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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 8/20/2011 4:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hello to everyone with post-gall bladder removal diarrhea

I'm not a fan of huge posts but seem to be contributing my share of them. I recently had Nissen Fundoplication to correct GERD/acid reflux that was controlling my everyday life and making a shambles of the rest of me. The acid is much better but I still have enough bile to sink a battleship.

I had my GB removed nearly 17 years ago and it's been a downhill slide since then. One that may or may not have contributed to GERD being uncontrollable, the necessity of painful surgery and a long recovery at my age of 64. (Yes, the Beatles still need me.:)

I initially thought that GERD was the only real problem I had since I'd gotten used to 768 loose bile stools per day over the last 17 years. Not true. Since the GERD/acid is gone the bile issues are more apparent and upsetting once again.

My question is this: Does anyone wake up like me early in the morning with a sour/bile stomach, rapid heartbeat and feeling speeded up?

This is usually followed by a race to the toilet, bile diarrhea and a general feeling of malaise and discomfort.

Yes, I've had a colonoscopy, upper scopes out the wazoo, heart tests from here to yonder, pulmonolgy exams (complete and good) and even a sleep apnea test three times. It shows I have positional sleep apnea and I have a CPAP but it doesn't help.

I think my problem has something to do with all the extra bile that accumulates in my stomach and intestines overnight since I feel fine when I go to bed with food still in my stomach.

I get up and eat after what feels like a huge panic attack followed by the diarrhea and after I eat I feel better - not good but better. I feel better as the day continues and by bedtime I feel pretty good. The way I wish I could feel all day long.

I read a post on the IBS forum about taking calcium carbonate to soak up the bile. I tried this and similar things years ago before my GERD got so bad but am wondering if the calcium thing might work this time around.

I have had Colestid and several other things from my GI about ten years ago and at that time they did not help. I'm considering taking them or trying the calcium again since I'm at my wit's end waking up as I do every day and have for the past three years.

Anyone else similar at all?
I'd like to hear from you.

Rita
Posted 8/21/2011 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
I had my gallbladder removed two weeks ago after a HIDA scan showed it was dysfunctional---my presenting symptom befor the surgery was nausea for almost three weeks---no right sided pain----I have had left shoulder blade pain with pain in ribs for years now on and off----they don't think this is related---anyway, they did CT scan, endoscopy, abdominal ultrasound , many x-rays of back and chest---many blood tests to check liver and pancreatic enzymes (all negative except endoscopy showed slight stomach inflammation)----I wake up like you do---queasiness, need to have a bowel movement, feel like I have heartburn or reflux but no pain in my chest----I started taking prilosec 5 days ago and also have tried some maalox---thought it might be working but I had a really bad day today----also, but night time, after a light dinner I feel good---have you lost weight---I went from 118 to 109 in one and a half months---of course, I hardly ate for 3 weeks prior to surgery and now I eat lightly---does this sound like what you are going through?
Posted 8/22/2011 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
EXACTLY! My gall bladder came out 17 years ago but I was terribly sick - no pain at all till the night before the GB was removed - and I lost 40 lbs before the ultrasound showed any problem with my GB at all.

All my lab work was good the whole 6 1/2 years except for a slightly elevated sed rate. It was good on Tuesday at the doc before surgery on Saturday morning.

The only big problem I had after GB surgery was the pain. I'd had acid reflux for about 15 years before that and have since had Nissen Fundoplication to stop the acid from eating up my esophagus.

NF surgery is what I'm recuperating from now and it hasn't been easy. I'm convinced the two were connected - the GB and the acid reflux.

I have what's called bile diarrhea and have had it since before my GB surgery. I tried all kinds of things from my GI doc to over the counter but none of them worked.

I read on another Healing Well forum about trying Calcium Carbonate to stop bile diarrhea after GB removal and just started it a couple of days ago. The person who posted the suggestion has a huge internet following and leaves her email address so I wrote to her and she replied.

Diarrhea isn't uncommon after the NF surgery I just had and the woman said that it sometimes takes a few days for the diarrhea to get better. I've gone from at least a half dozen diarrhea stools a day to only a couple yesterday and today so far.

I'm thinking at this point that the bile overnight in my stomach backs up as a gas and it changes my PH somehow. I know my surgeon said the acid can back up for a while as a gas even after the surgery to stop acid and it could be some of that as well.

If you're only two weeks out of GB removal my guess is the bile could be affecting you in a similar way. Just a guess since I don't know your diet or other health issues.

I believe my body PH got so out of whack after my GB removal that it's just been a big fat mess ever since.

My GB was gangrene and would have killed me had I not had it out. Taking it out only showed how bad my acid reflux was and 17 years later and many meds from my GI ended me where I am today recuperating from acid reflux surgery.

I'm hoping I'm on the right track with this now. My GI is aware of the bile problem and said we'd address it after the NF surgery. I'm just trying to get a bit ahead of him.

Rita
Posted 8/25/2011 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
Me too I'm afraid.  I had a paraesophageal hernia so very little untouched by surgery and later a gal bladder removal for stones.  For a long time, years I have had D.  discovered on here Bile salt D.   Doctors did not help very much.  Have recently discovered that indigestion mixture (gaviscon or similar), full of chalk taken twice or more a day with meals, 20 ml doses has helped to solidify the  motion.  Still have the reactions to things that contain a lot of fat or milk products.  Ate two sausages the other day.  But did get plenty of warning and it was not so uncontrollable with taking the medication.  However If I do get a problem it has become more painful from the slowing up of the process. 

I could not pass excess gas before I took this mixture but can now dare to expel gas without accidental eruption.  My Dr will not let me have the stat ins that help with this problem as my cholesterol is low. So I am using supermarket and chemist remedies.  Imodium just bungs me up and causes lots of pain and discomfort.

If you do come across any more answers please let me know.

I have been going out with using the indigestion remedy for Dio.  Have not have accident and not so scared.  But I dont think I can go hill walking yet without worrying where to go if I need to make emergency provisions.

hope we can all find some relief from this life changing problem, best wishes to all. x

Posted 8/25/2011 1:27 PM (GMT 0)
I had the Nissen wrap surgery almost a month ago to stop what appeared to be acid reflux. The barrium swallow I had a few days after surgery indicated no problem with reflux.

I got worse the longer I took the calcium till I got really constipated and finally very nauseated and am now having multiple bile acid diarrheas and am waiting to hear back from my GI's office about what can be done now if anything.

I'm wearing out and can't do this much longer. I've lost 30 lbs, have no appetite, am nauseated and can't eat without feeling as if I'm about to explode.

The surgeon has already mentioned Reglan and I've tried it before and couldn't tolerate it.

I think I may be on my way to Mayo Clinic. That will be my last attempt to solve all this stuff.
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