent need to go. It didn't matter what I ate or even if I ate at all! It was terrible. After seeing a gastro Dr & getting a ton of tests done, nothing was found I was told it was in my head, probably IBS & sent home. After doing my own research I tried Calcium Caltrate Vit. D pills. I diagnosed myself with bile salts diarrhea. I changed my diet drastically. It helped but not for long. Finally with help from my regular Dr I decided to try the Questran. It was vile for me & hard to get down but I did it, stuck with it for a while. It did help, but then just stopped working, so I had to find something else. Also, they call that stuff "kitty litter" cause it absorbs EVERYTHING!! So you have to take vitamins, and eat foods that will give you the nutrients it needs. Only problem for me was I couldn't tollerate any vitamins, they made me sick & veggies make me sick & I can't tolerate many fruits because of the acid.

So, I did more research and decided I would try Welchol. It's in pill form & also an absorbing drug (it's a high cholesterol med). I have been on it for almost 3 years now. My diet consists of no spicey, or fatty foods. No dairy, no red meat. Nothing fried, no fast food, no sauces. Basically very bland, rice, pasta, grilled chicken, salad (in moderation) & very little veggies when I can tolerate them.

What has happened now is all my vitamin levels are drastically low. I had a bone density test done & I am 36 years old with bones of a 65 year old woman & have moderate risk of fractures. The Welchol is starting to not work as well as it did.

I've had blood test after blood test. I have had a colonoscopy & had to have polyps removed. I know the diseases that I don't have, (celiac, chrones, colitis) but I don't know exactly why this is going on. It is the most frustrating thing to deal with & it affects my life everyday! At this point the Dr's all agree that this is no longer caused by the gallbladder removal because while it is common to have these problems after the surgery, they usually go away within the 1st year, 2 years tops. They think the removal triggered something else, again I don't know what that something else is. I go on Tues to have an endoscopy to do a bipopsy on my small intestine.

Sorry that got so long! Basically I've given up hope & am at the point that I hate food but I'm going to give this new Dr a shot & do as he suggests & see where it goes.

OP, I hope you don't have to suffer as long as I have & I hope you find something that works for you. Change your diet & try the Questran & see if that helps. Good luck!

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Wow Desnik, so sorry you're going through all of this.

 

[Desnik]

Wow Desnik, so sorry you're going through all of this.

Thank you.

Sorry if my post sounds so negative. I didn't mean for it to come off that way & I don't want to scare anyone. Just because things haven't worked out for me doesn't mean they won't work for someone else! I shoul have added that to my post!

 

[Laura66]

I only take mine once a day. (it's a powder that you dissolve in water). I sometimes skip a day here and there. I take it mid-day since I take my vitamins and meds in the morning and evening.
I still have some minor issues now and then but they are manageable.

 

[DisneyLover83]

I had my gallbadder out in 2007 and was finally prescribed Welchol in 2009, it has been a life saver. My life revolved around the bathroom.... needing to be sure there was a public bathroom, how far away is it, etc. It was terrible. Welchol saved me. Ask your Dr for it.

 

[zahri]

Your good friends will understand - I still have minor issues - and my friends and I joke about it.

I think they will not understand but I will try keep it secret ):, it is good idea

 

[zahri]

I too have been having issues after having my gallbladder removed. My gastro doc prescribed what he called bile salt, I'm assuming that's what questran is? I have not picked up my prescription yet. For those who take it.....is it expensive? any side effects?

hii what is "bile salt" is it tablet ? ? please tell us if you try it

 

[zahri]

Just to be clear, Questran and cholestyramine are the same thing. One is the brand name, one is the generic.

Initially my doctor told me to take one packet in the morning and one in the afternoon. That was too much because I then had the opposite problem--constipation. He told me to judge for myself what was the best dose. I dropped down to 1 packet in the morning and after a while that was too much. I now take 1/2 packet a day and that's the perfect amount for me.

Please, talk to your doctor again. I know the pain and embarassment you are living with. And you don't need to.

hii PrincessKsMom sounds work with you , I tried it I used it when I wake up beefeater eating but I quit i feet my body getting down with it I mean no vitamins left inside me .

I heard there are different flavors of Questran ??

 

[zahri]

Some people wake up and never have another problem. How can that happen?

some studies and doctors says it happend for 10% of who had this operation but it doest make sense !!! is not ??

 

[zahri]

Ok, I'll jump in here!
I have been dealing with this issue for 8 years!! Yup, 8 years!!!
I have been to Dr after Dr had all kinds of tests done & did all the research posiible. Currently I just saw (yesterday actually) a "top Dr" in the field in NYC. Here's my story.

I had never had any digestive issues then got gallstones from my 2nd pregnancy. After a year of attacks I had my gallbladder removed. Immediately my problems started. Pain, & the urgent need to go. It didn't matter what I ate or even if I ate at all! It was terrible. After seeing a gastro Dr & getting a ton of tests done, nothing was found I was told it was in my head, probably IBS & sent home. After doing my own research I tried Calcium Caltrate Vit. D pills. I diagnosed myself with bile salts diarrhea. I changed my diet drastically. It helped but not for long. Finally with help from my regular Dr I decided to try the Questran. It was vile for me & hard to get down but I did it, stuck with it for a while. It did help, but then just stopped working, so I had to find something else. Also, they call that stuff "kitty litter" cause it absorbs EVERYTHING!! So you have to take vitamins, and eat foods that will give you the nutrients it needs. Only problem for me was I couldn't tollerate any vitamins, they made me sick & veggies make me sick & I can't tolerate many fruits because of the acid.

