If you read enough IBS personal stories – and, I would venture to say, I read more IBS personal stories before breakfast than most people do in a lifetime – you quickly realise that there are many shared IBS experiences. From the fear of public accidents to obsessions with our diet to battles with our ridiculously unfeeling colleagues, I’ve read the same experiences over and over again for years and years. This is awful, of course, but also a little comforting, as you begin to learn that your pain is not yours alone, and many other people know just how you feel.
What I haven’t learned, unfortunately, is what causes IBS, because for every IBS patient there is a different story. Some of us get IBS right out of the blue, Bam!, as if from nowhere. Some of us have surgery and suffer from that point on, some get food poisoning and then IBS, some take antibiotics and blame their broken bowels on that…there’s no one route to IBS.
But one thing that did strike me one day when I was reading through all of these stories was how often IBS sufferers talked about their gallbladders, and, more specifically, the absence of their gallbladders.
The gallbladder is a little internal organ that basically stores bile acids that come from the liver. People often have it removed, and you can live perfectly happily without it, except that without the gallbladder the bile has nowhere to go. And guess what? The bile is then shoved into the intestines instead, and that causes diarrhea, and that, I’m afraid, leads to a diagnosis of IBS.
Now, the wonderful thing about ‘IBS’ (I’ll explain my quote marks in a second) following gallbladder removal is that there are specific medications to control the diarrhea that results. Questran, Colestid and Welchol and are all used for this purpose, and often produce fantastic results.
So what’s the problem, if this portion of IBS sufferers can be so easily treated? Well, the problem is that doctors sometimes don’t even mention that the diarrhea could be related to the gallbladder removal, and just diagnose IBS. And even when they do think that the gallbladder removal has caused the problem, they STILL diagnose IBS.
Why is this daft? Well, obviously it’s daft first and foremost because anyone with no gallbladder needs access to the drugs I have mentioned. But it’s also daft because, to me, bile-related diarrhea is clearly NOT IBS.
If we diagnose bile-related diarrhea as IBS, then morphine-related constipation is IBS too, as is diarrhea caused by having half your colon cut out during surgery. In other words, any vague condition that causes gastrointestinal symptoms is IBS, even if we know exactly what the cause of those gastro symptoms is. That seems crazy.
Now, please don’t think that I have any less sympathy for my gallbladderless readers, because your symptoms are just as tough as anyone else’s. And I’m not about to to stop accepting stories and treatment reviews from people with bile-related ‘IBS’, partly because there are so many of you, and partly because patients often don’t realise that bile is the cause of their problems until they do some reading.
But it does seem like a strange situation when someone with a diarrhea-causing liquid flowing through their body is considered to have IBS – you might just as well drink a gallon of laxative in the morning and then diagnose yourself with IBS. Seems to me it would make as much sense!
38 responses so far ↓
1 linda // Jul 6, 2009 at 6:46 am
are the sign of IBS similar to gallbladder symptoms? How do you differentiate the two ?
2 Sophie Lee // Jul 6, 2009 at 8:22 am
Hi Linda – I would always check with your doctor if you’re worried about your symptoms, there are a lot of different conditions which can cause IBS-like symptoms so it’s important to get checked out if you’re concerned.
3 Bonzy // Jul 14, 2009 at 11:48 pm
I had my gallbaldder removed 6 years ago and started getting the urgency situation straight away after eating certain foods. THis wasnt too bad but now it has oincreased and msot mornings I have loose stools.I am fine the rest of the day!
4 RuthW // Jul 21, 2009 at 9:33 am
I wish I could HAVE loose stools again. Before my gall bladder surgery, I had diarrhea almost every day since I was old enough to remember (I also suffered from lactose intolerance). Since the surgery, for the last two years, I’ve had to resort to taking laxatives every day just to go to the bathroom so I can get room in my stomach to eat or I can’t eat (I lost almost 100 lbs because of this…which is sort of great and sort of not so great; it was in the span of three months and caused other health problems). What confuses my doctors is that when I go, my stools are still runny as ever! It’s just like the muscle that alerts me to go is no longer functioning, and taking laxatives kick-starts it.
