[Tobes]

I have had Ibs, the majority being (D), since the 3rd grade. I'm now 30. I recently went to the doctor, after swearing off doctors, due to some pain I was having. Turns out they think I have gall stones. I had an ultrasound, and I go to the Dr. tomorrow to have my follow up appt. I'm almost positive they will tell me I have gallstones. From what I have looked up online, my new tummy troubles fit the symptoms to a T. Unfortunately everything I have found points to having my gallbladder removed. DUN DUN DUUUNNN......Well everything else I've read about gallbladder removal...is having the runs a lot. So does anyone have any input on what's to come for me? I have pre-existing ibs-d....and now gallbladder removal...i just can't win. I was at my wits end to begin with, and I had just found the mind to live with it, and now this. Need some support bad. Anything? thanks guys

 

[overitnow]

I have had Ibs, the majority being (D), since the 3rd grade. I'm now 30. I recently went to the doctor, after swearing off doctors, due to some pain I was having. Turns out they think I have gall stones. I had an ultrasound, and I go to the Dr. tomorrow to have my follow up appt. I'm almost positive they will tell me I have gallstones. From what I have looked up online, my new tummy troubles fit the symptoms to a T. Unfortunately everything I have found points to having my gallbladder removed. DUN DUN DUUUNNN......Well everything else I've read about gallbladder removal...is having the runs a lot. So does anyone have any input on what's to come for me? I have pre-existing ibs-d....and now gallbladder removal...i just can't win. I was at my wits end to begin with, and I had just found the mind to live with it, and now this. Need some support bad. Anything? thanks guys

The best I can suggest is to see if it is at all possible that you might pass the stones. It was as painful as anything I can imagine; but I avoided the surgery. Given my later case of IBS D, I am now so happy that there were enough cases in Emerg that day that they didn't get to me until after the stones got through.Best of luck with this.Mark

 

[Kathleen M.]

There are things you can do to reduce post surgical diarrhea from gall bladder removal (and it isn't 100% of people, it is more like 10%). Most of these tend to help IBS-D if you still have your gall bladder anyway.1. Limit fat in the diet. The more fat you eat, the more bile you make.2. Try Calcium Carbonate with vitamin D supplements. LNAPE had post gall-bladder removal surgery and had bad diarrhea afterward. She was told to take these supplements for other health reasons and they really made a huge difference for her. A thread with a lot of info is pinned at the top.3. Questran (or other bile binding resin medications). Originally used for lowering cholesterol (you make bile from the cholesterol in the blood and what is bound up and pooped out isn't recycled and must be replaced). These medications are constipating for something like 30-50% of the people who take them for cholesterol alone and are also often used when people have diarrhea that may be from bile excess (either part of the small intestine that recycles the bile was removed or they no longer have a gall bladder).

 

[Bachelard]

After my gallbladder was removed, my IBS-d went totally out of control for about 6 weeks. It didn't help that I received no warning about this from my doctor. Eventually, things returned to their normal abnormality. (And Questran was useless, by the way.)

 

[Kathleen M.]

Unfortunately no one medication works for everyone. Questran can work for some people.If I limited myself to things that worked for 100% (or even 90%, or even 80%) of people I would have absolutely nothing to talk about.