gallbladder removed 1 year ago

[Magic Stars19]

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.

@DisneyLover83, Hi! Are you still taking the bile binders?

 

[Magic Stars19]

I tried Questran powder its work but its hard to take it every day i mean not I feel my blood pressure goes down i can feel that , also Questran absorb all the vitamins in your body !!! this is big issue . I tried imodium before the breakfast it work beautiful but im worries about use it long term ...

The most Psychology issue . I will get married soon , and its embarrassing to tell my girl and close friends about that if they watching me using or carrying imodium every day i feel so so embarrass for that , its really hard to say i have diarrhea
i want to cray so hard for this changed in my life

@zahri Have you gotten better??

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

@zahri Have you gotten better??

Hey Magic Stars 19, I saw you posted on a couple of gall bladder threads today, so I take it you are either contemplating getting yours removed or have had it removed and are having issues. I had mine taken out about 4 years ago (50 and female). I had never had any issues, even though gall bladder problems run in my family, until then. When it flared up, I was in extreme pain and could not keep food or water down for 3 days. At that point, it became life threatening, so into surgery I went, and my doctor got it out just in time. I have been good to go ever since. I can eat whatever I want and don't have any bathroom issues. My dad and my grandmother were the same way after having theirs taken out many years ago.

I don't know if this is the kind of information you are looking for or not, but I thought I'd try to answer you. Good luck!

 

[Magic Stars19]

Hey Magic Stars 19, I saw you posted on a couple of gall bladder threads today, so I take it you are either contemplating getting yours removed or have had it removed and are having issues. I had mine taken out about 4 years ago (50 and female). I had never had any issues even though gall bladder problems run in my family until then. When it flared up, I was in extreme pain and could keep food or water down for 3 days. At that point, it became life threatening, so into surgery I went, and my doctor got it out just in time. I have been good to go ever since. I can eat whatever I want and don't have any bathroom issues. My dad and my grandmother were the same way after having theirs taken out many years ago.

I don't know if this is the kind of information you are looking for or not, but I thought I'd try to answer you. Good luck!

@Mrs. Ciz Thank you for responding! Unfortunately, I had mine out 5 weeks ago and dealing with all kinds of problems now. I'm glad you had no issues. I just got some medication for this, thankfully.

 

[Magic Stars19]

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 Hi . How are you doing after all of these years? Were you able to get on a different medication? Did the problem clear up for you? How’s your diet? Hope you are well.

 

[Magic Stars19]

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.

Are you still on Welchol??

 

[lorimay]

Colestipol is an oral cholesterol-lowering drug that is not absorbed from the intestine into the body. Rather, it works by binding to bile acids in the intestine and promoting the elimination of bile acids in the stool.
This is what my gastro Dr gave me after my gallbladder removal a few years ago.
It worked great, no more issues.

 

[Magic Stars19]

Colestipol is an oral cholesterol-lowering drug that is not absorbed from the intestine into the body. Rather, it works by binding to bile acids in the intestine and promoting the elimination of bile acids in the stool.
This is what my gastro Dr gave me after my gallbladder removal a few years ago.
It worked great, no more issues.

Can we chat somehow? I’m having a hard time with this right now.