I wish there was help. I eat a diet high in fiber and drink nothing but water. At this point in my life, I have no hope left, and I’ve been to the brink of suicide because no one can help me, it seems.
5 Kimberly Beyer // Jul 28, 2009 at 6:00 pm
I was just wondering if I would be dropping in weight due to the removal of my gallbladder? When I had my gallbladder I had very loose stool right after I would eat. I lost almost 30lbs in a very short time. Now with the removal of my gallbladder (little over a week) the same thing happens, depending on what I eat. I was on a very stricked diet before my gallbladder pain began, and have started back again trying to loose the remaining weight (60lbs). With the removal will it help or hurt my weight loss? Thanks for your reply.
Kimberly
6 Sharon // Jul 28, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Hi all, this message is for Ruth. Please don’t despair. What you have is quite common and we’re all working together to solve the riddle. As ridiculous as this may sound, try to approach our problem as a scientist would. Try to understand what is happening to what part of your body/our bodies. I have/had your symptoms. I call it constipated diarrhea. You’ll see that phrase in previous posts. I feel it in my ascending and transverse colon aka the large intestine. And it does affect appetite for some reason. The large intestine doesn’t seem to be absorbing the water the way it should and those nice gentle rhythmic motions that move the digested food along are also off. So all I get is unproductive cramping. I’ve found a way of manually pushing the contents along through a massage technique. But this is somewhat demoralizing, as is taking laxatives. And air gets trapped as well and has to be massaged along. It’s a stop gap measure.
I’ve found some relief through diet and supplements. Pumpkin seeds, raw fish, 100% sprouted bread, vegetables, some fruit, some dairy, some vegan cookies and 400mg of magnesium (citrate, glycinate or amino acid chelate) at night. And I try to take advantage of mornings when our gastro-colic reflex is strongest. I’m not perfect but better.
You’ll get there too. And hopefully we can all learn from eachother. I go back and forth between thinking its allergies, yeast, not enough good bacteria, too little enzymes. So I try to treat all. Avoid the foods I’m allegedly allergic to, avoid sugar (yeah right) that allegedly feeds the bad yeast, eat raw foods (like sushi) that digest themselves because without cooking the enzymes stay intact. Lastly I eat fibrous foods that feed the good bacteria…hopefully. I’ve been doing some homework on probiotics and it seems that infantis, planatarum and rhamanous are good for IBS so I’ll try those one at a time.
Now you go forth and conquer! If not for yourself than for the rest of us who can really use your assistance.
Keep us posted. Sharon
7 Heather // Jul 30, 2009 at 3:31 am
RuthW
hi i had my gallbladder out 14 weeks ago and for the first week i seemed to be doing fine then I got an infection inside my tummy three loads of antibiotic later and my tummy was a mess. I ended up on nexuim motillium antispasmodics all for acid and bowel problems. I even had to take 8 satchels of movicol to kickstart and clean out my bowels, then switch back to two to three everyday just so I could go to the toilet. I was very dismayed and sore and really bloated. I went to get some pepperment oil from holland and barret to help with spasms, when I took an atack of acid reflux. so all that was to hand was organic licorice. I eat this and low and behold I have found something that not only stops the pain but it also helps my digestive track. I have been taking four to five panda organic comfits before each meal, and it is working for me I can’t beleieve that organicc licorice could have done this. I looked up on the internet and it helps all sorts digestive problems inflammation soothes the linning of the bowel I was amazed. I have just bought some organic root teabags so I will let you know how I get on with that. I would make sure it is panda organic licorice as there is no additives in this fat free and koisher. there is also bars and plain licorice but i love confits so i buy them. I hope this helps someone else as I was crying all the time and things are slowly getting better for me. why do doctors not tell you things like a wee bag of licorice could help your digestive problems, instead of letting us suffer. also when we have no gallbladder we cannot digest fat so get lecithin fat emiulsifier I got tripple action it was on special. it also help breaks down your food making it again easy for your bowel. I take it when I feel i need help but my friend takes it everyday and she would not be without it. also if you have trouble with constipation eat a banna it