So, I did more research and decided I would try Welchol. It's in pill form & also an absorbing drug (it's a high cholesterol med). I have been on it for almost 3 years now. My diet consists of no spicey, or fatty foods. No dairy, no red meat. Nothing fried, no fast food, no sauces. Basically very bland, rice, pasta, grilled chicken, salad (in moderation) & very little veggies when I can tolerate them.

What has happened now is all my vitamin levels are drastically low. I had a bone density test done & I am 36 years old with bones of a 65 year old woman & have moderate risk of fractures. The Welchol is starting to not work as well as it did.

I've had blood test after blood test. I have had a colonoscopy & had to have polyps removed. I know the diseases that I don't have, (celiac, chrones, colitis) but I don't know exactly why this is going on. It is the most frustrating thing to deal with & it affects my life everyday! At this point the Dr's all agree that this is no longer caused by the gallbladder removal because while it is common to have these problems after the surgery, they usually go away within the 1st year, 2 years tops. They think the removal triggered something else, again I don't know what that something else is. I go on Tues to have an endoscopy to do a bipopsy on my small intestine.

Sorry that got so long! Basically I've given up hope & am at the point that I hate food but I'm going to give this new Dr a shot & do as he suggests & see where it goes.

OP, I hope you don't have to suffer as long as I have & I hope you find something that works for you. Change your diet & try the Questran & see if that helps. Good luck!

Desnik sad story , i think im going for this issue forever . I done many tests and colonoscopy and endoscopy all was good but the issue is that the bile from the lever leaking forever !!!
ohh dears already got tired from that

 

[zahri]

I only take mine once a day. (it's a powder that you dissolve in water). I sometimes skip a day here and there. I take it mid-day since I take my vitamins and meds in the morning and evening.
I still have some minor issues now and then but they are manageable.

thanks Laura66 , I will tell my dr to give me vitamins

 

[zahri]

I had my gallbadder out in 2007 and was finally prescribed Welchol in 2009, it has been a life saver. My life revolved around the bathroom.... needing to be sure there was a public bathroom, how far away is it, etc. It was terrible. Welchol saved me. Ask your Dr for it.

thanks DisneyLover83 for that , I will ask dr for Welchol , how many time do u use it ? is it expensive ?

 

[MistressMerryweather]

Wow. I had no idea that this was a common thing. I had my gallbladder out about 5 years ago and have been struggling with this ever since. I can't believe there is no way to "fix" it.
I thought, just recently, that I must have irritable bowel syndrome, but I see now that I am textbook for "dumping syndrome"/bile salts diarrhea". Geez, even the names are embarrassing.
Mine occurs approximately, 30 min-1 hour after I swallow anything...water or fried chicken. It's all the same.
Makes "free dining" at Disney not so exciting.
It's beginning to be very sad when I have to leave my dh and kids to run to find a bathroom while we are out.
Sorry OP, this just sucks.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

hii PrincessKsMom sounds work with you , I tried it I used it when I wake up beefeater eating but I quit i feet my body getting down with it I mean no vitamins left inside me .

I heard there are different flavors of Questran ??

Thankfully it does work for me and I've had blood tests done (as part of an annual checkup) and there don't seem to be any issues with vitamin deficiencies.

As for different flavors, I don't know. I have had two different generics of the cholestyramine and one is fine, the other is HORRIBLE.

Hope those of you still having issues are able to find something that works for you. It's a horrible existence.

 

[MIGrandma]

I am going to talk to my doctor at my next check-up about the medications people have mentioned here as I, too, have "bathroom issues" to put it as delicately as possible. Have had them for 12 years. Some people here make fun of me because I have more understanding for people with "issues" than they do. Those people haven't experienced what some of us here have, they have absolutely no idea how horrible it is to need a bathroom immediately and not be able to find one.

I was taking bentyl, but it really didn't help. I have been taking Shaklee pre-and pro-biotics and they help a lot. Most of my "issues" are just in the morning. My afternoons and evenings are usually okay.

My DD is starting to experience these same "issues" and she is only 33. She has an appointment next week with a gastroenterologist (not sure I spelled it right) and I'm anxious to know what he says to her. I do hope he can help her. But, she did take accutane in high school for her acne problem and that is now linked to IBS.

It just makes me wonder WHY so many of us have these "issues." Is it pesticides on our fruits and vegetables? Is it the water we're drinking? Exactly what is causing so many bowel issues like IBS, Crohn's, Celiac, etc. Really makes me wonder.

OP, I hope you're able to get the help you need. I know it isn't fun to have issues, and a lot of people just don't understand what it's like.

 

[zahri]

I am going to talk to my doctor at my next check-up about the medications people have mentioned here as I, too, have "bathroom issues" to put it as delicately as possible. Have had them for 12 years. Some people here make fun of me because I have more understanding for people with "issues" than they do. Those people haven't experienced what some of us here have, they have absolutely no idea how horrible it is to need a bathroom immediately and not be able to find one.

I was taking bentyl, but it really didn't help. I have been taking Shaklee pre-and pro-biotics and they help a lot. Most of my "issues" are just in the morning. My afternoons and evenings are usually okay.

My DD is starting to experience these same "issues" and she is only 33. She has an appointment next week with a gastroenterologist (not sure I spelled it right) and I'm anxious to know what he says to her. I do hope he can help her. But, she did take accutane in high school for her acne problem and that is now linked to IBS.

It just makes me wonder WHY so many of us have these "issues." Is it pesticides on our fruits and vegetables? Is it the water we're drinking? Exactly what is causing so many bowel issues like IBS, Crohn's, Celiac, etc. Really makes me wonder.

OP, I hope you're able to get the help you need. I know it isn't fun to have issues, and a lot of people just don't understand what it's like.

really bad issue , god luck , thanks for hopping don't forget to update your new experience xoxo