Gallbladder removed with RNY

[AmyC65 34]

Hi all.

I'm 6 weeks post-op from RNY, and they took my gallbladder at the same time. I am having an awful time finding much of anything that I can eat that won't cause awful diarrhea. Not immediately, but maybe 4-5 hours after eating. And once it starts, it does not stop. I have started taking Imodium to stop it, otherwise it will go on for days.

My husband and several friends are all RNY successes, none of them has any experience with diarrhea like this. Anyone have any experience with the GB/RNY combo? I'm frustrated, discouraged and wondering if I have messed up my body forever. I can't even be happy about the weight loss because I'm either in the bathroom or in discomfort all the time!

thx

[Time4ChangeNY 20]

Hi Amy, I am also having RNY with gallbladder removal on 11/3. Have you spoken to your doctor about the issues you are having? If so, what does he say? This could very possibly be something that you will experience temporarily and it will eventually go away. Let's hope so!

[Racewalker48 41]

Amy, do you know why your gallbladder was removed during your RNY?

[AmyC65 34]

My surgeon scanned the GB in advance and found stones. I wasn't really symptomatic with GB problems but opted to remove now rather than go back in for a 2nd surgery sometime in the future. My Dr doesn't really say much about the diarrhea - says it's just that first few months where I'm figuring out what I can eat, take Imodium. Not very helpful, but not at all concerned, either. I'm just looking to see if anyone else has experienced this. I feel like there's something wrong with me b/c none of my RNY friends have any experiences like this.

[devint 162]

Hi there. I am 4 months post-sleeve and 2 months post gallbladder removal. I'll share with you from my experience at least, but as someone mentioned talk to your doctor cause there ARE medicines to help.

I started experiencing the diarrhea pretty much right after my GB was taken out and it comes and goes. I was told by my doc that my body is going to take some time, probably a few months, to get used to a constant drip of bile now being inserted directly into my intestine. Now that the GB is gone, that used to hold bile and wait for fatty food to come down the path and then GB would squeeze the bile out to digest the fat down. Now without that "reservoir" the bile is constantly dripping like a faucet directly into my intestine. Unfortunately I couldn't find many online articles about wls and gb removal so it took me a while to figure out why this is a problem and what I can do to mitigate.

If too much bile is in the intestines for the fat content that is there (I'm sure you can relate: I'm afraid to eat cause I'm afraid of whats gonna happen so I go extra long between meals), the extra bile causes my intestines to become like a slick no matter what i eat, bam diarrhea. If I eat too much, meaning a meal that makes me feel uncomfortably stuffed with my tiny tummy, there is too much food/fat content in my intestines for the amount of bile that's there and then the food passes through undigested and bam diarrhea. This is especially true for me when it's a fattier meal (good or bad fats, Peanut Butter gets me sometimes) and/or if it's a meal late at night say after 6pm.

So for me...

1. eat something nutritious every three hours tops regardless of if i'm having diarrhea now or not. If i don't eat now i'll be in misery later.

2. stay away from food with over 30% fat versus Protein and carbs. supposed to focus on Protein anyway.

3. drink fluids, i can't get dehydrated or then i lose all appetite and the will to fight.

4. instead of imodium, i take an antispasmodic prescription medicine my doc prescribed that's often used to treat irritable bowel syndrome. Imodium dries out the stool whereas the antispasmodic stops the cramping and binding so its a lot more effective for me.

I'm clinging onto the hope that this is a temporary adjustment, and have seen many people say anywhere from 3 to 6 months things "even out." Hope this helps and take care of yourself.

[AmyC65 34]

Devint, thank you so much for your insights! Your explanation (or, your Dr's.) helps things make much more sense now. And it explains why it can go on for days, because as it persists I lose all will to eat. Sometimes just one yogurt in an entire day - I know it's not healthy but, like you said, I lose the will to fight. I begin to spiral into "what have I done to myself? I will never feel well again."

I will try harder to keep on an eating schedule. I am so afraid of food right now, but I guess if I'm going to have diarrhea anyway, I might as well start trying some new foods!

You've really encouraged me. And, like you, boy I REALLY hope this is short-lived. I keep reminding myself I had WLS for the rest of my life, not just to hit a short-term goal. If it takes 3 months of my life to feel yucky and then feel good for 30 more years, it's an investment worth making.

[Lost1 27]

Devint, thank you so much for your insights! Your explanation (or, your Dr's.) helps things make much more sense now. And it explains why it can go on for days, because as it persists I lose all will to eat. Sometimes just one yogurt in an entire day - I know it's not healthy but, like you said, I lose the will to fight. I begin to spiral into "what have I done to myself? I will never feel well again."

I will try harder to keep on an eating schedule. I am so afraid of food right now, but I guess if I'm going to have diarrhea anyway, I might as well start trying some new foods!

You've really encouraged me. And, like you, boy I REALLY hope this is short-lived. I keep reminding myself I had WLS for the rest of my life, not just to hit a short-term goal. If it takes 3 months of my life to feel yucky and then feel good for 30 more years, it's an investment worth making.

How are you doing now? Update?

[AmyC65 34]

Thank you for asking. I'm much, MUCH better. I started eating one Activia yogurt a day, and it might just be a coincidence but that day was my last bout of diarrhea. I have been able to expand my diet considerably and I am much more comfortable. I have a lot of gas now, but from other RNY patients I hear that isn't unusual. Some occasional rumbling but the really bad results have gone. Making an effort to have something to eat every 3 hours seems to really have helped, also. I notice I start getting some cramps if I go much longer than that.