helps. Also stay away from a high fibre diet it does more damage to your irritated bowels. you want food that is easy to digest smooth and not too tough. also stay away from broccoli cabbage calliflower. go on a low fat diet it helps alot. no oil fish cod or haddock is fine as they are dry fish chicken baked pottatoe side salads ect. light vegatbles soups no peppers or hot spices, you might find bread being a problem too try burgoen its same price as normal bread but it is made with soya because it has seeds and things in it tastes the same as bread.wheat is very bad for your bowel it irritates it. you get that bread in every supermarket and farmfoods.stay away from red meat as your bowel does not digest this most white meats are fine, natural bio yougurts are good too for soothing the bowel. make sure dairy does not give you a problem though don,t eat cheese it will start a flare up. well this is all I can think of at the moment le tme know how you get on. take care regards Heather
8 gale // Jul 30, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I had my gallbladder removed 11 months ago. Two months after my surgery my problems began. I started to get an upset stomach with diarreahea or constipation – like everytime I relieved myself the stomach belching would start and cramping. I also feel like a sore stomach. I never had these problems before I had it removed. Never had a stomach problem in my life. My doctor kept saying it was a virus because it would happen twice a month. I started to have some test done in April and I went to an allergist first to test for food allergies which I had none. Then I went to a gasterologist he thought it was stone left behind so I had a MRCP – no stones, then I had blood test hployria, liver enzymes were normal, thyroid is normal, complete physical everything is fine. I had an endoscopy and they found non specific gastritis which was nothing. So now I am having a colonoscopy to rule out IBS or anything else. Basically this doctor has told me to try John Hopkins after this because I might have Post Colonscopy Syndrome or SOD. Which they may do very little for you. Now I am on Welchol and this is my 6th day. I was doing ok and feeling pretty good and no sign of diarrhea my bowel movements are solid now. Last night I had a bad night – I heard all kinds of noise in my stomach and it felt like spasms and sore stomach. Then I had to go to the bathroom and I had to settle my stomach down. Today I had sore stomach in the morning which latest till 1:00 p.m. The only thing I had was some nuts and some rice. This happens to me every two days. It has gotten worse and I guess because I obsess about it so it makes it worse. I have anxiety now. I thought it was a bile problem and I thought the Welchol would help with everything but the sore stomach is the worse. Now I am back to square one – I need to function everyday with two kids and now I feel so handicap. I eat a low fat diet and I have lost 60 lbs and I have 100lbs to go will the weight loss help? My doctor said it wouldn’t make a difference. I exercise and go to a accupuntist. Is there light at the end of the tunnel or am I doomed for life?? Help!
9 Timothy Homan // Aug 1, 2009 at 3:24 am
Maybe you have a protein or fiber problem? Protein is known for causing stomach pains, especially if you aren’t used to it. Also, never drink carbonated beverages. And try a product called; Activia; try it every day for a month and I guarantee it works. Because if you truly have IBS, which is an irregular movement in the digestive system, that yogurt should help regulate it. BUT I MUST STRESS DO NOT DRINK CARBONATED BEVERAGES.
10 Lorraine // Aug 2, 2009 at 10:09 am
My IBS-D developed like a thunderclap in 1991–while I was at work. In 8 mos I lost 65 lbs, and I spent the better part of 7 years dealing with dehydration and malnutrition.
I had my gallbladder removed in 1995. I was finally able to re-introduce veggies and meat into my diet (I had been living on the ‘white diet’–rice, chicken breast, toast, etc.), and flares from IBS-D were greatly reduced…for a while.
Over the past 4 years, I have dealt with severe diarrhea after eating on a daily basis, and my guess is that my liver is simply producing more bile on a continuous basis. I greatly increased my use of Lomotil and Imodium, with little effect.
Several days ago, I urged my physician to prescribe Questran for me, after I’d researched the medication online.
I have not flared ONCE since starting it.
I’m so happy I could cry!
11 Sharon // Aug 3, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Is anyone up for an experiment???
A one month experiment? I would like to really (really really) stick to a nutrient dense, hypoallergenic (no such thing exactly) IBS friendly diet – based on all that we have learned from eachother.
For me that means pure clean water as my only beverage and not the two dozen bottles of white tea I have in the frig that I love with all my heart or that weekly java chip frappucino. No food that has been processed, so not even my sprouted grain bread. Just seeds (pumpkin for me), egg yolks but not the whites (supposedly I’m allergic to eggs but it’s the white that contains the protein that causes the allergies), wild caught fish and free range beef – all undercooked for me. Can’t do that with chicken or turkeyever!! And just about any fruit or vegetable except the ones that we know we can’t tolerate – like icebeg lettuce for me.
In other words, if our pre-historic ancestors didn’t have access to it 100,000 years ago then it’s off our list as well. I’m debating about salt,pepper, olive oil and vinegar (and even chewing gum) but should probably give even these up for the one lousy month. Plus, it’s my understanding that 100,000 years ago fire wasn’t wildly used to cook food yet. So I guess some raw vegetables are in order.
Add some sunshine everyday and for me magnesium and calcium at night only because I think our soil is of such poor quality that the fruits and vegetables grown in it are lacking in these minerals and probably other ones as well.
Then we check in with each other every week and share all the gory details.
By the way, someone once told me why doctors remove gall bladders. Because they can. If they couldn’t then they would find another way. Don’t hear about doctors removing livers or pancreas’ much do you.
Anyone with me???
Sharon
12 Tim // Aug 8, 2009 at 11:55 pm
There is a new pill called: Digestive Advantage: IBS.
Try it out, it certainly can’t hurt anything. I’m on my third day and I have been using the restroom a lot with it, but that’s a sign that it is trying to do something. Even if it doesn’t work for me, it might for you. At walmart, I got it for less than $8. It says you can take two, but only take one. Trust me. I am a bigger but active guy with a severe case of IBS, and one is almost too much. So let me know how it goes. I will pray for you. And Sharon, that sounds like a good plan. If this doesn’t work I may have to try that.
13 Sophie Lee // Aug 9, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Hi Kimberly – I’m afraid I really don’t know whether it is usual to lose weight after having your gallbladder removed, I would definitely check with your doctor about this symptom.
14 Alesha // Aug 10, 2009 at 4:44 am
does anyone have advice for me??? i had my gallbladder removed 6 months ago (2months after my daughter was born) they say i got gallstones from being pregnant well about 2 months after i had it removed i started to get really bad diarrhea somedays i dont have it but other days i get it usually after i eat i dont know how to controll it…. does anybody have any advice on what i could do to help it??
15 Sophie Lee // Aug 10, 2009 at 6:47 am
Hi Alesha – did you read my blog post at the top of this page? It’s all about diarrhea after gallbladder surgery and the medications that can be used.
16 Sharon // Aug 12, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Hi Tim. I think you’re on the right track.
The god of GI problems here in Chicago explained to me about gut bacteria and he actually compared it to a group of people. He said “you know how sometimes a group of people can bring out the very best or sometimes the very worst in eachother”? Well yes I said. He thinks the same thing holds true for the bacteria in our gut.
How the heck anyone is ever going to figure out the amount of each bacteria it takes for all to get along is beyond my comprehension. But I’m willing to give Digestive Advantage a shot if it works for you.
Please give it at least a month. If it doesn’t work and you’re desperate try saccromycees boulardi. It’s a type of yeast and has had success with diarrhea according to the articles on it.
I’m more of a bloated, crampy, tired, allergic, pee alot (interstitial cystitis) kind of person. So there’s something besides IBS going on with me. I’m working on it one miracle cure du jour at a time.
Keep us posted. Sharon
17 alicia // Aug 16, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Hi Everyone,
For the last 14 years I have had aweful stomach and upper GI problems. Similar to what you have all experienced. I have had 3 stomach surgeries (not for weight loss) but to help fix all of my (issues) , after the 4th surgery (gall bladder) I didn’t feel any better to be honest I felt worse. However, my friend recommended me to take a specific allergie test. Come to find out all the foods that are suppose to be good for you. (I am deathly allergic to) So with IBS, GI and stomach problems, this was added to the list. I am now eatting even healthier then I was before and for the first time in my life I actually haven’t had (stomach problems) If anyone would like to no the name of the test just let me know. I no how depressing and saddening this is so I will help pass on anything info I have to people.
18 Kerry // Aug 22, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I had my gallbladder removed last week and have already shed close to seven pounds.
I also found that I can eat more things now.
I had chronic cholescystitis. I’ve read that most people have acute.
I feel so much better; I feel I’ve been suffering for years without knowing what the problem was until now.
I think each individual is different because it depends on your over-all health and lifestyle.
In other words, I feel that better candidates for recovery after surgery depends on their lifestyle choices both pre and post.
I have always tried to excercise and eat a low fat high fiber and lean protein diet.
I believe this is helping me to get back on track so fast.
Also, I haven’t experienced really bad diarrhea, but some loose stools.
I hope I’ve given somebody out there some hope about having gallbladder surgery.
By the way, I wasn’t a typical candidate as they found no stones.
Thanks everyone!!
19 Jill // Aug 26, 2009 at 2:52 pm
I saw this post a few weeks ago when I was desperately searching for some sort of solution to my digestive problems. I’ve been a morning IBS sufferer for most of my life, but with my gallbladder out last fall, my problems have just been increasing. I wanted to share what I’ve discovered.
There are medications, as the author of the post pointed out, for basically absorbing the bile in the intestines. But there is a natural alternative that has been working like a charm for me so far – calcium. Much of the supplemental calcium we take gets dumped into our intestines instead of helping our bones – where it does a lovely job of absorbing that excess bile salt apparently.
This post I stumbled on explains it very well: http://ibstales.com/happy_tales_one.htm
If you’re like me, and don’t want to be on a drug for an undetermined period of time, give it a try. On a side, note, I do still have morning stress IBS – but at least I can go out to a restaurant again!
20 Timothy Homan // Sep 1, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Hi Alicia. May I know the name of the test you took? I know that I’m partly allergic to milk (my throat swells up and if I eat too much of it my stomach hurts), but I really don’t know what else causes this problem. Anything carbonated will hurt me, and even gum (because it causes air bubbles in your digestive tract). But even water will cause my stomach to hurt. I also have inflammation of the eyes, and acid reflux disease.
21 Lisa N // Nov 20, 2009 at 11:33 pm
HI my name is Lisa. I am twenty and had my gallbladder removed at sixteen. I had many gallstones but am upset because I was never told that they could be removed and not my entire gallbladder! I realize that they removed it because I had so many stones but the after effects were wrose than the ones before! I am suffering from etreme IBS because of the removal of my gallbladder. It makes me absolutely miserable every day. I was told by many doctors that there is nothing I can do to ease the pain and embarrassment of this problem. I was wondering if it was possible to get a gallbladder transplant. I know this sounds rediculous and dumb but honestly I feel like that’s the only thing that could possibly help me. I’m desperate!
22 Sophie Lee // Nov 21, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Hi Lisa – have you tried Questran, Welchol or Colestid?
23 Lee // Nov 22, 2009 at 2:24 am
Hi , I have been suffering with loose stools and diarhea for at least 6 months now.Also breathlessness , and an ever constant understated pain just under the right hand side of my my rib-cage. I have been to my doctors for the past couple of months and had quite a thourough set of bloob and sample tests. All test results have been fine. I have also had chest and back X-rays as I have had a sever bout of coughing on a small number of occasions ,
also , I often have SEVERE back pain , lower right of my back . This pain can only be described as agonising ,.. it completely freezes me on the spot and seems to drain me of every last bit of energy in my body . The pain often comes a day or so after physical exercise , but also if I am sat or stood in one position for a while . The latest is ,… I am due in for a flexible sigmoidoscopy , which I dont mind as although propobably not comfortable , I am keen to get to the root cause of this . Are these syptoms similar to anyone elses? , is there a simple diet change of anything else that can help ?
24 Robert // Jan 8, 2010 at 11:05 pm
I had my gallbladder removed and the nightmares began. I was going to the bathroom 8 to 12 times a day and pretty much diarrhea most of the time. And when I had to go, I had to go now. It messed up my life in a huge way.
I’ve tried all kinds of things, calcium, vitamin D, iron, pepto, fiber pills, metamucil, immodium anything that I’ve read thats supposed to work. At this point my insides were totaly messed up.
I then got on cholestyramine and that helped with the urgency but not as much with the frequency. I was going about 6 times a day (rather than 8 to 12) being on the cholestyramine and I had a little more time to get to the bathroom.
I came across a website where this guy recommends cholestyramine (which I still take) and also offers an ebook for diarrhea relief. I wound up buying it, (I was willing to try anything at this point) the information wasn’t rocket science but there were 2 things in there that helped me tremendously. Glad to say I have 1 or 2 bowel movements a day when I thought I’d never feel normal again.
25 Tony // Jan 28, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Robert, what were the two things in the e-book that helped you?
26 Connie // Jan 30, 2010 at 3:23 am
I am so glad I decided to do some research this morning. Thank you for this blog and for all the replies. I have had IBS for over 30 years, and been completely disabled from it for about 9 years. However, I had my gallbladder out in early November and my IBS has changed from alternating to mostly diarrhea in the last month, and dumb me never connected it to the loss of my gallbladder. I have been miserable and now have some hope. Will call my doctor on Monday to ask about the drugs you have mentioned here. Had I not found this site, I would have gone on attributing this new phase strictly to IBS, so thank you all.
27 mariel c.ayag // Mar 22, 2010 at 11:46 pm
I had my gallbladder removed due to multiple stones that was 7 mos. ago, since then i have experienced muscle spasm, i had my cervical thoracic xray and found out that i really do have muscle spasm, i also experience pain on both sides of my lower rib cage. My pain was more on muscle pain and nerve pain after my gallbladder operation, i’ve been with 2 neurologist and found nothing wrong, my calcium, potassium are ok, even the thyroid function test was ok, all my blood test results were ok, fbs, sgpt, creatinine etc. are ok, right now i have pain above my navel area that seems to be a little bit inflammed, my family med said that i have a noisy stomach and was a given a medication, what seems to be my problem, pls. help.God bless .mariel
28 Sophie // Mar 23, 2010 at 8:27 am
Mariel, do you have constipation or diarrhea? If there are no gastrointestinal symptoms then it’s unlikely to be IBS.
29 tracy // Apr 25, 2010 at 12:22 am
hi i had my gallbladder removed nearly 2 years ago but the past few months i have felt pretty bad after i eat nearly everyday i feel bloated and like i am going to pop sometimes the feeling is in my chest and that’s scary but i know it’s just bloating and now last week halfway through a meal i can feel the food going down and so i stop eating , i have been to my gp and he as said i have ibs and gave me tablets but they don’t seam to be helping at all but he as arranged another scan , does any1 have any idea what could be wrong and how i could help myself not feel so bad and tired when i feel bloated it don’t really hurt just mostly uncomfortably but it’s getting me down
30 Clarissa Murphy // Apr 26, 2010 at 12:45 pm
I had my gallbladder removed 13 years ago. I was 8 years old it was due to a giardia parasite. It ate at my organs/ovaries and such. My large intestine was covered in scare tissue. It cause my gallbladder to fail. It was removed and every day there after I have had what was called IBS. Mainly the issue I had was foods I had eaten from the previous meal would pass through my bowls when I would get ready to eat my next meal. a bite or two I was in the restroom having bowl movement. Example: I ate breakfast used the restroom from dinner, ate lunch would use the restroom from breakfast. Sometimes its normal, depending on my stress levels determines if there is diarrhea or not. Sometimes it can be very painful (as though someone is holding my organs and twisting them in to binds). If I have to go I have to go. After I had my daughter the pain could be described such as that. Very similar to labor pains, I have to heavy breath and calm myself if there is not a bathroom in site. I have only had 2 accidents that I used the restroom on myself. Going through school with this was hard even at jobs it is difficult I used to have to get notes for my teachers to let me have that extended time to use the restroom when needed. Every where I am sure to know where the nearest restroom is. Also there are many Diet medications I cannot take it causes stomach crampling, I ended up in the hospital once due to taking diet supplements. Another issue I had was when ever I drink, I cant drink much or im drunk. All I can say is I know I am not the only one out there but I have to say I sure do feel alone when Im the only one running to the restroom in the middle of my meals.
31 meg // Apr 26, 2010 at 1:32 pm
message for Tony. jan 8th, just wondered what the medication (2 things) were that helped u, as i too suffer severly from ibs-d, and would love to be free ,or a lot better than i am now
32 elease // Jul 31, 2010 at 1:07 am
i think people don’t live perfectly fine after their gallbladder is removed doctors don’t tell you i had mine removed in 1998 i have not had normal digestion since you really need all you body parts that God gave you for everything to work right
33 Dina // Aug 9, 2010 at 3:13 am
Hi, I had my gall bladder removed about 3 years ago. I’ve had strange problems for the past two years with having diarrhea shortly after eating fatty foods, sweet foods, spicy foods and pretty much any thing with caffiene in it. I tired for a whole year to become a vegetarian and it worked wonders for me. But then I missed my chicken. After another year of testing out foods. I found my trigger foods and began to avoid. I can eat Chicken, Turkey, Pork and Tofu. No Beef though I think the fat is pretty high in it and it totally messes me up.
But yes I was told by my doctor that I had mild colitis. But I don’t think that was the case. But he refused to listen to me and just gave me meds with out even recommending a change in my diet. Which is where I’m at today. Thanks for posting this article! I hope you don’t mind me following you now!
34 Ally // Aug 17, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Wow, it seems there is a lot of grief out there over this, but also a lot of hope… I had my gallbladder out a few years ago after a few years of mis-diagnosing that resulted in ridiculous weight-loss & a lot of pain. Yes I suffer from IBS now (never did before!) but have managed to put on some kgs and control it to some extent. For me, caffiene & related drinks are the biggest trigger (coffee, tea, decaf, peppermint tea) as is eating too soon after waking, and too much dairy/wine/fat/sugar. Interestingly pectin is also a trigger (cucumber & apples). I have found Metamucil (1 tsp a day in water), probiotic supplements, echinacea and Vitamin C to be helpful if not taken in the morning. Vit D & B-group deficiencies are also implicated with IBS & depression (might help some of you feeling down with all of this?). Also try gentle yoga/stretching. Oh, and post-operative shingles tends to recur whenever I’m run-down – pain along nerve-paths with or without actual lesions, most commonlyfor me along right side (front &/or back) of torso and under lungs – might account for some of the pains a few of you have mentioned in those regions? Good luck everyone – remember to above all enjoy those little moments of joy, the grass growing, sunshine, love and laughter…
35 Kim // Aug 19, 2010 at 2:02 pm
I don’t have a comment but a question. I recently had my gallbladder removed, 2 days later I was back in the hospital with severe stabbing pains in my right side. They feel I had nerve damage during surgery. When in the hospital, I was given morphine which did nothing to stop the pain! Does anyone know why that is?
36 Ally // Aug 31, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Hi Kim I had the same thing, turned out to be shingles (see my last post) which was EXTREMELY painful. I was given all sorts of diagnoses including nerve damage until the correct one – turns out its quite common due to post-operative stress on the body & immune system. But of course, that was my case – yours may not be the same…
37 Pinky // Sep 1, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Hi Sophie
May I ask what does IBS stand for?
I had gall stones and hernia in December 2009 removed. 2 months ago I started getting pains obeve my right heel, I cannot put my foot down in the morning and cannot sleep facing up because my heel gets very sore.
A week ago I started getting chest pains, pains in the right hand side below the breast and right shoulder blabe pain. today I have started coughing and I feel my ol;d symptoms are coming back except the vomiting. please help
Pinky
38 Pinky // Sep 1, 2010 at 4:59 pm
By the way I have constant constipation no matter how healthy I eat. I drink 2 litres of water per day withouth fail. I am having an appointment with the Sergeon next week
Pinky
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